Analysis of Operational Plan for The Iconic: Recruitment and SWOT

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of The Iconic's operational plan, focusing on key aspects such as the purpose and components of operational plans, the six steps of staff recruitment, and the relationship between recruitment criteria and operational plans. It also explores the importance of SWOT analysis for assessing team capacity, providing an example specific to The Iconic. Furthermore, the report details the key stages of the recruitment process and defines gap analysis, outlining its steps and significance. The analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of The Iconic's operational strategies and provides insights into how the company manages its operations, recruits staff, and identifies areas for improvement through SWOT and gap analysis. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of effective operational planning and its impact on achieving business goals.

Manage
Operational Plan

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK...............................................................................................................................................3
1. What is the purpose of creating an operational plan and list of components of an operational
plan..............................................................................................................................................3
2. List the six steps used to recruit new staff? What is the relationship between the recruitment
criteria and the operational plans?...............................................................................................3
3. Why should companies conduct a SWOT analysis to assess their team’s current capacity.
Provide example..........................................................................................................................4
4. Explain key stages in recruitment process..............................................................................5
5. Define gap analysis.................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
For conducting work in effective and appropriate manner manager and leaders of an
organization must conduct and prepare operational plans. Through which they able to conduct
work or task in appropriate as well as effective manner. Along with this an organisation also
conduct there operations and functions in effective manner (Blunden and Thirlwell, 2012).
Organisation which is taken for this assignment is The Iconic which is launched in year 2011. Its
headquarter is in Sydney, Australia and they are dealing in E-commerce, fashion, clothing and
shoes industry. Products offer by respective company are cloths, shoes and accessories for men
and women. Topics covered in this report are purpose of operational plans and several
components of it, steps of recruitment and relationship between recruitment criteria and
operational plan. Along with this it include importance of SWOT analysis with example of
respective company. It also include key stage of recruitment process and gap analysis which is
conduct by a company.

TASK
1. What is the purpose of creating an operational plan and list of components of an operational
plan
Operational plan is a guidelines and framework which is develop by an organisation in
order to conduct work in effective and appropriate manner. The main purpose of developing
operational plan is to provide clear view and picture of task and responsibilities of an individual
with in an organisation (Handel, 2012). By this a company able to attain its goal and objectives
in effective and appropriate manner by accomplishing task in proper time and ways. An
organisation develop operation plan according to requirement and need of a situation within a
work place. For developing an effective operational plans an organisation required various
elements such as Objective of task for which plans is developing, goal and objective of a
business, requirement of resources which is required to accomplish goal, process which is
followed by staff in order to attain goal and responsibilities and role of an individual.
2. List the six steps used to recruit new staff? What is the relationship between the recruitment
criteria and the operational plans?
Recruitment is a process through which an organisation hire a person in order to conduct
work in effective and appropriate manner. Manger of a company try to hire right person for the
right job and at right time. For recruiting a right person company has to go through process
whose steps are given below:-
Step 1:- Identify job and its requirement- in this an organisation manager identify the need
and requirement of a person for completing a particular task in effective and appropriate manner.
At this stage manger identify post for which employees are required and number of person which
is required.
Step 2:- Develop person Specification and job description- At this process company will
prepare person specification and job description which include all necessary information related
to vacant position (Tattam, 2017). It include salary, position, place, skills required and many
more.
Step 3:- Do advertisement and promotion- At this stage company will conduct advertisement
and promotion which help them in attracting candidates for vacant position through that
company manger will hire appropriate one for vacant position at workplace.

Step 4:- Collect applications and filter appropriate candidates- At this step company collect
all applications of candidate and find out or select candidates application which are appropriate
according to position.
Step 5:- Conduct Interview- At this step company will conduct interview of those employees
which are selected at above step and then conduct face to face interview.
Step 6:- Hire and train- According to this stage company will hire right candidate for vacant
position and train them according to culture of company.
In an organization there is relationship between recruitment criteria and operational plan
such as through recruitment criteria company manger able to identify process which they have to
conduct in order to recruit appropriate candidate at work place. Whereas operational plan help
them in executing whole plan and strategies in effective and appropriate manner.
3. Why should companies conduct a SWOT analysis to assess their team’s current capacity.
Provide example
SWOT analysis is essential and important for an organisation because by it manger of an
organisation able to develop strategies and plans in effective and appropriate manner (Hsu,
Backhouse and Silva, 2014). Along with this company also get to know about there strength,
weakness, opportunities and threat through which they can attain there goal and objectives in
effective manner. This will also help in expanding business in another country or introducing
new products. Example of SWOT analysis in respect of The Iconic is given below:-
Strength Weakness
 Financial status of respective company
is very strong.
 It is one of the fastest growing and
leading brand (The Iconic, 2019).
 They provide quality products with
latest designs.
 Respective company is supported by
there partner company.
 Business model of Iconic are very
expensive.
 They are highly reliance on third party
brand.
 Respective company have limited
control on price and quality of
products.
 Sale strategy of respective company is
weak.
Opportunities Threats

 The Iconic can expand there business in
Australia through online application.
 They can develop products according to
other brand and latest design.
 Major threat for respective company is
there competitors such as ZARA,
Lifestyle and many more.
4. Explain key stages in recruitment process.
Recruitment is defined as process for attraction, short-listing, selection and appointment
of individuals for job within any organisation (Setia and Patel, 2013). When more number of
individuals apply for job then this means that better person can be chosen. Key stages which are
involved in process of recruitment are mentioned below:
1. Requirement: It is necessary to understand what is required. In this stage organisational
goals are identified as well as available resources. If essential resources are not present
then needs of organisation are analysed and process of recruitment is to be started.
2. Job Description: It is essential that input is taken from employees with respect to job
description. This must contain necessary details of responsibilities, tasks, working hours,
remuneration and whom they should contact. This is a complete description of job role
which is to be filled.
3. Selection Criteria: After completion of stage 2, list of skills, personal attributes and
experience is made depending upon requirements of organisation. Furthermore, they need
to decide the panel for interview. This stage also includes detail of selection process,
psychometric testing to identify that individual is appropriate for given role.
4. Advertisement: For this process, HR manager needs to give advertisement for job role.
For this organisation needs to identify appropriate mechanism by which they can give
advertisements, use marketing tools and distribute them within time (Sitton and Reich,
2015). These advertisements can be given on newspapers, magazines, social media,
pamphlets and many other mediums so that people come to know about vacant position.
5. Screening and Selection: In this stage applications are screened, aim is to find out
suitable candidate. In this stage pre-employment testing and psychological testing is

carried out. This stage will make sure that selected person is best person for specific role
and possess all the skills which were mandatory for this job profile.
5. Define gap analysis.
Gap analysis refers to process of analysing differences in performance of business in
order to determine whether requirements of business are met or not. Gap is defined as space in
between present state i.e. where business is at present moment and target state that is what were
their expectations (Ribas, Leiras and Hamacher, 2012). Gap analysis is defined as analysis of
needs. Three steps in gap analysis are mentioned below:
1. Analysis of current state: In this step it has been analysed that at present moment where
organisation is and where they want to be. This includes qualitative information like
methodologies and number of sales. Big picture has been obtained.
2. Identification of future state: When big picture has been obtained then team needs to
understand functions of organisation which are required to be ideal in strategic terms.
3. Bridge the gap: In this gap is identified and how it prevents from reaching goal. It helps
to figure out difficulties and hardships. Clear objectives are formulated which aids in
actualising transitions. For this tools like SWOT analysis, McKinsey 7S framework,
Nadler-Tushmen model and many others can be used to identify these gaps.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussed point it can be conclude and evaluate that effective operational
plan is needed in order to conduct work in effective and appropriate manner. By this company
able to attain goal and objective in effective manner and this will also reduce wastage from
production process. There are several components of operation plan which help in conducting
work in appropriate way. For conducting work company need to hire right employees according
to position. For which they have to follow six step process and for implementation operational
plan will help. Along with this when a company need to evaluate there strength, weakness,
opportunities and threat they can conduct SWOT analysis. Then accordingly they will develop
strategies and plans. Company can also do gap analysis in order to identify area they lacking
within.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Blunden, T. and Thirlwell, J., 2012. Mastering Operational Risk: A practical guide to
understanding operational risk and how to manage it. Pearson UK.
Handel, M.I., 2012. Strategic and Operational Deception in the Second World War. Routledge.
Tattam, D., 2017. A short guide to operational risk. Routledge.
Hsu, C., Backhouse, J. and Silva, L., 2014. Institutionalizing operational risk management: an
empirical study. Journal of Information Technology. 29(1). pp.59-72.
Kumar, S., Boice, B.C. and Shepherd, M.J., 2013. Risk assessment and operational approaches
to manage risk in global supply chains. Transportation Journal. 52(3). pp.391-411.
Setia, P. and Patel, P.C., 2013. How information systems help create OM capabilities:
Consequents and antecedents of operational absorptive capacity. Journal of Operations
Management. 31(6). pp.409-431.
Sitton, M. and Reich, Y., 2015. Enterprise systems engineering for better operational
interoperability. Systems Engineering. 18(6). pp.625-638.