Introduction
The given report outlines the main features of CC Music, a company founded by Chris and Clive. It focuses on the provision of specific services to bands that include social media marketing, keeping business accounts, providing an updated calendar of events, and keeping track of the communications between the main actors. Because of the lack of experience and the desire to create the basis for the substantial growth in the future, the organization enters the change phase preconditioning the implementation of specific open-source software to accomplish the basic tasks, increase the effectiveness of the frim, and guarantee its ability to work with numerous partners.
The offered report proposes a positive change that can help to reconsider the functioning of the company and create the basis for its becoming one of the significant actors in the selected market segment with stable revenues and an increasing number of clients.
Current State
The company is founded by Chris and Clive, former music and music technology teachers who have specific experience in organizing gigs of a North Soul band, and managing such activities as studio work, playing at events, parties, TV, and radio programs. Because of the successful experience in this sphere, the partners want to create their own CC Music brand that will help them to provide services to the increased number of clients.
The major benefit of the current state of the organization is the existence of multiple offerings and requests from other bands that want to acquire similar services from CC Music. It means that there are opportunities for the evolution and creation of a pool of clients and finances that can be used to support future growth (Kotler and Keller, 2015, p. 85). Additionally, there is family support, as younger members are ready to join the growing project and contribute to its development.
Weakness and Opportunities
One of the central weaknesses of the company is the lack of competence in creating a practical business approach. Having a positive experience in working with one band, the partners do not have the needed skills to develop a working model that would suffice the growing demand. The increased number of responsibilities and clients presuppose the need for useful tools to accomplish tasks and attain high satisfaction levels among clients.
Additionally, the high level of rivalry peculiar to the sphere means that the firm should attract the target audience by high-quality services and its ability to meet their diversified demands. Under these conditions, it is vital to align the effective work of the firm by implementing innovative solutions and software, but the current owners have limited information about possible options and applications that can be used to achieve the desired goal.
Proposed Change
The possible solution to improve the results and introduce new opportunities is the reconsideration of the current business model with the primary goal of optimizing it and implement specific customer Customer Relationship Management software and Enterprise Resource Management software. The existing business to business model presupposes that CC Music engages in direct cooperation with clients and discuss all terms of the would-be agreement. It is an effective method; however, it limits their opportunities in working with numerous clients (Kotler and Keller, 2015, p. 90).
The proposed change includes the implementation of the open-source software to create a website, and integrate some elements of social media marketing and e-commerce into the work of CC Music by providing clients with a constructor to modify proposals or select among existing ones (Kotler and Keller, 2015, p. 89). It will also provide younger family members with an opportunity to take an active part in the development of the company as they can be responsible for chatting and communicating with clients if some misunderstandings emerge. Moreover, the software can help to succeed in all other significant areas such as CRM, accounting, marketing, and resource management.
Integration of a Software
The importance and topicality of open-source software for the business world are evidenced by the existence of multiple options and applications that can be used by small and middle entrepreneurs to improve their outcomes. For this reason, it is critical to select the most appropriate one regarding the tasks and challenges CC Music faces. Among the existing alternatives (see comparison table), Dolibarr, ERPNext, and Odoo seem sufficient options and can be recommended for the owners.
They contain the needed tools and applications that can promote increased effectiveness. ERPNext has a more user-friendly interface along with the multiple options for accounting, agenda, CRM, and planning, which is critical for the future of the company. It should be integrated into the business model of CC Music to manage relations with clients, and perform other activities such as social media marketing, communication, and keeping accounts.
Roadmap
The offered roadmap demonstrates the proposed change process. There are five critical milestones that should be observed to attain positive outcomes. The expected term of restructuring is five months, as it will be enough to introduce all needed elements into the functioning of the company. The reconsideration of the business model and the final decision about the practical open-soft software is the first step towards the positive change.
In March, ERPNext should be integrated into the work of the firm with additional training to understand how to use the application. The next phase is the involvement of the young family members with the distribution of tasks to increase the effectiveness of the company. Finally, the new model should be tested when working with multiple clients and offering services to them. Evaluation is the final step as it is vital for the analysis of outcomes and implementation of change if needed.
Implementation
The implementation of the proposed model does not demand any specific resources. The lack of experience among the owners of CC Music impacts the choice of the new paradigm and preconditions its simplicity and effectiveness. The critical aspect of the integration process is the acquisition of the basic knowledge of ERPNext, a software that is selected to manage the majority of important processes, and distribution of tasks and responsibilities among family members and partners regarding the new business model (Popp, 2015). It might also presuppose the creation of a statute outlining the scope of authority of every team member to avoid misunderstandings and guarantee that the positive climate within a collective will cultivate an effective collaboration (Rothaermel, 2018, p. 78).
Expected outcome
It is expected that due to the proposed change, CC Music will rise from a small, half-amateur company, into a stable and growing firm with numerous partners and opportunities for the future rise. The employment of open-source software has a positive impact on the work of middle and small businesses as it helps to enhance the effectiveness and performance in such aspects as accounting, CRM, planning, and resource management (Gamble, Peteraf and Thompson, 2019, p. 78). For this reason, CC Music will benefit from the adherence to the innovative scheme and involvement of all family members in the business model. The positive outcomes can create the basis for future success and transformation into an influential family business.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Altogether, the analysis of the company’s opportunities and the current situation shows that CC Music has all features to transform into a beneficial and prosperous firm that can cooperate with multiple bands. The given task can be accomplished by utilizing open-source software and a more effective business model simplifying cooperation with potent clients and making it more effective. The offered roadmap outlines milestones that can be achieved in five months and precondition the transformation of a brand into a family business.
References
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Kotler, P. and Keller, K. (2015) Marketing management. 15th edn. New York, NY: Pearson.
Popp, K. (2015) Best practices for commercial use of open source software. New York, NY: Books On Demand.
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