Business Planning and Operations
Work Experience Activities
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Work Experience Activities
Complete and submit the following Work Experience Activities for your Work Experience Kit.
Remember, all activities must be completed using this electronic file, then printed out in black and
white and submitted. This is a "Read-Only" file and must be saved as a separate document before you
begin. See the 'Read Me' file for "Save As" instructions.
Refer to the following guidelines when completing all activities.
• Use complete sentences to answer all activity questions
• Eliminate all spelling, grammatical and typographical errors
• Include all appropriate back up materials to substantiate your work
• Make sure all activities are computer generated or in type written form
• Make sure all required activities are included in your Work Experience Kit
• Make sure your Inventory Checklist and Sign Off Sheet are included in your Kit
2
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 2.1: Write/Revise a Mission Statement
This activity requires you to write or revise a mission statement for your own facility and to bring it
to the seminar on an overhead transparency. Follow the directions below and use the worksheet on
the next page to complete the assignment. Note that only the mission statement itself needs to be on
the transparency.
Directions: Create a mission statement. Use the following points as a guideline.
1. Fill in the background information on the worksheet.
2. If your facility already has a mission statement, write it on the worksheet.
3. Check to see if the mission statement addresses the four key elements of a good mission
statement described in this lesson: facility image, quality of customer service, profitability,
and employee needs.
4. If any of these elements are missing, revise the mission statement to include them. Bring both
the original mission statement and your revision to the seminar on an overhead.
5. If your facility does not currently have a mission statement, write one from scratch according
to the guidelines in this lesson, and based on what you know about your facility type and
customers.
6. Type the existing (if you have one) and final mission statements, copy them onto a
transparency, and bring them to the Business Planning and Operations Seminar.
3
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Worksheet for Activity 2.1
Background Information
Name of Facility:
Facility Type:
Number of Holes and Average
Rounds:
Location:
Customer/Member Profile:
Existing Facility Mission Statement
Revised Facility Mission Statement
(or one you create from scratch)
4
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 4.1: Conduct a SWOT Analysis
Directions: Fill the worksheets using the following as a guideline.
Part 1: Pinelake Case Study
1. Reread Section 2. Look at each area of the Pinelake golf operation as described in Section 2 of
this manual. Identify the strengths and weaknesses you see within the facility and the
opportunities and threats from outside.
2. Use the worksheet on the next page to record your comments. When doing your analysis, you
might think about staffing, job responsibilities, total number of rounds, breakdown of rounds,
revenues in each area, the facility’s market, customers, and competition, the operational
procedures, or any other topic covered in the lessons contained in this manual. Also look at
Figures 4 and 5 in Section 2, which contain a breakdown of rounds and past performance data
for Pinelake.
Note that Pinelake appears to have many more weaknesses than strengths. This should be
reflected in your SWOT analysis.
3. Record as many strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as you can identify.
4. Asterisk priorities. When you have completed your list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats, put an asterisk by the items you consider the most important—issues you would be
likely to focus on when improving Pinelake’s performance.
5
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
SWOT Analysis for Pinelake
Strengths








Weaknesses








6
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
SWOT Analysis for Pinelake
Opportunities








Threats








7
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Directions: Fill out the worksheet using the following as a guideline. As a companion piece to this
activity, look at the strengths and weaknesses of your own facility.
Part 2: Comparison with Your Own Facility
1. Record what you consider your own facility’s four biggest strengths
2. Identify two areas where further improvements could be made to strengthen your facility’s
position in the market or improve revenues, profits, or customer service
3. In looking at weaknesses, describe one weakness that was previously identified. What did the
facility do to improve the situation? Did it work?
8
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Your Own Facility's Strengths and Weaknesses
Biggest Strengths




Potential Weaknesses or Threats


One Past Weakness/Threat and its Remedy


Past Weaknesses/Threats



Remedy/Results



9
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 6.1: Identify Business Objectives and
Strategies for Pinelake
Directions: Fill out the worksheets using the following as a guideline.
Part 1: Pinelake Case Study
In this activity, you will identify at least three potential business objectives for Pinelake (things you
would like to achieve as head professional), and some strategies for accomplishing them (how you
would do it). Put your results on a transparency and bring them to the seminar.
Objectives
The objectives you decide on might relate to financial goals, customers service, increased rounds,
staff development, technology acquisition, course design improvement, or any other issue you think
might improve success of the course. Make sure each objective is:
• Specific, in terms of what you intend to accomplish by a certain date
• Measurable, with specific numbers, percentages, dollar figures, or service goals attached
• Realistic and achievable based on your SWOT analysis and your assessment of the
potential market
Strategies
Strategies to achieve your objectives might include higher prices, more targeted promotion,
expansion of the golf shop, additional staff or additional staff training, community outreach, etc.
Part 2: Comparison with Your Own Facility
As you have in other activities, look at your own facility to explore a real-life situation you can
compare with Pinelake.
10
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Pinelake Business Objectives and Strategies
Objective 1:
Strategy for accomplishing this:
Objective 2:
Strategy for accomplishing this:
Objective 3:
Strategy for accomplishing this:
11
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Your Own Facility's Objectives and Strategies
Objective 1:
Strategy for accomplishing this:
Objective 2:
Strategy for accomplishing this:
Objective 3:
Strategy for accomplishing this:
12
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 7.1: Analyze Past Data at Pinelake—
Forecast Rounds and Revenues
Directions: In preparation for planning a new financial forecast for Pinelake, look at data from the
past 5 years and analyze the trends in rounds and revenues using linear trend analysis. Use the
formulas and examples provided in this lesson to arrive at your answers. Write your answers onto the
worksheet provided on the next page. As you can see, some of the computations have already been
filled in.
Calculate
1. Calculate the percent change for the last 3 years, 1997 through 1999, and fill in the blank
boxes opposite the words “% change from year to year” for:
a)
Total rounds
b)
Tournament rounds
c)
Merchandise revenues
d)
Cost of goods sold
e)
Gross margin
f)
Greens fees
As a reminder, the formula for calculating linear trend is:
Later Year – Previous Year = % Change
Previous Year
2. Calculate the average trend for the 5-year period for each of these line items. (You do this
by adding together the percentage change for each year and dividing by 4.) Put these
numbers in the boxes marked “Avg %.”
3. Calculate a forecast for the Year 2000 based on the average percentage change over the
five years. (You do this by multiplying the average percent change by the previous year’s
rounds or revenues and adding that result onto the previous year’s numbers.) Write these
numbers into the forecast column.
13
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Worksheet for Activity 7.1
Format Category
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Total rounds of golf
23,020
24,221
25,734
26,763
26,250
% change from year to year
Tournament rounds
5%
4,120
% change from year to year
Merchandise revenues
$84,010
$63,848
% change from year to year
950
-25%
$90,857
$94,491
Avg %
$96,380
$67,493
$20,162
$19,037
$76,320
$82,207
$81,923
$660,020
6%
$
Avg %
$14,537
$12,284
$14,457
-6%
$621,540
$
Avg %
6%
% change from year to year
Greens fees
$86,530
1,200
Avg %
3%
% change from year to year
Gross margin
1,598
-26%
% change from year to year
Cost of goods sold
3,050
4%
Forecast
2000
$
Avg %
$707,595
$737,585
4%
$722,610
$
Avg %
14
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 7.2: Assess Effects of Inside and Outside
Factors on the Pinelake Forecast
As stated in the text, forecasts based on past trends assume that things will continue much the same
as they have in the past. Conditions seldom remain the same, or management may not want them to
remain the same. In the case of Pinelake, the new head professional is expected to improve
performance.
In this activity, you must describe how certain inside and outside factors would lead you, as the new
head professional, to revise the trend-forecasted numbers for the Year 2000 (the forecast you just
created in Activity 7a).
On the next page, indicate how you would revise several key line items in the trend-forecasted
numbers, and describe the factors or observations on which you based your revised numbers.
One example from Pinelake on the number of rounds:
Trend-forecasted number: 27,037 (up 3% over 1999)
My revised forecast: 28,350 (up 8% over 1999)
Factors/observations on which my forecast is based:
Our main competitor in the area does 45,000 rounds a year, and the industry average for daily fee
facilities in our region is 52,500 rounds. In the last few years, Pinelake hasn’t done much
marketing or public relations. With more effort in that area, I think rounds could go up more than
the historical trend at Pinelake.
15
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Worksheet for Activity 7.2
Directions: Revise the following keyline items and write your observations.
1. Rounds
Trend-forecasted number: 27,037 (up 3% over 1999)
My revised forecast: (up _% over 1999)
Factors/observations on which my forecast is based:
2. Tournament Rounds
Trend-forecasted number: 665 (down 30% over 1999)
My revised forecast: (up/down _% over 1999)
Factors/observations on which my forecast is based:
3. Merchandise Revenues
Trend-forecasted number: $99,753 (up 3.5% over 1999)
My revised forecast: (up _% over 1999)
Factors/observations on which my forecast is based:
4. Cost of Goods Sold
Trend-forecasted number: $87,658 (up 7% over 1999)
My revised forecast: (up/down _% over 1999)
Factors/observations on which my forecast is based:
5. Greens Fee Revenues
Trend-forecasted number: $755,127 (up 4.5% over 1999)
My revised forecast: (up _% over 1999)
Factors/observations on which my forecast is based:
16
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 8.1: Become More Familiar with the Budget
Process
You may already be involved in the budgeting process at your facility. If so, you will already be
familiar with what formats are used, what line items are included, the monitoring and reporting
intervals, and what particular performance measurements are tracked.
If this is not the case, meet with your supervising professional and see if you can gain some
familiarity with the budget formats used, even if the facility is not willing to share the actual numbers
with you. Ask them to help you provide answers to the questions below.
Answer
1. How many revenue and expense items are tracked in the budget? Obtain a blank copy of the
budget categories (similar to the examples shown in Lesson 8 of this manual) and attach it to
this activity.
2. Who is involved in formulating the budget projections?
List
3. What are two key performance ratios or indicators that the facility tracks?


Answer
4. How often is the budget reviewed? By whom?
5. Are any numbers tracked more frequently than monthly? Which ones? How often are they
tracked?
17
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
6. Is there a cash flow budget as well as an operating budget?
Yes
No
7. Is there a capital budget?
Yes
No
8. If possible, ask to see a copy (past or current) of an operating budget, cash flow budget, and
capital budget.
18
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 11.1: Document Your Facility’s
Organizational Setup
Directions: Attach to this page a copy of the organization chart for your golf facility. It
should include all levels of staff, including line employees, supervisors, department managers,
general manager (if there is one), and owners or board of directors.
If your organization chart does not go below the manager level, create a new chart and add
these positions to the chart. Make sure that reporting relationships are clear. If not evident on
the chart, indicate who is responsible for different golf functions, including tournaments, golf
cars, teaching, and merchandise sales.
Write
At the top of your organization chart, write in:
• The type of facility (private, daily fee, resort, municipal, etc.)
• The number of rounds played per year
• The total number of people employed by the facility (full-time and part-time)
19
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 11.2: Write a Job Description
Directions: In this activity, you are being asked to examine a job description for someone
who reports to you. This may be a salesperson in the golf shop, a golf car attendant, bag
room attendant, locker room attendant, or other position.
Write
The assignment has two parts:
1. The Employee Point of View. Ask them to write a description for their job, representing how
they see the job, the tasks they are responsible for, and performance expectations for that
position.
2. Your Point of View. Write a job description for the same job, but from your point of view, as
the supervisor (whether formal or informal).
Compare and Discuss
Attach both job descriptions to this activity and compare them. Explain any differences you find
and how those differences might affect (or have affected) job performance.
Consider the following questions in your comparison:
• Does each job description outline all the recurring and special tasks required by the job?
• Does each job description discuss performance expectations relative to dress, punctuality,
or attitude?
• Does each job description state to whom the person reports?
• Does each job description state what other people the person interacts with regularly?
• Are job tasks listed clearly in bulleted form?
• Did you identify any job tasks that the employee doesn’t agree are his or her responsibility?
• Was the employee unclear about what the job’s responsibilities were?
• What kind of problems have arisen because of any differences you uncovered
20
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 12.1 Critique Your Procedures Manual
Directions: Make a photocopy of the Table of Contents of the procedures or operations
manual for your facility and attach them to this activity. If you have more than one manual—
say, one for employment policies or one for golf shop procedures—copy the Table of
Contents from each of them. Then answer the following questions about the operations
manual
Answer
1. Does your manual contain:
Facility history and mission statement?
Yes
No
Facility and/or golf operations organization charts?
Yes
No
Describe
2. When you compare your manual to the sample contents in Figure 29 in this lesson, what
differences do you see in terms of topics covered? Describe the three most important
differences:



Answer
3. Does every staff member at your facility have a copy of the procedures manual?
Yes
No
4. What is the date of your manual?
21
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
5. Does it require any updating?
Yes
No
6. How often do you refer to the manual in carrying out your job?
Note: If your facility does not have a procedures manual, fulfill this activity requirement by
carrying out the following tasks:
1. Draft a detailed Table of Contents for a manual that would be appropriate for your facility.
2. Write one procedure for some aspect of golf operations, such as an opening or closing
procedure for the shop, taking a reservation, or renting a golf car.
22
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Activity 14.1: Conduct a Technology Audit of Your
Facility
Directions: Use the table on the next page to help you in researching technology usage at your
facility. Indicate which technology options are currently being used at your facility and which are
being contemplated. Be sure to look at all areas of facility operation, not just the golf operation. Fill
in any additional computer or high technology tools you are using that are not mentioned in the table.
Also indicate which of these technologies you are involved in using yourself.
23
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Technology/Computer Application
Not used
Currently used
Contemplated
Used by me
In the Golf Shop
Integrated point-of-sale system
Interactive touch screen merchandise display unit
Customer database with demographics, play
patterns, and merchandise purchases
Electronic data interchange for inventory ordering
In-house video monitor for promotions
Teaching, Tournaments, and Managing
Plan
Tournament software (pairings, scoring, etc.)
Handicapping software
Video/computer technology for teaching
Computerized reservation system
Satellite-based golf car system for distance
measuring and course monitoring
Weather tracking/lightning detection system
Mobile radios, cellular phones, pagers
Public address system
Administration and Business Planning
Spreadsheet software
Customer/member database software
Accounting software
Staff-management software (labor forecasting,
payroll, etc.)
24
Work Experience Activities
Business Planning and Operations
Technology/Computer Application
Not used
Currently used
Contemplated
Used by me
Communications and Marketing
Desktop publishing
Facility email system
Facility web site
Course Maintenance
Computerized irrigation system
Equipment and supplies management software
Software to manage maintenance and operation of
golf car fleet
Other Technology Tools Not Covered Above
25