M3 Assignment 2: LASA 1: Consultant Presentation (CO 1, 2, 3)

Submit your assignment to the M3: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Wednesday, September 18, 2013.

Wide Horizons Travel Agency Inc. has recently acquired Vista Travel LLC as part of a multimillion dollar expansion plan.  Several of the employees from Vista were moved to the Wide Horizon Corporate offices in Houston from their original home office in Detroit.  The home offices are in the process of being closed and there is a skeleton staff left there taking care of the closure.

The IT team from Wide Horizons is working on transferring the IT infrastructure of Vista to the latest Office technology from Microsoft™, a brand new network and a new phone system. Although over 70% of Vista’s workforce made the move to Wide Horizons, the senior managers are noticing a marked drop in the amount of business that Wide Horizons is taking in the form of bookings and certainly not the uptick that was expected with an increase in the sales force of 35%.

This lack of performance is putting a strain on the senior management team who are facing having to cut back on their expansion plans due to lack of funds. There is even some talk of layoffs. Wide Horizons is in need of advice and they are looking for a consultant to come in and review their systems, policies, procedures and training. They also need the consultant to try to determine the problem and make recommendations to address any deficiencies that are found in an effort to get the company back on track.

You have been hired as the consultant for Wide Horizons and asked to deliver a PowerPoint Presentation with your recommendations to the senior management team.

Your PowerPoint should have at least 10-15 slides not including any Title, Welcome, Questions or Reference slides. Use the notes section in PowerPoint to clarify your points. Use at least three scholarly resources when preparing your presentation.

Part 1: Assessment of company

• Create a list of potential areas of weakness based on the information you have in the case brief.
• Explain the interventions that may need to take place in the senior management team, finance, marketing, and training departments
• Utilize Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when explaining what motivational coaching may need to take place

Part 2: Team leadership and roles

• Using Ginnett’s model of team leadership describe how your team decided on its members’ roles prior to starting the consultancy. 
• Provide information on how your team and their roles evolved during the process.
• Explain each step of the Tuckman’s Forming, Norming, Storming and Performing model as it pertained to your team.

Part 3: Final Recommendations

• Provide your suggested plan for the company
• Evaluate the financial impact of such a plan and the time it will take to implement.