Ordering for three stores is difficult due to the time involved, and as the business grows to new locations, a more efficient manner to order is required. The best the solution to this problem is to use modern technology, and use an automated ordering replenishment system. One company that provides this service is Red Prairie (www.redprairie.com).This type of technology will allow Kathy to generate automated suggested orders based on sales, seasonality, stock plan, and quantities on hand. Food inventory planning will enable Kathy to have individualized ordering plans for each store. Food cost managers will generate sales forecasts to reduce the carrying costs of inventory.
Abstract In this paper you will see how the changes in technology help Kudler Fine Foods become a better organization and all opportunities to come to play within the company. Its shows how they developed a website for customers use and also how they created a system where they can take their inventory that is shelved, stored and that was sold better then keeping up with it on paper. You will see information about the generic strategies and an overview of that they are about. You will also see that out of the generic strategies that Kudler uses the differentiation strategy to show that they focus on their customers more and how they organizations structure is formed to push their product to customers. You will also see the things that
Chapter 13 - “Analyzing Managerial Decisions: Bagby Copy Company MBA 540 Michelle Wilson August 9, 2015 There are many advantages and disadvantages to specific vs. broad task assignment. Assigning specific tasks to workers allows the company to hire specifically based on the ability of the worker to do a very specific job. In this way efficiency can be increased as a worker should be performing the job that he is comparatively best suited to perform and nothing else. Competition amongst workers can also be increased as there is a specific metric to judge by. The cost of training a worker is also reduced as the worker does not have to be trained in every aspect of the company only what he is going to be doing.
Even though the prime focus of these systems is not necessarily to cut labor costs, often times they can improve efficiency. Store cashiers do much more than just point of sale transactions. They ensure that the store is stocked, clean, and up to date with all products. (Especially perishables) “Self-checkout can allow more time for convenience store employees to handle these additional transactions and activities” (Murphey, p.
End Vision First, I think that implementing a good management plan by the upper level management is very important for KFF’s to succeed as a company. Having a replacement inventory coordinator who purchases the best possible products for all three stores, Also, having a person who controls the accounts payable, receivables, and finances that coordinate all vendors get paid on time will allow Kathy Kudler to focus more on duties that need more attention. For instance, implement a better website for the business will give better benefits to customer, therefore, sells will increase. The company needs to understand the difference between having a website and having an effective website. The website that is in place in KFF only displays the goods and services.
Being a fine foods store that specializes in foods that do not use any type of preservatives there will always be a problem with waste. To help curb this problem I propose implementing a system that allows Kathy to forecast sales by using data from previous years. This new system will not completely solve the problems with throwing away food but, it will help Kathy forecast what she needs and will help to ensure that she does not order more than necessary. The second issue which is the high-payroll problem is a little more difficult to deal with. A possible way to help compensate for these high salary positions is to allow other employees to train with the current butcher, baker, and wine
Another trade-off for the company will be the stores performance. Because this is a newly acquired system, employees – although trained on how to operate the system will surely run into issues at the register. This will make for longer lines at the store and will require employees to handle unruly customers. The trade-off for spoilage will require the store to account for more deliveries from wholesalers for the products that will need to be stocked. This will ensure more delivery fees and more paperwork for the company.
This is so any extra funds that are accumulated can go towards a new marketing strategy so that customers may be rewarded for being loyal to Kudler Fine Foods. A second action plan that may be needed to increase revenue is to increase the efficiency program. Here is where Yvonne Reynolds along with the inventory manger will have to find out how to decrease the amount of food that is being kept therefore; the company can save funds to create better and improved marketing strategies Lateral Collaboration and Vertical Collaboration Kudler’s management team has worked to develop a plan for transforming the stores and its employees to align with the mission and vision statements. The purpose of this strategic direction is to clearly state the major areas of focus for the organization. In order to achieve its objectives it is of utmost importance that Kudler have reliable lateral and vertical collaboration.
Your shoppers must always be able to find these necessity items in stock whenever they are needed. These much needed products include household cleaners, health and beauty items, paper products and food items. As the current market structure of the dollar general store is important we look at the effect of government regulations. As seen in the last couple of years, DG has started offering advanced in-store services to their employees which in turn is passed to the consumers. However, more services can be added to attract consumers the best thing any business person can do is to get familiar with the country that you’re targeting.
This allows them to allocate resources, like inventory and marketing dollars, to optimize the portfolio. Further, during the economic downturn they have effectively managed payroll while maintaining the service levels customers expect in the stores. To further improve staffing efficiency” Lowe’s is implementing a new staffing software tool, which provides detailed scheduling forecasts based on each store’s customer traffic patterns, incorporates each store’s penetration of specialty business into that forecast and provides managers with improved visibility to daily staffing needs by department. Lowe’s will continue to refine their supply chain”.