Adrienne Threatt
November 14, 2008
Week Four: Individual Assignment
Identifying Issues
I believe there is a very clear and distinct difference between a problem and an issue. A problem is a difficult situation that has arisen among a group of people where, at the time, the solution is unclear. Problems usually tend to be very negative in nature but it can also be seen as a prospect for creating greater success. An issue, on the other hand, is like the stage before a situation becomes or turns into an actual problem. At this stage, there is a situation where two or more people may disagree or see things differently. When there is a decision that needs to be made, then it becomes a problem. Prior to this week, I would not have really thought about the difference between the two, but now it is very clear to me.
In an earlier post about problems with Kudler Fine Foods, I identified certain situations as problems that were actually issues. Here are some issues that I think are present within this company. The greatest issue I see present is the fact that much of the business’ functionality is centered on the owner. She has not trained anyone to do the tasks that she does. It is not a problem right now, but if something were to happen to her in the near future, the entire company would collapse. This is clearly an issue that needs to be addressed before it becomes a problem. Another issue is that she is paying her employees “below average” pay. They are continuing to work for her at this point, but I am concerned that she will not be able to keep qualified workers due to insufficient pay. Also, if the economy were to get worse, the target audience may not be able to buy in to gourmet specialty foods. Furthermore, the company may not be able to afford the large amount of shippings that are from all around the world.
These are just a few of the issues I see that have the potential of becoming major problems within the company of Kudler Fine...