We recommend that Shaft retain a management consultant to work with them on the development of planning procedures, a simple forecast and information control system, and a long-range development programs for Kent and Scott Gordon to improve their managerial skills. To increase their market penetration we recommend the following marketing tools. Salespeople could be paid on commission, and bonus or salary or commission alone. Because of the promotional work required, a base salary of 12,000 plus commission and bonus is fair. Once the promotional effort and market potential have been established, a sales forecast should be prepared.
Alternative methods are managerial judgment, time series analysis, or exponential smoothing.
The site layout could be improved. Since vehicles are parked daily, the customer parking, employee parking, and maintenance should be close to the main road. There is considerable wasted space on the roadside as well as between the office buildings. We recommend that rock, sod, office buildings, and vehicle parking be brought to the roadside. A fence should be constructed around the nursery.