Camp Happy Valley

Problem Statement

        In the case of Camp Happy Valley, the main problem that the camp faces is regarding its lack of morale amongst the staff and children staying at the camp during its operating months. Adam Cameron, the newly appointed camp programmer, must come up with some plan of action for taking on these issues, and he only has 1 week to do it, and present it to the staff during their only full preseason meeting. The other main issue being presented is complaints from parents and children staying at the camp, and complaints from staff on the requirements at the camp. He must come up with a plan for these, and in a limited amount of time.

Problems/ Sub-Issues

        The first major issue that is present is that fact that the staff morale is very low, this is apparent through complaints from the staff. Additionally, the low camp morale has spread to campers, which is having a negative effect on the reputation of the camp. Due to the short running span of the camp, it is imperative that the reputation be kept so this falling reputation has caused sales to fall as well, and Cameron has been charged in increasing them again indirectly. The recruiting process is also leading to only a small section of the possible employees being scanned, meaning they may not be getting the best that they could. The hiring is also only done by ‘super staff’, a select few leading staff members, giving them limited time.

Problem Analysis

        The worst possible outcome that could potentially arise in the future if the problems are not solved is that the camp will continue to lose profit and reputation until it is forced to close down due to these. That is why the most pressing issue is fixing the camp's reputation and profit loss. The problem of staff morale runs deep within the current structure that the camp has set up, including the very low pay that the employees receive for the time that they spend at the camp working, and the effort that they put in. That may be a factor, but also it could be the strong hierarchy that is in place at the camp. Motivation plays a key role in the morale of the staff so motivating the staff in some way is a problem that needs to be addressed. The problem of the super staffing doing all the hiring is what is likely resulting in them possibly not being able to hire all of the best employees that they potentially could. They are also rushed in the process so the employees that they do hire could potentially not be the proper fit for the camp environment. Personality is key when hiring the right people for a job that requires strong leadership and communication skills, and with the short time given for hiring, it may be difficult to sort out the proper from the improper. The short time period that Adam Cameron has to come up with a solution is another problem involved, as he only has about a week to come up with a solution for all of the camp’s problems.