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You work at Good Education, a learning centre in Hong Kong providing education programmes for primary and secondary students. You are now required to complete a proposal on strengthening the bond among the staff in the company. Read the first three sections of the proposal below to understand the context and situation. Proposal Introduction Purpose This proposal recommends measures for team building for the staff in the company. It is hoped that with the implementation of the recommended proposal, the team spirit among staff could be enhanced significantly. Background Good Education is a large learning centre in Hong Kong with over 50 full-time staff members, providing a wide range of education programmes to primary and secondary students. With a rapid expansion of business over the past few years, the company has witnessed a steady increase in the number of programmes and student intake. A talented and high-spirited workforce is one of the key factors for its continued business growth. Despite the promising prospect, a recent survey conducted by the Human Resources Unit reveals that a high percentage of respondents believed that communication between staff members was not very strong. They commented that there was a lack of opportunities where they could know each other better and build up their trust. This has led to weakened team spirit and ineffective collaboration. It has also undermined staff motivation and caused conflicts in the workplace, posing adverse effects on efficiency and company development. In view of these, the management has requested measures to strengthen the bond among the staff so that there will be a more collaborative work culture. Situation Identified It is apparent that there is a pressing need for some remedial measures to promote strong and effective teamwork among the staff. In order to translate this aim into a specific course of action, proposals for improving the team spirit among staff have been made and investigated. Initial Proposals Three options were initially proposed for immediate investigation: to engage staff in community volunteer work; to organise social activities; and to arrange team games. Investigation Findings 1. Engaging staff in community volunteer work Volunteer work could create a collaborative environment and build a strong bond among staff. This option proposes that staff will form teams to participate in voluntary work, such as visiting elderly homes and tree planting at least once a month. A recent study shows that voluntary work offers a meaningful experience to participants. When they work together for a worthy cause, the staff could develop strong relationships. At the same time, it could provide plenty of opportunities to enhance their communication with each other. However, there may be concerns about staff participation since the volunteering service may take place outside office hours. The coordination and liaison work for volunteering may also add to the workload of the staff. 2. Organising social activities Activities to encourage team spirit do not have to be serious all the time. Social activities could be a good means of strengthening bonds among staff and they could be as simple as having a drink after work, or joining a group cooking class. Social activities would provide a great way for staff to have fun together. It encourages interaction and communication during an activity. Also, it may help the staff to understand each other more when they share in a relaxed atmosphere. However, some activities may not be attractive to staff, so they may not be very willing to join them. In addition, it may be hard to reach a consensus on which days work best for the activities. 3. Arranging team games Team games are very good for team building because they require participants to play together as a team. There are a variety of team activities, such as bowling and card games. Teams could be formed for the games and competitions are organised regularly. As revealed in a recent survey, team games will get everyone motivated to work as a team and develop team spirit. Besides, playing team games helps the staff to strengthen their communication and collaboration in an informal and leisure setting. However, team games require a common time for everyone in the team to practise or participate in competitions. Moreover, some staff who may not be physically fit for sports activities may have concerns about such an arrangement. Now read the fourth section of the proposal, the Investigation Conclusions, and your supervisor's handwritten notes below. Then, using all of the notes, finish writing the final two sections of the proposal Recommended Proposal (Implementation; Elaboration on Benefits) and Conclusion - in about 350 words in the Answer Booklet provided. You need to explain why you support the recommended option by discussing its implementation and elaborating on its benefits. To strengthen your arguments for the chosen option, you are highly recommended to expand the given points in the notes with more details other than those stated. Your answer should demonstrate your ability to communicate your message with subtlety, tact and sensitivity. Investigation Conclusions The investigation findings show three possible options to enhance team spirit for staff, all of which have both pros and cons. Selection considerations 1. feasibility 2. attractiveness Engaging staff in volunteer work would be an option because it provides opportunities for staff to interact and communicate better with each other in meaningful tasks. However, there are concerns about staff participation and extra liasion work. This is the one. Implementation Organising social activities would be a possible option because the staff can interact and communicate better with each other in a relaxed atmosphere. However, there are concerns about diverse preferences of staff and the difficulty in scheduling the activities. Implementation plan o HK$100,000 expenses for team games o team games to be organised by May 2022 The proposal of arranging team games is the best option for enhancing team spirit. It will bring a number of benefits to both the company and the staff. In addition, concerns about time for activities and staff's worries about participating in sports activities can be easily resolved. Recommended action to make the proposal more appealing o arrange activities that staff like Pros for staff 1. 1 team spirit 2. 1 communication and collaboration Measures to address concerns 1. Time for activities o release staff to join activities during office hours Pro for company 1. 1 staff performance (elaborate and explain with reasons] 2. Staff worries o [suggest a solution] Recommended Proposal Based on the Investigation conclusions, it is recommended that motion sensors be installed on the lighting system to reduce electricity costs of Greenview Gardens. Among the three options, this one is the most effective and the practical option. 1. Implementation To implement the recommended proposal, HK$100,000 will be budgeted for the set-up costs. Besides, the motion sensors will be installed on the lighting system by May 201-. It is important to communicate with the residents the benefits of the proposal. Conducting briefings for residents on the benefits of motion sensors would be an effective way to enhance communication and gain their support. In order to address residents' concern about the inconvenience that the system may bring, a highly sensitive motion sensor system is recommended so that even small movements, such as relaxing or reading the newspaper, could be detected. This should lessen the inconvenience for residents using the common facilities for quiet activities. Regarding noise disturbance to the residents, any noisy installation work ought to be carried out on weekdays as these are the least busy times for the common areas. This would help to avoid disturbance. 2. Elaboration on benefits Installing motion sensors on the estate lighting system would have many benefits for both the residents and the company. The details are as follows: Reducing the management fee If sensors are installed, many of the estate lights will switch off automatically when not in use or needed. This will significantly reduce the electricity consumption in the estate. Due to reduced consumption, the charges will decrease and Trust Guard should be able to reduce the management fee. Raising residents' satisfaction This proposal is also beneficial to the company. One of the advantages is that the reduction in electricity charges by adopting this proposal addresses the residents' concern about the rise in management fee. This should raise the residents' satisfaction with the company. Enhancing company image In addition, if motion sensors are used, it will lower the electricity consumption and as a result, the monthly management fee would be reduced. This shows that the company cares about the residents and responds to their concerns. Thus, it will help to enhance the company image. Conclusion Overall, among the three proposed ways of reducing electricity charges of Greenview Gardens, the installation of motion sensors on the lighting system is the best option. With all above benefits in mind, it is hoped that the proposal would be accepted. Part 1 Study Part 1 below. sk Your role The situation The readers of the proposal You pN com, prop Read contd PART 1 Guard Property Management, a well-known pmpany in Hong Kong. You have been asked to h the reduction of electricity charges for the dens'. tions of the proposal below to understand the Role During the assessment, you will not be allowed to re-read these sections. Instead, you will read the fourth section of the proposal, the Investigation conclusions, and the handwritten notes your supervisor made. You will then use all of the notes to finish writing the final two sections of the proposal - Recommended proposal (Implementation; Elaboration on benefits) and Conclusion - in 300-350 words. You need to explain why you support the recommended option by discussing its implementation and elaborating on its benefits. Your answer should demonstrate your ability to communicate your message with subtlety, tact and sensitivity. A staff member of a property management company Situation: You need to complete a proposal about reducing electricity charges Readers: . Management of Trust Guard Proposal Introduction Purpose Background situation Intro Purpose: - the aim of this proposal Purpose The aim of this proposal is to recommend a feasible plan to reduce electricity charges of the property 'Greenview Gardens' managed by Trust Guard Property Management so that the residents' concerns regarding management fees could be minimised. 1. Aim: to recommend measures to reduce electricity charges so that the residents' concerns can be minimised 2. Issue: residents have concerns about increases in management fees 3. Background Trust Guard has been managing Greenview Gardens for almost Background: 10 years. Since 2013, the management fee of the property has - details about the situation had an increase of about 5% each year. In addition to inflation the problem and rises in staff salary, the increase in management fee has -consequences of the problem been mainly due to sharp increases in electricity consumption. It has been particularly so in summers as the temperature remains The situation: high during the daytime. It is expected that this will continue in Management fee has been the coming years. According to a survey conducted last month in increasing due to sharp the estate, most residents expressed their concerns about the increases in electricity rises in management fees. Over 80% of the respondents consumption. believed that Trust Guard is not doing enough to reduce the electricity consumption of Greenview Gardens. Thus, residents' 4. The problem: satisfaction with the company's services dropped considerably Because of the increases in compared to previous years. management fees, residents are not satisfied with the Trust Guard is highly concerned about this issue as it not only company's services negatively affects its business, but also damages its good image built over years. The company understands that the only way to Consequences of the 5. meet the residents' expectations is to reduce electricity charges problem: as far as possible. The residents' satisfaction with the company's services will drop further and the company's business and image will be negatively Situation identified affected. It is apparent that there is a pressing need for the company to come up with measures to address the residents' concerns. In order to translate this aim into a specific course of action, Situation Identified: proposals for concrete initiatives have been made and the actions needed investigated. 6. Actions needed: It is urgent to find ways to address the residents' concerns. Initial proposal Initial Proposals In this section, 3 possible solutions Three options were initially proposed for immediate investigation: are listed. At this stage, we do not 1. to use solar panels to provide an alternative source of know which one will be electricity; recommended in Part 2. 2. to install motion sensors to lighting systems; and 3. to maintain indoor temperature at 25.5C. Investigation Investigation findings In this section, the findings of the 3 possible solutions are presented. 1. Using solar panels Solar-energy systems capture free sunlight and convert it into You will find the details about the usable power. Having a system that generates electricity means option. less electricity can be used. Since similar projects have been implemented in other properties, a case study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using solar panels. Benefits and concerns are also The study shows that solar panels could reduce electricity discussed. charges by 25% eventually. In addition, this kind of project could easily become a signature event of the estate and raise its property value. However, solar energy is not stable during cloudy or rainy days and therefore only limited electricity cost reduction can be achieved on those days. In addition, the costs for set-up and maintenance are relatively high. Part 2 - Initial Proposal 2 2. Installing motion sensors on lighting systems A motion sensor is a device that detects moving objects, par Details about using n integrated into a system that au motion sensors h an area. Installation of motion se Jtems in specific areas has been very popular in Hong Kong in recent years. A review was done on the effectiveness of this option. 2 benefits: low costs reduction in electricity motion sensors could be an efi consumption charges. The costs of sensors, e relatively low and electricity 2 concerns: Inconvenience to tly reduced for rooms and areas WN residents the other hand, the sensors may Noise during installation switch off the lights if people using the rooms or areas do not move for a period of time. This may bring inconvenience to some residents. Another issue is that the installation of the sensors is rather noisy and will require ladders to be set up around recreation areas. 3. Maintaining indoor temperature at 25.5C As about one quarter of the electricity is consumed for air conditioning, a study was conducted on this option. Interviews were held with property managers and site visits were conducted by senior executive staff from the Head Office. It is found that this option can substantially save electricity, particularly in the summer time. Another advantage is that it requires very little preparation for implementation. Nevertheless, the study also reveals some issues. The residents may complain during hot weather and days with big temperature changes. In addition, staff who perform physical work may feel uncomfortable and therefore, maintaining their morale would be a concern. Part 2 Now, you are given Part 2. Study the Investigation conclusions and the handwritten notes. Then, write the final two sections of the proposal - Recommended proposal (Implementation; Elaboration on benefits) and Conclusion. ik PART 2 Guard Property Management. Your supervisor a proposal for reducing electricity charges of Yoy Your role The situation Readers of the proposal Twll Intit ord re given the first three sections of the proposal posals and Investigation findings to study in context and situation. NB During the assessment, you are not allowed to read these sections. Now read the fourth section of the proposal, the Investigation conclusions, and your supervisor's handwritten notes below. Then, using all of the notes, finish writing the final two sections of the proposal Recommended Proposal (Implementation; Elaboration on benefits) and Conclusion - in 300-350 words in the Answer Book provided. You need to explain why you support the recommended option by discussing its implementation and elaborating on its benefits. Your answer should demonstrate your ability to communicate your message with subtlety, tact and sensitivity. Selection considerations Selection consideration Explain why the recommended option is chosen. Investigation conclusions The investigation findings show three possible plans to reduce electricity charges of Greenview Gardens, all of which have both pros and cons. 1. effectiveness 2. practicality Recommended option: Find out which option is recommended. This is the one. temperature at 25.5C 1 e option. However, mole resistance from the grievances from the staff, it that this option will be arties. 0 o According to the case study of similar projects, option 3 g solar panels may save by 25% eventually. Action: Present the fost is the highest among details of implementation. hd the electricity supply fing cloudy or rainy days. Implementation Implementation plan HK$ 100,000 set-up costs motion sensors be installed by May 201- Recommended action to make the proposal more convincing communicate with residents - benefits of using motion sensors gain support of proposal 0 Jalling motion sensors of the lighting system is the best option. This option will a number of benefits to the sidents 4 turn, to the company. In bout the inconvenience, Action: Recommend actions to make the ance caused to the proposal more ation work can be easi effective/convincing. Pro for residents electricity consumption 5 charges management fee Measures to address concerns 1. Inconvenience to residents use a highly sensitive motion sensor system 0 Concerns: Explain how these two concerns can be addressed. es ction 2. 0 detect small movements Noise disturbance carry out installation work on weekdays avoid busy times explain with Benefits: Discuss the pros based on the given notes