BUS599 assignment week 8 Operations, Technology, Management and Social Responsibility
This assignment is new sections but based on a prior paper. In other words this is a continuation (build) of the old assignment. I will attach old paper (week 5) and Instructions for the new assignment week 8
Discussion and feedback to be used in new paper:
I have included week 5 Discussion and feedback (OPERATIONS Section of new paper)
also Social Responsibility discussion and feedback
Operations, Technology, Management, and Social Responsibility Plan (With Financials)
Overview
In this assignment, you will focus on these sections of your business plan:
Operations.
Technology.
Management.
Social Responsibility.
Financials.
You will revise the Operations, Social Responsibility, and Financials sections based on the feedback you received in the discussion threads and any changes you want to make to your business plan.
The Technology and Management and Organization sections are new. You have not worked on these sections in your discussion threads.
The assignment consists of The business plan (an MS Word document).
You are not starting this assignment from scratch. You have already worked on these sections of your business plan in the weekly discussions:
Operations (Week 5 discussion).
Social Responsibility (Week 6 discussion).
Financials (Week 7 discussion).
Part 1: Business Plan
Write a 48 page paper, in MS Word, in which you provide the specified information in each section.
Operations Section (12 pages)
Notes:
Chapter 11, Operations, pages 195218, provides information about developing an operations plan. The chapter also provides a sample operations plan. You’ve already read this chapter in Week 5. Refer to it on an as needed basis as you work on this section of your business plan.
Instructions:
Create an operations plan for your selected company expanding on each of these topics:
Facilities.
Consider questions such as these regarding facilities:
Will you rent or buy your facilities, or will you outsource production to an existing company?
If you are renting or buying your facilities, what utilities will be required to run the operation?
What will be the costs associated with any necessary utilities?
Production Process or Description of How Your Business Will Operate If Retail or Service Company.
Include any equipment you plan to use, if applicable.
Research needed equipment, such as machines, refrigerators, burners, ovens, and so on.
Will you rent or buy needed equipment?
How will you maintain and clean the equipment?
How will you ensure quality control?
What capacity do you intend to reach?
If you have a retail or service business, consider any equipment you might need in your process.
Explain your approach to inventory, as applicable.
Where do your supplies come from?
What is your turnaround time to produce your product once you have received an order?
Research and Development.
How will you stay abreast of new developments in the industry?
What new products or services are in development?
Personnel Needs in Operations.
How many operations employees do you plan to have? 5 total
What will their roles be? 1Manager, 1 admin support, 1 part time, and 2 operations/production
Technology Section (12 pages)
Notes:
Chapter 12, Technology Plan, pages 225234, provides information about developing a technology plan. The chapter also provides a sample technology plan. You’ve already read this chapter in Week 5. Refer to it on an as needed basis as you work on this section of your business plan.
Assign a dollar amount to each technology cost you find; you will need these figures for your financials (Business Plan Financials Excel Template).
If you are working with the snack food company scenario, be sure to use the information and costs provided in the Snack Food Company Guidelines.
Consider the type of technology your selected company will use to conduct activities, such as managing personnel; taking, fulfilling, and tracking orders; managing inventory; communicating with customers and providing customer service; and producing your product or providing your service.
Instructions:
Create a technology plan for your selected company expanding on each of these topics:
Software Needs.
Examples of software you might need include: graphics, customer relationship management, accounting, inventory, and office suite.
Hardware Needs.
Examples of hardware you might need include: computers, monitors, servers, routers, and tablets.
Telecommunication Needs.
Examples of telecommunication equipment you might need include: tablets, computers, phones, Internet, and mobile phones.
Personnel Needs in Technology.
Will your technology personnel be in-house or outsourced? It will be OUTSOURCED
Management and Organization Section (12 pages)
Notes:
Chapter 13, Management & Organization, pages 235258, provides information about developing a management and organization plan. The chapter also provides a sample management and organization plan. This chapter was part of the assigned reading for this week. Refer to this chapter on an as needed basis as you work on this section of your business plan.
Be sure to include the salary costs associated with the management personnel; you will need these figures for your financials (Business Plan Financials Excel Template).
Instructions:
Create a management and organization plan for your selected company expanding on each of these topics:
Key Management Employees.
List key management team members along with a several sentence description of each persons relevant businesses background and responsibilities.
Advisors for the International Fruit Salad company
List any people you will use as advisors for your business; include a several sentence descriptions of these individuals areas of expertise and their expected contribution to the business.
Management Hierarchy.
Outline your companys management hierarchy using the flow charts on page 248 of your text as a guide.
Import/include all charts or diagrams into the MS Word document.
Social Responsibility Section (12 pages)
Notes:
Chapter 14, Social Responsibility & Sustainability, pages 259270, provides information about developing your social responsibility plan. The chapter also provides a sample social responsibility and sustainability plan. You’ve already read this chapter in Week 6. Refer to it on an as needed basis as you work on this section of your business plan.
Revise your post and the feedback you received on it in the Week 6 discussion thread to create your social responsibility plan.
Instructions:
Create a social responsibility plan for your selected company expanding on each of these topics:
Impact on Stakeholders.
Describe the ways your chosen company will impact stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. This is the people section of the triple bottom line.
What types of benefits (such as health care, flexible work hours, and opportunities for advancementand education) will your company offer employees?
What types of opportunities (such as classes, sponsored events, and assistance to causes and charities) will your company offer the community?
Environmental Impact.
Explain how your companys activities will affect the environment.
Identify the steps you will take to mitigate any negative impacts.
Recycling, Environment friendly cleaning solvents, supplies
How will you minimize your ecological footprint in your operations? Consider energy usage, waste disposal, recycling, using recycled materials, et cetera.
Formatting
Format your assignment according to these requirements:
This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course.
Typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
You must include headings in your paper for each major topic.
Include a cover page containing the assignment title, your name, the professors name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
Include a source list page. All sources used must be listed in the source list page and have a corresponding in-text citation. Citations and references must follow SWS format. The source list page is not included in the required page length.
Note: There is no minimum requirement for the number of resources used in this assignment. Running head: MARKETING PLAN AND BUDGET 1
MARKETING PLAN AND BUDGET 6
Marketing Plan and Budget
Gilbert Garcia
Strayer University
Dr. Andrea Banto (Dr. B)
August 9, 2020
Company target market
The organization would target young individuals aged 10 and 38 as healthy fruit salads are more prevalent among young individuals as they are related to fun concoctions and tastes. Due to this, people who love fun and outgoing ideas would most likely want to consume fruit salad. As young individuals, this targeted group would more likely participate in group gatherings either directly or by watching others eat and enjoy unique fruit salads. They would more likely want to use the fruit salads as a form of a healthy, crisp refreshment. The company has desires to establish itself in the health market, making this age group ideal for the target market (Chernev, 2018).
On analyzing the gender, the target market would both be male and female, as all this gender range would enable the company to have a broader market. Sports such as soccer, polo, volleyball, tennis, swimming, and basketball have also become more popular globally. More importantly, among females, attracting more female fans in the industry is a potential market for product growth. The company would also be targeting the junior to mid-career employed personnel. These individuals can spend more frequently as earning a paycheck gives them the ability to purchase desserts such as fruit salads because most have fewer financial responsibilities and debt. On the educational level, the company would focus on high school and college students and upwards with a large population in the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. With a community of more than 80% of the people comprising the targeted market. This, in that matter, include substantial demand for the company (Palmatier and Crecelius, 2019).
Competition
International Fruit Salad stands on its own as there are no other companies that offer the same product. The brand name is unknown, so it is essential to propagate in social media platforms and other ads such as Facebook and Instagram to include Snapchat. The competition from the already established companies may have similarities, but to date, I found zero companies in the foreseeable future. It is crucial to assess the competition for current and future competitors. And what barriers are we overcoming to become successful? International Fruit Salad is very streamlined in its product offering, and the idea of specializing or tailoring to the customers like is easy to do. This gives International Fruit Salad company a more substantial competitive edge for the partial competition as these companies are more established companies that have dominated the market for some time. The fact that fruit salad goes in hand with the kind of products offered and produced by these companies but in a different form as both have fruit content becomes an evident competition and must be taken into consideration. Several of the established companies in the market that offer similar products are established and make more of the market segment as it has more brands all over the market. Some other restaurants that may provide fruit salads pose a small competitive threat as the company has also dominated the soft market. They have also established some fruits fruit salad base and snacks portfolio. All this has a higher market portfolio, as combining them would own a more considerable part market share of the U.S. market.
All these companies and restaurants pose some level of strict competition in this market. It becomes a bit challenging for a startup to enter the market with a direct substitute but a unique product. These companies would spend a lump sum of money in advertisement, innovation, marketing, and strengthening their distribution networks (Palmatier and Crecelius, 2019). These companies and restaurants offer a more comprehensive range of products in the market, giving them a competitive advantage over the other starting companies. It also gives them a presence in the whole market.
The determining factor is that they do not offer a single location where someone can enjoy a freshly made and delicious fruit salad.
Some other companies and businesses pose direct competition in the market because they sell an assortment of fruits. For instance, South Block company offers the same products in the market but not the originality of the Colombian fruit salad combination.
Picture: South Block product above
Pictures: International Fruit Salad products
This already established healthy fruit mix product company have a market base, and it may pose some difficulties in breaking into the market. Other companies have been in the market for quite some time, which may be extremely hard, especially if they have the resources needed to pose a threat to the market.
Strategy to compete against market leaders
The company would need a strategy to use for it to compete with the competing companies in the market would be a differentiation strategy. The company would have to improve its tactics and ensure that they produce unique products in the market different from those products by the competing companies. For instance, the International Fruit Salad company may decide to provide fruit juice smoothies to increase its product as this may also increase the market base. This uniqueness would give them an ability to strive slowly in the market and have their customer base, having a unique taste, ingredient, and different packaging for consuming outside the place of purchase. The incorporation would also include the health-consciousness of the individuals’ feelings, likes, and service delivery model timeliness. The aim is to attract those individuals who are health conscious and, on the go, either for school or work, as they would be creating a brand and loyalty in the market, acting as a foundation in the future.
Company message
The company would provide an energizing taste sensation to the customers. This fruit salad would be available with different quantities and assortments of fruits, which may illuminate an individual’s day, making them more relaxed. These salads and fruit juice cocktails, as ordered, would be health-conscious, potentially eliminating any health issues that would attract more consumers as most soft drinks are associated with this problem (Palmatier and Crecelius, 2019).
Marketing vehicles
There are different types of marketing vehicles that can be used in marketing the organizations products. A new marketing vehicle is a “Phigital marketing term, basically for the combination of current and more modern digital marketing experiences where you can select your fruits and build your fruit salad to see what it will look like. These comprise of the social media platforms, advertising, sponsored events, and samplings. Using social media platforms would give the company a more prominent market segment as most of the targeted market would are on social media platforms, making it more comfortable to reach more audiences in the shortest time possible. The use of social media attracts younger people, such as millennials, in this platform, allowing the company to sell its ideas to the specified market. The decision to advertise and sell through social media and advertising on websites would be the best strategy. This would help reach more individuals; hence this becomes a better market for the company (Sahaf, 2019).
References
South Block. (August 2020). Retrieved from https://www.southblockjuice.com/
Chernev, A. (2018).Strategic marketing management. Cerebellum Press.
Palmatier, R. W., & Crecelius, A. T. (2019). The “first principles” of the marketing strategy. Arms Review,9(1-2), 5-26.
Sahaf, M. A. (2019).Strategic marketing: making decisions for strategic advantage. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. WEEK 5 BUS599 DISCUSSION:
My company name is International Fruit Salads and it is based in Georgetown, VA. My business offers healthy fruit salad and or combination of fruits mixed with grated cheese and assorted nuts and berries. There are 4 main fruit salads, but the customer has the option to modify the fruit salad based on their likes. Most customers eat in since the fruit salads are served cool and fresh but there is an option for takeout if desired.
Facilities.
Describe the facility, including its location.
International Fruit Salads is in the center of Georgetown, VA along the main street near a bank. Easy access with parking along the main street or side streets where allowed. A short walk from the University and surrounding neighborhood.
Specify whether it is rented or owned; include any associated costs.
Facility is rented $1500 Monthly with a deposit of $3000 deposit with a 3-year lease
Estimate the cost of utilities, such as water/sewer, gas, electricity, and trash removal.
Utilities average $480 per month, water/sewer is $110 per month, electricity $120 per month and trash removal averages $250 monthly.
Production Process.
Describe the production process (how you will produce the product) or describe how your business will operate if retail or service company.
The product will be purchased fresh and stored at proper temperature to slow down ripeness in approved containers to prevent spoiling
Identify the equipment you will use and associated costs.
Approved storage and refrigerators with moisture-controlled coolers and alarms in case of failure
Describe the capacity to produce the product.
Capacity is 3-5 days worth of products to ensure freshness
Explain your approach to quality control.
Fresh fruits are sensitive and require fast shipping and proper controlled storage. Any delays of more than 24 hours could harm the fruits. All fruits should be checked by the receiving personnel to ensure boxes are not crushed or damaged. Opening 2-3 boxes of the delivered fruits helps to check quality and color. And of course, checking the date of shipment and arrival date to meet timelines.
Explain your approach to inventory, as applicable.
In a small operation, inventory will be checked daily by at least 2 assigned personnel, one being myself or the lead on duty. Effective inventory control can be broken down into a few important steps: set up systems to track and record inventory, develop specifications and procedures for ordering and purchasing and how to receive deliveries
Where do your supplies come from?
Supplies come from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the DMV area. To name a few, Little Farm Stand, Washingtons Green Grocery, Cultivate the City and From the Farmer. Other options will be assessed
What is your turnaround time to produce your product once you have received an order?
3 minutes or less, that is with pre-cut fruits in deep pans
Research and Development.
Explain how you will stay abreast of new industry developments.
Join agriculture groups to learn about innovative techniques for storing fruits safely
Join Social Media groups
I will analyze and assess studies from universities such as Better World Projects that study how to preserve fruits for a longer shelf life to preserve freshness and the nutrients from the product.
To provide consumers with the freshest, highest-quality fruits and vegetables, researchers have long been interested in managing the production of ethylene, which is a naturally occurring hormone in fruit that causes ripening, and eventually, softening and rot. (August 2020).
https://autm.net/about-tech-transfer/better-world-project/bwp-stories
And Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Storage CA storage is a system where perishable fruits are stored under defined environmental conditions. The study was done by Michigan University.
Describe the new products or services that are in development.
Personnel Needs in Operations.
Specify the number of operations employees you plan to have.
5 personnel and one lead, total of 5
Describe their roles.
Shipping, inventory and receiving comprised of Lead and 2 other personnel, total of 3
Cashier(s)
Fruit salad makers (2ea), others may assist if extremely busy
Rhonda Abrams. 2019. Successful business Plan: secrets and strategies (7th ed.). Planning Shop.
https://autm.net/about-tech-transfer/better-world-project/bwp-stories
Bottom of Form Company: International Fruit Salads
My company name is International Fruit Salads and it is based in Georgetown, VA. My business offers healthy fruit salad and or combination of fruits mixed with grated cheese and assorted nuts and berries. There are several choices in fruit salads, but the customer has the option to modify the fruit salad based on their likes.
Profit:
A great way to give back to the community is by sponsoring a team and perhaps donating fruit salads to the winning team. This is an excellent way of giving back to the community while also promoting your product. And providing the party utensils and perhaps a gift card for the birthday boy/girl during a birthday party held at my business. Additionally, my business can put a label with my companys logo on bottles of water or snacks for race participants. Another great way to give back to the community. And of course, social media. I will send out an email or IG notification on company IG site in advance of the event and use tags (#fruitsalads #organization, #sponsor) The organization might be inclined to share what you are doing with their own followers!
People:
My company will ensure that not only employees needs are met but also those that contribute to my company in many ways. A negative impact can have many ramifications that are tough to recover from without a big loss in financial earnings. The raw materials that farmers supply is what determines our success and therefore constant communication about product shortfalls or potential growth in product orders have to b addressed ahead of time. Health, adequate working hours, and a clean and safe place to work with cameras for safety purposes. And most of all keeping the community in mind that are the life support for my company and customers that will keep coming back time after time. There will be tough choices to make but perhaps hiring qualified part-time employee may offer flexibility when a permanent employee has an emergency with family or work.
Planet:
Keeping our planet clean is the focus and I would strongly implement that all trash is recycled to the maximum. I am a strong supporter of keeping trash where it goes, and that waste is processed appropriately to reduce over spillage in our trash deposits. If it takes calling the trash company for an increase in pickup, then it will be requested. Our environment is everywhere we go on a daily basis- on work premises or off-work premises. My intent is to foster a clean environment not only in the workplace but also out of work. I will encourage my employees to keep the business clean to above average standards. Any spills will immediately be cleaned and disinfected and wet signs posted. And recycled items will be used when possible.
