FIRST IMPRESSIONS INC. (A)

Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree

to serve. you only need a heart full of grace. a soul generated by love.

By, Sir Martin Luthar King Jr.

SUBMITTED BY: SECTION A

GROUP 2

ABHINAV SAINI (2010008)

ANIRUDH PANDIYA (2010031)

ANKIT JOSHI (2010035)

ANUJ ARORA (2010042)

ANURAG ANAND (2010043)

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS , INC. (A)

INTRODUCTION

JUDY WILES, used to work as a trainer and waitress for TGI Fridays, where she found out that the employees were transient in nature. She knew that this industry had a lot of attrition so she came up with an idea to start a company which would provide temporary employees for the food service industry at any time at a short notice. She called up a few restaurants and analysed their response. In turn she got a positive response from the industry. Thus, realizing that the potential of such a business was good and in demand.

She prepared a complete 5 year business plan on the basis of which she was going to start the business.

She got help from the WSU to setup the business in the university premises. She was provided with a room, phone and fax machine as a starter. She arranged funds and asked her friends from TGI Friday’s to come and work for her after their shifts were over and thus she started the company FIRST IMPRESSIONS Inc..

She began by advertising her service using fliers and soon she started getting orders after which she employed the first worker for her company named Eric Giles as an operations manager and a waiter.

She was very particular about the selection criteria. The values that she included in her selection procedure included Discipline, Personal hygiene, Punctuality, Language, Attendance etc. Once employed Judy took care of their training and she personally developed various training programs depending upon employee previous experience. She made it clear during the interview that in case an employee was not able to report, they had to inform at least five hours before the work shift. She provided the employees with a good work environment.

The business flourished and the company generated annual sales of 1 million dollars within a few years. Although doing well in the corporate sales Judy decided to expand her business to suburbs where she saw a potentially big market for the services.

As Judy belonged to the minority a few clients resisted in doing business with her and she knew that this is going to become a major hurdle for the growth of her company. Thus, she needed to come up with a creative solution for the growth of the company.

OUTLINE:

After analysing huge losses suffered by TGI Fridays by imparting training to employees who had high attrition rates, JUDY WILES decided to establish FIRST IMPRESSIONS Inc. with a goal to provide temporary employees to the hospitality industry. FIRST IMPRESSIONS Inc. started off on a very high note and JUDY WILES started getting more and more orders

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but eventually she realized that having technical edge did not mean that she would always get the deal. The main trouble she started facing was racial discrimination as FIRST IMPRESSIONS INC. was a minority owned company.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

The case FIRST IMPRESSIONS INC. (A) discusses the problem faced by the owner of the company, JUDY WILES. The company gained momentum in the earlier stages and hence expanded its branches to suburban areas but being a black lady, JUDY WILES started facing problems of racial discrimination. Many a times, she lost the deals as the clients showed keen interest on the phone but when they met in person, they called off the deal because of the preconceived notions against the blacks.

Through her various experiences, she also came to know that the clients would just not accept that the president of the company were black. This is why she omitted the word ‘PRESIDENT’ from her visiting card. In the later part of the case she is facing a problem wherein she made a deal with a client for a party but the client is very much stubborn in not having any black person in the party by giving various reasons.

The clients believed that the blacks would take away the silverware, fur, diamonds and other expensive items. Now JUDY WILES was stuck in a dilemma of ‘Right v/s Right’ situation. On one hand she has her principals at stake and on the other she has to save the interest of the organisation.

SOLUTION:

1. As Judy is confronted with the situation of Right vs Right she should go along with the same plan i.e., she should converse with client and try to convince her of the fact that she will be responsible for all the work force provided by her and if she doesn’t like the services then the service would be for free.Advantages: By this she would not only be able to retain her ethics intact but also would retain her professional responsibilities. Although the client may not agree but by manipulating the thoughts of the client by talking to her personally and presenting it in a manner that the client agrees for the contractDrawbacks: The client may become arrogant and stubborn and stay stuck with her decision in that scenario she will not be able to complete the party contract and may hamper, her company’s growth in a long term scenario.

2. She is on a professional front and also has to expand her business. So considering this fact she can give her the services by sending the white people in the party.Advantages:

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In this scenario, Judy would be able to help the company to grow in the suburban area which is a potentially huge market for the business to grow in future and thus serve as a long term benefit for the company.Disadvantages:In this case the ethics, values and the principles of Judy Wiles would be compromised and she will probably not be able to forget this, but as a company to grow professionally she should think and compromise with the services that the customer wants as the main goal for company was that the customer is first and the customer is always right.

3. Another solution could be that she provides the client with the services of a mixed group of whites and blacks with her best employees in the background and whites on the front so that the client’s party would not become a ground of racial discrimination and her purpose also will be solved. Also Judy can give a guarantee for all the losses of the client in order to in order to convince her for allowing black workforce in the background.Advantages:Judy would not only be able to satisfy her client but her ethics would also remain intact as she provides the black workforce with the job. This will also help the company in achieving its long term goals.Disadvantages:The main disadvantage would be that the black employees will be kept at the back, i.e. not allowed to go into the party area. The ethic values would be compromised a little and the customer need can also be addressed in this fashion.

CONCLUSION:

The best possible solution will be the third, which is to provide mixed workforce such that white persons will act as a face of workforce. Aimed to serve the utilitarianism ethical principle, this act will also ensure proper establishment of human right and care principle.

This move combined with proper marketing and counselling act will ensure that contracts keep coming in while ensuring that best work team is send to the workplace such that everyone has vital and important role in team. This will lead to more work opportunities to workers and improve their income. Further more and more business opportunities will be created which will help the corporation to spread its tentacles on the sub-urban market.

Mission Statement of corporation “the customer is first and customer is right” will be validated and no compromise will be made in terms of values, that both major values of power and purity will be addressed and given vital importance.

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