Gap Analysis

GAP ANALYSIS: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS

Gap Analysis: Global Communications

Matthew Thrasher

University of Phoenix

Gap Analysis: Global Communications

The communication industry is experiencing unprecedented growth and Global Communications (GC) would like to be a part of this growth. In order to do so GC will need to partner with Technologies Workers Union (TWU) and face difficult decisions concerning layoffs, outsourcing and an effective strategy to pursue emerging markets within the communications industry.

Situation Analysis

Issue and Opportunity Identification

Global Communications is engaged in a highly competitive market. Like any profitable business Global Communications has determined to enlarge their market base from just business to business and to include more of the consumer. With this in mind GC has determined that they will need to trim some fat from the organization in order to stay viable and to compete for the customers that are out there. GC has issued statements to the board and to the union representatives that layoffs are eminent and call center jobs will be outsourced and those that remain will take a pay cut. There are communication issues which exist between the senior staff at GC and the union reps. Maria which represents the union feels that the senior staff at GC waited too long before sharing the news with the union. Maria has expressed an amount of distrust from GC and does not show good faith in their time to wait to explain the reasons for the layoffs and the expansion of GC. Obviously the union wants to keep jobs here in the US and considering that in the past the union has agreed once already to a pay cut both parties seem to be at an impasse.

Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas

Technologies Workers Union has agreed once already in the past to a decrease in benefits and is no expected to sit idly by while jobs are outsourced to India and Ireland and those that do remain will take a pay cut. This seems unethical to the union and a breach of the current contract standards. Another ethical concern is that the union and its representative Maria feel that the senior staff at Global Communications waited too long to inform the union and deliberately left the union out of the conversations intentionally. Global Communications has the bottom line as its main interests while the union seeks to protect the employees at GC. C seeks to become a major player in the communications business by expanding its base from B2B to consumer. They plan to accomplish this by partnering with other companies that will provide the needed additions to the company they feel will add to the company’s market share. The employees of GC have a right to be treated fairly and with respect concerning their jobs. While layoffs and changes within an organization may be inevitable employees deserve to be treated with respect from the senior staff at GC.

End-State Vision

While implementing the layoffs were a challenge and looking back now we are able to see that there could have been a clearer path for communication we are happy with the way the events transpired and ultimately turned out. We were able to form alliances with a satellite company to offer services and also with a cellular company to provide anytime internet to consumers and to small business owners. This will allow us to aggressively market our new services and be able to compete in this global market. We are placing strict policies into our company bylaws that will reform the way we do business overall to ensure that we will never have to layoff anyone again. We are in talks with TWU to hear from them and gain new ideas into securing jobs for our employees and prevent any further layoffs.

Gap Analysis

In the ever changing competitive market of communications GC has concluded that in order to remain viable and in business there are necessary layoffs and pay cuts for it employees. To add to this GC will outsource US jobs overseas to cut cost so that the money saved can be redirected into emerging markets where currently GC is not a player. GC must do a better job of communicating with the union and for them to view their relationship with the union not as arbitrary and contrite but as a partnership where they can both win. Of course the TWU will do all they can to fight for the US jobs and prevent any downsizing. Maria which represents the TWU has suggested that they are willing to work with GC to produce a favorable outcome but in order for this to happen GC must be willing to compromise which at this point they are unwilling altogether. So at this point GC has chosen not to include TWU in the process and therefore TWU will not go quietly but pursue any options they can to oppose GC’s next move.

Conclusion

Ultimately in business everyone involved with current issues should strive for a win for all parties involved. GC has encountered a major obstacle in their path of growth and due to possible bad business practices and poor company management and projected growth they are forced to lay off employees, outsource job and distribute pay cuts to the employees that will remain. This is setting a standard that is not desirable and that may come back to haunt GC sometime down the road. For now GC has not chosen TWU as a partner but rather as an intrusion and not including TWU in discussions further isolates the relationship between GC and TWU.

The best that GC can hope for at this point is for their strategy to work brilliantly and for the new management to use better business practices and to evaluate periodically their decisions by setting benchmarks for projected growth. GC has some work to do in order to