Case no.

3:
HURRICANE KATRINA

Group 1:
Shaira Kriss Chua
Gia Dionaldo
April Diane Flores
Aisha Sadiqa Jalmaani
Arnelle Rose Manuel

I.

Title: Hurricane Katrina

II.

SWOT Analysis:

Strengths
- Easily recognized brand
- Strong tie with the government
- Trusted and respected by most
-

people
Connected

with

organization

Weaknesses
- Mismanagement in distribution
-

that are sources of funds

effectively

Opportunities
- Improve relief operation rules,
regulations and standards for a
clear
-

manual

when

disaster

strikes.
Improve the security measures
of the software that handles the

of funds and relief

Miscommunication with FEMA
Ineffective employee positioning
Inability to respond quickly and

Threats
- Bad press reputation
- Government may cut

ARCs

budget due to bad performance.

Loose public trust due to felony

volunteers
Disasters that

they

cannot

handle

donated money
Accept a new set of volunteers
that are well trained, competent,
and honest.

III. Central Problem

How will the American Red Cross prevent ineffective relief efforts from
happening again?
IV. Minor Problem
1. How can they have a good relationship with FEMA?
2. How can they prevent fraudulent people from volunteering?
V.

Objectives
1. To be coordinated well with other organizations
2. To be strict in monitoring their goods
3. To immediately provide relief efforts effectively
4. To monitor their staffs and volunteers successfully

VI. Alternative Courses of Actions

A. Stop the rotating support positions and assign the employees to a specific
job.

Advantages:
1. Employees can gain expertise in a specific job
2. Employees can be accustomed to whoever they are working with, thus,
familiarity and better communications.
Disadvantages:
1. Staff are not flexible to do other jobs
2. Absence of an expert in the original team might make the work
ineffective.
B. FEMA should create a system to effectively track and receive the assistance
provided by ARC.
Advantages:
1. Requests from ARC are easily monitored and responded
2. Less miscommunication
Disadvantages:
1. Cost, time and effort to make the system
C. Conduct training for future volunteers and avoid people without trainings
from volunteering.
Advantages:
1. Can easily identify the people who are eligible to be volunteers
2. Training costs time and money
Disadvantages:
1. In times of huge disasters, current trained volunteers might not be enough
D. Hire and train reliable staffs and employees so that they may be able to
better monitor the goods and the volunteers
Advantages:
1. Each employee can be relied on
2. Smooth operations
3. Equipment is safe with them
Disadvantages:
1. Additional labor costs
E. Adhere to the strict on the background checks of staffs and volunteers.
Advantages:
1. People who pass can easily volunteer at the time of disaster
2. Assurance of honesty and avoidance of fraudulent acts
3. Goods and funds are safe

Disadvantages:
1. Screening will take time.
2. Information is hard to gather and may not be enough.
VII. Conclusion
With all the advantages and disadvantages of the preceding alternative courses
of action, it is deemed that all will greatly contribute to the accomplishment of
the objectives. The disadvantages are seen as something that can be overcome
and will minimally affect ARC. With each course of action having a specific
solution to each specific problem that ARC has encountered, the group,
therefore, cannot see pass these helpful contributions.
VIII. Recommendation
The group therefore recommends all the alternative courses of action. Staffs,
employees and volunteers should be trained and strictly checked background
before hiring them to prevent such fraudulent acts. Delegating tasks to
employees in their expertise gives a more effective and efficient work. Thus it
will lead to an effective communication and relationship with co-employees and
FEMA. A systematized communication accomplishes work and at the same time
monitors and manages financial transaction. With all of these actions, the aim of
providing quality service with effective and efficient relief efforts will be attained .