Case Study: Loud & Clear (LC) PA Systems

Loud & Clear (LC) is a worker cooperative group, which has been operating in Manchester for ten years. It began when two music students graduated from college and got together with a few more friends to start the group. They provide Public Address systems, mixing consoles, amplifiers, microphones and other equipment for inside and outside events. There are now ten members of the LC group, which is made up of sound engineers and musicians. The group provides a reliable service for events in the UK, they guarantee that the PA systems will be set-up, sound checked and controlled by a qualified sound engineer for the duration of the event. This is a specialised area of technical workand as the majority of staff are performers themselves, they take great pride in providing this professional service.

The original idea for this enterprise came from Elsie Black who now manages the LC office. They have a couple of desktop computers and utilise a business website, a rather basic database of client information, business email, a number of electronic documents, a couple of spreadsheets, and a shared online calendar which displays all the event bookings. Apart from that, each technician has a mobile phone which receives; phone messages, text messages, emails and alerts from the office. Elsie and her assistant take responsibility for everything that falls under the remit of the office, which includes; all event bookings and associated documentation, marketing of services, payment of salaries, etc.

For some time, the group have discussed opportunities to develop the business, and they are all committed to taking on new challenges. They feel they are well placed to take on the new opportunities that have been brought about by the growing number of events taking place in the North West and around the UK. Telephone enquires about the services they provide have doubled in the past year and bookings are increasing fast. Therefore, the LC group believe it is time to update the office systems to cope with the growing demands of their business. They have discussed the possibility of Customer Relationship Management software and Enterprise Resource Planning software. However, they need professional help before they can make a final decision. They are also interested in the possibility of utilising Open Source software, but require information on the advantages and disadvantages.

Growing the business will mean significant changes for LC and there are some concerns that using business information technology for communications might change the close working relationships which exist between the sound engineers and the office staff. While everyone accepts that some changes are necessary, there is some apprehension about the impact on roles. As LC is a worker cooperative, everyone has an equal vote on how these changes will be made. Therefore, they require a report that can be read and understood by all members of the group (technical and non-technical group members).

Your Task

You are a consultant who has been employed to advise LC on the effective implementation of these strategic changes. You are required to produce the following:

Part A: Analysis - Business Process Models and Strategy Analysis

In this section you should develop

1. A series of Business Process Models, which capture the existing and proposed business processes. The models should follow the BPMN notation (see Introduction to BPMN in Unit 4's Resources). It is recommended that you use Microsoft Visio to create the models although you may if you prefer use Word, PowerPoint or appropriate alternatives.

2. Strategic analysis for LC. You should use a recognised analysis technique such as SWOT, PESTLE etc

Part B: Open Source Software Comparison Table

In this section you should conduct research into a suitable software solution for LC You should decide on the set of characteristics which you will use to evaluate the software and your research should consider 4-5 alternatives in detail. This section should be presented as a table.

Part C: Report

In this section you should write a report which provides an overview of the current situation together with a roadmap outlining how the proposed changes to the business can be achieved to the benefit of the business. This should draw on your analysis in Part A, include your recommendation for software, and provide recommendations for ensuring that the strategy is effectively implemented, including consideration of the challenges ahead.

You should use appropriate theories, frameworks, models, that have been covered in the module, to inform and justify your recommendations.

This section should follow a standard report structure:

Title Page - Contents - Introduction - Main Section - Conclusions and Recommendations - References.

Part D: Reflection on your contribution to the online discussion

In this section you should submit a 250 word reflective summary, accompanied by your own self-assessment of your contribution to the online elements throughout the module, using the table labelled Reflection Self AssessmentProforma in Appendix A to justify your assessment (copy and paste it into your assignment document). The reflective report should include your detailed reflection, supported with evidence from the online discussion.

 You should use appropriate theories, frameworks, models, that we have covered in the module, to inform and justify your recommendations.

Using the Forum to Help With Your Assignment

It is recommended that you use the RKC Forum threads to:

- Share papers and articles that you have found on relevant topics, focusing on peer-reviewed sources (remember to include links / reference / pdfs)

- Discuss the changes to the ways of working for LC - i.e. discuss what processes will change, and explore how these might work in practice. You might also consider the changing information needs of the business

- Discuss and share examples of Open Source software that could be of use for LC