Gap Analysis: Harrison-Keyes

Gap Analysis: Harrison-Keyes

Introduction

In the mid Ð'- 1950's Harrison-Keyes, Inc. was regarded as the leading publisher of business, scientific, and technical information. Recent competition is making it difficult for Harrison-Keyes, Inc. to stay abreast in the market. To remain competitive and increase profits, Harrison-Keyes, Inc. has decided to initiate a plan to implement e-publishing in the organization. To promote positive changes within the organization, Harrison-Keyes, Inc. has hired a new Chief Executive Officer. William Guardo, CEO is not a big fan of e-publishing, but is willing to give it a chance. In order to be successful, William Guardo will have to develop a strategy to change the organizational culture and increase morale within the organization. Currently morale is low and employees are threatening to seek other employment avenues. The current culture at Harrison-Keyes, Inc. is a culture where all the decisions are made by upper management without input from others. To create an atmosphere of success, the lines of communication must be open and honest and all valued employees should be kept abreast of impending changes and given an opportunity to share their thoughts and input. The CEO along with marketing must develop a strategy that will satisfy consumers, increase profits, and uphold the company's values and vision. This paper will outline the issues that plague Harrison-Keyes, Inc., and the solution that will once again the leading publisher of business, scientific, and technical information.

Situation Analysis

Issue and Opportunity Identification

Harrison-Keyes, Inc. is currently facing several issues. The publishing company attempted to implement e-publishing which did not set well with the authors and employees. The board of directors were not familiar with e-publishing, but were willing to take a chance on it. Harrison-Keyes, Inc. was working with Asia Digital, a company to digitize the published books, due to recent floods the company is no longer operational and unfortunately Harrison-Keyes, Inc. does not have a back up plan. Due to certain circumstances, Meg McGill is no longer working with Harrison-Keyes, Inc. as the CEO. The board of directors has appointed a new CEO, William Guardo. William Guardo comes to Harrison-Keyes, Inc. with a vast knowledge of publishing, but William is not a fan of e-publishing. Another issue at Harrison-Keyes, Inc. is 2 key employees have resigned to seek employment at a competitor publishing house. The last issue is several employees have expressed their unhappiness with recent activities to human resources which could lead to further employee turnover.

The opportunities are endless at Harrison-Keyes, Inc. With the recent change in management, William Guardo has a chance to make some positive changes within the organization. William needs to share his vision with the employees and give the employees an opportunity to buy in to his philosophy. Although it was a terrible tragedy that caused Asia Digital to go out of business, now is the time for William Guardo to redirect the team and give them a chance to either find another digital company or to make changes to the current strategy and continue business as usual with regular paperback readings. The next opportunity for Harrison-Keyes, Inc. is to replace to 2 employees that resigned and hire new qualified experts in the publishing industry.

Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas

In every organization everyone is of equal importance. All employees have the right to be informed and want to stay abreast of current issues and impending changes. At Harrison-Keyes, Inc. the stakeholders are the board of directors, the employees, the top selling authors, and the consumers. The board of directors expects that Harrison-Keyes, Inc. remain profitable, the employees expect to be compensated appropriately and treated fairly, and the consumers expect to receive quality products at competitive prices. One dilemma at Harrison-Keyes, Inc. is the CIO has no formal education and the skills that he does possess are outdated. This will cause major issues if Harrison-Keyes, Inc. implements e-publishing. In the technological world, the CIO needs to have updated skills and knowledge to address any and all issues that may arise. The next dilemma is if all the major digitizing companies are oversees, Pete Ross, the production manager has a low tolerance for dealing with people oversees. This will cause major delays during the implementation of e-publishing.

End-State Vision

With the loyalty and dedication of consumers, stakeholders, and employees, Harrison-Keyes, Inc., will be profitable and successful in the publishing industry. Harrison-Keyes, Inc. will continue to meet the needs of the consumers by staying abreast of current trends and changes in the telecommunications industry. Harrison-Keyes, Inc. will remain competitive in the industry