Green Wave Landscape Management

You are the operations manager for Green Wave Landscape Management, a provider of residential and commercial landscape maintenance. You have a substantial number of customers in your metropolitan area. Due to the increase of business in the summer, you must hire additional employees. This year, you hired six new employees.

Henry Stewart is your most valued customer because he is a prominent real estate agent and refers many of his clients to your company. He recently had his home's trees and shrubs sprayed for insects by your company.

Dear Green Wave,

I have been a customer of yours for five years and have sent you innumerable customers. And you have the nerve to send over two bozos to spray my yard. Those two idiots have killed over $2,000 in prize fish. Additionally, they were rude. As you may or may not know, I raise expensive koi in my fishpond. Whenever your people spray my shrubs and trees, they have been asked to cover the pond. I assumed people in your profession would know how to do that without being told. Obviously, I was wrong.

I am terminating my service with Green Wave, effective today. I demand immediate restitution for my dead fish. If payment is not forthcoming, I will see you in court.

Sincerely,

Henry Stewart

In addition to the letter, you also discover that Mr. Stewart has posted scathing commentary on your blog. He has posted the same complaint and request for remuneration publicly. Now you have a public relations crisis.

During your investigation, you discover that Tom Harrelson, field manager in charge of assigning workers to the various job sites, sent two new workers to the Stewart residence. The accident at the Stewart residence probably occurred because these new workers were sent alone. Your company policy is to pair new and experienced employees on work assignments.

As the operations manager, you will have to respond to Mr. Stewart. You will also have to post something to the company website. You will also have to communicate internally with company employees, such as Tom Harrelson, to determine how the mistake was made.

As you analyze audience, how do the different audiences mentioned above affect your tone, your strategy, etc.

As you answer this question, consider the Eight Essential Components of Communication that your textbook, Business Communications for Success, described on pages 12-18.

The fourth component listed is Receiver. Your message to Mr. Stewart involves Mr. Stewart as the receiver. Your message to Tom Harrelson involves Tom Harrelson as the receiver. Your post to the company website involves the public as receivers. How do the different receivers affect your communication approach?

Please use another component as well among the eight components listed and analyze how it affects your communication strategies as operations manager in this landscaping scenario.

Please write a paragraph or two in response to these questions.