Applied Business – Unit 1

Robin Hill Case Study

Section1.1

• Ownership• Functions• Aims/ Objectives• Structure

OwnershipVectis Ventures Ltd – Private Limited Company

Features of Ltd’s:• Owned by 1-50 shareholders (family in this case)• Documentation required for registering a limited company:• Memorandum of Association

- Details of the nature, purpose and structure of the company• Articles of Association

- Details of the internal rules of the company Shareholders have limited liability – can only lose what they agreed to put into the

company – no personal liability• shares only bought and sold with agreement of existing shareholders

• Must publish accounts (annual report)Task – Answer 1(e) on green paper about Robin Hill

Functions• Human Resources• Sales and Marketing• Research and Development • Production/Operations• Customer Service• Finance and Accounts• Administration and IT

Functions that rely on each other:HR and sales are easy to explain

HR are responsible for:-Recruiting the right people in first place-Keeping them motivated (pay incentives, non-pay incentives)-Any disciplinary action-Retention-Training

Sales are responsible for:-Marketing-Bringing in turnover (Ultimately the purpose of the company and the ability to pay the wages and costs of the HR department

Aims and Objectives

Aims – General statementObjectives – Using SMART in order to achieve your

aims

Write down an objective for Robin Hill based around each of the following:

• Customer Service or customer satisfaction• Sales• HR (training, retention, recruitment...)

Structure - HierarchicalGroup Managing Director

Administration Staff

Maintenance Team

Head of Rides

Robin Hill Park Manager

Head of Catering

Head of Maintenance

Assistant Park Manager

Catering Staff Ride Staff

Human Resource Department (Based at Blackgang)

Is this centralised or decentralised?

Section 1.2

• Qualities to look for in staff• Reasons for recruiting• How do they advertise jobs• Appraisal system• Interview method• Forms of training

Reasons for Recruitment:• High labour turnover in all positions under Heads of

Functions• Park is open from April to October therefore students are

ideal (cheap, seasonal availability, young and energetic)

Qualities to look for in staff:• Good customer service (polite, confident, presentable)• Reliable (turn up on time/ punctual)• Trustworthy (Working on tills can lead to theft, especially

if staff don’t treat the job as a career)• Previous work experience and reference

How Robin Hill advertise:• County Press before the start of the season (February/

March)• County Press before the start of peak season ( June)• Competitive job as popular with students, don’t need to

advertise too much

• A small box in county press is relatively cheap especially if only needed for a few weeks a year

• Even cheaper if people turn up with CVs which often happens• Inviting staff to return next season also cuts down these costs

and retains the best staff• Using CP means potential staff are local

Interview Process• Job description – outline of the role

of the job holder• Person specification – outline

of the skills and qualities required of the post holder

• Applicants may demonstrate their suitability through application form, letter or curriculum vitae (CV)

• Applicants shortlisted• Interview – 1 to 1 with park manager

Appraisal system:• Difficulty in measuring some types of output – especially in the service industry• Meant to be non-judgmental• Involves the worker and a nominated appraiser• Agreeing strengths, weaknesses and ways forward

to help both employee and organisation

Forms of training (Ride staff example):• At the start of the season while park is closed, group training on each ride from

‘Head of Rides’• After each ride is demonstrated, the relevant form is signed and dated stating you

have had training• First time working on a ride will be in pairs (experienced with inexperienced)• When confident operating ride by yourself the form is signed and dated again• This is filed away and is Robin Hill’s documentation that protects them if an

accident was to occur

Section 1.3• Minimum wage and Working-time-directive

- Minimum wage must be met for all ages of staff- There are various regulations regarding length of shifts and length of breaks for different ages that must be met

• How do they retain employees- Hold meetings on seasonal staff’s last day to encourage their return next year- Rely on the job being in demand- Top staff are chosen to work Bestival weekend entitling them to a free staff pass

• Motivation (methods/theories)- Staff of the week awards for customer compliments. Allowed ride staff to choose which rides they would be timetabled to for the following week. Mayo supports this as he suggests that employees are motivated by constant attention from managers. Maslow’s self-esteem needs can also be applied.

- Not a lot of promotion prospects- No extra pay incentives

Section 1.4• Environmentally friendly

- Park believes in restoring the UK’s natural woodland and increasing the amount on their site- Use local wood (often from site) for fencing and signage- Rain water is collected for gardening- The site looks to support as much wildlife as possible (red squirrels, birds etc)

• Health and Safety- Ride training documentation as discussed- Food hygiene certificates for catering- Various certification for rides (service and maintenance, daily checks)- Daily bridge and path checks carried out everything morning and then signed by the checker (accountability)

Robin Hill Documentation on I Drive

• Employee Training Record• Robin Hill Job Interview Assessment Form• Seasonal Job Application Form• Staff Handbook• Job Application Form for Children