The first main point in Sportscool's physical structure is that it has multiple bases, Sportscool has a main office and the company keeps most of its equipment at a hall near the miners welfare ground this is also where Sportscool hosts its birthday parties and holiday clubs.
Having multiple venues has its advantages and disadvantages, the disadvantages being that equipment that is needed could be at the place so it means going from one place to another to get something ie registers or footballs. An advantage of this is that the company has room to expand and that it always has room for bigger and better equipment.
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Orgonisational Theory Technology
As Sportscool goes into various schools and clubs, technology is limited as their is simply no need for it one of the reasons for this is that some sessions are outside and if it rains it will be ruined,
All of the coaches have a phone to keep in contact with each other and Carl whether it is in a session or not. there is also a phone in Carl's office
Some of sportscool's equipment is advance, to save space, time and ease there are two full size blow up football nets which can be used inside or out, which is really useful as if there is a session outside and it rains it can be taken down quickly and brought inside.
Also sportscool has a website which is very important as it makes you accessible to a wider audience and also a different way to communicate with people, this is also makes you accessible on the move with a smart phone that can receive email
All of the coaches have a phone to keep in contact with each other and Carl whether it is in a session or not. there is also a phone in Carl's office
Some of sportscool's equipment is advance, to save space, time and ease there are two full size blow up football nets which can be used inside or out, which is really useful as if there is a session outside and it rains it can be taken down quickly and brought inside.
Also sportscool has a website which is very important as it makes you accessible to a wider audience and also a different way to communicate with people, this is also makes you accessible on the move with a smart phone that can receive email
Organisational Theory Culture
CULTURE
Power Culture-
Achievement Culture-
Role Culture-
Support Culture-
Sportscool's culture is a blend of different cultures for example it is a power culture because Carl is the boss and he is in charge of what all the coaches do, he is firm and fair, This is good because you know who the boss is and there are firm and only one set of orders and there is quick feedback, The bad points of this culture is that it is only one persons opinion so it could be badly managed. It also relies very heavily on one person who can get tired and poorly and also busy if that is the case their is nobody else to turn too.
Power Culture-
- strong leaders are needed to distribute resources. Leaders are firm,but fair and generousto loyal followers. If badly managed there is rule by fear, abuse of power for personal gain, and political intrigue.
Achievement Culture-
- Rewards results, not unproductive efforts. work teams are self directed. Rules and sructure sustaining energy and enthusiasm over time.
Role Culture-
- rule of law with clear responsibility and reward system. provides stability, justice and effiency. weakness is impersonal operating procedures and a stifling of creativity and innovation.
Support Culture-
- Employee is valued as a person as well as a worker. Employee harmony is important Weakness is a possible internal commitment without an external task focus
Sportscool's culture is a blend of different cultures for example it is a power culture because Carl is the boss and he is in charge of what all the coaches do, he is firm and fair, This is good because you know who the boss is and there are firm and only one set of orders and there is quick feedback, The bad points of this culture is that it is only one persons opinion so it could be badly managed. It also relies very heavily on one person who can get tired and poorly and also busy if that is the case their is nobody else to turn too.
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Organisational structures of Sportscool
Sportscools organisational structure is a centrilised structure.
It has one department so nothing else branches of it, there is only one person incharge and they are incharge of everyone else. In Sportscools case there is Carl at the top who is the boss and under that will be me and the other coaches.
There are advantages and drawbacks of a centrilised organisational structure which is that there is only one boss so if there is a problem anywhere in the company then yoou know who to go to get it sorted out,this could also be a disadvantage as the boss might be so busy with everything else then his time could be restricted to what he can do,
Truetobusiness suggests that other advantages of a centrilised structure are:
- There is a strong centralised leadership which will help the business through difficult times.
- The views of the business can be very clearly emphasised as every part of the business will be working towards the same goals.
- Centralisation enables the efficient use of resources, lower overheads and tight financial control.
- As the layout of different branches would be very similar, customers may prefer it as they will know what to expect.
- Policies can be consistent for each department within the business. This allows a greater control and standardisation of procedures.
- Decisions within the business can be made quickly because there is no need to consult or negotiate with individual stores, branches or departments.
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
PEST Analysis
POLITICAL
There are several political issues that will effect Sportscool, for example our contemporary issues surrounding the country for several years now, which is high levels of child obesity, NHS website suggests that "amongst children (2-15 years of age)one in six boys and one in seven girls in England were obese in 2008. The number of over weight children was also around one in seven." which is what Sportscool suggests its goal is to contribute to bring this problem down.
Another political issue is that, it is a legal requirement for all employees to have a CRB or a Criminal Records Bureau check, this check will search all your police files, to see if an employee has a criminal record all though inconvenient for the employer, it is a very important check, especially with a coaching company as it involves: coaching children possibly with the coach on their own and possibly with no parents watching. So it is essential to know that the company is employing the right people and most importantly, that the clients are safe, In Sportscool's case the children that are being coached. This is also supported by the FA by suggesting "CRB checks play an important part in keeping children and young people safe by helping to prevent unsuitable people from working or volunteering in children’s football."
Although very critical CRB's can also be a long process which could hinder a coaching business because the employee cannot work until the CRB comes through, so unless the company has many coaches it could pose a problem, as the coaching session may not be able to be covered, this will stun the growth of the company and also give it a bad reputation
The biggest political subject that will effect Sportscool the most is the National curriculam this effects Sportscool because schools are Sportscools biggest customers.
The Department of education states that "Michael Gove has set out the direction of travel, and initial funding, for the Coalition Government’s new approach on school sports. Schools will receive funding to allow PE teachers to further embed competitive sport in schools across the country and raise participation.
Every secondary school will receive funding up to the end of the academic year in 2013 to pay for one day a week of a PE teacher’s time to be spent out of the classroom, encouraging greater take-up of competitive sport in primary schools and securing a fixture network for schools to increase the amount of intra- and inter-school competition."
ECONOMICAL
There are many economical issues in society today one of them being the economic climate, basically people have no money to spend, as many coaching sessions are expensive and people cannot afford them, many Sportscool's after school sessions are free to the children, therefore eliminating the issue of being able to afford it, so with a good turn out of children to the after school session, Sportscool will be reaching their goal of getting children involved within sport.
During school holidays if parents have to work and they have children it can be very expensive so with the companies own venue decressing prices per child will resort in more numbers at the holiday clubs, because it is the cheaper option and if the children enjoy it they will go again therefore increasing the reputation of Sportscool.
SOCIAL
There are many reasons why children go to afterschool clubs and reasons why they dont, for example if their friends go to the club then that child will also go as well, this is because they like spending time with their friends which also goes for why they wouldn't go to the club, because they wouldnt know anybody and they wouldn't enjoy it as much.
A big reason why somebody might not go to a club is peer pressure,because at a young age you wonder what your friends think of you, for example if somebody enjoys drama or dancing they might want to go to a drama club, or a dance club, but incase friends laugh at you, you wont go.
TECHNOLOGICAL
The only technology that effects Sportscool is its website this will promote the company and make it more acessable to wider community more than just the local area, It also allows the company to distribute a message easily rather than having to ring around to everyone that will be very time consuming
There are several political issues that will effect Sportscool, for example our contemporary issues surrounding the country for several years now, which is high levels of child obesity, NHS website suggests that "amongst children (2-15 years of age)one in six boys and one in seven girls in England were obese in 2008. The number of over weight children was also around one in seven." which is what Sportscool suggests its goal is to contribute to bring this problem down.
Another political issue is that, it is a legal requirement for all employees to have a CRB or a Criminal Records Bureau check, this check will search all your police files, to see if an employee has a criminal record all though inconvenient for the employer, it is a very important check, especially with a coaching company as it involves: coaching children possibly with the coach on their own and possibly with no parents watching. So it is essential to know that the company is employing the right people and most importantly, that the clients are safe, In Sportscool's case the children that are being coached. This is also supported by the FA by suggesting "CRB checks play an important part in keeping children and young people safe by helping to prevent unsuitable people from working or volunteering in children’s football."
Although very critical CRB's can also be a long process which could hinder a coaching business because the employee cannot work until the CRB comes through, so unless the company has many coaches it could pose a problem, as the coaching session may not be able to be covered, this will stun the growth of the company and also give it a bad reputation
The biggest political subject that will effect Sportscool the most is the National curriculam this effects Sportscool because schools are Sportscools biggest customers.
The Department of education states that "Michael Gove has set out the direction of travel, and initial funding, for the Coalition Government’s new approach on school sports. Schools will receive funding to allow PE teachers to further embed competitive sport in schools across the country and raise participation.
Every secondary school will receive funding up to the end of the academic year in 2013 to pay for one day a week of a PE teacher’s time to be spent out of the classroom, encouraging greater take-up of competitive sport in primary schools and securing a fixture network for schools to increase the amount of intra- and inter-school competition."
ECONOMICAL
There are many economical issues in society today one of them being the economic climate, basically people have no money to spend, as many coaching sessions are expensive and people cannot afford them, many Sportscool's after school sessions are free to the children, therefore eliminating the issue of being able to afford it, so with a good turn out of children to the after school session, Sportscool will be reaching their goal of getting children involved within sport.
During school holidays if parents have to work and they have children it can be very expensive so with the companies own venue decressing prices per child will resort in more numbers at the holiday clubs, because it is the cheaper option and if the children enjoy it they will go again therefore increasing the reputation of Sportscool.
SOCIAL
There are many reasons why children go to afterschool clubs and reasons why they dont, for example if their friends go to the club then that child will also go as well, this is because they like spending time with their friends which also goes for why they wouldn't go to the club, because they wouldnt know anybody and they wouldn't enjoy it as much.
A big reason why somebody might not go to a club is peer pressure,because at a young age you wonder what your friends think of you, for example if somebody enjoys drama or dancing they might want to go to a drama club, or a dance club, but incase friends laugh at you, you wont go.
TECHNOLOGICAL
The only technology that effects Sportscool is its website this will promote the company and make it more acessable to wider community more than just the local area, It also allows the company to distribute a message easily rather than having to ring around to everyone that will be very time consuming
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS
The strengths of Sportscool are that it is a fast growing company that works with other set ups such as Staveley Miners Welfare FC, so everybody who is associated with the football club are also aware of Sportscool which will get the company's name out by word of mouth. This is also the case with other football clubs or other fans - if they like the coaching then it is easy to enquire about it through the football club and the website.
Another strength relating to this is that it makes it more appealing to children which makes it more sellable, because children will enjoy playing on the ground and being involved with professionals,somebody that they can watch.
One of the companies main strengths is that they have a website so it is accessible to the whole world in effect, which will give the company more opportunities for business.
There are also strengths within the company that include:
After this the company needs to implement an extension strategy which could include
In the case of my placement the Company is in the growth stage as it is trying to evolve and establish itself by bringing in more customers and growing the company.
Another weakness is that the company relies on funding for projects which are not always available all year round, which limits again the opportunities for the companies. Sportscool also does alot of work for schools which aren't open all year round, so during the holidays there is very little if nothing that can be done to work with schools during that time.
Other weaknesses include:
OPPORTUNITIES
There are many opportunities for Sportscool to thrive in the current climate especially the Olympic strategy. according to Sport England website they will be "investing in organisations and projects that will get more people taking up and continuing to play sport and creating opportunities for people to excel at their chosen sport." which means that there will be funding available so Sportscool could benefit from this.
http://www.sportengland.org/funding.aspx
With sport forever growing, there is never a bad time to get involved in sport across all ages, for example Sportscool have had at least four fundings recently to start projects. including -STREETZ SOCCER which they have received a funding of £4000, Sportscool are working with Chesterfield Community Safety partnership to develop a 'fun' packed summer play scheme in Chesterfield.
By going in to schools and putting on a good coaching session it is promoting the company in a good light, so the school will keep hiring them so they can make more money, and also Sportscool can also advertise their holiday clubs and their bithday parties by giving out flyers, so if the children enjoyed them selves in Sportscools lessons then they might want their parties with them, or go to their holiday clubs.
THREATS
As well as the companies competitors, There are other threats to the company and they are the after school clubs that are close to the same schools as Sportscool, there are also issues with the current economic climate.
The same as a good session will promote the company and make the possibility stronger of getting more income, Going into a school and doing a bad session that is disorganised, boring and un engaging it will bring the company into disrepute and schools and the children will not want to use Sportscool again.
after doing a poor coaching session or a good coaching session word of mouth is a big issue, if a friend or somebody that has used sportscool before sais that it is not very good then that person will not likely send their child their or a school will not use it if they have heard bad things about them.
SWOT ANALYSIS SUMMARY
By having a website for Sportscool it not only tells what customers Sportscool has what they are doing, but it also brings new customers in so a good website is vital to the companies success.
The strengths of Sportscool are that it is a fast growing company that works with other set ups such as Staveley Miners Welfare FC, so everybody who is associated with the football club are also aware of Sportscool which will get the company's name out by word of mouth. This is also the case with other football clubs or other fans - if they like the coaching then it is easy to enquire about it through the football club and the website.
Another strength relating to this is that it makes it more appealing to children which makes it more sellable, because children will enjoy playing on the ground and being involved with professionals,somebody that they can watch.
One of the companies main strengths is that they have a website so it is accessible to the whole world in effect, which will give the company more opportunities for business.
There are also strengths within the company that include:
- equipment available to the coaches
- the amount of coaches
- funded equipment that include : Sainsburies and Tesco
- multiple venues available to the company
- links with Staveley Miners welfare
- A frequently updated website
- A boss that is only on the other end of the phone, and with there only being one boss, things get sorted straight away.
WEAKNESSES
The main weakness of Sportscool is that it is a relatively new company so it is not very well established yet, which means that they have to compete with all the small non established companies and also the big established ones like Sporting Futures.
However, Tutor2you (2012) suggests that there is a life cycle to businesses that includes 4 stages, Introduction, growth, maturity and decline.The Product Life cycle model, below, shows that as a company introduces its services and products it will grow and eventually mature, after this it will start to decline unless the company thinks of a product extension for it to grow again an example of this is the Coca
Cola company bringing other flavours in to boost sales.
After this the company needs to implement an extension strategy which could include
- Advertising – try to gain a new audience or remind the current audience
- Price reduction – more attractive to customers
- Adding value – add new features to the current product, e.g. video messaging on mobile phones
- Explore new markets – try selling abroad
- New packaging – brightening up old packaging, or subtle changes such as putting crisps in foil packets or Seventies music compilations:
In the case of my placement the Company is in the growth stage as it is trying to evolve and establish itself by bringing in more customers and growing the company.
Another weakness is that the company relies on funding for projects which are not always available all year round, which limits again the opportunities for the companies. Sportscool also does alot of work for schools which aren't open all year round, so during the holidays there is very little if nothing that can be done to work with schools during that time.
Other weaknesses include:
- lack of funding due to the current economic climate
- Sportscool is a relatively new business which means that it is a non-established company and is only based in the local area
OPPORTUNITIES
There are many opportunities for Sportscool to thrive in the current climate especially the Olympic strategy. according to Sport England website they will be "investing in organisations and projects that will get more people taking up and continuing to play sport and creating opportunities for people to excel at their chosen sport." which means that there will be funding available so Sportscool could benefit from this.
http://www.sportengland.org/funding.aspx
With sport forever growing, there is never a bad time to get involved in sport across all ages, for example Sportscool have had at least four fundings recently to start projects. including -STREETZ SOCCER which they have received a funding of £4000, Sportscool are working with Chesterfield Community Safety partnership to develop a 'fun' packed summer play scheme in Chesterfield.
By going in to schools and putting on a good coaching session it is promoting the company in a good light, so the school will keep hiring them so they can make more money, and also Sportscool can also advertise their holiday clubs and their bithday parties by giving out flyers, so if the children enjoyed them selves in Sportscools lessons then they might want their parties with them, or go to their holiday clubs.
THREATS
As well as the companies competitors, There are other threats to the company and they are the after school clubs that are close to the same schools as Sportscool, there are also issues with the current economic climate.
The same as a good session will promote the company and make the possibility stronger of getting more income, Going into a school and doing a bad session that is disorganised, boring and un engaging it will bring the company into disrepute and schools and the children will not want to use Sportscool again.
after doing a poor coaching session or a good coaching session word of mouth is a big issue, if a friend or somebody that has used sportscool before sais that it is not very good then that person will not likely send their child their or a school will not use it if they have heard bad things about them.
SWOT ANALYSIS SUMMARY
Sportscools company goals is to bring children to their after school clubs or holiday clubs so that they have something better to do rather than sit inside and play computer games all day, or hang around street corners and causing trouble that is productive for them, which is playing sport as it keeps children fit and healthy and it engages their minds by making them think of what to do in these games. However by producing good lessons in schools and clubs it will encourage children to either continue to use Sportscools clubs or to join them which brings in more income but it also is helping to complete Sportscools goals by having less children on the streets causing trouble or sat at home doing nothing.
By having a website for Sportscool it not only tells what customers Sportscool has what they are doing, but it also brings new customers in so a good website is vital to the companies success.
This is Sportscools websites home page it is colourful and it stands out it is a good website as it advertises the company well and provides up to date infomation on what is happening soon and what funding Sportscool has recieved, The picture has the coaches and the children looking happy and enjoying themselves, which suggests that the session was good and is a very important part of a website.
The website also has a link to a contact number so Carl can be contacted by email or phone which widens Sportscools custom as some people dont have access to phones or to emails, there is also a link to what sportscools philosophy is and how they want to help the community.
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
My role at my work placement
ABOUT MY PLACEMENT
My work placement is Sportscool which is a private coaching company based in Staveley and Chesterfield this is the second year i have this as my work placement.
Sportscool comprises of the founder Carl vickers and eight coaches to cope with the work load which includes coaching at schools for PE lessons and after school clubs and teams. Sportscool also do holiday clubs and football camps at Staveley miners wellfare.
He has a website www.sportscool-foundation.org and has a office based in staveley where the equipment is kept and he also keeps the rest at stavely miners welfare ground.
As well as Sportscool he also has Sportscool foundation which is a non profit organisation he delivers sessions and programmes the Programmes are delivered independently or in partnership with local providers.
These programmes are funded by a wide variety of clients including: Corporate Sponsors, Schools, Community Groups, Statutory Organisations including Local Councils, Police, Fire Service, Primary Care Trusts, Youth Services and Community Assemblies
Sportscool foundation has a philosophy which is the companies goal "We use sport and physical activity as a regeneration mechanism to overcome social and economic issues faced by the communities with whom we work. These issues include: Poor Health, Obesity, Crime, Criminal Damage, Anti Social Behaviour, Drugs and Alcohol misuse and Unemployed"
( info gained from http://www.sportscool-foundation.org/ on the 24/10/12)
MY ROLE
My role comprises of going to the schools etc and delivering high quality multi sports sessions that are fun but so they learn about the sport, I can do a session on my own or with other coaches, when at schools or clubs we represent Sportscool and our actions reflect that of Sportscool so we need to be profesional and set a good example and also look like coaches.
As our sessions represent Sportscool it is my job to make sure they are fun, so it looks good for Sportscool and keeps Sportscools employees happy so we get more business.
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