Wesfarmers Business Proposal: Fundraising Event for Aboriginal School

This business proposal details a fundraising event organized by Wesfarmers, a major Australian company, to establish a school for Aboriginal Australians in the Northern Territory. The report analyzes the event's purpose, objectives, and the problem of limited educational resources in remote areas. It outlines the project's methodology using the PRINCE2 model, detailing stages from start-up to closing, and discusses measures for success. The proposal includes a SWOT analysis of Wesfarmers, a weighted scoring model for evaluating costs and benefits, and an assessment of strategic advantages and disadvantages. The report also covers project requirements, assumptions, constraints, estimated costs, and potential risks, concluding with a discussion of the timescale and references.

BUSINESS PROPOSAL

Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................4
OVERVIEW....................................................................................................................................4
Purpose and Objectives...............................................................................................................4
Measures for success of the project............................................................................................4
BENEFITS AND DIS-BENEFITS..................................................................................................5
Context and Analysis..................................................................................................................5
Strategic context of benefits and dis-benefits.............................................................................7
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS.........................................................................................................8
Requirements...............................................................................................................................8
Assumptions................................................................................................................................8
Constraints...................................................................................................................................9
COSTS.............................................................................................................................................9
Estimated cost.............................................................................................................................9
Methods of estimating costs........................................................................................................9
MAJOR RISKS................................................................................................................................9
Likelihood and Severity of the risks...........................................................................................9
Managing the risks....................................................................................................................10
TIMESCALE.................................................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In this report, a project propopsal has beend described and analysed which is organizing a
fundraisig event. Wesfarmers is a major Australian Company which is planning to raise funds for
setting up a schoool for Aboriginal Australians. This report will analyse all the aspects related to
event organization and present the results.
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MAIN BODY
OVERVIEW
Purpose and Objectives.
Aim:- To conduct a fundraising event for setting up an educational institution for Indigenous
Australians. A case study of Wesfarmers.
Objectives:-
 To examine the requirement of setting up an educational institution in Northern Territory.
 To identify the best methods of raising funds for the same. To develop measures and analyse the procedure of organizing a fundraising event.
Major Problem:- Currently, Aboriginal Australians or Indigenous Australians residing in the
remote areas of Northern Territories do not have proper schools and universities where they can
educate their children (Jordan, 2017).
Scope:- In this proposal, it will be highlighted that except the two major cities i.e. Darwin and
Palmerston, the entire remote area of Northern territory is poorly connected and faces problem of
lack of proper educational mediums. The fundraising event will help in setting up an university
in Barrow Creek, Northern Territory. However, this project will not address the increased
medical issues that the aboriginals residing in those areas are facing and the alarming nature of
these diseases.
Methodology for successfully conducting the project:- PRINCE2 Method i.e. Projects In
Controlled Environments will assist is successfully completing the project or conducting a
fundraising event. The project will be phased in seven different stages which are:- Start-up,
Directing, Initiation, Controlling, Managing Product Delivery, Managing State Boundaries and
Closing. In each stage the various activities will be covered which have been discussed further in
the project. Apart from using PRINCE2 method, AGILE Method could also have been used
under which the project is broken down into different activities where they analyse the customers
expectations and activities are classified accordingly (Christiansen and et.al., 20150. However,
this method could not be implemented in this project as AGILE framework focuses on
collaboration with customers and PRINCE2 focuses on achieving objectives and in this case it
was extremely supportive.
Measures for success of the project.
The seven stages of PRINCE2 model will be implemented in following manner:-
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Start-up:- In this stage, the CEO and Board of Directors of Wesfarmers will be presented by
their management with the idea of organizing a fundraising event for setting up a school in the
Barrow Creek to do community service. When BOD approves this idea, it will be further
developed.
Directing:- At this stage, the board will evaluate various aspects of the idea elated to financial
requirement, goodwill enhancement, revenue generation etc. and after they find the idea as a
sustainable option, it is further evaluated regarding the requirements for execution.
Initiation:- In this stage all the aspects related to time which will be one year, cost which will
range between $25000 to $50000, risk, benefits etc. are evaluated. Board reviews the budget,
time invested etc. and when it is approved the work will be initiated.
Controlling:- Here, all the activities related to the project are categorized into smaller parts and
activities like formulating a list of guests, sending invitations etc. and time and resources
required for each activity are determined (Information about PRINCE 2 Model, 2019).
Managing Product Delivery:- In this stage, a project planner will ensure that all the activities are
progressing as per the planned and allotted time and resource utilization and the outcomes are
satisfactory meeting their expectations.
Managing State Boundaries:- In this stage, et the closure of each stage,the manger determines
whether the idea or raising funds should be continued further, or it needs to be abandoned.
Closing:- This is the last stage where after completion of the project, all the necessary feedbacks,
documentation work etc. is done.
All the above measures are best applicable in the present idea of collecting funds which
will help in opening a school in Barrow Creek and they are better than the alternative of AGILE
model as it does not emphasizes the classification into activities and different stages but on
integrating the expectations of consumers which is not entirely helpful in the present scenario.
BENEFITS AND DIS-BENEFITS
Context and Analysis.
Wesfarmers is a well established retail chain operating mainly in Australia and New
Zealand and is the largest Australian Company. The CEO and Chairman of the company believe
in developing their societies and therefore the company is known for their community service for
people of Australia (Singh and Ruparathna, 2019). Corporate Social Responsibility involves
conducting those activities which makes the company socially accountable and increase the
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sustainability of the business. This enhances the goodwill of the company and the people become
more acceptable of the practices. Although, Wesfarmers has established their reputation
extremely well in Australia but its stores are not so trusted in the Northern territory of country
and therefore, in order to build their brand loyalty and make the company more integrated with
entire Australia, building up a school in that area will improve the literacy rates of this area and
thus improve their lifestyle encouraging overall development. It will also improve the
educational status of Aboriginal Australians and thus open up a wider scope of employment for
them.
SWOT Analysis:-
Strengths
 Goodwill of the company is extremely
strong and organizing fundraising events
will further improve this. The company will be able to increase
their revenue generation by increasing
the number of sales and therefore
integrate social activity with revenue
generating activity.
Weaknesses
 The staff of the company is not
adequately experienced in organizing
fundraising events and therefore, their
plan might harm the sentiments of
society.
 The resources that the company posses
may be utilized in setting up an
educational institution if the amount
raised from fundraising activity is not
sufficient (Schwab, 2018).
Opportunities
 The company will be able to increase the
number of visitors in their stores in both
Northern territory as well as in
remaining Australia. This will give them an opportunity to
bring overall development in the
lifestyle of Aboriginals and increase the
GDP levels of economy as well thus
acting as a major contributor.
Threats
 This can prove to be an extreme
measure if the Indigenous Australians
do not accept the modern education
systems for their children and still
practice older methods.
 The news of Woolworth planning to
build up a university in surrounding
areas can act as a major set off where
it will be assumed that Wesfarmers
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tried to copy Woolworths.
Weighted Scoring Model:- For successfully applying Weighted Scoring Model, it is necessary to
formulate appropriate criteria on the basis of which costs and benefits will be analysed and
scores will be recorded. The three major criteria are The Iron Triangle involving cost, scope and
time helps in determining the resources that will be utilized in conducting this activity and
whether at present it is the right thing to do (Patrick and Moodie, 2016). Benefits realized is
another criteria through which the company can assess whether the activity was actually
profitable for the business and if they should continue further with the proposed idea or
abandoning it would be a better option. Last criteria is Stakeholder satisfaction which involves
getting approval of the activities performed towards implementing the proposed ideas and
ensuring that they are satisfied of these steps taken as these are the parties that are somehow
invested in the business.
However, for truly conducting weighted score model analysis, an alternative idea is a
must and in the present scenario, the next best alternative was to set up a hospital rather than
school. This idea was not followed up because there are already many healthcare institutions and
NGOs working towards health improvement and therefore this aspect has already been worked
upon. Also, the returns would not have been as profitable since the BOD was not ready to go
forward with the idea and thought that the efforts that will be required would not match with the
amount of return gained or revenue generated (Jordan, 2017).
This idea basically took form when the management was analysing the reports of R&D
department which pointed out that sale was not incurring in northern territories as the store was
not trusted by those people and therefore they tried to avoid their products. This forced them to
develop those practices which would boost up the confidence of Aboriginals and thus led the
management to conclusion that they should increase and improve their CSR activities. Also,
there were reports of lack of any proper education system in Northern Territory at the same time
and this idea was integrated with the original one and hence, management decided to host a
fundraising event for garnering money to set up a school at Barrow Creek.
Strategic context of benefits and dis-benefits.
Benefits involve:-
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 Increased competitiveness of the company in the domestic as well as international market
as it will garner trust and loyalty of the people. This idea will benefit the company doubly as at one hand it will increase the goodwill of
the company where customers visiting stores all over Australia would increase their
loyalty and it will also increase the revenues that will be collected by the company since
their stores will incur sales in their Northern Territory stores as well (Hunter, and
Schwab, 2018).
Dis-benefits involve:-
 Lack of cooperation form the older generation as they might emphasis on implementing
the older methods of education system that they have implemented in their tribes.
 The company might also incur the problem of appointing adequately skilled and educated
teachers and other personnel in the remote areas as they might resist in getting appointed
in those areas where their are not adequate facilities to support the modern lifestyle.
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
Requirements
To implement this project successfully there are a lot of requirements for this idea
implementation:-
Resources:- To organize a fundraising event, there are a lot of resources required which help in
conducting the event successfully. Apart form the place, machinery and other capital resources,
the Human Personnel required is the most important resource (Hinde, 2018). The company needs
to formulate a separate department dedicated towards this purpose and either hire or identify
those individuals who are most adept at organizing events like these.
Time:- For successfully organizing a fundraising event, it is extremely necessary to plan small
details and all these activities require time which, at maximum is 1 year.
Finance:- The company will need to hire a venue, decorators, caterers etc. and all this will
require a lot of investment since fundraising program is being conducted at a vast level.
Apart form above, there are many other requirements like quality control, risk factor etc.
which needs to be determined beforehand.
Assumptions
Before implementing this idea it has been assumed that:-
 There is adequately skilled personnel in the company to organize the event.
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 The resources required will be available with the company.
 Stakeholders will be satisfied and accept the idea.
Constraints
The various constraints are:-
 There is a limited time frame and budget available to host the event successfully.
 The technological requirement is another constraint (Fogarty, Lovell and Dodson, 2015).
COSTS
Estimated cost
The estimated cost can be allocated in different milestones which have been presented in
the following budget:-
PARTICULARS AMOUNT
Rent and Utilities $13,000
Photocopying and Printing expenditure $4,500
Meetings and events $6,000
Donor lists and follow-up expenses $3,000
Media and Communication $10,000
Refreshments to employees $3,500
TOTAL $40,000
Methods of estimating costs
The above costs were estimated through Bottom-up Estimating technique and although it
is an extremely time-consuming and costly method, the accuracy level is high i.e. the estimations
are nearly correct and the risk of deviations is lower thus giving the management a fair and
correct idea of the resources to be utilized. Under this, costs related to different components is
estimated and then total estimated cost is presented for e.g. Rent and Utilities comprises of:-
Rent of venue- $6500
Phone expenses- $700
Suppliers- $5000
Computer Expenditure- $750
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MAJOR RISKS
Likelihood and Severity of the risks.
In planning to organize a fundraising event, there can be a number of potential risks
which need to be accounted for beforehand and appropriate measures need to be taken:-
Weather Risk and other natural causes:- This is the most critical risk and despite end number of
forecasts, one can never guarantee that the weather will be absolutely fine and thus is a crucial
aspect (Davis, 2018).
Technological Failure:- If there is any failure in the technology or the equipments utilized at the
event, then it might lead to failure of the event and hence this also needs to be properly
accounted for.
Financial Risk:- It is possible that initially, the resources required are adequately supplied and
all the activities can be performed, but late or the company can occur some financial crisis etc.
which might lead to disruption of resources and hence it need to be properly accounted for.
Risk of Reputation:- Despite the best intentions with which the event is organized, there is
always a risk of the activity inducing a negative impact and this can be due to some argument at
the event, mistreatment of support staff etc. which can be a disaster for the company and lead to
failure of event.
Compliance Risk:- This is another factor which involves legal aspect that whether the idea is
legally approved and within the framework of laws because non-compliance might impact the
company negatively (Christiansen and et.al., 2015).
Managing the risks
There are four terms which can be used to manage the risks associated with the event
which are Avoid i.e. avoiding the risks by taking corrective actions; Transfer i.e. outsourcing the
risks associated on the third party; Mitigate i.e. optimizing the situation by giving raise etc. and
lastly Acceptance under which nothing can be done except dealing with the crisis effectively.
Risk due to natural causes need to be accepted; Technological risk, Compliance risk and
Financial risk need to be avoided, Reputation risk needs to be Mitigated.
TIMESCALE
Although the allowed time scale is 1 year, the event can be orgaized withing 10 months thorugh
following timeline:-
Activities Mont Mont Month Mont Month Mont Month Mont Mont Mont
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h 1 h 2 3 h 4 5 h 6 7 h 8 h 9 h 10
Start-up
Directing
Initiation
Controlling
Managing Product
Delivery
Managing State
Boundaries
Closing
CONCLUSION
After going through the research it can be concl;uded that a project needs to be carefully
measured and therefore proposal should be extremely comprehensive covering all the aspects. In
this report, the problem and the reason of the idea has been evaluated and various advantages and
disadvantages have been discussed. Further, the rprot analyses vaious risks associatted along
woth the cost and an appropriate timewline has been formulated.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Christiansen, and et.al., 2015. Method and system for assessing, managing and monitoring
information technology risk. U.S. Patent Application 14/282,347.
Davis, T., 2018. Project Proposal: Increasing CERFP Activation.
Fogarty, W., Lovell, M. and Dodson, M., 2015. A view beyond review: Challenging assumptions
in Indigenous education development.
Hinde, D., 2018. PRINCE2 Study Guide: 2017 Update. John Wiley & Sons.
Hunter, B. and Schwab, R., 2018. The determinants of Indigenous educational outcomes.
Canberra, ACT: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), The
Australian National University.
Jordan, D., 2017. Australian Aborigines: education and identity. In Education and Cultural
Differences (pp. 61-87). Routledge.
Patrick, R. and Moodie, N., 2016. Indigenous education policy discourses in Australia:
Rethinking the “problem”. In Global learning in the 21st century (pp. 163-184). Brill
Sense.
Schwab, R., 2018. Twenty years of policy recommendations for indigenous education: overview
and research implications. Canberra, ACT: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy
Research (CAEPR), The Australian National University.
Singh, P. and Ruparathna, R., 2019. Construction project proposal evaluation under uncertainty:
A fuzzy based approach. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, (ja).
Online
Information about PRINCE 2 Model. 2019 [ONLINE].Available through
<https://www.prince2.com/uk/prince2-processes>.
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