Change or Die: Inside the Mind of a Consultant

7/25/2019 Change or Die: Inside the Mind of a Consultant

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Change or Die: A consulting project to help a local family-owned business

Adam Estavillo

Senior Thesis

Professor Don Maternia

!anuary "# $%"&


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Adam Estavillo# Change or Die: A consulting project to help a local family-owned business

'n this paper# ' will discuss my journey in the summer of $%"(# as ' wored as an intern on a

)consulting* project+ This project re,uired that ' apply eperience and nowledge to help a

struggling family-owned t-shirt screen printing and embroidery shop called .raphics 'n Print+ '

teamed up with fellow /ranciscan 0niversity classmate# Michael Maldonado# and we

systematically observed# analy1ed# planned and eecuted a plan which has brought about a

trending increase in sales of over 2%3# totaling over 4""%#%%% increase in revenue+ ' will discuss

a brief bacground of the industry of screen printing# the purpose of .raphics 'n Print# and the

various competitive forces seen in this maret+ Throughout the consultation project# we

referenced business and accounting tetboos# articles written by consulting professionals# and

shared the wisdom of a few brilliant professors+ After reading this paper# the reader will be able

to comprehend the importance of developing a well-rounded education and will understand how

theoretical nowledge is applied in practical terms to .raphics 'n Print through using the

consulting cycle+


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5acground6 .etting Started with .raphics 'n Print

7hile taing a course called 5usiness Statistical Analysis# taught by Dr+ 7eler at

/ranciscan 0niversity# he emphasi1ed the significance of using various methods and tools to

determine how the business is performing+ Dr+ 7eler stressed the importance of nowing how

the business is adapting to change relative to the maret+ 'f a company is not improving and

fostering growth both internally and eternally# then we must as the ,uestion why8 As an article

in business analytics states# 9:hange happens in both your target maret and in the industry you

belong to and for your business to survive and succeed despite the changes# proper business

analysis must be conducted at the right time;


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sweaters were chosen and would be embroidered with the Seraphic ?alor household logo+

0nfortunately# the only method offered for searching the merchandise was through a paperbound

catalog that was from a supplier called SanMar+ The sales process seemed to be disorgani1ed# but

the order was still placed with the owner for $( sweaters at a cost of 42> per item+ She advised

that the order would be ready in about two wees+ After placing the order# there was no re,uest

to place a deposit and the receipt was written on a piece of carbon paper that had no logo or other

marings that distinguished it was for a purchase from .raphics 'n Print+

Approimately one month later# no call or email had been received from .raphics 'n

Print regarding my order+ 'n contacting the company# :athie advised that the order had been

completed for over a wee and could be piced up anytime+ After arriving at the store# it was

determined that the order was incorrect and the sweaters were dar grey rather than the light grey

initially ordered+ :athie profusely apologi1ed@ however# the ,uality of the embroidery was

etraordinary and the dar grey sweaters were a better choice than the light grey 5efore leaving

the office# ' conversed with :athie and her husband Mar# the artist for the company# and they

shared the difficulties surrounding the company+

During the conversation# :athie mentioned that the /ranciscan 0niversity boostore and

households used to generate a large portion of their income+ She stated that over the past four

years# sales have declined as they have lost a majority of the large accounts to other competitors

that offer online ordering capabilities+ 'n,uiries were made as to the mareting tools they use to

reach new customers and she stated they had created an official /aceboo page# but that they did

not use it very often+ .raphics 'n Print had a generic website created by Bellow Pages which

showed the office number and the address of the business+ 'n checing both websites# reali1ation


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that without being recommended via word of mouth# it would be difficult to have nown that this

company eisted+ The /aceboo page had not had a post promoting the business in over four

years and the website had not been updated since $%"%+

' was inspired to help the company by applying my nowledge of management#

accounting# sales# and mareting to restructure their current business model and essentially# act

as a consultant+ 5efore leaving with the apparel# the owners were advised that the process would

start by conducting an analysis on the company and on the competition in the graphic printing

maret+ This analysis would help .raphics 'n Print understand its core competencies# its major

competitors# and about the industry of screen printing and embroidery in general to empower

them with nowledge+ :athie and Mar agreed that if they lied the results that were presented at

the first meeting# they would hire me for the summer as an intern+ ' was ecited at the

opportunity to apply the years of business management studies to a real business that was

struggling+ 5efore beginning an eternal analysis of the company# it was important to understand

screen printing "%" and to now the basic process of creating a custom t-shirt+

Screen Printing "%"

9Screen printing is a decoration method that uses woven mesh# in most cases composed

of polyester# to support in in blocing stencil of a design on a screen+ The stencil forms open

areas of mesh on the screen that allows a s,ueegee to move across the bacside of the surface

applying pressure and forcing the in through the open areas leaving a clean cut image on the


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surface of the material;


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Most organi1ations today are not structured or organi1ed properly to mae good decisions

that will help them outperform their competition in the maretplace+


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:ostly advertising epense to be listed at the top of .oogle

searches I .oogle Ads

Eport tariffs limit the potential for international customers

Eperience needed to mi ins properly and to print multi-colored

images

ac of suppliers I /ive major suppliers for clothing in this

industry

5AH.A'C'C. PF7EH F/ 50BEHSI 7eighting (

The 'nternet has made purchasing custom T-shirts readily

accessible $>JK

Price sensitivity of consumers is significantly altered by discounts

Maret share warfare is the industry norm

5uyers of custom T-shirts typically order in large ,uantities

5uyerGs decision to purchase affected by guaranteed delivery dates

5AH.A'C'C. PF7EH F/ S0PP'EHSI 7eighting 2

Suppliers of the shirts re,uire large minimum purchases from

buyers


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There is a chance that suppliers will be out of a particular product

and will not be able to ship that item until the following wee

.F?EHCMECTI 7eighting 2

.overnment set tariffs on imports raises the cost for every party#

especially the consumer

.overnment protection policies for suppliers that manufacture

locally to ensure that they are maintaining safe practices for the environment

SF:'AI 7eighting &

Total growth of the demand for custom t-shirts is positively related

with the increase in social clubs# church or religious groups# and sororities and fraternities

/ashion is constantly changing therefore it can may re,uire the t-

shirt company to switch suppliers to one who carries the newest style

The combined impact of style and price of the t-shirts greatly

impacts whether or not the customer will buy from the t-shirt company

:FMPET'TFHSI 7eighting K

Fnline companies pose major threats I rushordertees+com#

customin+com# alliedshirts+com# and uberprints+com

Majority of costs are variable and the more shirts that are ordered#

the more labor and supplies needed to print them


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There are two local competitors for .raphics 'n Print that pose a

threat6 5 L 5 Screen printing located in Steubenville and Stuff 7ith Attitude has multiple

locations locally

TE:CFF.BI 7eighting &

All major competitors have easy to use online websites so that

customers may purchase custom t-shirts $>JK and they often run promotions through

social media+

Cew Screen printing technology available to minimi1e labor

epense

Many of .raphics 'n Print*s competitors have the same niche and

speciali1e in screen printing and embroidery+ challenging

.raphics 'n Print has no online ordering system and no way of

sending professional invoices to their customers

Futdated inventory system and no system implemented to manage

the customer database

S05ST'T0TESI 7eighting K

There are many competitors in this industry that can produce a low

,uality product

:ustomers can mae their own shirts by purchasing a screen

printing it online for under 4"#%%%

Department stores offer cheap colorful shirts and customers may

choose to decorate with a sharpie marer or special t-shirt paint


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igh ,uality screen printing press and professional dryers run

upwards of 4(%#%%%

'CTEHCAT'FCAI 7eighting $

imited opportunity to mae profits sending custom t-shirts

overseas

The only feasible solution to sell to other countries would be to

epand and open a new screen printing shop in the particular country

:onflicts in manufacturing plants located in :hina and 'ndia would

cause the cost of apparel to increase

:FC:0S'FC6 :ompetitive forces are range from wea to strong and evolving in this

particular maret+ Profitability in the custom t-shirt business# particularly for .raphics 'n Print#

does not seem to fare well due to high forces in substitutes and technology+ owever# if it were to

offer online sales and develop a new mareting plan# it may be sustainable long into the future+

The net analysis conducted was the S7FT analysis# which will highlight the particular

strengths# weanesses# opportunities and threats that we observed at .raphics 'n Print+

S7FT Analysis6 .raphics 'n Print

The S7FT analysis is a well-nown# popular# and advantageous tool for providing

,ualitative information in an organi1ed fashion+ 7eihrich is often recogni1ed as the first person

to identify the advantages of using this tool 2=+ owever the

S7FT analysis has never actually been documented in history and has grown in popularity

organically over the past (% years+ 9The S7FT framewor model has been presented by many

as a clear and straightforward way to depict information about a company from an internal


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perspective through strengths and weanesses and from an eternal perspective through

opportunities and threats;


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E

pertise in multi-screenJcolor

prints

'

n outlasts the shirt

C

o social media presence

C

ot currently reaching the

desired customer groups

OPPORTUNI

TIES:

-/ocus on

online sales by establishing an

updated website

-Social media

mareting

P

romote to /0S Students

-Fffer discount

as incentive for customers to tag

N.ACDP in posts

-5log run by

interns

-'nternship /0Sstudents6

5log writers

Account managers

-Mission

shirtsJhouseholds

-'ntramural

sports L 5oostore

THREATS:

-:ompanies

shifting to sales online6

O

ohl*s# LM# !:Penney#

Cordstrom

-Fnline

companies continual growth

'

mprint and :ustom 'n

-:ustomer

buying preference

-2-D Printers so

customers can do it at their own home+

-Do-it-yourself

screen printing is affordable

-Hegional

competitors increased utili1ation of

social media techni,ues


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-5usiness

apparel


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5enchmaring Analysis

't was determined that benchmaring would be an essential process to obtain a measure

as to what can be improved upon during the summer+ 95enchmaring is a way of discovering

what is the best performance being achieved I whether in a particular company# by a competitor

or by an entirely different industry+ This information can then be used to identify gaps in an

organi1ation*s processes in order to achieve a competitive advantage;


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e+ ow many orders

were not correct last year8

f+ ow many times did

the supplier run out of stoc8

g+ 7hat has our firm

done to promote our business through social media8

2= Evaluate Fwn /irm*s :apabilities

a+ 0nderstand how

many shirt orders can it fill in a wee and deliver accurately8

b+ ow long does it tae

for Mar = 'dentify /irms to be 5enchmared

a+ :ustom'n I argest

growing custom t-shirt company who leads the way with innovative printing

technologies and unrivaled customer service


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(= :onduct Hesearch from Selected /irms

Some Fbjective measures of what the company has in place that they offer to customers+

a+ /ocused on .oogle Ads# presence on Twitter# 'nstagram# /aceboo# Tumblr#

and Pinterest

b+ They have a large

variety of styles to choose from I over >%%

c+ :ustom login for

customer to mae checout ,uic and easy# also so that they can see previous

orders+

d+ Multiple shipping

options

i+

Standard Two-wee free shipping

ii+

H

ush Fne-wee delivery

iii+

S

uper Hush to have shirts in three days


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e+ Promotion of other

items to customi1e# not just t-shirts

f+ 5ooster programs to

raise money

g+ Digital Printing

technologies

&= /inal Phase6 Analy1e the :ollected Data and Develop and

Action Plan

During this phase# the Cine /orces Model# S7FT analysis# and the benchmaring tools

were conducted without direct input from the owners or employees of .raphics 'n Print+ 't was

almost time to schedule the post-analysis meeting in order to present the data in order to

determine if the results of the analysis were accurate+ owever# before presenting these results# a

decision was made to bring in a fellow classmate who could wor with me and who had a desire

to branch out to help a local business+

/orming the Team

7hile taing a Strategic Management class taught by Dr+ McDonald# it became clear

regarding the importance of creating a diverse team+ According to an article written by HM'T

0niversity in Australia# diversity can be classified into two main sources@ personal diversity and

sill diversity+ 9Personal diversity relates to the personal characteristics of the team members#

including their age and their cultural bacground+ Team members will also display different

woring and learning styles and they will tend to adopt different roles within the team+ Sill


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diversity relates to the type of sills team members bring with them and their level of

competency with these sills;


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The :onsulting :ycle

According to 5loc# 9A consultant is a person who is trying to have some influence over

a group or organi1ation but has no direct power to mae changes or implement programs;


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"$+ Decision and action

7'TDHA7A ACD E?A0AT'FC

Michael and ' scheduled the first official meeting with Mar :aranda Sr+# :athie

:aranda# Mar :aranda !r+


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down payment deposit that is normally re,uired before placing and

starting an order for a customer+

o :usto

mer may pic up product without paying outstanding balance


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promote the company+ The company is outdated on the newest trends and

are not aware of how /aceboo can be used to reach more potential

customers in the area+

o They

acnowledge that many of their competitors have online websites and they

were not ready to launch online fearing that it was too comple+

Cet# the team presented the results of the analysis that were conducted objectively

showing the owners the weanesses and where .raphics 'n Print currently stood in the overall

maret compared to its competitors+ 'n doing so# the owners acnowledged the reality of the

issues they were facing and agreed that they needed assistance from creative# fresh minds+

:oming to these reali1ations# it was time to generate ecitement about the changes that could be

made to tremendously benefit the company+ 7hile in a leadership role and woring as a

consultant# it is critical to maintain confidence# clarity# and competence


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7e could not promise perfect results# however# we would pool our nowledge#

etensively research# analy1e# and mae suggestions+ The goals were to increase sales by

building a customi1ed website to accommodate online ordering# promote the company via social

media outlets# and assisting management with organi1ational tools+ /irst# a thorough audit would

be conducted of all of the departments along with observing the processes in the manufacturing

cycle+ This would allow us uncover the direct# indirect# and manufacturing costs associated with

.raphics 'n Print+ 9:osts are assigned to cost objects for a variety of purposes# including pricing#

preparing profitability studies# and controlling spending; % hours per wee# the team would

be able to accomplish the goals by the end of August+

Select the Dimensions to Study

't was determined that a walthrough of the company would be conducted to objectively

measure the internal issues much lie an internal auditor would undertae+ 90nlie an internal

audit# only two parties are involved with a consultation6 the internal auditor and the department

manager+ As a consultant# the internal auditor does not have any managerial or decision-maing

responsibility+ The auditor will review the department procedures and observe the employees in

action+ As a consultant# the internal auditor will give advice and suggest changes to improve the

department;


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and the accounting cycle+ 5y breaing down each cycle in detail# responsibilities of each

department could be seen to better assess the problem areas+

Deciding who will be 'nvolved

't is necessary for every single employee to be involved during the process of observation

and data collection+ The team determined that .raphics 'n Print needed to conduct a 9full-body

eamination; to understand every aspect of the company+ 5y involving employees of every

department# an understanding of how each interacts with the other could tae place+ This

eliminates guessing where to begin conducting the audit# and provides the potential to find the

source directly+

Selecting the Method

/irst# an outline would be created for the process .raphics 'n Print follows from the

moment it taes the order from the customer to when the customer actually receives the

completed order+ This will include observing the salesJmaretingJcustomers service# production#

and accounting departments of the company+ An eamination would occur regarding the current

process for producing a screen printed shirt and find information about software that could

improve efficiency+

Cet# the team focused on creating an employee survey to find out employee satisfaction

and the duties assigned to each employee in all the departments+ This gave us a better

understanding of the internal structure and an inside loo from the perspective of the employees+

Hesults from the survey would give us objective measures that we used to coach management in

areas they could improve+


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/inally# all the details about the epenses that .raphics 'n Print incurred in $%"> were

gathered to better understand the financial situation+ The goal was to determine the

manufacturing costs# which is direct materials# direct labor# and any direct manufacturing costs+

The non-manufacturing costs are found by adding the sales epense and the administrative

epenses+ The administrative epenses 9represent a manufacturerGs epenses that occur apart

from the actual manufacturing function; and most companies separate these epenses apart from

manufacturing costs


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Data :ollection6 5usiness :ycle

The team began at .raphics 'n Print by observing and writing the se,uence of events in

order whenever a customer places an order+

#$ %usto&er 'al"s in(calls t)e *)one

a$ We greet t)e& an+ as", -Ho' can 'e )el* ou./

0$ We s)o'(tell t)e& t)eir o*tions

a$ W)en t)e *ic" ')at ite&, 'e create a 1uote

2$ Art in3or&ation 4 Ho' &an colors. Ho' &an locations 53ront ( 6ac"7. Etc$.

8$ We 'rite u* t)e or+er 4 collect +e*osit o3 9;

9$ Artist 'ill ta"e art into art roo&

a$ Artist 'ill *lace art'or" or+er on sc)e+ule 6oar+ ')ere nee+e+


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because all of the products needed can be shipped overnight by the two major suppliers+ This

inventory is not logged and often times there are duplicate orders causing unnecessary product to

be ordered when it is available in the inventory+

K+ Production Scheduling and Management6 The art department used a cor board to pin the

orders which needed artwor to be created or separated for screen printing+ There was no

particular order in which Mar Sr+ wors on the invoices and it seems that some artwor was not

created because there was no organi1ation based upon due date of the order+ Similarly# on the

production floor# Mar !r+ would arrange the wor orders that needed to be completed for that

day+ The board seemed to be used half the time and the production board would not let them plan

long term orders over a wee out+

Q+ Design Management6 There is poor communication between the customer and the art

department seeing approvals for created artwor+ Artwor approvals were sent through emails

or cell phone picture messages to the customer to receive approval+ 'f the customer does not lie

the artwor or disapproves of the design# Mar Sr+ is forced to go bac to the drawing room or

computer and create a whole new design for that order+

+ Heceiving6 7hen .raphics 'n Print receives supplies or the apparel# they immediately open

the product and chec to be sure that the order was shipped to them correctly+ 'f the order is

missing a piece of clothing or if there is defective products# the production manager relays this

bac upstairs to the sales department+ Typically# the manufacturing defects to account for are

around 23 when ordering clothing from suppliers+ :athie will call the supplier to resolve the

issue and the replacement is then rushed to the business+


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""+ ShippingJdeliveringJpic up order6 Fnce the order is completed# folded# and boed# it is ready

to ship+ 0PS will pic up directly from the building and they offer delivery anywhere in the

0nited States+ .enerally# the customers that place orders will end up picing up the order from

the office building+ 'f the order is large# Mar Sr+ will tae time out of his busy schedule to drive

the order to the customer+

III$ Accounting %cle

"$+ 'nvoice to :ustomer6 There is a pre-made template on Microsoft 7ord that is used to create

invoices for customers+

"2+ Heceivables6 There is no full time accountant to manage the boos on a weely basis+

.raphics 'n Print has roughly around 4$%#%%% in accounts receivables yet there is nothing done

to collect that money+ 5an deposits are made by :athie whenever a customer pays in cash or

with a chec+ There is a card scanner that taes about 2+$(3 per swipe as commission and

deposits the other &+K(3 of the order into the business checing account+ At the end of the

month# all of the transactions are sent to the accountant so that he updates the taes+ /or

accounting purposes# the total sales made to ta-eempt organi1ations are separated# added up

and sent to the accountant+

">+ Payables6 5ills are paid via chec and almost always are paid with the approval of Mar Sr++

7e did not have access to the particular monthly fees that the company was in,uiring# however

we estimated all of the costs which we will eamine shortly+


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' enjoy selling a product that ' can stand behind+ ' enjoy woring with customers from different

bacgrounds+ The customer base is 9typically; people who mae decisions# hence more

opportunity to upsell and get referrals+ 7oring with family# when good# is a real plus+ 7e all

9care; about the customer and our community+ Epectations of finished product is high priority


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= Mar !r+*s response6

The heat woring in the production floor due to the oven that constantly runs to dry freshly

printed shirts+ Surprise orders that do not get passed on to me from the sales team until the day

before the order is due+ /or eample# ' may have to stay late on a Thursday night to complete the

order that a customer needs by /riday morning+


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can have it completed by * when it is physically impossible due to the production floor being in

use to complete another job+


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- Ruoting customers on certain orders they want re,uires overtime+ '

encounter many interruptions during the day+ 'nvoicing all orders correctly taes too long+

- Pricing jobs for anything that isn*t the standard tee# or fleece+

Pricing every bling order# AS' orders with !en# and embroidery orders+ ' have gone over

the pricing method with Monica and 5rittanee+ 7e*re all too busy+

- :alling to collect the payment info from the customers+ This can be

uncomfortable as a salesperson# but ' am diplomatic and get the job done+

- ac of info from customers+ '*m always ased to contact even if it

isn*t related to what ' do+ ' don*t always clearly understand the issue+ Do my best to get

Mar# or !unior to mae contact instead+

- Hesolve issues such as orders from suppliers that have errors and

handling returns bac to suppliers+ Most things re,uire more than one email or phone

call+ !ust today an artist for company that has an order with us sent files that weren*t

usable+ 't re,uired for emails# and finally a phone call# but ' wasn*t able to wor with her

because ' lac nowledge of specific art files+ 't*s ,uite silly+ Mar could have resolved

with one phone call+ The in issue this wee should have been handled by me+ Mar !r+

could have resolved it with one call+ Meanwhile '*m juggling those problems and

checingJresponding to my emails# ,uotes

- Emailing the hours of the employees to Payche in order to

complete payroll+ Somehow Mar !r+ passed this bac to me+ Three out of the four

employees that wor in production are hourly+ Again# another silly problem+ ' feel lie the


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mother of this place+ All follow-up communication is initiated by me Co doubt this

isn*t a complete list of all the duties+


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- Tape and prep screens

- 5urn the image on the screens

- Set up automatic or manual press

- Print orders


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Cow that we have outline the results of the employee survey# the team would eamine

manufacturing overhead costs+

Data :ollection6 :ost :lassifications

'n Dr+ Oelly*s Managerial Accounting class# he emphasi1ed the benefits of creating

incomes statements that told how the company was doing financially+ This was our goal and we

followed the methods to create an income statement from the previous year for .raphics 'n Print+

:athie and Mar relayed to us that the total annual sales in $%"> were about 42Q%#%%%+ 5elow#

we estimated the epenses that we were not given access to either because the owners did not

want to share it with us or they did not now the eact amount of each cost+

Direct !aterials6 4"($#%%% in purchased apparel# 4$%#%%% in in and screen costs#

Direct a6or6 !osh 4$K#(%%# :hris 42%#%%%# Mar !r+ 4>(#%%%

!anu3acturing O=er)ea+6 Maintenance and Hepairs 4"#(%%# :uring Fven Fperation 42#&%%#

'ndirect labor6 subcontracting wor to embroidery 4"%#%%%# 7ater epense for reclamation room

4(%%# ights in production floor 4"#(%%

Pro+uct %ost 3or Gra*)ics In PrintU 4$"#&%%

Perio+ %ost: 4"$%#%%%


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THAD'T'FCA /FHMAT 'C:FME STATEMECT

Sales +++ 42Q%#%%%

:osts of .oods Sold +++ $"#&%%

.ross Margin ++ QQ#>%%

Epenses@ Selling 4(#(%%

Administrative+ Q%#(%% Q(#(%%

Cet operating income + 4$#%%

Analy1ing6 /eedbac of Hesults

't was now apparent that .raphics 'n Print had many positive things that we uncovered

with the data collection phase+ 5y outlining the product cycle# it shows that even without having

a system in place to reach out to new customers# they maintained enough wor to continue

maing a profit+ :ustomer loyalty seems to be eeping them in business and the high ,uality of

the finished products live up to the standards of customers+ Fn the other hand# many of the

management tools that the company has in place for the production cycle are outdated and

ineffective+ The business cycle is not a well-oiled machine yet and it will re,uire us to research

industry based software that would unite every department+ This would also mean researching

small business accounting software to provide Mar Sr+ with up to date number about operations

and income statements+

/urthermore# the employee surveys were a big success insofar as they gave us the

positive and negative feedbac regarding the day-to-day business of .raphics 'n Print+ The paid

time off and bonuses seemed to improve the overall employee morale and seemed to mae them


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ecited to go to wor+ Since this company is family owned and operated# the laid bac

atmosphere allows the employees to have a relatively low-stress atmosphere+ Fn hindsight# there

are huge issues with communication throughout the company that still need to be addressed+ As

one employee stated on the survey# 9The left hand does not now what the right hand is doing+;

This is often due to a lac of solid leadership and is a difficult tas to solve and recommend

solutions+

0pon creation of the $%"> .eneral 'ncome Statement# we were relieved to find that

.raphics 'n Print did not operate at a loss+ Despite the lac of a website# social media mareting#

and the internal communication problems# the company managed to operate at a profit+ 7hile

observing the production floor and asing the manager Mar !r+ the average amount of time that

is spent producing# we determined that the average time spent producing is about five hours out

of an eight hour wor day+ That e,uates a total of K( actual hours of labor per wee# which

e,uates to an output of 42Q%#%%% of finished goods per year+ The output is close to 4&%Q#%%% if

the three production worers constantly had orders to produce and were producing "$% hours per

wee+ This shows that .raphics 'n Print needs to increase its business and when they have a

streamlined internal system# a website that offers online ordering should be the solution to

bringing about more business+

Maing Hecommendations

7hile the team was researching the software for accounting# operations# and the website#

we met with :athie# Mar Sr+ and Mar !r+ to fill them in on the findings thus far+ 7e told them

about the positive things such as the overall attitude of the employees and how little changes we


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mae should mae big differences in efficiency resulting in increased sales+ The particular

solutions we found support the screen printing business and includes software that would lin all

the operations in every department+ Mar Sr+# who has control of the money to mae the software

purchase# did not lie the idea of having to learn a new system+ owever# :athie and Mar !r+

were on board with the idea of a system that would virtually eliminate all of the communication

errors# incorrect orders# and downtime of production+

'n an interview of Annie McOee# which was filmed by the Teleos eadership 'nstitute#

she answers ,uestions about why good people become bad leaders+ She says that poor bosses are

typically good people and may even be properly trained to manage but this can be overshadowed

by high levels of stress


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After many software demos from the manufacturers# the team outlined all of the

pers that would deliver solutions to the current problems+ 7e told them that 'nSoft would be

the perfect fit for .raphics 'n Print because of all of the following features6

Production Management6 Proper production management is fundamental to operating a

profitable printing business+ 'nSoft provides all the features that .raphics 'n Print was

desperately lacing such as job tas and scheduling# customer management# real-time alerts#

pacing slips and wor orders+ Everything would have to be run through 'nSoft and they would

not have to install any new software because it is able to be accessed through any computer with

internet access+ Cot to mention there is a built in production calendar that Mar !r+ can use and

arrange as he pleases to ensure that deadlines are met for completing customer orders+

Fnline Stores6 The greatest opportunity available to printing business today is competing

and selling online+ 'nSoft will provide .raphics 'n Print with multiple online stores so that they

can create custom stores for customers who want their own storefront to order from+ Cot to

mention# these stores offer online checout and payment to eliminate the problem of collecting a

(%3 deposit when the customer places the order+ Cow the customer will be able to pay in full

when they place the order guaranteeing that .raphics 'n Print will not have large outstanding

accounts receivable+

Ruotes and Art Approvals6 Ruicly and easy to create# send and manage professional

,uotes and invoices using 'nSoft+ 'nstead of sending unprofessional looing ,uotes through

email# 'nSoft will provide professional looing ,uotes and invoices that is fully integrated+ Cow

the artwor can be approved online and Mar Sr+ will no longer have to wait to receive an email

bac from the customer to determine whether or not they will approve the artwor+


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Professional .raphics6 Mar Sr+ can trust the "%#%%% pre-made artwor designs for

customers to use and to create their own custom artwor through the website+ This will free up

his time so he no longer has to separate the colors on the images to prepare for the screen

printing+ 't offers customers a diverse range of styles with pre-loaded categories to entice new

customers to place orders with .raphics 'n Print+

Mareting Tools6 'nSoft provides them with email mareting tools to send out

promotions to current customers and to utili1e promotional codes for discounts if running a

social media campaign+ Co other software provider offered robust mareting tools to help

.raphics 'n Print thrive in today*s new economy+

After presenting all these positive benefits that 'nSoft has to offer# we discussed

the competitive price that they offer their service for+ 'nSoft was running a promotion for the

Professional Software pacage that was (%3 off of the onetime fee that was normally 4"#+

Monthly# .raphics 'n Print was looing to pay 4" for access to all of the features and to have

unlimited telephone support to live 'nSoft technical support included with this price+

Accounting Software Hecommendations6 Ruic5oos Fnline

After sifting through multiple accounting software pacages# the team determined that

Ruic5oos online would eceed the needs of .raphics 'n Print+ 't is bacwards compatible

with :ustom'n and would sync all activity# such as new orders or payments received# to the

general ledger+ Ruic5oos is accessible through any web browser and it costs a low monthly

fee of 4"++ The accountant would also have limited access to the necessary information

through Ruic5oos online and would not have to wait to receive information at the end of the

month via email to update the general journal+ This software would give the owners financial


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reports# including an income statement# balance sheet# and a statement of cash flows+ 5y paying

the monthly fee# this will include automatic updates to the software and will also provide support

$>JK from the representatives at Ruic5oos+

Mareting :ampaign Hecommendations

The team developed a strategy to reach new potential customers by focusing on social

media mareting+ 7e would help .raphics 'n Print discuss tactics that can be used on Twitter#

'nstagram# and Pinterest# but most of all focused on how to utili1e /aceboo+ According to a joint

study by Cetbase and Edison Hesearch found that /aceboo influences 2%3 of American women

when deciding what to buy# whereas Pinterest influences $$3


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Estavillo 48

.raphics 'n Print collectively decided to move forward with 'nSoft# Ruic5oos online#

and to start focusing on a mareting campaign focused on outreach through /aceboo+

'mplementation of 'nSoft would re,uire training and learning how to navigate the bacend of

the website+ 'nSoft software engineers brilliantly created interactive training videos that were

organi1ed into a category called 'nSoft 0niversity+ 't included step-by-step instructions to wal

new users through every step from receiving the customer order all the way to shipping the

completed order to the customer+ ere was the basic outline that was created and given to each

employee so that they may understand the order management system better6

'nSoft has a centrali1ed order management tool+ ere# you can manage all orders from all stores+ 'nSoft

uses a standard five step order process6

"6 Approve Frder V $6 Frder Product V 26 Heceive Product V >6 Print Product V (6Ship Frder

Employees are re,uired to approve an order before advancing it in the process+ Fnce approved# the

employees can sip steps in the se,uence+

Cet# we assigned each employee various training videos to watch depending on their job

responsibilities and access that they will have while operating 'nSoft+ After watching the

videos# the employees were given test orders to input into the system by the consulting team+ 7e

wanted to be sure that all of the employees were competent and more importantly# comfortable

while using 'nSoft+

't was Mar Sr+ and Mar !r+*s duties to run Ruic5oos and we helped them get set up

with login information+ Mar !r+ was familiar with navigating Ruic5oos since he was the

treasurer for a youth sports league that had a few hundred children+ There was a specific video


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that 'nSoft had showing how to integrate Ruic5oos into 'nSoft fully+ The team was able to

do this and it was left up to the employees to enter in all of the accounts and epenses as they

were incurred+

/inally# we helped .raphics 'n Print setup the social media accounts and gave the login

information with corresponding passwords to :athie+ 7e began by helping post to the official

/aceboo page and we taught :athie how to post content that received positive feedbac+

.raphics 'n Print now had a plan in place to search for potential students to hire on as interns

that would bring fresh ideas to the mareting campaign+ 5y August (th# the team had been at

wor for over three months# the changes were made and it was now time for our consulting team

to withdrawal+ The team was confident that .raphics 'n Print would succeed with the new

software and support hotlines that were in place for the owners to fall bac on if needed+ 7e

would follow up with the owners periodically to determine how much the changes actually

benefited the company+

Evaluation of :hanges6 December $%"(

The team was able to contact the owners and as how using 'nSoft has helped improve

business+ :athie was enthusiastic and told us that the communication throughout the company

has improved+ .raphics 'n Print was able to secure a few large orders because of the custom

website they made for the customer+ These large orders averaged 4>#%%% in total products sold

and in the past# there was normally many errors in si1es when the orders were taen by hand+

Through the bacend of 'nSoft# we viewed the total invoices sent out to customers from August

until the end of December and were astonished+ 'n a little more than four months# .raphics 'n


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Estavillo 50

Print already had sales totaling 4$$(#%%% 7ith the slow months of !une# !uly# and August

accounted for# the total annual sales is on pace to surpass 4(%%#%%%+ 7e were thrilled to hear this

and to now that our suggestions had improved not only the operating efficiency# but the overall

profitability+

7ith the conclusion of this project# it is clear how necessary all of the various subjects

taen in undergrad were to achieving success+ 't was a uni,ue eperience to be empowered by

.raphics 'n Print enabling us to have the authority to suggest changes to management+ 5y

referencing consulting professionals and lecture material from courses taen at /ranciscan

0niversity# the team was able to critically problem solve issues+ More so# by woring as a

consultant# it showed me how meaningful this type of wor was to others and it gave me a career

path to follow post graduation+


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5ibliography

W7hat 's 5usiness Analytics8WBusiness Analytics - Information about Business Analytics+

5usiness Analytics# "2 Apr+ $%"$+ 7eb+ "( Cov+ $%"(+

WProcesses - Screen Printing+WElevate Promo+ Elevate# $%"(+ 7eb+ "( !une $%"(+

/leisher# :+S+# and S+ 7right+ W:ompetitive 'ntelligence Analysis /ailure6 Diagnosing 'ndividual

evel :auses and 'mplementing Frgani1ational evel Hemedies+W Competitive

Intelligence"Q+K


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5usiness+W he )evie" of Business Information #ystems *%nline+"Q+"


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Erb# Marcus+ WSeven 7ays to 5oost Employee Morale+WEntrepreneur+ .rowth Strategies# $%">+

7eb+ ( Cov+ $%"(+

Averamp# arold+ WManufacturing Fverhead + "2"-"22+ Print+

7ebster# Tom+ Wow Social Media 'nfluences /ashion Purchases - Edison Hesearch+WEdison

)esearch+ Published Studies# Aug+ $%"2+ 7eb+ Q !une $%"(+

Documents

Change or Die: Inside the Mind of a Consultant