Action Items
Read the case “Shifting Course at Better Horizons Credit Union” in Chapter 10 of Cardon (2021). Choose one of the five situations.
Review the Business Brief Guidelines.
Locate 1 to 2 additional resources to use as references in the brief, in addition to the textbook.
Write a 2- to 3-page business brief that includes:
Introduction: an overview of the situation.
Body: answers the questions, in paragraph form, including details and any research performed.
Conclusion: concluding paragraph that provides your thoughts and recommendations based on which situation you chose.
SITUATION 1
Haniz and Christine Want to Attract New Members by Focusing on Financial Planning
Christine recognized that people under the age of 25 were not joining the credit union. Christine asked Haniz and several marketing team members to develop a plan to attract more college students. After several months of work, Haniz and the team have a plan, but they know the executive team is deeply skeptical of plans to draw younger members. These plans have failed often in the past.
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SITUATION 2
Christine and Haniz Promote a Mentorship Program to Attract and Retain New Hires
Christine recognizes that Better Horizons needs to hire younger, early-career professionals for several reasons. She thinks hiring early-career professionals will help with the strategy to attract younger members. She recently asked several of her employees to develop a mentoring program, which would help attract and retain new hires. She wants to persuade employees to volunteer as mentors for this program. Also, she wants Haniz to use the mentorship program as part of a pitch about career opportunities to soon-to-be college graduates.
SITUATION 3
Haniz Is In Charge of Recruiting Participants for a Local Charlty Event
Christine asked Haniz to be in charge of recruiting credit union members to join this year’s Hope Walkathon to support research on breast cancer. Better Horizons has assembled a walkathon team for this prominent community event each year for nearly a decade. Haniz is writing an email to send to all credit union members. The message will be modified slightly to appear as an announcement on the credit union website as well.
SITUATION 4
Haniz Needs to Create a Flyer Explaining the Benefits of Credit Union Membership Compared to Banks
Haniz is working on a flyer describing the benefits of membership at Better Horizons Credit Union. The flyer will be part of a packet of materials that is distributed to community members who participate in free financial planning and income tax assistance seminars offered by Better Horizons. Haniz is using the message to highlight the benefits of Better Horizons compared to local banks.
SITUATION 5
Haniz Is Helping Develop a Sales Message for Auto Loans
Haniz and several other employees are working on sales messages for auto loans. In recent months, Better Horizon’s senior management decided the credit union should become a “player” in the auto loans market. Few Better Horizons members take advantage of car loans, most assuming that dealer financing is cheaper and easier to get.
