Professional Documents
Culture Documents
of wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuio renovation techniques pasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghj klzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbn mqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty Name: uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf Student number: ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc Education: vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrty Supervisor: uiopasdfghjklzxcv29bnmqwertyuiopa Company-Supervisor: sdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklz xcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq February 10, 2011 wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuio
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................................... 5 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Problem statement ............................................................................................. 6 Aims of the research .......................................................................................... 6 Research objectives ........................................................................................... 7 Research questions ........................................................................................... 7 Thesis Preview ................................................................................................... 8
Chapter Two: Literature Review ...................................................................................... 9 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 9 Relocating your business ................................................................................. 11 Choosing a Location for Your Restaurant ........................................................ 12 Restaurant Success and Failure Elements ...................................................... 13 Elements of Success: ................................................................................ 13
2.4.1
Chapter Three: Research Methodology ........................................................................ 16 3.1 The time frame of the thesis ............................................................................. 17 Period of Survey ........................................................................................ 17 Thesis Completion Period.......................................................................... 17
3.1.1 3.1.2
3.2
The Analysis Plan ............................................................................................ 17 The Research Questionnaire ..................................................................... 18 Validity and Reliability of the Questionnaire............................................... 20 Scope and Limitations ............................................................................... 20
The Research Design ...................................................................................... 21 Types of Data ............................................................................................ 21 Primary and Secondary data collection ..................................................... 22 Qualitative research ................................................................................... 22 Quantitative research ................................................................................ 23 Sample Size, Segmentation, and Questionnaire Response ...................... 23
Chapter Four: Results ................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Summary .......................................................................................................... 32 Words ........................................................................................................ 33 Voice.......................................................................................................... 34 Body language ........................................................................................... 34 Questioning ............................................................................................... 35 Listening .................................................................................................... 35 Consulting.................................................................................................. 36 Persuading ................................................................................................ 36
4.1.8 4.2
Culture ....................................................................................................... 36
Chapter Five: Recommendations and Conclusion ........................................................ 38 5.1 5.2 Recommendations: .......................................................................................... 38 Suggestions for Future Research..................................................................... 39 Improving Response Rate ......................................................................... 40 Additional Questions .................................................................................. 40 Multi-Dimensional Scaling ......................................................................... 40
Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 41 Appendix 1 .................................................................................................................... 42 Effective Communication Skills Questionnaire .......................................................... 42 Appendix 2 .................................................................................................................... 44 Results Accumulation Chart ...................................................................................... 44
Due to all the above reasons company is thinking for the relocation of the company. Management is thinking that the relocation of the company can be a good solution of all the problems which are mentioned above. And now company wants to change location from the centre of the city to traditional area of the city. To avoid all types of risks, which can be involved, when company will change the location of the company, management asked the researcher to do critical analysis over changing location of the company.
to new location, and further researcher will analyze the advantages and disadvantage of changing location.
1. What is customer perspective about the performance of the company? 2. Where do the current and potential customers live? 3. Who are the competitors and what are their unique selling points? 4. What are the opinions of the manager, the employees and other professionals about moving to a new location?
5. Current location vs. new location? Comparison between distances from current location versus new location to customers? B. For renovation of the company techniques: Company wants to have a well structured working system, where employees can flexible work. In renovation, company wants to buy new machineries which will have more production capacity and efficiency. 6. What are the expected costs and benefits of running a restaurant with new and better equipment in a new place of establishment?
The following factors typically play a key role in formulating a location strategy: 1. Facilities: Facilities planning involves deciding what kind of space an organisation will need to fulfil its short-term & long-term objectives. 2. Feasibility: This is an estimation of the different operating expenses and other factors related to the different locations. 3. Logistics: This is the assessment of the transportation options and expenses for the potential manufacturing and warehousing facilities. 4. Labour: Labour analysis verifies whether potential locations can meet an organisation's labour needs for its short-term & long-term objectives. 5. Community & site: This evaluation includes examining whether a company and a potential community and site will be suited in the long-run. 6. Trade zones: Organisations may wish to consider the advantages offered by taxfree zones, which are bounded facilities monitored by Customs Services where goods can be traded without the usual customs and tax requirements. 7. Political risk: Organisations considering growing into other areas must consider the political risk of moving when developing the location plan. Since some countries may have unstable political environments, organisations must be ready for turmoil and chaos if they plan long-term business operations in these countries. 8. Governmental regulation: Organisations also may face administrative barrier and intense restrictions and regulation if they aim to move into other locations. Therefore, companies must check governmental well as cultural hindrances in other areas when developing location plans. 9. Environmental regulation: Organisations consider the diverse environmental conventions that might affect their workings in different areas. Environmental regulation may also impact the association between an organisation and the society around a probable location. 10. Incentives: Incentive conciliation is the process by which an organisation and a community agree on property and any other benefits the company will receive such as tax breaks. Incentives may signify a significant part in a company's selection of a location. In addition to these key factors, most researchers, authors and analyst emphasize on following factors when changing location. These factors include: The possible appeal of the business Potential customers Population Size
Economic base The competition & competitors The market type that exists The market size The realistic pricing which can be achieved The characteristics of the potential customers & clients Current and future market trends Assess potential relocation areas1
http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/smallbusiness/planning/8123992/relocating-your-business
2 2
time ago and the current capacity may have become a barrier to the continued increase in business. 4. Personal circumstances: Especially in small businesses, the business will need to relocate due to personal circumstances of the owner. Sometimes such personal circumstances can have a deep impact on the future viability of the business. 5. Product availability: Sometimes it will be prudent for the business to relocate to a region were raw materials are more accessible. This will cause a decrease in transportation costs and as such will make process operations more streamlined. The availability of raw materials can also significantly improve the lead time requirement for a product or service and the product can be made available faster. 6. Shifting client base: Sometimes when a business caters to a specific clientele, the organization needs to relocate if such clientele has moved elsewhere. 7. Insufficient labour or when specific labour needs cannot be met. 8. Change in amenities: If a business has chosen a specific location due to a particular feature, it may find that this feature has deteriorated over the years and the current location is no longer suited to the business. The business may have grown and as such, there may be a need for a different set of facilities or amenities. 9. Accessibility of local supply chain networks: There may currently be a problem in gaining access to supply chain networks at the current location depending on the industrial category in which the company operates. 10. Change in the direction of the business: Since the business was set up, the company may have shifted from the original product or service to a new one and this may have caused a change in either the horizontal or vertical direction of the business. This factor may also warrant a change in the location of the entity.
According to her, choosing a location for a restaurant is very important factor which will influence many parts of the restaurant, including the menu and services. The Antiochia is changing location from centre to a side of the city just because company wants to target majority of the customer by providing fast home delivery service. As Lorri Mealey
describes in her article, the population base factor plays a key role in making the relocation decision and as such, the Antiochia needs to consider this factor in depth. The Antiochia is also having parking and accessibility problem at current location. As Lorri Mealey observed, parking and accessibility of restaurant should be considered as important factor when choosing location of the restaurant. The researcher also considered these four elements for completing this report.
1. Boast a distinguishing concept that is well researched. 2. Make sure that all decisions are made with a long-term economic sense. 3. Adapt advantageous technologies, especially for accounting and tracking customers. 4. Tutor managers through ongoing education at workshops and exhibitions. An environment that promotes professional growth has improved productivity. 5. Efficiently and regularly communicate ethics and objectives to workers. In one case, new owners credited communication of their values and objectives to their employees as a major element in the successful repositioning of their restaurant to better meet the needs of the growing 13neighbourhood businesses by adding lunch to their dinner-only concept.4 6. Uphold a clear mission, vision, and operation stratagem, but be prepared to amend policies as the situation varies. 7. Create a cost cautious culture, which includes rigid record keeping. 8. Center on one focused theme and build up on it. 9. Be ready to make a considerable time commitment to both the restaurant and to the family. One successful owner refused to expand his business into lunch periods because he believed that his full-service dinner house was demanding enough from his family. 10. Generate and build a constructive organizational culture through constant management.
Calvin Boardman, Jon Bartley, and Richard Ratliff, Small Business Growth Characteristics, American Journal of
Hugh ONeill and Jacob Duker, Survival and Failure in Small Business, Journal of Small Business Management 24 (January 1986): 30-37
11. Uphold managerial flexibility. 12. Select the location carefully, though having a good site seems to be more of a moderating variable than a mediating (causal) variable in restaurant viability.
2.4.2
Elements of Failure:
1. Lack of written strategy; only casual or oral communiqu of vision and mission; deficiency of organizational culture development and success characteristics. 2. Incapacity or unwillingness to create and formalize operational values; seat-ofthe-pants management. 3. Recurring critical incidents; managing company by putting out fires seems to be a common maneuver. 4. Focusing on one facet of the company at the cost of the others. 5. Bad choice of site. 6. Lack of match among restaurant concept and setting. In one scenario, a night club failed, for instance, because it opened across the street from a police station. The owners thought that the police station would be deterrent for potential criminal elements and bar fights, but unfortunately it was also a deterrent for customers, who were afraid of police scrutiny and potential DUI tickets. The club was closed within eighteen months.5 7. Lack of adequate start-up capital or working capital. 8. Lack of experience, technical know-how or knowledge of restaurant operations. The owners of a successful nightclub expanded their business by investing more than $1.5 million in renovating an old bank building for a fine-dining restaurant. With no knowledge of restaurant operations, they opened the restaurant with zero marketing budgets as they relied primarily on free publicity and word of mouth. In less than one year, the restaurant was closed, with more than $5 million in debt. The owners tried to salvage the business by converting it into a night club, but with no success.6 9. Poor communiqu with consumers. For instance, a restaurant that fails to communicate to their clientele their reason for closing or their timetable for reopening after a major renovation may fail because their customers would be long gone by the time they reopen.
5
Donald Hambrick and Lynn Crozier, Stumblers and Stars in the Management of Rapid Growth, Journal of Business Venturing 1, no. 1 (1985): 31-45
6
Donald Hambrick and Lynn Crozier, Stumblers and Stars in the Management of Rapid Growth, Journal of Business Venturing 1, no. 1 (1985): 31-45
10. Negative customer perception of value. There must be a comparative match between price and product. 11. Inability to sustain operational standards, resulting in too many service gaps. Pitiable sanitary standards are almost certain to finish off any organization. One restaurant was exposed by a local television station for poor sanitary practices. Though the sanitary conditions subsequently improved as reported by the same television stationthe damage was done and the restaurant was closed. It later reopened as a successful full-service restaurant.7 12. The loss of authenticity in any ethnic restaurant that promotes cultural food will be a sure cause of failure. Generally, loss of conceptual integrity will be a sign of imminent failure in almost all restaurants. 13. Becoming everything to everyone; failure of differentiation or distinctiveness. 14. Misjudging the competition will also be a factor in the downward gradient of restaurant. A contemporary restaurant located near an established restaurant adjacent to a golf club failed when it could not draw the golfers from their traditional haunts. Owners thought that their new restaurant would have no problem attracting the golfers.8 15. Lack of proprietor dedication due to family stress, such as ill health or emotional problems. 16. Deficient operational performance appraisal systems. For instance, new owners may not know how to calculate food cost and may rely on employees to maintain proper inventory controls, who may not be honest or may be biased. 17. Regular changes in management and varied views of the vision, mission, and objectives. A common example in partnerships is seen when the owners of a restaurant fail to agree on its direction after just one year of operation in the partnership is broken up. 18. Belated establishment of mission and vision statements of the business; lack of success in the integration of vision and mission into the business; lack of dedication in management or employee lines. 19. Lack of success in maintaining management flexibility and is originality. 20. Uncontrollable external factors such as fires, changing demographic trends, legislation, economy, and social and cultural changes. 21. Managerial incompetence or the inability to function as or hire professional managers.
7 8
Donald Sull, Why Good Companies Go Bad! Harvard Business Review, July-August 1999, pp. 42-52. Donald Sull, Why Good Companies Go Bad! Harvard Business Review, July-August 1999, pp. 42-52.
Value Chain
Due to the complexity of businesses today, the integration of the 3C's (consumers, competitors and convergence) has become more important for businesses around the world. The increasing accessibility of products and organisations has put a lot of power into the hands of consumers and as a result, organisations have had to reorganise and restructure their operations. One such concept
3.1.2
incorrectly, may not be queried relevantly or may even be left out altogether, or critical data from other sources may be overlooked. The analysis plan links data collection elements to the analysis that needs to be conducted when and as survey items are prepared or data-entry forms developed. The analysis plan can also be used to identify and specify specific range of answers that may be provided for a question so that the answers do not go out of relevant dimensions. The researcher needs to identify and provide answers to questions, where applicable, so that the results can be easily categorised to lead to specific outcomes. As such, later disappointments can be avoided if items are researched in detail and analyses are linked to specific data collection instruments beforehand. The following analysis plan was developed for the entire research work: Stage 1: Preparation Proposal, Questionnaires & cover letter Stage 2: Data collection - Questionnaire & personal interviews Stage 3: Data analysis Stage 4: Write down the recommendations and conclusions Stage 5: Complete the Thesis writing process Stage 6: Presentation of the thesis
3.2.1
The Research Questionnaire was designed to collect primary data for the research questions. The questionnaire was aimed at finding out what members of the sample group thought about the researchers assumptions for the causes of the fall in sales and the factors responsible for the negative gradient. The analysis plan was useful in designing appropriate questions to answer relevant evaluation questions and as such, the answers to those questions were within the expected dimensions. This went a long way in helping to finalise the thesis in due time and without wastage of resources. The questionnaire was made with the help of the management to know the customers perspective about performance of the company. It was designed to know what
customers thought about past performance. Because if the customers were satisfied at current location, than they would also come and give orders to the company at new location. If they are not satisfied at current location then they will not come to the new location. Due to the reason most customers of the restaurant speak Dutch and the area of the research is Netherlands, the questionnaire was made in Dutch. The translation of the questionnaire is also available in English. Quantitative data was collected using the questionnaire. The findings from the literature review and in depth market review had been used to design the questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed to cover the study objectives, research questions and hypotheses. The questionnaire was given to one hundred customers randomly. Two available sources have been used for this purpose. 1. Questionnaire is given to customer at home by researcher 2. Questionnaire is given to customer at restaurant The result of the questionnaire was the key factor to make decision of relocation. The questionnaire was designed with 11 questions which were all close-ended ensuring that responses could be statistically analyzed. The closed questions also meant that the responses were straightforward for the respondent. All the questions provided data that was nominal or interval, four point scales were used for all of the questions; these were selected as they gave the consumers a range to choose from without being too confusing. The questions were designed to avoid bias, so the phrasing was carefully considered to avoid suggesting that some answers were more acceptable than others. Each respondent answered the Questions about food quality, and services. Also three sets of interviews have also been conducted to collect data for the research. First interview has been done with the management to know the management motivation level of relocation of the company. And second interview has done with the employees of the company to know their point of view about relocation of the company. And third interview has done with the external professional people related to the food industry of the city to know their point of view over changing location. The key features of the questionnaire were as follows:
3.2.2
Since the questionnaire had been personally developed by the researcher especially for this thesis, there was no issue of its validity for the said evaluation. Also, due to the straightforwardness of the questions and the ease of answering, the likelihood that questions would be misunderstood was analysed to be minimum. The reliability of an occurrence is described as the trend of getting the same response again and again when the survey is repeated. Reliability can be judged by analysing the following two factors: Test and Retest: is the more conservative way for estimating and analysing reliability. In this method, the event is repeated over and over again, either over the same subject or a number of similar test subjects. Internal Consistency: is used to estimate reliability by grouping questions that measure the same concept. In this way, questioned is aimed at driving answers to a specific question are grouped together and the test subjects may find it easier to answer those questions on a consistent basis. But this method can be argued to present monotonous and biased answers. Thus, if questions, measuring the same concept, are spread out in the questionnaire, the questionnaire may be able to give a better and reality-based result. In this research, the test and retest method was used to ensure reliability. The questionnaire was circulated among a diverse group of test subjects comprising of different nationalities, personalities, gender and age. However, the group was watched to ensure that there were at least some similar test subjects from each niche. Moreover, specific questions were not grouped together and questions analysing the same concept were spread throughout the questionnaire to ensure the test subjects answered the questions truthfully and sincerely.
3.2.3
The scope of the research was limited to a convenience sample of 138 people. The results of the questionnaire were meant to analyse the effectiveness of the communication methods being used at ECM. However, the results of the study may be limited and compromised by the following:
Research Period: The researcher of the study was only two months and this could limit the effectiveness of the study as the results would not be demonstrated of a full-year effectiveness of the communication process. Response rate: The response rate from customers was not that good, as many of the customers chose not to complete the questionnaire. Budget: Very low ($20 - $30). Researchers: One person.
3.3.1
Types of Data
The research was based on both the qualitative and quantitative aspects. Qualitative: refers to the non-numerical, descriptive data which helps to form an understanding of the subject. It involves using information acquired from interviews for gaining background knowledge and also to facilitate questionnaire design.
Kerlinger, F. N. (1986). Foundations of behavioural research, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
10
Prof. Hemant is Kombrabail (2011). Research Design. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/18132239/Research-Design. [Last Accessed 21 January, 2012].
Quantitative: This aspect included the numerical surveying of the data, for example, studying the number of people who purchase a specific phone, or the number of customers who answered favourably to a specific numerical question. The research also included both the primary and secondary forms of data: Primary data: The data that is collected primarily by the researcher for the ongoing research either himself or by his agent. The data collected through the Questionnaires and interviews was primary data. Secondary data: The data that is collected from magazines, published articles, government censuses and population counts. Such data has not been collected by the researcher or his agent by directly contacting the test subjects.
3.3.2
According to Christensen et al, a study implicates that you should collect, analyze, interpret and present data of various kinds. What distinguishes primary and secondary data is when, how and where it was collected. Secondary data is existing data that can be used early in the investigation process to gain knowledge about the problem. Primary data is collected by the person conducting the investigation and will be used to hopefully resolve the problem or answer the research questions. 11 The prime technique used for the primary data collection was the questionnaire which was circulated amongst the customers and some interviews of key personnel in the organisation. Secondary data was collected through the use of the Internet from various websites, online libraries, online journals and books. All the books that have been referenced accordingly and appropriately, and again listed in the bibliography at the end constitute the secondary data from which the literature review was prepared.
3.3.3
Qualitative research
Qualitative research is a non-numerical and descriptive way of collecting and interpreting information. In this study, the qualitative research was used to acquire a profound understanding of all the key areas of the research topic.
11
Christensen L, Engdahl N, Grs C & Haglund L (2001), Marknadsunderskning En handbok, Studentlitteratur, Lund.
3.3.4
Quantitative research
Quantitative research refers to the research that is used to yield numerical data or data that can be converted into a numerical form for an easy statistical review. Quantitative research is usually conducted on data that is collected in a quantitative form, or qualitative data that can be easily and appropriately quantified. It is mostly carried out on data that has been collected in the form of a survey or questionnaire. As such, the research process generally involves the deliberate structuring of questions and scales that will be used to measure non-numerical factors including feelings, satisfaction and enjoyment on a numerical level.
3.3.5
The survey was conducted in Arnhem, a city with a population of 146,095 people. The questionnaire was placed on the counter at ECMs local outlet as well as circulated on various websites where people bought online. The questionnaire was also circulated to some B2B clients with whom the process of deal-negotiation was going on. 174 responses were generated out of which 138 usable responses were grouped and tabulated for analysis. The questionnaire included a cover page which was used to provide information about the questionnaire and get some basic information about the respondent. It was observed that responses that were generated were not limited to one or more segments of the population, rather the respondents belonged to all segments of society.
Strengths:
o
ECM is a business franchise of many major cell phone companies in the Netherlands. o ECM is able to offer the best deals at competitively lower rates due to its direct business with the relevant companies. o ECM has good brand recognition. o The local store outlet of ECM is located in a major business area.
Weaknesses:
o ECM is not accessible for the disabled. o ECM does not offer the full variety of mobile phones as they have recently cancelled contracts with three mobile phone companies. o The staff members are not well trained. o Most of the work is done manually, without any software integration.
Opportunities:
o There is high potential customer traffic in the area of the local outlet. o Mobile phones are an up and going fashion, and are thought to be an element of modernisation. o A new bundle offered is being introduced by T-Mobile for students. As there are a lot of students in the area, it is thought that this will have a positive impact on sales. o ECM is also planning on opening and bill collection window at its local outlet. Negotiations are ongoing at the moment and, if the deal is finalised, this would generate a lot of recurring customers.
Threats:
o 2 new mobile phone outlets have opened just down the block. o An online retailer has significantly reduced prices.
12
Dner kebab (Turkish: dner kebab or Dner kebab, lit. 'Rotating roast', it is a Turkish dish made of lamb meat (mainly) cooked on a vertical spit and sliced off to order.
Q1. What would you say about the quality of the Dner kebab in general; Drm, Roll, or Dishes?
According to the above screening, the satisfaction about quality of the company products is acceptable by customer. The result of the question1 is considered satisfied. High indicator of 54% gets to agreed level. Q2. Wat vindt u van de kwaliteit van de Grill specialiteiten; ikebab, Adana, Lamskot,etc? Q2. What would you say the quality of Grill specialties; Adana, Lamskot, sis kebab etc?
As shown above, the satisfaction about quality of the grill specialties of the company product is acceptable by customer. The result of the question 2 is considered satisfactory. Satisfaction level is more than 50% which is acceptable.
Q3. Wat vindt u van de kwaliteit van de Pizzas; de bodem,beleg, versheid/hoeveelheid? Q3. What would you say about the quality of the Pizzas; the bottom, siege, Freshness /quantity etc?
As mentioned above, the satisfaction about quality of pizzas of the company is acceptable by customer. The result of the question 3 is also considered satisfactory. Here out of 80, 68 respondents have given positive indication to the company. Q4. Q4. Wat zou u zeggen over de huidige locatie van het restaurant? What would you say about the current location of the restaurant?
The satisfaction level concerning the location of the company is not acceptable by most customers. The most recurring response is Reasonable which in terms of catering service provision is not considered good. Only 13% of the customers considered the current location as Very Good meaning there is potential for relocation.
Q5. Q5.
Wat zou u zeggen over de beschikbaarheid van de parkeerplaats? What would you say about the availability of parking space?
15
30
The availability of parking space is somewhat acceptable to the customers. The result of the question is considered satisfied by the customer. But In this area company can do some improvements. In relation to the above question, this segment of questionnaire got same response as previous. 50% is collective result. Q6. Q6. Wat vindt u van de versheid van de producten algemeen? What would you say about the freshness of the products in general?
The satisfaction about the freshness of the products of company is acceptable by customers. The result of the question 6 is considered very satisfied by the customer. This attachment to business has performed very well and is among the top categories.
The quality control system enables company to operate the fresh products. Independent people confirmed this which is nearly 90% favorable response. Q7- Wat vindt u van de service als er iets fout gaat en wordt het naar tevredenheid opgelost? Q7. What do you think of the service if something goes wrong and is it satisfactorily resolved?
0 3 22 Moderate Reasonable Good 55 Verygood
The satisfaction about complaints of the customer from company is acceptable by customers. The result of the question 7 is also considered satisfied by the customer. This is also categorized as one of the standard factors and as such more improvements are required to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. Q8. Wat vindt u van de klantvriendelijkheid?
Q8. What would you say about the customer kindness from company employees?
The satisfaction about customer relationship from company is acceptable to the customers. It is transparent that company has good relationship with customers. The customers (almost 90%) are extremely satisfied by company relationship. Q9. Wat vindt u van de snelheid van de bediening bij het afhalen en/of ter plekke eten? Q9. What would you say the speed of the administration or employee for completing your order for take away etc?
The satisfaction level about the speed of company to complete customer order is only moderately satisfactory. Many customers are not satisfied by the speed of company. The main reason of taking long to complete customer order for takeaway is insufficient capacity of machinery of the company. Speed of service requires more attention and this is border line in business operations. Q10. Wat vind u van de bezorgservice algemeen? Q10. What would you say about the home delivery service?
The satisfaction about home delivery service of the company is not acceptable by customers. Customers are extremely dissatisfied by the speed of company. The Process of home delivery service takes too long to complete one order for home delivery. Traffic during peak hours is also main cause of late home delivery to customer to their home. And one other reason is the location of the company is not suitable location for providing home delivery service. Again a sizeable note was issued to the owner to highlight the severity of issue. Q11. Hoe vaak eet u bij ons; laat u het eten brengen of haalt u het zelf op? Q11. How many times do you eat by us? Or let us bring to your home or you come for taking self?
55
Mostly customers order or eat at the restaurant two times a week. This is also a strength of the company. It is very easy to conclude that customers are satisfied by the company products. This is the main reason customer ate at the restaurant twice a week.
Q12- Tot slot Uw mening m.b.t. eventuele aanpassingen, veranderingen, toevoegingen Menukaart voor In de toekomst;. Zoals: Schoarma-LasagnaSoepen- andere saus- etc.etc Uw mening telt!!!!
Q12. At the end , your opinion with regard very important count to us, for possible adaptions for future like as adding new products to menu or showarma -Lasagna-soupsother sauce etc?
Results:
Different customer gave different opinions in this sector. But mostly customer demand for Lamb meat, Soups, and Cocktail souse. Some customers also give recommendation to company start reduction cards for fast customer to target new customers. And few customers said company should start pizza day offer on weekly basis on reduction prices. And few customers said company should emphasize fast home delivery service.
4.1 Summary
The research has now been completed, and this has allowed the creation of recommendations to be provided for The ECM management. The section provides a summary of the most noteworthy findings of the report with the report concluding by highlighting areas where improvements are need. The questionnaire that was circulated amongst the customers comprised of 40 questions which queried eight key areas where deficiencies could exist in any communication process and model. All questions were to be graduated on a 0 to 3 Liker scales. The results of these questions were later tabulated on a results accumulation chart which recorded the answers to those questions according to subject area. Later,
the total of these subsections was plotted on a spidergram to graphically demonstrate areas of weakness and strength in the communication model. The spidergram is presented below:
4.1.1
Words
This key area of the communication process signifies how the person uses words to express him or herself. It also signifies the content of the communication. People who can effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas and those who can effectively and appropriately use words and phrases that can be easily understood. Such people avoid the use of abbreviations, jargon and technical language which may be unfamiliar to the
audience. As such, concise expression, and avoiding too much detail and repeating the message are key qualities required for effective communication. This area of the communication process secured an average of 15 marks out of a possible 20. This 75% result does not signify a prime weakness although there is a lot of room for improvement. The management needs to work a little on the content of communication, however dedicating too much resources, time and focus may not be that much beneficial and an overall cost benefit analysis needs to be worked out.
4.1.2
Voice
The Voice aspect of the communication process signifies how the speaker uses his voice when speaking to other people. This also means how a person puts his message across in a way which other people may find interesting and engaging. A good communicator usually varies the pitch and tone of his voice to convey a variety of expression to what he is saying. Variation of the speed at which a person speaks is also necessary to convey a message. Speech should also be at an appropriate level of quality of the audience so that a person can be easily heard and can emphasise key points. Good communicators use pauses effectively to give the audience thinking time and to bring emphasis to what they are going to say next. As such, communicators processing these qualities are easily heard. This role of the communication process secured only a paltry 13 marks out of the possible 20. The 65% result shows of weakness and requires work to be done to improve the situation. The management needs to work on the training of the staff members to effectively communicate their message to the audience, both internal and external.
4.1.3
Body language
Body language refers to the use of non-verbal cues that are used to convey and reinforce both formal and informal communication. Non-verbal cues include eye contact, facial expressions, use of hands and gestures, physical appearance and body posture and movement. Research has demonstrated that most of the message in a face-to-face communication is imparted by body language which is why good communicators pay a great deal of attention when it comes to smiling, using direct eye contact, nodding, using hand movements and gestures to explain and reinforce points, use of positive body language, and ensuring that the overall appearance is a turn on and not a turnoff for the audience.
This aspect of the communication model was the one which secured only 10 marks, the least in the questionnaire. The customers of ECM did not feel that great about the body language of the sales personnel and this is the key area on which the management of ECM will need to work the most. Poor body language leads to a lack of trust and in this dynamic corporate world, creating trust in the mind of the customer is the first step in both the B2B and B2C sales process.
4.1.4
Questioning
This role in the communication process was one of those that were strong in the organisation. It secured an average 15 out of the possible 20 and as such, it may be considered a strength of the organisations personnel. Nevertheless, the organisation needs to build upon its strengths, but again, the cost to benefit analysis needs to be conducted for the effort that would be put into this strength building process. Expert questioning and using questions to gain an advantage is a requisite for an effective communicator. The person needs to know what the client or customer wants in specific details and he needs to do that in as less time and words as possible and at the same time, he should not appear bothersome to the customer. He must know how to use closed questions to confirm information gained and to get commitments. The use of a mixture of single open and closed questions can get people to open up and talk freely.
4.1.5
Listening
Effective listening was also one of the poor areas of the communication process at ECM. The sales personnel scored only 13 on the average out of the possible 20 points. As such, this is also an aspect of the communication model that will need to be addressed by the management and will require a lot of input attention. Effective listening is a prime requirement in any communication model. If a person is not listing well, he will not be able to grasp what the other person wants and as such, will not be able to provide the correct service. Effectiveness him is not just something a person does while others are talking. It is not just the physical hearing of what people are saying but rather, it is the understanding of the meaning of what others are saying. Proper and effectiveness listening requires a lot of input factors including looking at the person speaking and having good eye contact, enquiring in using questions to show the person really wants to understand what the speaker is saying, summarising what the other person is said to ensure full understanding of what is being said and taking notes and appropriately detail. It also includes encouraging the speaker with a smile, a nod or
some other body gesture. Effective listening is also only possible when the listener neutralises his feelings so as to remove all barriers that may compromise the message from reaching the listener as intended by the speaker.
4.1.6
Consulting
Consulting is an aspect of the communication model being used at ECM that needs a lot of improvement as it scored only 9 out of a possible 20 points. The management of ECM clearly needs to give a lot of focus to this area. Consulting is an important area in both the B2B and B2C sales cycles, but even more so in the B2B cycle where the prospective client needs a tailored solution when purchasing products or services. Consulting differs from selling in that consulting is all about questioning to help the person understand the reality of the current situation, clearly see what they want to achieve and help them create and deliver the required solution. This allows analysing the present situation as well as a desired future situation, identifying any obstacles in the way of moving from the current to the future situation, and any issues that need to be addressed to remove the obstacles and to drive the change.
4.1.7
Persuading
This area of the communication process secured an average of 15 marks out of a possible 20. This 75% result does not signify a prime weakness although there is a lot of room for improvement. The management needs to work a little on the content of communication, however dedicating too much resources, time and focus may not be that much beneficial and an overall cost benefit analysis needs to be worked out. Persuading refers to the quality of a person to convince other people, influence people to take a course of action, obtain a commitment to a proposed action or sell ones thoughts and ideas.
4.1.8
Culture
This area of the communication process also seemed to be a strong point at ECM as staff members were able to achieve an average of 16 points out of a possible 20. This 80 % result does not signify a prime weakness although there is a lot of room for improvement. The management needs to work a little on the cultural training of staff members, however dedicating too much resources, time and focus may not be that much beneficial and an overall cost benefit analysis needs to be worked out.
5.1 Recommendations:
The management of Euro Continental Marketing is advised to take the following recommendations seriously in order to rectify the current lack of loyal customers as well as the potential decrease in future sales.
I.
It is recommended for the company to apply a new marketing and advertising policy. During the researchers work placement at ECM, and the observation for this study, the researcher did not find any effective marketing strategy in place. Occasionally, ECM gives advertisement in local news papers and sometimes it offers free articles to the local customers in domestic market. It also, sometimes, puts up advertisements on various websites for customers in the International markets. It should adopt different policies for advertisements like direct marketing, emarketing through internet and websites, internet advertising, television advertising, exhibitions, poster and banners, sales promotion programs etc. ECM also should think about public relations with existing market and needs to find new markets through market research. Currently, it seems that it does not care much about marketing research and information system.
II.
Currently, ECM does not give any kind of training and preparation before starting the job or from time to time. The company should give trainings and preparation tutorials to the workers to increase their skills. It can provide trainings on the various topics like computer skills, customer service, communication, human relation, ethics, sexual harassment etc. Workers must have updated knowledge and skill in this scientific age. Otherwise, untrained and uneducated worker will not be able to give good performance at work. This method helps to increase capacity to adopt new technologies and methods, to increase innovation in strategies and products, to reduced employee turnover etc. Sadly, employees are working, without having any kinds of trainings, with outdated techniques and styles.
III.
There is no other motivation tool and bonus system except salary. Besides salary, workers need something extra in the form of benefits to be motivated. The management of the company does not consider it useful to invest in employee motivation and satisfactions. It might not be detrimental to productivity and profitability in the short term but in the long term it may decrease and destroy all the positive things. The management needs to think that motivation is a major factor, in the success and failure, for any company. Some employee wants money, some want other presentational developments, some are flexible schedules etc.
IV.
Computerization
Currently, all the employees are handling the business operation on the manual basis. During the work placement period, the researcher also counted the whole stock by hand on paper. If the company uses automated system in every possible area, obviously, it will save time, money, efforts etc. Thus, it is also recommended that they use door scanning machine and install computer software program to manage the stocks.
V.
The company must launch a promotional campaign by placing periodical advertisements in surrounding area to attract more customers. But along with the traditional media, due importance should also be given to the electronic media. The management should consider posting their business on Twitter or Facebook.
VI.
One way to increase sales is to promote those items in which the company makes the most money. Such items are not necessarily the most expensive ones on the list, rather mostly are the most inexpensive.
5.2.1
A larger sample of responses for the questionnaire would have resulted more reliable results. As such, after the data collection was completed, the researcher realized many ways which could have resulted in more respondents; the most effective seemed to be the use of online surveys.
5.2.2
Additional Questions
The wide range of questions yielded a good set of results which allowed for easy data handling and made it simpler to see the variations. It would be interesting to use more open ended questions such as Please state what you would like in a bundle offer. Questions like this could have been useful for providing ECM with new business insights.
5.2.3
Multi-Dimensional Scaling
Multidimensional scaling can produce a visual representation of the subjective dimensions that are not directly shown in the data. By showing the objects visually on a map it can be easily used by anyone to associate close together objects as similar or close in terms of preference. The marketing applications of this type of quantitative analysis include brand/product positioning and new product development. Useful insights can be gained from the output of this type of analysis. It could have been used to see how consumers perceive the ECM products within the market in relation to their rivals.
Bibliography
1. Saunders M, Lewis P, Thornhill A (2009), Research methods for Business Students, 5th edition, Pearson Education, Italy. 2. Alvesson M & Skldberg K (2000), Reflexive Methodology New Vistas for Qualitative Research, SAGE Publications, Great Britain. 3. Baines P, Fill C & Page K (2011), Marketing, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, Italy. 4. Nicholas Mays and Catherine Pope. "Assessing quality in qualitative Research." BMJ 2000. 26 September, 2011. http://www.bmj.com/content/320/7226/50.1.full
Appendix 1
Effective Communication Skills Questionnaire
Please complete this questionnaire using the following ratings scale to score each statement. Put your score in the box to the left of each statement. Rating Scale 0 = the person never displays this behaviour 1 = the person seldom displays this behaviour 2 = the person frequently displays this behaviour 3 = the person almost always displays this behaviour 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. Pronounces words clearly so that they are understood first time. Speaks at an appropriate volume level not too loud and not too soft. Has direct eye contact when they speak to people. Uses open questions to find out facts. Looks at people when listening to them. They find out the current situation when solving problems with others. Sell the benefits of their ideas spelling out the wins for others. Understands cultural norms. Expresses themselves face to face in a concise way that people can understand them. Talks at a speed which enables everyone to understand what they are saying. Uses hand movements and gestures to reinforce the points they are making. Asks the right questions to gain a complete understanding of peoples problems. Summarises the thoughts of others to ensure understanding. They are careful to fully understand and agree their needs when consulting with others. Prioritises people's needs and sells their ideas to match those needs. Is sensitive when communicating with people from different cultures. Uses easily understood everyday words and expressions that everyone is familiar with. Communicates with a tone of voice that varies to emphasise key points. Varies their body language to gain rapport with the people. Find out the thoughts and views of others through the use of open questions. Uses silence rather than interrupts when listening to others. When providing help to others they identify the key issues to be addressed.
23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
Is persuasive when handling questions and/or objections from others. Varies their style of communicating to fit in with different cultures. Avoids the use of jargon and technical language. Uses pauses and silence to allow people to understand the points they are making. Matches and mirrors other peoples body language. Know when to use closed questions to get Yes/No answers. Takes an appropriate amount of notes when listening to others. When introducing change, works with others to create jointly owned solutions. Stresses the benefits of recommendations. Varies the use of language and behaviours to appeal to people from other cultures. Structures their thoughts in a logical and rational way to help others to understand the content. Speaks carefully to avoid any misunderstandings which may arise from their local accent. Ensures that their appearance is appropriate given the different types of people they meet with. Uses a logical structure of probing questioning to find out what they need to know from others. Keeps an open mind when listening to what others have to say Build consensus with people rather than telling them what to do. Is persuasive in selling their solutions. Promotes the corporate culture in their communications with others.
Appendix 2
Results Accumulation Chart
Words 1= 9= 17 = 25 = 33 =
Total = =
Voice 2= 10 = 18 = 26 = 34 =
Total
Body Language 3= 11 = 19 = 27 = 35 =
Total =
Culture 8= 16 = 24 = 32 = 40 =
Total =
5= 13 = 21 = 29 = 37 =
Total
6= 14 = 22 = 30 = 38 =
Total =
7= 15 = 23 = 31 = 39 =
Total =