Phoebe’s Sandwich Stop_ is one of the best-known and most loved

Assignment 2 Case Study
_Phoebe’s Sandwich Stop_ is one of the best-known and most loved
sandwich concessions in town. In business for about five years, she
sells sandwiches and other lunch items made from locally produced food
from her mobile food trailer. Phoebe’s passion and talent for
creating reliably fresh, tasty lunch fare popular among a business
clientele (largely employees and shoppers) has made her small
enterprise a booming success.
In the last year, Phoebe added three bicycle-towed concessions that
travels to different strategic locations in town, selling her popular
sandwiches to customers who work beyond walking distance of
_Phoebe_'_s Sandwich_ _Stop_. She now has a total of six employees,
all part-time, working the concessions. Because she caters to urban
customers, her concessions operate on week days from 10 am to 2 pm.
To promote word-of-mouth advertising, Phoebe uses Facebook to publish
her daily menus and the locations of the bicycle concession.
As a sole proprietor, Phoebe has been pleased with her lunch business
success. Now it’s time to get serious about the future of her
business. In the short and medium term, she wants to see the business
grow into a potentially more lucrative enterprise, implementing a
greater variety of food products and services, and increasing her
competitive edge in the region. Ever the ardent entrepreneur,
Phoebe’s long-term dream is to develop her creative,
health-conscious culinary skills and services into a wider clientele
outside the immediate region.
An opportunity has arisen to lease restaurant space about 20 miles
away from her trailer concession location, close to a mall and the
suburbs and nearer to her local food producers. Phoebe has jumped at
the chance and plans to expand her current business. While she has
hired professional business consultants to help her set up the space,
design the menu, and implement the opening of the restaurant, she must
also consider the short- and long-term financing, human resource, and
management needs of such an expansion. Phoebe is particularly
sensitive to her relationship with her customers, employees, and the
community.
ASSIGNMENT #2: (WEEK 7)
PURPOSE:
Throughout the course, you have learned a wide array of business
concepts and theories. This assignment is designed to have you
demonstrate knowledge of the material learned in the course applying
concepts and theories to a case scenario.
OUTCOMES MET WITH THIS ASSIGNMENT:
After completing this course, you should be able to:
* identify the critical business functions and how they interact in
order to position the organization to be effective in the current
business environment
* explain the importance of the integration of individuals and
systems to organizational effectiveness
* describe the ethical and social responsibilities that confront a
business
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
This assignment is the second of two assignments. In this paper, you
will analyze and discuss small business growth in terms of growth
strategy, business forms, short and medium term goals, financing
assistance, organizational structure and staffing needs, customers and
promotion, and ethics and social responsibility. You will apply
business and management concepts learned throughout the course to the
case scenario provided.
STEP 1: PREPARATION FOR WRITING THE ASSIGNMENT
Before you begin writing the paper, you will read the following
requirements that will help you meet the writing and APA requirements.
Not reading this information will lead to a lower grade:
Review “How to Analyze a Case Study” under Week 4 Content. You
will use the facts from the case scenario focusing on using this
information to determine opportunities and solve problems.
Read the grading rubric for the assignment. Use the grading rubric
while writing the paper to ensure all requirements are met that will
lead to the highest possible grade.
In writing this assignment, you will read and following these tasks:
Task 1: Third person writing is required. Third person means that
there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person
writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person
writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this
link:
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person
[1].
Task 2: Contractions are not used in business writing, so DO NOT use
contractions in writing this assignment.
Task 3: You are expected to paraphrase and are NOT to use direct
quotes. You are expected to paraphrase, which can be learned by
reviewing this link:
https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html [2].
Task 4: You are responsible for APA only for in-text citations and a
reference list.
Task 5: You are expected to use the facts from the case scenario
paired with the weekly courses readings to develop the analysis and
support the reasoning. NO MORE THAN TWO (2) EXTERNAL RESOURCES CAN BE
USED IN COMPLETING THE ASSIGNMENT. The expectation is that you
provide a robust use of the course readings. If any material is used
from a source document, it must be cited and referenced. A reference
within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text
citation and vice versa. View the sample APA paper and the How to
Cite and Reference file located under Week 7 content.
Please see Week 1 Content area – “How to Cite the Saylor eBook”
to learn how to cite and reference the course eBook.
NOTE: Whenever material is used from any source document, it must be
cited and referenced.
STEP 2: HOW TO SET UP THE PAPER
Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is
double-spaced, 12-point font. The final product will be between 7-8
pages in length excluding the title page and reference page. You may
not exceed eight (8) pages so it is important to write clearly and
concisely.
Follow this format. Consider making an outline to ensure the correct
headings are in place and to keep you organize the paper.
* Title page with the title, your name, course number and name; date,
and the instructor’s name;
* Introduction
* Body, in paragraph form. Use the following section headings:
* Growth Strategy (Note: a growth strategy is not a
marketing strategy)
* Business Form
* Financing Assistance
* Organizational Structure and Staffing Needs
* Customers and Promotion
* Ethical Issues and Social Responsibility
* Summary paragraph
STEP 3: READ THE CASE SCENARIO PROVIDED UNDER WEEK 7
STEP 4: WRITE THE INTRODUCTION
Create the introductory paragraph. The introductory paragraph is the
first paragraph of the paper and tells a reader the main points
covered in the paper. To help you know how to write an introduction,
view this website to learn how to write an introductory paragraph:
http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html [3]
STEP 5: GROWTH STRATEGY
Phoebe has to have a plan to grow her business. Read the course
readings on Entrepreneurship as well as other chapters in the eBook.
Then:
* DISCUSS THE STEPS PHOEBE SHOULD TAKE TO ORGANIZE AND PRIORITIZE HER
BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGY. NOTE: a growth strategy is different than
a marketing strategy so do not go to the Internet and pull up articles
that discuss market expansion, market penetration, product expansion
and diversification as this information is not what Step 5 is
referencing.
STEP 6: BUSINESS FORM
Phoebe currently operates using a sole proprietorship business form.
Phoebe enjoys all facets of owning a business. Now expanding by
owning a restaurant, Phoebe will reconsider the current business form
and determine the best business form for expanding the business.
All business forms have advantages and disadvantages so create a table
with three columns. Label the first column, "Business Form." Label
the second column, “Advantages” and the third column,
“Disadvantages.” Review the material on business forms and
complete the table making sure to cover all business forms and
capturing the advantages and disadvantages of each business form.
* ONCE YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES, THEN
YOU ARE TO DISCUSS THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES AND IDENTIFY THE
BUSINESS FORM THAT BEST FITS PHOEBE’S EXPANSION PLAN. EXPLAIN WHY
THE BUSINESS FORM SELECTED BEST FITS PHOEBE’S EXPANSION PLAN.
STEP 7: FINANCING ASSISTANCE
PHOEBE HAS TO ENSURE SHE HAS THE RESOURCES TO HANDLE THE EXPECTED
GROWTH.
For Phoebe to have the resources needed to manage the expected growth,
she must have financing in place.
* DISCUSS WHAT KIND OF FINANCING ASSISTANCE MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO
PHOEBE.
* SELECT THE BEST FINANCING OPTION FOR PHOEBE'S BUSINESS AND EXPLAIN
WHY THE FINANCING ASSISTANCE WAS CHOSEN.
STEP 8: STAFFING NEEDS/ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Phoebe knows that the expansion will require changes to the staffing.
Think about the business and what Phoebe needs in terms of human
capital and how she can best organize the business so that she
organize every employee and create a chain of command.
* HOW MIGHT PHOEBE’S STAFFING NEEDS CHANGE?
* DISCUSS THE BEST WAY FOR PHOEBE TO ORGANIZE, ORIENT, AND TRAIN HER
RESTAURANT STAFF.
* WHAT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE WOULD WORK BEST FOR PHOEBE’S
EXPANDED BUSINESS? [E.G., VERTICAL HIERARCHY, FUNCTIONAL, TEAMS, FLAT
(HORIZONTAL), MATRIX] TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HER NEW BUSINESS;
STEP 9: CUSTOMERS/PROMOTING THE BUSINESS
Two of Phoebe’s main concerns have to do with her current customers,
and how she can promote the business with limited funds. Make sure to
read the chapters in the eBook and explain:
* HOW SHOULD PHOEBE DEAL WITH HER CURRENT CUSTOMERS ABOUT THE
CHANGE?
* WHAT KIND OF PROMOTION SHOULD SHE CONSIDER IN ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS
TO HER NEW LOCATION? BE THOROUGH WITH THE RESPONSES.
STEP 10: ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
With having only a few employees, Phoebe has never put a lot of
thought about how she can ensure her business is run ethically. At
the same time, Phoebe has not put much thought into being socially
responsible although she believes strongly in supporting the community
and does so by purchasing products locally.
* WHAT ARE THE ETHICAL ISSUES AND POTENTIAL SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
HIGHLIGHTED BY THIS CHANGE IN BUSINESS? (CONSIDER CUSTOMERS,
EMPLOYEES, THE CURRENT AND NEW COMMUNITIES, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.)
* HOW MIGHT THESE ISSUES BE DEALT WITH MOST APPROPRIATELY?
STEP 11: WRITE THE SUMMARY PARAGRAPH
Write the summary paragraph. A summary paragraph restates the main
topics of the paper. Make sure to leave a reader with a sense that
the paper is complete. The summary paragraph is the last paragraph of
a paper and does not need a heading.
STEP 12: Review the Paper
Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present. Use the
grading rubric to ensure that you gain the most points possible for
this assignment.
Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third
person writing.
* Read the paper aloud as a first measure;
* Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a second measure;
* Have someone who has excellent English skills to proof the paper;
* Consider submitting the paper to the Effective Writing Center
(EWC). The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.
Links:
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[1]
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person
[2]https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html
[3]http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html