Restaurant

Relationship: worked as an order taker five years ago. Responsibilities included taking and packing the orders, end-of-the-day bookkeeping.

Introduction

China Star is a fifteen-year old, mid-size Chinese restaurant serves common Chinese dishes. It has a dinning area, and a smaller bar/administrative area that has a back door where customers come to pick up their telephone orders. The staffs include the owner/manager, an order taker, a waiter, two busboy/girl, four chefs, two part-time delivery drivers, and one cleaner.

The restaurant is in an excellent location: very close to the Reston Town Center, surrounded by numerous high-tech companies and rich residents, but has been carrying its flat revenue for the past decade. It opens seven days a week, yet its most profit comes from the $5 range lunch combination during weekdays and carryout dinner orders. The dine-in dinner business had slowed down after several years of its opening, the average table that the waiter serves each night is about five. Carryout orders constitute about one half of the restaurant’s total sales. Its customer base has shrunk into office workers and residents within several miles.

Analysis

As an open system organization, China Star’s inputs are the workers, the raw food, and the facilities. Enough workers, the skill of the workers, the quality of the raw material, and the states of the facilities are all important in producing the satisfying output—fresh, delicious food and excellent service. But China Star was far from inputting enough:

a) The skills of the chefs were just so-so, and it always had only one waiter. During the busy lunch hours, all the customers came at once; it was impossible for the waiter to take care of each table well and give each customer full attention. Often the customers got impatient, started to call the bus boys, and found that they hardly speak any English. Sometimes when the customers were happy they’d try to talk to the Chinese busgirl and asking her questions about China and Chinese food, but the girl wasn’t able to continue the delightful conversation, and the customers were disappointed, even embarrassed.

b) In order to save time and costs, restaurants mass process their wholesale ordered raw food once a while. Large restaurants have state of the art refrigerators and freezers for them to separate and preserve the food accordingly. But China Star has only one large walk-in refrigerator for almost everything and the storing wasn’t done in a very pleasant manner. Inevitably the food tasted funny several times.

c) The restaurant’s decoration was old and it looked rather messy and stuffy. The drawings on the wall looked cheap and the Great Wall embossment was coarse. It was not a pleasant place to sit and enjoy a formal meal at all.

With various stylish restaurants opening in the area, and the Chinese food rivals developing in every shopping center offering chicken-fried rice of $4.75, China Star has neither product nor price to compete with. It soon entered the Negative Entropy state of an open system. The restaurant failed to take advantage of its surrounding office buildings and residents, most of all, the excellent economy during the late 1990’s. Its business fell into the typical “cheap carry-out Chinese food” image. The dine-in customers felt bored sitting in a typical Chinese restaurant, while they can hang out in a lively place with TV and live band just 3 blocks away. People came to China Star for cheap food only, and carryout orders save tips. But even carryout orders declined soon.

During the peak lunch time the telephone order volume is extremely high. Customers often have to be put on hold since there is only one person responsible for taking the orders, send them to the kitchen, pack the orders, and sometimes phone the customer back— again the input is not sufficient. It’s easy to make a mistake with disastrous result: one, sometimes two if the orders are switched, very angry and hungry customers that would never recommend this restaurant to others, and food that cannot be resold.

Although this system was obviously moving toward its death in a highly competitive environment, the owner wasn’t actively seeking solutions. The waiter and other employees were often telling him customers’ comments, giving him advises–which applies the “feedback” principle in the open system theory, but he had ignored them all. (the restaurant was finally redecorated a few years ago, other changes unknown)

It’s actually not very hard for China Star to start a better cyclic. Restaurants are relatively less-complicate organizations. The most important principles are inputs and feedbacks. The restaurant could increase the human, material, information inputs, and adapt more the changing environments, for example, revise the menu and serve one-of-a-kind Chinese appetizers with Chinese wines and expensive, authentic green teas; hire more waiters and a few performer play soothing music with Chinese traditional instrument for the exhausted people at the end of the day; construct a website for the restaurant and make the carryout ordering web-enabled.

And of course, listen to the feedbacks, both from the outside and inside of the organization. As these changes apply, the restaurant will also increase the price on its menu, without worrying about irritating its customers. As mentioned before Reston is a high-income area where people are more into “style” and willing to pay more to have a good time or feel special. Once the restaurant has established its reputation and attracts certain group of loyal customers, its sales will become stable and the organization enters the steady state until the environment changes again.

This plan is designed to report the external and internal factors that will influence the company’s success in Haiti market. The topics covers in this plan include situation analysis, marketing strategy, tactical programs, implementation and budgets in carrying out the marketing activities which differentiate the business and product offering from our competitor and marketing strategy that drive the business to earn above average profit. 3 Company Summary 3. 1 Company Overview Seoul-Roy is a Haiti based restaurant serving Korean cuisine, the name Seoul-Roy is easy to remember and easy to pronounce.

Seoul reflects the theme of the restaurant for serving Korean cuisine which is a famous destination in Korea, a menacing with a population of over 10 million and a leading global city in the world. Furthermore, “ROY’ means “Delicious” in southern Thai dialects, to have a name meaning “Delicious Seoul”, conveyed the message that the restaurant having very high standard food. The restaurant name Seoul-Roy will surely leave an impressive memory in potential customer first impression that will attract the customer to visit the restaurant for the first time.

Seoul-Roy will be operating seven days a week inclusive public holiday in operation 365 days throughout the year to ensure that customers have the opportunity to enjoy our delicious whenever they feel like it. Seoul-Roy is a medium size restaurant enhanced with cozy, comfy, friendly, and appetite tempting atmosphere for patrons through its modern contemporary casual dining style to unearth the feeling of refreshing and energize to dinners. The facility will be divided into indoor area for customer that is seeking cool comfy ambient and outdoor area for customer seeking a breath of fresh air.

The café© will feature seating for approximately 100 patrons, desert bar, water fountain and liquor bar. . 2 Location This restaurant is planned to be situated at the empty land on Outthinking Road, in Clonk Rein area which is approximately 500 m from Tests and Prince of Songbook University. With hundred and thousand of local resident, university student and shoppers from other suburb visiting this area on everyday basis, it does instigate this area to be the perfect sites in town.

Page | 2 on the external circuit to the Haiti city which have high traffic concentration. In spite of this, there is ample parking space along the road that makes it handy for by passer to stop for dine in and appear to be a profit potential site. Moreover, the rent in this area is much cheaper comparing to the retail shops in major shopping complex such as Tests, Big C, Lee Garden Plaza and Central. 3. 3 2. 1 Objective The objective to startup Seoul-Roy includes the following: A. B. C. D. E.

Become premier food franchise serving fusion of Korean food and Thai Food. Provide highest quality fresh and delicious food. Ensure that every prospect in promoting “Seoul-Roy’ brand are explore and implement. Maintain and expand every possibility to achieve outstanding reputations. Create an ideal working environment for employee in promoting good communication and great team work. F. Achieving profitable investment return between 4-6 years. G. Achieving total daily customers of 7,000 patrons/month by the end of second year of operation.

The objectives of marketing activities include: 0 To introduce Korean Cuisine to Haiti community and Songbook Province area. 0 To attract 50% of the target market and forecast potential customer. 0 To be perceived as the cleanest restaurant in the region. 0 To be perceived as restaurant serve delicious, quality, and tasty Korean cuisine in the region. 3. 4 2. 2 Vision and Mission Seoul-Roy mission is to bring to the market finest, freshest, and tastiest Fusion Korean cuisine that is inspired by a combination of Korean and Thai cuisine in the Haiti.

In conjunction to Seoul-Roy high standards of quality and cleanliness will ascertain Seoul-Roy growth into a reputable premier Korean cuisine in Haiti. The mission of Seoul-Roy includes the following: Page | 3 To bring to the market finest, freshest, and tastiest Korean cuisine. To ensure that all foods are serves to its highest level of freshness, nutrition, and gastronomic. To ensure that all order are serve with efficiency and effectiveness. To consistently provide exceptional dining experience by demonstrating warmth, alcove, efficiency, professionalism and integrity in performing our duty.

To ensure finest customer service experience that exceed their expectation and excited to revisit the café© again. To continuing developing innovative and creative products that conform to customer desires. To ensure cleanliness, comfy, warmth and friendly in ensuring that the qualities and services standard of the company are achieved. 3. 5 Startup Cost The total startup cost of Seoul-Roy for the first year of implementation is as presented in Description Facilities Design Rent Renovation Furniture Equipment

Marketing Expense Year 1 Staff Salary (10 person) Training Insurance Utilities Miscellaneous Total (Baht”r) Table 1 Seoul-Roy Startup Cost Total (Bather) 1 O,OHO 1 1400,000 1 o,oho 200,000 500,000 500,000 4 Positioning Seoul-Roy provides differentiated products and services through its superior customer service experience and high quality culinary. Therefore, Seoul-Roy will position the company as restaurant offering service at 50% premium price. The value proposition that the target market will pay for this 50% premium price is the superior customer service experience and high quality Korean cuisine.

The company will ensure that the restaurant is always has a clear proposition of the claimed benefit for the services and products. In this, the company will always monitor the quality of the food produce to Page | 4 Seoul-Roy marketing Plan ensure mouth watering experience is offered to the customer and consistently advertise on the value proposition of the restaurant through advertising media. 5 Situation Analysis Situation analysis involves evaluating the situation and trends in of Korean Cuisine in Haiti City which defines and interprets the state of the environment of the organization.

A situation analysis provides the context and knowledge for planning ND achieve above average profit for the organization. The analysis describes Seoul- Roy competitive position, internal environment, external environment and critical issues. In portraying a clearer understanding of the situation of Korean Cuisine industry in Haiti, the report further outline SOOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the organization. The situation analysis includes in this marketing plan includes: 0 0 0 External Environment Internal Environment SOOT Analysis 5. External Environment The external environment affects firm growth and profitability which also a condition hat creates threats and opportunities for firms that have major effects on organization strategic actions. The organization understands of external environment mission and to take actions that result in strategic competitiveness and above- average returns. As shown in Figure 1, an organization’s external environment is divided into three major areas which include the general, industry environment and competitor environment.

The general environment is composed of dimension of broader society that influences an industry. These dimensions can be group into six environment segments which include demographic, economic, political/legal, socio- ultra, technological and global. The industry environment is a set of factors that directly influences a firm and its competitive actions and competitive responses which include treat of new entrants, power of supplier, power of buyers, and threat of product substitutes and intensity of rivalry among competitors.

Understanding competitor’s environments complement prediction on the dynamics of competitor’s actions, responses, and intention. Page | 5 The following section will discuss on the general, industry and competitor environment affecting the company. Figure 1 The External Environment 5. 1. General Environment 5. . 1. 1 Demographic Tourism Authority of Thailand – http://www. Tat. Or. The/stats/web/static_TTS. PH Page | 6 Haiti is the fourth densest metropolitan city after Bangkok, Aching Maim and Patty.

When looking at the restaurant industry there are always government regulations to look at. There are many government agencies such as the FDA that restaurants must be aware of. Regulations for restaurants will include hygiene, health, and food standards. Restaurants must have certain licenses and permits for certain features that are served such as alcohol. E – Economic In the United States there are always economic trends for every industry. When the economy is bad many people cut out eating out at restaurants as one of their first oratories to save money.

Restaurants are aware of this and need to adapt to economic changes in the community. Restaurants must also look at banking trends and interest rates to ensure capital and profitability. S – social When looking at a social aspect of a restaurant it is important to consider the audience that you want to target and create an environment that will accommodate that customer. If you are in the southern part of the US the main food item there is BBC items or if you are in the northwest many of the items will feature seafood.

Unless you want to find a niche it is important to understand these trends. It is also important to understand the religion of people where the restaurant is located because some cultures do not eat certain food. T – Technological There is so many new technology out there to reduce operation costs in restaurants such as POS systems and new ways too cook food. Technology can reduce cost but can also reduce customer experience and owners must be aware of this and find a correct balance. E – Environment Environmental issues for restaurants all revolve around waste.

A restaurant produces many pounds of waste and must find environmentally friendly ways to reduce this while also considering cost and water use. There must be a balance between recyclable goods and disposable goods that can be biodegradable. PESTLE restaurant industry By bondwoman L- Legal When operating a business there are many laws with workers. Working in a restaurant does not take much education and owners must be aware of age laws and workers that are legal citizens. Also, if a restaurant serves alcohol it is important to bee the law and enforce it throughout the business.

I believe the factor that has the most impact on the restaurant industry is the social aspect of the pastel analysis. I feel this is the most important because this is the most customer driven aspect to a customer driven industry. People go to a restaurant for a social environment and this environment is what sets successful restaurants apart from one another. It is important to notice the customer, how the demographics of a customer base act and how to act on these demographics through a business.

Group name: Aurora

Name of new product/service: Restaurant

Strengths Weaknesses

Highly Trained Staff

New on the market

We have an extensive training programmer in place so that we can ensure we have the highest trained staff so they know what we expect of them.

We understand that well-trained staff can save money and time on a daily basis which means our customers will be loyal as well as our highly trained team adding to the success of the business, including building the restaurants reputation.

Having well-trained wait staff means that they know how to take care of customers on any occasion, the waiters are the face of our restaurant so we have trained them in the most repressions manner.

We have implemented a buzzer scheme, each waiter is fitted with a device that will buzz when the food is ready in the kitchen to go out to our customers, in order for the food to be served as quickly as possible keeping it fresh and the right temperature.

Our kitchen staff are also trained in correct food-handling procedures so that our food is not a danger to our customers’ health or our reputation.

Whilst we are filling a gap in the market our restaurant is not established in the market and we will be competing against other highly established brands Hereford it may be difficult for us to attract customers and make a name for ourselves.

Also as we only have one establishment so our restaurant has no market presence or reputation this means that our potential customers may not want to try something new and will still visit our competitors.

SWOT analysis By irreparableness Service offered – chef going to house As we are not a traditional restaurant we have come up with an adventurous but small, simple menu.

With a smaller menu it makes our restaurant more exclusive as well as allowing us to concentrate on creating these dishes to the highest possible standard. Gordon Ramsey once states that a small menu is better as you can focus on the quality of the food rather than the quantity that you produce. He believes that the quality of the food is far more important as customers are more concerned with this aspect. Although the menu may seem small we have 3 different menus that are available: meat, fish and vegetarian menus. Having a small menu also enables us to reduce wastage and food storage.

Although we are offering a personal chef experience to come to your house and cook for you we know this may be complicated. The chef will have to take everything with him and will have to know how many people to cook for as well as knowing what to cook before he arrives. This could be complicated if it is not organized properly and more or less people attend the event.

Niche in the market – chef cooking in front of you Location

We have chosen to have an area of the restaurant which is private and you will have a chef cooking your food in front.

The only other restaurant that offers this service is Banana’s but they do not offer the choice of not having your food prepared and cooked in front of you.

As this is our restaurant’s specialist it narrows the focus which means the restaurant will benefit from the process of refinement and repetition.

Also, as Banana’s is not in the same area as our restaurant we will benefit from less competition and may mean that we attract more customers.

As our restaurant is based in Canary Wharf it can be difficult for people to get to if they are not based around Canary Wharf and The Docklands.

This area can be difficult to get to as only 1 main tube line goes directly there and the DEL.

The problem with this for us is that not many people travel to Canary Wharf unless they are doing business there.

This loud mean that we have less customers than expected and could lose possible business.

NOTE: Strengths and weaknesses are factors that are internal to the organization and are controllable.

For example: a strength of an organization might be that it’s a well- known brand, the evidence to back this up might come from somewhere like www. Integrand. Com who might list them in the top 100 brands in the I-J.

Type of factor in PESTLE Why and what impact could it have?

Economic – Increased Income The most affluent consumer group are based in Canary Wharf and have more disposable income. These consumer groups incomes are expected to grow very fast over the next 5 years, with the demographic group of ABS forecast to increase by nearly 19% by 2015 and the CLC group by 8%. This would be a benefit to us as our target audience is high earners.

Social – Growth If our restaurant is successful, which we believe it will be as this particular market segment is poised for rapid growth due to not many if any restaurants offering the same services as we do, we have plans to expand overseas and perhaps open the restaurant up to franchising. We believe that major cities such as New York, Milan ND Tokyo would be the best places to start up the franchises as these areas of the world have the highest disposable income which deeply influences people’s lifestyles. Increasing our business overseas would mean that we gain customers and loyalty as well as building our brand reputation.

Technological – Advertising Advances in technology means that the restaurant industry has benefited from far more efficient and cost effective ways of delivering goods and attracting customers. Our restaurant currently uses IT and computer software systems to processes stock orders, we could uses technology such as the internet to discover other distribution methods and perhaps offer our customers an app so that they can order their food before they even arrive at the restaurant or we could use this service to provide a delivery service.

Aurora could use social media to market the restaurant and get more recognition for the restaurant meaning that the restaurant would go viral. Social media could also be used for our customers to leave comments which we could respond to with our service in the restaurant as well as enabling us to share information quickly.

This case was written by Susan Bartholomew based on personal interviews. Names, dates, and details of situations have been modified for illustrative purposes. The various economic, political, and cultural conditions described are presented as perceptions of the individuals in the case; they do not necessarily reflect the actual conditions in the region. The events described are presented as a basis for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of a cross- cultural situation.

December 10, 1998: The Job Offer John and Joanna Lafferty had Just opened a bottle of wine to share with friends who had come to see their new apartment in Toronto when the telephone rang. John, a lanky, easygoing development economist, excused himself to answer the phone in the kitchen. Recently married, John and Joanna were excited to be building a life together in the same city at last. As a development economist specializing in Latin America, John Laffertys work had taken him to Peru, Bolivia, and Guatemala on a series of three- to four-month assignments over the previous three years.

While he loved the challenge and adventure of this fieldwork and had come to love the people and culture, he also wanted a home base and steady presence in Toronto, where Joanna worked as a human resource management consultant. Just before their wedding six months earlier, John accepted a position with a Toronto-based NGO (non-government organization) focused on research, fund-raising, and government lobbying on issues related to Central American political refugees.

Throughout the 1980s, tens of thousands of refugees had fled political persecution and human rights abuse in war- orn Central America to seek political asylum in Canada; John’s field experience in Guatemala and his natural diplomacy were invaluable to the Canadian organization. He was passionate about his work and quickly gained a reputation for being a sa’. n. y and politically astute advocate of refugees’ cases. As Joanna went to get some wineglasses from the kitchen, she could overhear her husband speaking in Spanish on the phone.

Joanna had studied Spanish in college but had difficulty following the rapid, one-sided conversation. However, one phrase, “Me allegre mucho,” and John’s broad grin as he said it, was impossible to isinterpret. Joanna returned to her guests in the living room: “It sounds like good news. ” John’s work with refugees in the Canadian NGO had caught the attention of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, headquartered in Geneva, and he had recently returned from a one-week visit and series of interviews. While John had not been searching for a new Job opportunity, the Geneva invitation had been too exciting to resist.

John walked back into the living room with a huge smile: “Forget the wine, I think we should open some champagne. The U. N. has Just offered me the most incredible Job. ” “In Geneva? Joanna asked excitedly. Decision The El Salvador assignment would be for two years, as a Program Officer responsible for organizing the repatriation of Salvadoran refugees from various refugee camps back to El Salvador and developing programs to ensure the protection and well-being of such refugees in their return to Salvadoran communities. The position would report to the Charge de Mission of the El Salvador office.

While this office was based in the capital city, San Salvador, the Job would also require frequent travel to various field offices and refugee camps throughout El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras. The challenge of the assignment excited John tremendously; he also believed that this was an exceptional opportunity for him to make a real difference in the lives of the refugees of Central America. He certainly wanted to accept the Job; however, he would only go if Joanna would be willing and happy to go with him.

Two questions would weigh heavily on Joanna’s mind: 1 . “What about the political instability of the area? ” The politics of El Salvador were complicated and difficult to understand, and the story seemed to vary depending on the source. As Joanna gathered, the civil war in El Salvador had come to an end in 1992 with a U. N. -brokered peace treaty between the conservative government of the Republican Nationalist Alliance (Arena) and the Marxist-led Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). Throughout the war, the U. S. ad apparently spent more than $4 billion to support the government and military, while the Soviet Bloc supported the FMLN. Human-rights groups alleged that right-wing death squads had murdered 40,000 of the 70,000 people killed during the 12-year war. However, the peace agreement had significantly reduced the size of the rmy, disbanded corrupt police forces, purged the country of the most notorious human-rights abusers, and disarmed the FMLN, allowing it to become a legal political party. The country appeared to have made substantial progress toward peace and democracy.

The information and briefings they received from Salvadorans and other expatriates who had recently returned from the country suggested that life in the capital, San Salvador, was quite safe. Economically, the country was becoming more internationally open, with establishment of large export factories, increasing rivatization, and reforms aimed at stimulating foreign investment. While certain precautions were required, and the area was still heavily patrolled by armed forces, Joanna was told she could expect a relatively normal lifestyle. They would live in a highly secure part of the city, in the area populated by all the foreign embassies.

They would also be living and traveling on a U. N. diplomatic passport (“Laissez- passer”), which would afford them excellent protection. 2. “What about my career? ” Moving to El Salvador was the last thing Joanna had imagined when she married John Lafferty six months earlier. Joanna had worked in Toronto for three years as a human resource consultant after graduating with an MBA. She was bright and ambitious, and her career was advancing well. While she was very happy to be married, she also enjoyed her professional and financial independence.

Besides, Toronto was not only professionally rewarding, it was also home, friends, and family. However, Joanna was also ready for a change; secretly, she had always envied John the sense of adventure that accompanied his work. Maybe this was an opportunity for her to develop her After much discussion, they decided that John would accept the assignment. January-March 1999: Predeparture Arrangements When John confirmed with the Geneva office that he would take the assignment, it was arranged for him to move to San Salvador at the end of March and for Joanna to follow one month later.

It was often recommended in assignments of this kind to send married staff ahead of time to get settled into the Job before their spouse and/ or family arrived. This option made sense to the Laffertys and had several advantages. First, it would give Joanna more time to finish off her current consulting rojects in Toronto and make a graceful exist from her present firm. She had a strong professional reputation and wanted to ensure she was remembered favorably by her corporate clients when she returned to Toronto two years later. Second, John would be able to get the housing arrangements settled before Joanna’s arrival.

John’s employer would provide ample financial and logistical supports to staff in finding housing; however, John also knew from past experience that dealing with local real estate agents and utility companies in Central America could be highly frustrating. Tasks that were quite simple in Toronto, such as having a lease drawn up and getting a telephone installed, Just didn’t seem to follow any system or set of procedures. “Tomorrow’ could mean next week or even next month. Patience, flexibility, and a good deal of charm were usually required; getting angry rarely helped.

While John was used to the inconvenience and unpredictability of local services in Central America, he was uncertain how Joanna would react initially. John held a deep affection for the Central American people and felt hopeful that Joanna would develop an affinity for the culture as well. However, he hoped to at least have the majority of the living arrangements worked out before she arrived to make her transition to El Salvador as smooth as possible. Finally, the extra time gave Joanna more opportunity to prepare herself for the transition.

Joanna had taken a course on international human resource management as an MBA and was familiar with the phenomenon of culture shock in international assignments. She recalled from her course that predeparture preparation and cultural orientation made a significant difference in helping employees and their families adapt to the foreign environment. Joanna was determined to read and learn as much about Salvadoran history and politics as she could. She was also keen to improve her Spanish before she arrived and as soon as the decision was made that they would be going to El Salvador, she enrolled in night courses for six hours a week.

As Joanna walked home from her Spanish class one evening, pleased with her results on her comprehension test, she recalled with amusement a conversation she had had with Joan Taylor. Joan was the wife of a senior executive with Altron, a Canadian firm with offices throughout Latin America. The Taylors had Just returned rom a two-year assignment in Guatemala City, and Joanna had contacted Joan to get some insight on the practicalities of living in the region. “My dear Joanna,” Joan began, “you will have a very fine life in Central America, or in most developing countries your husband will be sent to, for that matter.

You will “Just watch out for the ‘gilded cage syndrome. ” “The what? ” Joanna had asked. “As corporate executives or diplomats in third-world postings, we live a pretty high life, certainly a standard of living far beyond what we could have in our own countries. Everything is there for you and everything is done for you. It’s like living in a gilded cage. Some people love it, and get pretty spoiled; after a while you cant imagine even making a sandwich for yourself… .” Humph, Joanna thought to herself at the time. That would certainly never happen to me.

I am a professional. This is an incredible learning opportunity and I am going to make the most of it! May 1999: Joanna’s Arrival Joanna arrived on a balmy afternoon, grateful for the warm breeze after a cold Toronto winter. She was excited to see John and only slightly disappointed that their first drive into San Salvador would not be alone, but accompanied by a young Salvadoran named Julio Cesar, who had been assigned as their driver. On the drive from the airport, Joanna tried hard to follow his rapid banter as he pointed out the sights to her.

She had felt confident in her Spanish in the classroom in Toronto, but now she could barely understand a word Julio Cesar said. John, sensing her frustration, began to translate, and by the time they reached the house, Joanna was exhausted and discouraged. John was proud of the house he had found, next door to the Mexican embassy and only a block from a tennis club where most of the members were expatriates. He hought this might provide a good social base for Joanna if she got homesick for North American lifestyle. The large 12-room house was certainly impressive, with its shining terrazzo floors and two large gardens.

Joanna wondered what to do with all the space. It was also quite secure, with metal bars on all the windows, and surrounded by 12-foot walls. “This isn’t a house, John, it’s a fortress,” Joanna said in amazement. mieah . I know it’s a bit much,” said John. “But this is the one area of the city we are strongly advised to live in, for security reasons. Smaller homes or apartments Just on’t exist. Most of the families living here are either expats or very wealthy Salvadorans. Most have live-in help and need the space. ” “But I don’t want anyone else living with us … ” . I want you to meet Maria. ” Joanna followed John out to the back of the “Come .. house, and was introduced to a small, brown woman, vigorously scrubbing clothes. “Maria worked for the family who lived here before; it only seemed right that she should stay. She only lives a few blocks away, though, so she will go home each evening. ” After a week, Joanna soon learned Maria’s work patterns. Maria would hand wash all their clothes in the cement tub and hang them to dry outside, a chore that would take all day long, as Maria would often wash things three times.

The following day she would return to do the ironing, which would take another full day. As Joanna sat in her study upstairs, reading her books and newspapers, she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt thinking of Maria, hand washing every last item of their clothing in the own clothes in a washing machine. Then, when Joanna found out that John paid Maria $6. 00 per day, she was furious. John explained to Joanna that this was the ustomary wage for the women from the “barrios marginales” who worked as domestic help for wealthy Salvadorans and expatriates.

These “marginal communities” were small groupings of tin shacks located in the ravines that surrounded the city. A few had electricity, but many of the communities, including Maria’s, still cooked their meals over fires and lit their homes with candles. Joanna began to slip more money into Maria’s pay envelope. Joanna hoped to make a friend of Maria and looked forward to having lunch each day with her and learning more of the local way of speaking. Joanna realized now hat the formal Spanish she had learned in school was vastly different from the language she heard each day on the streets of San Salvador.

However, Maria refused to eat at the same table as Joanna and insisted on serving Joanna first in the dining room, and then eating her own lunch on the stone steps in the back room. Joanna was deeply uncomfortable with this and began to eat lunch at the restaurant in her nearby tennis club instead. Other things began to irritate Joanna as well. For example, one day, she started to wash the car in the driveway. Suddenly, Maria’s son appeared and insisted that he do he Job for her, horrified that “la Senora” would undertake such a task herself.

Another time, Joanna began to dig up some of the plants in the garden for replanting; the following morning, a gardener appeared at the door, saying that he was a cousin of Maria’s and would be pleased to take on additional gardening work. Joanna resented this intrusion into her daily life. If she was going to be spending so much time at home, she wanted privacy to read and study. It was going to be a while, she realized, before she found a Job. Joanna was disappointed with the Job prospects among local and even international companies. Most available positions were clerical, for which she was vastly overqualified. l didn’t get an MBA to work as a file clerk! ” she would think to herself angrily. Then, she would think sadly, “My Spanish probably isn’t even good enough to get a Job as a file clerk. ” One day, in frustration, Joanna called her two closest friends in Toronto, colleagues from her old firm. “l can’t win! ” Joanna complained. “l feel guilty all the time. I feel guilty because I don’t do anything myself. And I feel guilty if I don’t hire local people to the housework. They need the money so much. Then I feel guilty that we pay them six dollars a day. We can afford so much more.

I feel guilty that I have a maid and she lives in a tin shack in a ravine two blocks from my house. But John says we can’t pay her more than the going rate because it would upset the whole balance of her community. He says they have their own economic structure and norms and we have to respect that. My Salvadoran neighbors tell me that if I pay Maria or the gardener more they won’t respect me. But I do anyway, and then I feel guilty because I don’t tell John. And then our driver, Julio Cesar . The sarcastic response was the same from both. Gee, Joanna, sounds tough.

Beautiful house, a maid, gardener, and driver, afternoons at the tennis club … n wonder you’re so miserable. ” been a big mistake? She knew how much this Job meant to John, and it was a great step forward for his career. But what about her career and her own happiness? This had been a mutual decision. Something was going to have to change or they would be on a plane back to Toronto very soon. The question was … what? Questions For discussion 1 . Is Joanna suffering from culture shock? What elements of the Salvadoran culture seem most difficult for her to adapt to? 2.

Should Joanna have done anything differently in terms of her preparation for moving to El Salvador? What do you think she should do now? 3. How could Joanna further her career as a human resource consultant while living in El Salvador? What skills could she develop? Would these skills be transferable if she moved back to Toronto? To another country? 4. If you were John, would you have taken the Job in El Salvador? If you were Joanna, would you have agreed to go? 5. Do you think international careers are feasible for dual-career couples? What issues are important to consider for the individuals involved? What can companies do to make foreign assignments more successful for couples and families? Is the happiness of the employee’s spouse the responsibility of the company? 7. What recommendations would you make to international organizations and companies sending employees to politically unstable regions? Do companies have a responsibility for the physical safety of expatriate employees? Does this responsibility extend to locally hired staff as well? 8. Do you think Joanna should pay her cleaning lady and gardener more than the standard $6. 00 per day? Why or why not?

Executive summary

For any business to be successful, a business plan is an important tool. Castles family restaurant aims to offer quality services to its customers so as to attract them and win their trust. To achieve these goals, it wants to improve its human resource department by integrating it with information systems. This system is referred to as human resource information’s system (HRIS) to manage administrative roles.  As noted before, there is no stiff competition in the market but this is not a good reason enough of not aiming for the best.

Castle family business should try and reach more customers by reviewing its HR department for better services and a bigger market. Customer’s preferences change from time to time therefore castle family restaurant should be on the run and not in the comfort zone to satisfy their requirements.

Soon as new competitors may discover the business and try to take over. Since the mind of the market is to experience new things, the customers may be attracted to the competitors. All is well for castles family restaurant if it allows flexibility in its operation through the adoption of HRIS module. The business plan is vital as a good staff will lead to quality services and as a result a strong customer base. Revenue will increase cash flow the same and strong capital base. What does this mean for castles family restaurant? Expansion and growth is achievable as a result. Innovation creeps in through the flow of new ideas and adoption of latest technology.

Introduction

A business plan is a statement showing organizational goals, the reason why they should be pursued and how they are to be attained. Organizational goals are the targets a company ought to achieve; therefore a business plan becomes very essential in attaining these targets.  According to Eric Siegel (1993), a business plan also aids in decision making and may either target internal and external stakeholders. External focus may include stakeholders like the customers, investors, international lending agencies, taxpayers and donors.

While internal focus may involve development of a new product or service, adoption of new technology and restructuring the organizational structure.  All these goals aim at solving problems facing an organization therefore every problem needs a solution which is achieved through a business plan. An entity may be faced with obsolete technology or a poor payroll system.

A business plan should be secretive as there are competitors who can copy the ideas use them to attain a competitive edge.  It has been discovered that castles family restaurant has been facing a problem in the human resource department. The formal way employees are selected, recruited, evaluated and pay rolled is not pleasing at all and not concurrent with the new technology. This problem has to be addressed; therefore the need for a business plan arises. As an expert in offering business solutions, adoption of the human resource information systems software (HRIS) is suitable for this kind of a problem. But before adopting the suggested software it is essential to do a cost benefit analysis, identify the associated risks and its impact on this business.

Read also: PESTLE Analysis for Hotel Industry

Company review

Castle family restaurant is a business dealing with food and beverages. The restaurant is run by a family, only offers inside catering, has one branch and it’s the only restaurant in the region. Therefore, its growth is certain as it can open several chains to expand its business, expand its services by engaging in outside catering and engage new business partners  since it’s a family business.  Opening new branches means reaching more customers and making huge profits before competitors come into existence. Outside catering involves offering services outside the main place of business especially during functions like weddings, public functions, birthday parties, graduation functions and funerals.

Through this expansion cash flows in and financial targets are achieved. Engagement of new business partners allows innovation through exchange of ideas and also financial discipline is achievable since partners respect each other better than family partners. That is, business ethics is achievable and its core to success of each business. Since the business has potential growth as noted, it should take advantage of this to build a solid empire. More growth means more cash flow, a strong capital base, competitive salaries for the employees and customer satisfaction. Also another way of extending its services to its customer is by offering door to door deliveries. This is only possible through the acquisition of new delivery vans.

Change in every industry is very crucial and often, change is gradual. For instance a country can become a cosmopolitan where by new races come in, therefore their needs have to be satisfied through offering these particular services. For castles restaurant to reach each and every customer then specialized chefs have to be hired. This takes care of the changes in customer’s tastes and preferences. Another form of change is where competitors come in and for a competitive edge to be sustained by castle restaurant; the theme of flexibility has been addressed.

Business analysis

Business analysis entails identifying a problem, coming up with a solution so as to address business needs. The aim of business analysis is to improve efficiency in operation, reduce waste and create solutions. Who can carry out a business analysis? Anybody who is an expert in the business field can do this. Such a person is called a business analyst. The role of a business analyst is that of a strategist, an architect and that of a system analyst. BPR is the radical change and redesign of business processes.

 According to Kathleen Hass (2008), there are various ways or techniques of carrying out a business analysis. To begin with, PESTLE standing for political, economic, sociological, technological, legal and environmental issues. Another technique is MOST covering the attributes of mission, objectives, strategies and tactics. There is the SWOT analysis which addresses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and technicalities of a business. For business analysis, SWOT is mostly likely preferred since it addresses both the internal and external business environment. The strengths and weaknesses are internal while opportunities and threats are external.

The castle family restaurant has a problem with its human resource (HR) function of selection, recruitment and performance evaluation. To begin with, the restaurant does not make selection based on merit. Since it’s a family business, selection is based on friendship which is not a formal way. Therefore the kind of staff in there may be incompetent and unqualified leading to poor services. Customer complain may also increase and these actually is a major threat to the business. The profit margin may go down making the restaurant unable to meet its financial goals therefore closing down. Also the restaurant does not have a formal way of recruiting its staff. This also creates a threat to the business as inefficiency comes into place.

 For a successful human resource department, there should be a periodical performance evaluation of all the employees of the restaurant. As for castles family business, this function does not exist. It’s impossible to know how each employee is performing, if there the need of keeping a certain employee or firing him.

 The reason why these HR functions are very critical is because the kind of staff a business has determines the kind of services it’s likely to offer. If the staff is well selected, trained and periodically evaluated, then the services are quality. Quality staff saves on costs in terms of money and time. Also a business creates a good public image through efficient and quality services. But for every problem, there has to be a solution.

 As a business analyst I would advise the management of castles family restaurant to implement human resource information systems (HRIS) software specifically catered for these HR functions. This software makes management of HR functions efficient. The software can either be bought or designed by IT specialists hired by the business. The source depends on the cost effectiveness. A cost-benefit analysis is also carried out when carrying out business analysis. This analysis helps to determine the viability of the proposed technology. That is, it weighs the benefits against the costs.

HRIS type / comparison

HRIS module is a system that integrates human resource management and information technology. It helps manage administrative functions with effectiveness for the success of a business. Castle family business should adopt a training module which helps in tracking an employees training and development efforts. This system is normally referred to as learning management system and it helps in tracking an employee’s qualifications, skills and educational background. The system also outlines the courses, books, CDs and learning materials available to develop the required skills.

Castles family restaurant should also adopt the online system of recruitment. This encompasses the analysis of the personnel usage within an organization, identifying potential candidates, recruiting through company-facing listings and recruiting through online recruiting sites that market both recruiters and applicants.

Before buying the module, the human resource personnel should identify the different vendors to make sure they are licensed. Pure scrutiny should be done on the different modules being offered for the specific human resource function. Prices are to be compared and also the terms of the purchase. This comparison is very important as it helps the human resource personnel make the right choice.

HRIS recommendation

Several assumptions can be drawn on the adoption of the proposed HRIS. To begin with, it’s been assumed that the proposed module is compatible with the hotel business. Also, the module has been assumed to be user-friendly one that’s easy to learn and use. Another assumption is that it’s a cost effective module after doing the cost-benefit analysis. Although at first high cost will be incurred, major benefits will be achieved in the long-run. Risks may be experienced when adopting the proposed module. Implementation time may be long thus proving to be costly.

There might be resistance to change as the human resource department might forcefully refuse to accept the new module. The assumption that the module is user-friendly and compatible with the business may turn out to be negative. Finally, new modules or technology may come into the market before implementation of the proposed module rendering it obsolete.

The implementation of the module can impact the business in several ways. Efficiency of operations is enhanced as the staff is formally selected based on merit. Corporate image becomes positive as the business is able to win public trust by offering quality services. The staff is likely to be paid competitive wages and salaries since quality services lead to more customers and thus, huge profits. Another impact on the HR department is that activities will always seem to be well coordinated.

When a business is run by a family, biasness is likely to be experienced. Therefore, adopting new HRIS module might eliminate this problem as formality is put in place.

As a business analyst of castles family business, the benefits of posed by the proposed HRIS module outweigh its costs. Therefore, its implementation is recommendable.

Conclusion

As a business analyst, castles family business should consider this business plan on the adoption of HRIS module for a successful business.

References

1. Bent Flyvbjerg, Mette K. Skamris Holm, and Soren L. Buhl (2002), “Underestimating Cost in Public Works Projects: Error or Lie?
2. Bent Flyvbjerg, Mette K. Skamris Holm, and Soren L. Buhl (2005), “How (In)accurate Are Demand Forecasts in Public Works Projects?”
3. Eric S. Siegel, Brian R. Ford, Jay M. Bornstein (1993), “ Ernst & Young Business Plan Guide” (New York: John Wiley and Sons) page 3
4. Kathleen B Hass, Richard Vander Horst, Kimi Ziemski (2008). From Analyst to Leader: Elevating the role of Business Analyst. Page 5

History of Napkin Napkins have been in used from the times of ancient Roman Empire and prior to them, in ancient Greece. References to word napkin dates back to 1384 AD. Spartans from ancient Greece (around 4th century BC)are known to have used bread slices made from a lump of dough as napkins to wipe their hands and it is possible that they ate these bread napkins after use. The ancient Romans (first to 5th century AD) are known to have used cloth napkins (called Mappa) to protect from food spill and wipe mouth. The guests brought their own napkins and carried away left-over delicacies in their Mappa.

With the fall of Roman Empire, napkins disappeared from the dining table. Napkins returned to adorn the dining table many centuries later and the classic painting Last Supper from 1464-1467 AD by Dieric Bouts depicts the use of Napkins on the dinner table. By 16th century, napkins were part of rich dining experience and came in many sizes, known by various names like diaper, serviette, touaille (for towel) depending on the size and intended use. 17th century saw the use of big sized napkins measuring 35inches by 45 inches to help accommodate the needs of eating with bare hands instead of spoon/forks.

The size reduced when forks and spoons were accepted as part of regular dining experience in major parts of Europe in the 18th century including Great Britain. The 17th century also saw French come up with elaborate rules for nobility class which included instructions on napkin usage, a predecessor to modern day napkin etiquette, including the one which instructs the guests to not use the napkin for wiping the face or clean teeth or worse, rub nose. Asians – Japanese, Thai, Chinese and Indians have not been using napkins during the meal.

While Indians are known to use bare hands for meal and rely on water to wash their hands before and after each meal, Chinese and Japanese use those magical chopsticks which seem to pick up everything they eat, keeping their hands clean and stain free. Types of Napkins Napkins are made of paper or cloth that is made of cotton or linen. Clothes are quite popular in formal dining while fast foods and certain restaurants too tend to serve paper napkins. Big occasions like weddings often go for paper napkins since sheer number of guests attending the wedding makes cloth napkins less practical.

In general, cloth napkins are usually the choice for those who care for ambience and the environment. To me, cloth napkins are environment friendly while exuding a feeling of luxury. Paper Napkin with Monograms It is often possible to have paper napkins ordered for marriages (and other special meal occasions) with names or initials of the bride and bridegroom embossed on the napkin. Customers are given the option of having custom colors, custom patterns, custom monograms imprinted on the napkin. The size of napkin provided at table varies from occasion and place of dining.

Smaller size napkins of about 5 inches x 5 inches are used when serving drinks or starters/appetizers or snacks. For lunch, larger sized napkins measuring about 14 inches to 20 inches square size are provided. Napkins supplied for dinner are even bigger, often of size 20 inches to 22 inches square. The idea is to increase the size of the napkin as the quantity of food/drinks served/consumed increases. This helps take care of the increased risk of spillage with increasing quantity of food and drinks. As a host, when providing napkins to your guests or customers, you need a achieve a good balance of size and utility of the napkins.

Napkins which are too big in size for the purpose can only increase laundry load for little or no soil/spills on the napkins. Napkins are made of cotton or linen or linen-cotton mix, although it is possible that a few napkins are made of other materials like synthetic or silk. They come in variety of colors although white seems to be the most popular choice of color. I prefer white napkins over others since it is easy to detect stains early with white napkins. Restaurant set with White Napkins I often see white napkins being used in restaurants.

White conveys cleanliness since it is easy for guests/customers to see the care you have taken to ensure the napkin is clean, fresh and washed. Often napkins and table cloths are sold together as a set to form one matching set of clothes adorning the dining table. Napkin Folding Aside from being conscious about color, size and texture of the napkin used for dining, discerning hosts who care for ambience often go for various napkin folds that help the guests feel very welcome, convey a feeling that you value their company, that you are willing to go the extra mile to make the occasion a happy one.

A great napkin fold adds to the setting. Some of the folds can be so creative and nice that it is difficult for us to make up our mind to unfold them during the start of the meal. This site has a number of napkin folds which will provide for a warm, friendly environment at lunch/dinner time. A few are easy yet elegant while others could require a little more time and skill. Pyramid Napkin Fold Some are more formal while others are pretty casual ones. Some of the folds take just a few minutes of your time and even those who have never folded before can do them relatively quickly.

Start with the easy ones and then move on to more difficult folds. Some of these folds require stiff clothing or starching while ironing or washing. Try out multiple folds to see which ones you like or prefer. Apart from the many popular napkin folds listed here, you may find it useful to visit a resource dedicated to paper folding Origami for more ideas on how to fold napkins. If you plan to try out complicated Origami folds, be mindful of the fact that an elegant napkin fold on a lunch/dinner table is less about demonstrating your mind skills than it is about setting the mood for a hearty meal.

In other words, do not overdo napkin folding. History * Creative napkin folding may have started during the reign of Louis XIV, when people decided to present napkins as an art form. However, napkin folding really took off around the turn of the last century. Function * A creatively folded napkin can make the simplest meal classier, and dinner guests are always impressed by an artfully folded napkin resting at their table setting. * Straight Vinyl Skirting

Vinyl with velcro hook designed to drape over the foam edge to floor. www. tiffinmats. com Significance * The art of napery folding has been compared to origami, and many different types of three-dimensional figures may be produced. Types * You can learn to fold napkins into pyramids, pockets for flatware, flowers, hats, fans, slippers and various animals. Considerations * The best type of cloth napkin to use for napkin folding is crisp linen, as it holds its shape better than other types of cloth