Running Head: COVER LETTER
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Cover Letter
COVER LETTER
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Rush Finlay
43 Rose Avenue
Kansas, LA 4546
(215) 204 – 9788
Rushfinlay@gmail.com
September 19, 2018
Kellan Kyle, Human Resource Manager
1055 St. Paul Place
Cincinatti OH 45202
Towne Properties
Dear Mr. Kyle,
I was excited to learn about the open Landscape Maintenance Manager position at Jerome Village in
Dublin, Ohio, through the company website: Towne Properties. I am a Turfgrass and Landscape
Management major at Washington State University. With my experience as a highly competent
Landscape Crew Leader, I would bring a hardworking and service-focused attitude to this role.
I have a strong background in landscaping management and maintenance from my previous position
as a landscape manager in Academic Mall, China. I managed the work of ten crew members and
completed a range of commercial and private landscaping projects. I supervised and managed the
pruning, fertilizing, weeding, irrigating, and deworming or ornamental grasses and trees. I also
monitored, recorded, and reported the ongoing maintenance work. This experience will help me to
apply my skills to your landscaping maintenance manager position.
I am creative, detailed-oriented, and proficient at keeping crews on schedule and working efficiently. I
excel at flower care, shrubbery, minor design work and lawn maintenance. Along with my specialties,
I am also skilled in completing everyday maintenance tasks like irrigation, plant propagation, pruning,
weeding, blowing, trimming, seeding, and mowing. I am familiar with safe operation guidelines and
am quick to learn new procedures. Through my previous experience at Academic Mall, I have learned
how to create garden infrastructures, properly lay turf, and install various watering systems.
I would love an opportunity to apply these skills in your Landscape Maintenance Manager position.
Well, landscaping is more than a job for me. I also appreciate opportunities that allow me to apply my
landscaping managing skills thus fulfilling my passion. My references and resume are attached. I look
forward to hearing from you and possibly setting up an interview to share my portfolio of work with
you.
Sincerely,
Rush Finlay
Enclosure
Running Head: THANK YOU EMAIL
Thank You Email
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THANK YOU EMAIL
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Subject Line: Thank You – Landscape Maintenance Manager Interview
Dear Mr. Kyle,
I want to express my sincere appreciation for the time you devoted to learning more about my
background and discussing the Landscape Maintenance Manager position at Cincinatti Office. Along
with my experience, my strong characteristics and passion for the job are a great match for this role.
In addition to the clarification that you provided on this position, I was especially excited to learn that
Towne Properties largely emphasizes on collaboration. I believe that fostering an inclusive, teambased approach is key to coordinating activities in powerful and unique ways. As we discussed, I have
a strong background in landscaping management and maintenance that equipped me with experience
and skills that are a great match for this role as a Landscape Maintenance Manager.
After reviewing the “Landscape Maintenance Manager” with you, I am more than ever enthusiastic
about the prospect of joining Towne Properties. Please, do not hesitate to contact me should you need
any further clarifications about my background. I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Rush Finlay
Rushfinlay@gmail.com
(215) 204 – 9788
Proposal Assignment
The assignment includes five parts: Outline Proposing a Topic, Evaluation of Sources,
Proposal Presentation, Written Proposal, and Executive Summary.
For these assignments, you will present and write a formal proposal. A proposal is an offer to
solve a problem or fulfill a business need. The goal is to persuade, and you must be
straightforward. It’s important that you analyze your audience and write your proposal to
persuade them to accept your ideas. The assignment is complex, with five separate assignments
(four of which are graded) and each builds on the one before it. You are expected to use feedback
from each assignment to improve on the next. The assignments are designed to guide you through
the development process in writing.
Assignments:
• Brief Outline Proposing Topic for Approval
• Evaluation of Sources – 50 points
• Proposal Presentation – 100 points
• Written Proposal – 200 points (150 for written portion, 50 for visuals)
• Executive Summary – 50 points
Part 1: Brief Outline Proposing Topic for Approval:
Note – your specific topic must be approved by your instructor. Although this part of the
assignment is not graded, you cannot submit any subsequent assignments without
submitting a brief (less than one page) outline proposing your topic and getting approval
from your instructor. If you do not complete the outline by the due date, you will lose
points on your written proposal.
Your outline will address the following questions:
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What are you proposing?
To whom are you proposing it?
What need does the proposal address?
o Be sure to consider what other companies/organizations are doing)
What is the rough timeline of the project?
Students are encouraged to choose from the following topics:
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Propose an internship program to an existing company
If you are already in an internship, identify a problem at your company & propose a
solution
Propose a new student service not already offered at Temple
o For example, we now have Cherry Pantry to give students that need it access
to healthy food
Propose a conference for the Fox School to host
Propose a new LLC (Living Learning Community) for a Temple residence hall
Propose a student-run business (like STHM & the Saxby’s in Speakman Hall)
Propose a service-learning project for one of the majors within Fox
Propose a student-run sustainability program for campus
Propose a post-college life skills seminar (different from the services that CSPD
already provides) – this could be a one-credit course or a special badge on Suitable
Format Requirements:
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No more than one double-spaced page.
Use 1-inch margins and 11 or 12-point font.
Feel free to use brevity tools like bulleted lists.
Part 2: Evaluation of Sources (50 points):
It’s important that you evaluate each source you will use to make sure it’s credible and
useful for your purpose. You will submit a list of five sources you plan to use. For each
source, include a citation using APA style. You will also address the following to explain
what key information you’ll get from the source and why the source is credible:
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A brief summary of the source.
o What are the main arguments/ideas? If someone asked you about the
content in this source, how would you answer?
A brief assessment of the source.
o Analyze why the source is useful and credible. Mention if the source is
objective or biased.
A brief reflection on how/why this source will be used for your proposal.
Note: please see the Purdue OWL’s page on annotated bibliographies for more information
at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/.
Format Requirements:
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Use bullet points to organize your list.
Use 1-inch margins and 11 or 12-point font.
Part 3: Proposal Presentation (100 points):
Your presentation will include:
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A title slide that includes your name and the title of the proposal
Definition of the problem/business need
o Give background information to help the reader understand the need for
your proposal
Proposal
o Your idea – make sure to include the who, what, when, where, and why here
o Give details on your approach and qualifications
o Give any needed market analysis here (i.e. what competitors are doing, how
your proposal will compare, etc.)
Implementation Plan/Timeline
o A visual timeline is recommended
Budget/Initial Costs
o A table or chart is recommended
The benefits of your solution
Conclusion
o Restate your main points – tie them all together
List of References (APA style)
Format Requirements:
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You must use Power Point
o Your PowerPoint should include visual information – not clip art, but visuals
that help the audience understand our ideas with ease
No more than 10 slides (not including title slide and list of references)
6x6 rule – no more than 6 bullets on a slide; no more than 6 words in a bullet
Your presentation will not be more than 10 minutes
You will not use notes while presenting
Part 4: Written proposal (200 points – 150 for written portion, 50 for visuals):
Your written proposal will include:
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Cover page that includes your name, the title of the proposal, the date, and your
instructor’s last name and section number
Definition of the problem/business need
o Give background information to help the reader understand the need for
your proposal
Proposal
o Your idea – make sure to include the who, what, when, where, and why here
o Give details on your approach and qualifications
o Give any needed market analysis here (i.e. what competitors are doing, how
your proposal will compare, etc.)
Implementation Plan/Timeline
Budget/Initial Costs
The benefits of your solution
Conclusion
o Restate your main points – tie them all together
Appendix
o At a minimum, you should include a visual timeline (there’s a template for
this in Microsoft Word) and a table or chart outlining the budget/costs
o You should also include other visuals here to support other information in
your proposal
List of References (APA style)
Format Requirements:
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Your proposal will be no more than 5 pages, not including the appendix (visuals and
other supporting documentation), the reference list, or the cover page.
Use 1-inch margins and 11 or 12-point font.
Single spaced, with a line of space between each section and paragraph
Use brevity tools, like section headers, lists, timetables, budget charts, etc.
Part 5: Executive Summary (50 points):
The executive summary is where you present your case and give the reader the main
takeaway of your proposal. Don’t focus on covering every detail. Instead, give an overview
of the main points, focusing on the conclusions you want the reader to come to. Tell your
solution to the reader’s problem. It should be results oriented and persuasive.
Format Requirements:
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Your summary will be less than one double-spaced page and no more than 2 brief
paragraphs.
Use 1-inch margins and 11 or 12-point font.
Feel free to use brevity tools like bulleted lists.
Mary Smith
Employee Incentive Plan for the Away from Home Hotel, South Beach
November 1, 2018
BA 2196 Section 1 – Professor Jones
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Away from Home Hotel, South Beach (AFHSB) has issues surrounding the performance
of our front desk talent. Employee happiness has declined, leaving untouched profit potential in
the front office since the hotel opened one year ago. I recommend implementing an incentive
program for all front desk employees that will assist in increasing sales and hotel occupancy,
while also motivating our staff and boosting employee morale. Making this investment in our
front desk staff and employing this system will lead to increased productivity, sales, and online
customer experience scores. If we do not implement a system to regain employee morale, we risk
a reduction in motivation, increased turnover, and untapped profit potential.
NOTE: You will NOT submit an executive summary with your written proposal. You will
write an executive summary as a separate assignment, after you’ve received graded feedback
on your proposal.
PROBLEM: REDUCED EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AND MORALE
Although management provides verbal appreciation and recognition to the staff, we
continue to experience employee discontent. After AFHSB’s strong opening one year ago,
employee morale and performance has steadily declined based on anonymous staff surveys. In
the last six months, we started to experience employee turnover, which increased our employee
training costs. Additionally, our online customer experience scores (reviews on TripAdvisor,
Hotels.com, etc.) fell below that of our local competitors (see exhibit 1), which affected our
occupancy rates. Specifically, the front desk staff voiced the most discontent. They feel
underappreciated because we do not offer any kind of commission or recognition.
PROPOSAL: IMPLEMENT EMPLOYEE INCENTIVE PROGRAM
We should implement an employee incentive program for the front desk staff. A reward
system to motivate our employees will increase performance and hotel revenue while showing
our employees how much we value their hard work.
My solution for the growing issues at the front desk is to develop an incentive program
that provides direct benefits to our employees who successfully up-sell and provide great
customer service. I conducted an anonymous survey at our last monthly staff meeting to assess
what incentives our employees are interested in receiving. According to the survey, the most
desired incentives are cash/gift cards, paid days off, and free hotel stays at other Away from
Home hotels. Our passionate, customer-oriented staff is our strongest asset. Thus, to provide
positive reinforcement and continue to strengthen our team, rewards should be based on a point
system or the amount of revenue gained from up-sells, as explained below.
For every up-sell an employee makes, they will receive a commission of ten percent of
the total amount made from the upgrade after the revenue is actualized. We will ask employees
to complete a form confirming the upgrade, have it signed by the guest, and submit it to
management at the end of their shift to receive this compensation.
For every positive name mention employees receive, either face-to-face to management
or through verified online reviews, they will receive one point. The point system will operate
over a six-month period. Employees must redeem their points before the period is over as points
will not roll over into the next six months if not used. I suggest the following point redemption
scale:
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10 points: $20 pre-paid visa gift card
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25 points: Paid half day off of work
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50 points: Free two-night stay at another Away from Home location
The employee who earns the highest dollar amount in up-sells will be recognized
monthly and the employee that earns the most points will be recognized at the end of the sixmonth period. The front desk management will post updated rankings of points weekly in the
back office as motivation and to keep our staff up to date on the program. The front office
manager will also set monthly goals for total revenue through up-sells and total customer service
points for the staff to work towards. Finally, the front desk management will track sales goal
results and changes in online customer satisfaction surveys to assess the success of the employee
recognition.
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
With the holiday season approaching, we should move quickly so we can take advantage
of a heavy travel season. We will provide training during the November staff meeting so that our
staff knows how to properly execute an up-sell and to fully prepare our staff for the program. I
propose the following timeline (see exhibit 2):
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Create upsell forms and point tracker chart by November 9, 2018.
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Announce the incentive program to staff on November 12, 2018.
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Hold employee training workshops on November 13 & 14, 2018.
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Begin incentive program on November 15, 2018.
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Evaluate early results on January 15, 2019 and compare to last year’s holiday season.
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First six-month period will end on May 15, 2019.
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Evaluate results by May 20, 2019.
BUDGET (see exhibit 3)
The initial cost of $630 includes:
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Three-Hour Training Sessions for 12 employees at $10 per hour - $360
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1,000 copies of a new upgrade form - $270
Depending on the success of the program, we also need to budget for rewards. Although costs
are associated with the rewards, they are awarded when employees meet milestones that will
create more revenue. If all 12 front desk employees all earn each reward, the total cost is $4,320.
This cost includes:
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$20 gift cards – if all 12 front desk employees earn these, the total cost will be $240
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Paid half days are $40 each (4 hours at $10 per hour) – if all 12 employees earn this, the
total cost will be $480
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Free two-night stay (approximately $150 per night) at another Away from Home Hotel –
if all employees earn this, the total cost will be $3,600.
BENEFITS OF THE PROPOSAL
This employee recognition program will strengthen employee morale while motivating
front desk employees to take on sales related targets and increase customer satisfaction. The
minimal cost of implementing this program will be significantly offset by the improvements in
employee happiness and increased hotel revenues.
Increased Employee Morale
Initially, the training workshops we will run will increase employee morale by offering
them support to succeed from AWHSB. The incentive program is geared to motivate front desk
employees to achieve company goals by recognizing individuals who display notable customer
service, leadership and high sales capacity. Friendly competition combined with measurable
success among front desk employees can increase morale that will contribute to higher customer
experience scores online.
Increased Revenues
This incentive program to recognize AWHSB employees’ accomplishments could also
reap financial rewards for the company. By incentivizing front desk performance, we can earn
higher revenue when employees up-sell our hotel rooms and services to guests upon check-in.
Higher customer experience scores can help AWHSB capture more of the market share of nearby
hotels.
If we do not take action, we risk higher employee turnover rates, which will lead to high
costs for training new employees. Consequently, this program will provide preventative
maintenance to ensure that our employees are motivated and happy.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Modern South Beach Hotel should implement the front desk staff incentive program to
recognize those employees who go above their normal work responsibly through providing
excellent customer service and increasing the sales and occupancy of the hotel through upselling. This program will resolve our current issues with declining employee morale and
untapped profit potential at the front desk. The total cost for this 6-month incentive program
is up to $4,950.
Putting this program into effect will increase the overall happiness and morale of our
employees by rewarding them for their hard work and showing appreciation. With your
approval, I will introduce this incentive program to our staff at the November staff meeting and
provide the required training to be ready to begin this program on November 15, 2018. As a
result, Away from Home Hotel, South Beach, will maintain quality leaders, diminish turnover
rates, increase revenue, and bolster the morale of our team.
REFERENCES
Average Front Desk Clerk Hourly Pay. (2018, September 9). Retrieved from
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Front_Desk_Clerk/Hourly_Rate
Copies and Documents. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.staples.com/sbd/content/copyandprint/copiesanddocuments.html
Customer Experience Scores for Boutique Hotels in Miami. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.bookings.com
Customer Experience Scores for Boutique Hotels in Miami. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.expedia.com
Customer Experience Scores for Boutique Hotels in Miami. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.hotels.com
Customer Experience Scores for Boutique Hotels in Miami. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.travelocity.com
Customer Experience Scores for Boutique Hotels in Miami. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.tripadvisor.com
APPENDIX
EXHIBIT 1 – CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SCORES
Customer Experience Scores
South Beach Inn & Suites
Hotel Florida
Sleep Tight Hotel
South Beach Slumber Hotel
Away from Home Hotel
0.0
Travelocity
2.0
Expedia
4.0
Bookings.com
6.0
Hotels.com
8.0
10.0
TripAdvisor
EXHIBIT 2 – TIMELINE
By Nov. 9:
Create
upsell
forms and
point
tracker
chart
Nov. 13 &
14:
Employee
Training
Workshops
Nov. 12:
Announce
program to
staff
Jan. 15:
Evaluate
early results
Nov. 15:
Begin
program
By May 20:
Evaluate
results
May 15:
End first six
month run
of the
program
EXHIBIT 3 – BUDGET
Description
Three-hour training session
Upgrade forms
$20 gift cards
Paid half days
Free 2-night hotel stay
Total Cost
Quantity
Cost
Total
12
$30
$360
1,000
$0.27
$270
up to 12
$20
$240
up to 12
$40
$480
up to 12
$300
$3,600
$4,950
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