The Black and Brew Café Case Study Analysis

The Black and Brew Café 

All three stages
Case Study Analysis

Introduction

The Black and Brew Café was established by your grandfather in 1962 on East Main Street in Lakeland, Florida. The Café offers many different kinds of specialized coffees, teas, a full service bakery, homemade soups, sandwiches, and salads. The Café has been a local hotspot for many years and has served as a community gathering place. Your grandfather recently retired from the business and has asked you and your brother to take over the Café. You are very excited about this opportunity! Unfortunately, business has been steadily declining over the last five years. Although your grandfather was an expert at running the Café, everything is outdated. There are no computers in the shop and all ordering takes place manually.

Your grandfather had a terrific memory and knew all of his customers by name, but unfortunately, none of this information is located anywhere in the store. The family recipes for the baked goods and soups are also stored in your grandfather’s memory. Inventory is tracked in a note pad, along with employee payroll, and marketing coupons. The Café does not have a Web site, uses very little marketing except word-of-mouth, and essentially still operates the same as in 1962.

Throughout this course students will own and operate the Black and Brew Café, taking advantage of business practices discussed in the class, the Course Modules, and the textbook to increase profits, keep the business running, and bring the Café into the 21st century.

Note: As students approach these assignments, thinking about your own experiences with a local Café or sandwich shop will be helpful. Making a trip to a local café may help identify some of the processes, challenges, and opportunities facing small coffee shops in the US. Upon completion of these assignments, students will have performed an array of activities to demonstrate their ability to apply the course content to a real world situation in the following stages:

• Analyze the business environment and identify strategic areas for improvement. (Stage 1)
• Design a process model of the current IT environment for analysis and recommended improvements. (Stage 1)
• Propose an appropriate technology solution to improve a selected business process. (Stage 2)
• Evaluate various IT considerations of the proposed technology solution. (Stage 3)
• Identify and explain the next steps in implementing the solution. (Stage 3)

The case study and assignments address the Course Outcomes to enable students to:

• analyze business strategy to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic outcomes
• analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements
• identify and plan IT solutions that meet business objectives.

Staged Assignments

The staged assignments are designed to follow the relevant course modules and chapters of the textbook in the class schedule, and are due on the dates shown in the Syllabus.

• Stage 1 Project: Business Environment Analysis and Process Model (Word document with analysis and graphic process model)
• Stage 2 Project: Technology-Supported Solution Proposal (Word document with proposed solution)
• Stage 3 Project: Outline of Next Steps and Template for IT Considerations (Word document outline with next steps and completed document table)

Each stage of the case analysis is 20 percent of the course grade, as stated in the Course Syllabus. The due dates are shown in the Course Schedule. Because these assignments require students to use Microsoft Word and a graphic design application, such as PowerPoint (as indicated in the instructions), some students may need to "brush up" on their familiarity with these applications or use functions that are somewhat new. Therefore, do not wait until the last minute to begin each stage of the project.

Students should read through all the assignments in advance to ensure that they (1) understand what is expected, and (2) allow enough time to effectively create the information being requested. Assignments for each stage requires external research, outside of the textbook. A grading rubric is provided with each assignment.

These assignments are designed to help students identify how to effectively analyze and interpret information to improve a business. This is an opportunity to apply critical thinking skills and think like a business professional. When students are writing a paper or developing a presentation, prepare the documents as if you would be going to a boss that you are wanting to impress with your overall knowledge and abilities. Please do not go through the mechanics of pulling together information -- think about the processes, why the processes are necessary, whether the processes make sense, whether the information being provided seems realistic, and what the results show. Support all recommendations with research.

One of the prerequisites for this course is to have a fundamental working knowledge of word processing and business presentation software (as provided in IFSM 201). Detailed instructions for each stage of the case analysis project are posted separately in the WebTycho Course Content area or on the professor's companion Web site. Students must prepare each assignment in the indicated format (i.e., memo, report, graphic model or other specified format) and submit the required documents as an attachment to the respective assignment in the WebTycho Assignments Folder with the appropriate filename. No credit will be given for assignments submitted in file formats other than those stated in the assignment instructions or not submitted to the appropriate WebTycho classroom assignment.

STAGE 1

The Black and Brew Café
Case Analysis - Stage 1

Due: 10 November 2013 24:00 (EST)

Introduction

Students will work on this cohesion case during the class session to help them tie all of the IT concepts together. The premise is that each student recently has inherited their grandfather’s coffee shop, started in 1962 and operates as if the year is 1962. Students will need to bring the Black and Brew Café into the 21st century. A coffee shop was chosen because coffee shops are instantaneously identifiable for students. This case will give students a true business approach to IT and allow them to work hands-on with many of the intangible concepts taught in the text (such as SCM, ERP, and Wireless Networks). The case also will help students tie all of the IT concepts together to see how the differing parts work together to help a business operate (even with non-IT businesses, such as a coffee shop). The flexibility of the case allows students to cover any number of topics, in any order, at any time during the session.

Purpose

This assignment gives students the opportunity to apply the concepts of the Porter Five Forces model to a specific business, develop a strategic direction for this business, and to apply analytical skills to model a business process on an individual basis. Modeling the current business process, although not a requirement in this assignment, will aid in the analysis, design, development and implementation of the technology solution. This assignment specifically addresses the following course outcomes to enable you to:

• analyze business strategy to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic outcomes; and
• analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements.

Background

The Black and Brew Café has been in business since 1962 and has never had a single competitor in the downtown area. One of your employees has heard a rumor that a Starbucks might be opening a store a few blocks away. Your staff is worried and is looking to you to provide reassurance that the competition will not affect your business. In addition, you have decided that this is a good time to develop your strategic direction for bringing the Café into the 21st century.

Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model is a useful tool for analyzing a business and helping to develop a company’s strategic direction. The Five Forces Model also is used to aid organizations facing the challenging decision of entering a new industry or industry segment or developing a strategy for dealing with new competition. The Five Forces Model helps determine the relative forces impacting the future success of a business and includes:

• Buyer Power
• Supplier power
• Threat of substitute products or services
• Threat of new entrants
• Rivalry among existing competitors

The Five Forces are fully described and discussed in the textbook, and competitive advantage is covered in Module 1. In order to analyze the impact of a potential new competitor and develop a strategic direction, use the Five Forces Model to analyze your Black and Brew Café business. Once completed, create a model of the main process identified in the analysis.

Therefore, once students have (1) identified a strategic area for improvement in the Black and Brew Café, namely inventory control and financial transactions, and (2) identified a process that could be improved with the use of technology, namely a point-of-sale system, students will create a model of that process that will further define the steps in the process and aid in further analysis of the issues and the proposed actions. In order to apply technology to a process, the process must be thoroughly understood and models are used for this purpose. The model also supports business process analysis and redesign if the process is deemed to be inefficient or ineffective. Models are also used to design the "to-be" process that describes the desired end state after the technology solution is developed.

Assignment

Using the textbook and external resources, write a short paper, 3 to 4 pages in length, including a title page and references page (not counted in the paper length), responding to the bulleted items below, focused upon the inventory control and financial transactions strategic area for improvement. Remember to correctly cite and reference your sources with APA format. Save the file with the following format: student name and assignment number "1" (i.e., wissel-1).

Create a document that includes the following:

• Perform a detailed Porter's Five Forces analysis for the Black and Brew Café, addressing each force in one or two sentences and defining the force, the force’s impact on the Café and your strategy or strategies for addressing the force.
• Determine which of Porter's Three Generic strategies (see textbook) you will use to rebuild the Black and Brew Café for the 21st century and explain why this strategy was selected.
• Based upon your analysis, identify a strategic area for improving the business (inventory control and financial transactions) and briefly explain this choice.
• Within the selected strategic area, identify a process (point-of-sale system) that could be improved with the use of technology.

Additionally, students will model the process identified for improvement in this first part of this assignment, namely the point-of-sale system process. Students may use a model similar to this example or develop one of their own, to (1) analyze the process identified for improvement, (2) break down the processes into sequential steps, and (3) modeling the process. Students may use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or clearly hand-draw your model (scan into an electronic file format for submission). Save the file with the following format: student’s last name and assignment number "1a" (i.e., wissel-1a).

The results of this assignment should be uploaded to the Stage 1 Assignment in the WebTycho classroom, the analysis paper as MS-Word file attachment, and the model either as a MS-Word document, a MS-PowerPoint presentation, or a scanned pdf file. Analyses submitted in other formats will not be accepted for grading.

In determining which process to select for improvement, inventory control and financial transactions and the point-of-sale system were identified to best assist students in successfully completing the remaining projects within this Case Study. Review Stages 2 - 5 to have a better understanding of the future projects that will build upon this initial stage. Understanding the future requirements also assists in selecting a process (and later proposing a technology solution) that can support the requirements of the follow-on assignments.

The "right" and "wrong" answers have to do with whether or not students correctly incorporated the course concepts from the textbook and addressed all parts of the assignment. Students need to conduct some external research for the case analysis, incorporate the results of the research, and cite (reference) the sources in APA format in the written portion of the assignment. The exact strategy selected is not as important as (1) how the strategy makes sense in light of the course content and the Case Study and (2) is well supported through the application of course concepts and external research.

The Black and Brew Café
Case Analysis - Stage 2

Due: 24 November 2013 24:00 (EST)

Introduction

Students will work on this cohesion case during the class session to help them tie all of the IT concepts together. The premise is that each student recently has inherited their grandfather’s coffee shop, started in 1962 and operates as if the year is 1962. Students will need to bring the Black and Brew Café into the 21st century. A coffee shop was chosen because coffee shops are instantaneously identifiable for students. This case will give students a true business approach to IT and allow them to work hands-on with many of the intangible concepts taught in the text (such as SCM, ERP, and Wireless Networks). The case also will help students tie all of the IT concepts together to see how the differing parts work together to help a business operate (even with non-IT businesses, such as a coffee shop). The flexibility of the case allows students to cover any number of topics, in any order, at any time during the session.

Purpose

This assignment gives students the opportunity to apply knowledge of technology solutions to improve a business process. This assignment specifically addresses the following course outcomes to enable you to:

• analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements; and
• identify and plan IT solutions that meet business objectives.

Background

The Black and Brew Café has been in business since 1962 and has never had a single competitor in the downtown area. One of your employees has heard a rumor that a Starbucks might be opening a store a few blocks away. Your staff is worried and is looking to you to provide reassurance that the competition will not affect your business. In addition, you have decided that this is a good time to develop your strategic direction for bringing the Café into the 21st century.

In the first stage of this case analysis, Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model was used to conduct an analysis of the Black and Brew Café and a process was identified at the Café which could benefit from the use of technology. Additionally, a model of that process was created and graphically demonstrated the major steps of the original process. The next step is to identify an alternative technology, practice, and procedure that would improve the initial process.

The proposed alternative (1) should address the business process, (2) should be appropriate to the Black and Brew Café, (3) should be described concisely with major components listed, and (4) an explanation should be given for why and how this proposed alternative will improve the business process.

Assignment

Using the textbook and external resources, write a short paper, 3 to 4 pages in length, including a title page and references page (not counted in the paper length), responding to the bulleted items below. Remember to correctly cite and reference your sources with APA format. Save the file with the following format: student name and assignment number "2" (i.e., wissel-2).

Create a document that includes the following:

• Briefly explain the business process identified in Stage 1 and why this process would benefit from alternative technology.
• Propose a specific alternative technology, describing the process in a few sentences.
• List the major hardware, software and communications components that will be needed. How many items or devices listed is dependent upon the alternative proposed. Ensure to include all the important components needed to implement this proposed technology. This listing of hardware, software, and communication components should be applicable to the proposed technology and should be appropriate for the Black and Brew Café.
• Explain how the proposed alternative technology will improve the process.
• Explain how the proposed alternative technology will support at least one strategic objective identified through the Porters Five Forces Analysis conducted in Stage 1.

The results of this assignment should be uploaded to the Stage 2 Assignment in the WebTycho classroom as MS-Word file attachment. Analyses submitted in other formats will not be accepted for grading.

Review the instructions for the remaining project in this Case Study, Stage 3, to have a better understanding of the future projects that will build upon the proposed alternative technology. Understanding the future requirements also will assist in deciding upon the technology. Students should propose an alternative that can be used in the assignments that follow this one, so be selective and choose an appropriate alternative.

The "right" and "wrong" answers have to do with whether or not students correctly incorporated the course concepts from the textbook and addressed all parts of the assignment. Students need to conduct some external research for the case analysis, incorporate the results of the research, and cite (reference) the sources in APA format in the written portion of the assignment. The exact alternative technology proposed is not as important as (1) whether the technology proposed is applicable to the Black and Brew Café, (2) could actually improve the process identified, (3) is fully thought-out, and (4) is well supported through the application of course concepts and external research.

The Black and Brew Café
Case Analysis - Stage 3

Due: 8 December 2013 24:00 (EST)

Introduction

Students will work on this cohesion case during the class session to help them tie all of the IT concepts together. The premise is that each student recently has inherited their grandfather’s coffee shop, started in 1962 and operates as if the year is 1962. Students will need to bring the Black and Brew Café into the 21st century. A coffee shop was chosen because coffee shops are instantaneously identifiable for students. This case will give students a true business approach to IT and allow them to work hands-on with many of the intangible concepts taught in the text (such as SCM, ERP, and Wireless Networks). The case also will help students tie all of the IT concepts together to see how the differing parts work together to help a business operate (even with non-IT businesses, such as a coffee shop). The flexibility of the case allows students to cover any number of topics, in any order, at any time during the session.

Purpose

This assignment gives students the opportunity to apply knowledge of the areas to be considered in planning and implementing a technology solution. This assignment specifically addresses the following course outcomes to enable you to:

• analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements; and
• identify and plan IT solutions that meet business objectives.

Background

The Black and Brew Café has been in business since 1962 and has never had a single competitor in the downtown area. One of your employees has heard a rumor that a Starbucks might be opening a store a few blocks away. Your staff is worried and is looking to you to provide reassurance that the competition will not affect your business. In addition, you have decided that this is a good time to develop your strategic direction for bringing the Café into the 21st century. The next step is to let Café managers and staff know what is coming. The Café is too small to have a CIO; however, you will fulfill this role. The "process owners" are the managers of the operations at the Café.

For this assignment, students will develop an annotated outline that identifies the next steps to implement the solution described in Stage 2, addressing a number of areas such as, but not limited to, project management, system development life cycle, change management. In the second stage of this case analysis, alternative technology to improve a business process at the Black and Brew Café was proposed. Prior to initiating a strategic plan, there are several areas that need to be considered in regards to this technology.

Assignment

Using the textbook and external resources, (1) complete the Table of IT Considerations, (2) provide a brief explanation of the proposed technology solution, and (3) develop an annotated outline 2-3 pages in length, responding to the bulleted items below. Remember to correctly cite and reference sources with APA format. Save the file with the following format: student name and assignment number "3" (i.e., wissel-3).

The results of this assignment should be uploaded to the Stage 3 Assignment in the WebTycho classroom as MS-Word file attachments. Analyses submitted in other formats will not be accepted for grading.

To complete the Table of IT Considerations, open the attached table and complete the remaining two columns. For each area of consideration, rank the specific technology proposed as high, medium or low in importance or relevance for the Black and Brew Café. If an area of consideration is Not Applicable to the proposed technology, enter N/A. Afterwards, provide a brief explanation, a minimum of two sentences for each consideration, to justify that ranking. Explanations must provide enough information to convey the reasoning behind the ranking. Save the Table of IT Considerations file with the following format: student name and assignment number "3a" (i.e., wissel-3a). These considerations are listed in the table provided below.

Table of IT Considerations
Area	High/Medium/Low Importance or Relevance or Not Applicable (N/A)	Explanation for Ranking
Accessibility
Availability
Maintainability
Portability
Reliability
Scalability
Usability
Disaster Recovery Plan
Authentication & Authorization
Prevention & Resistance (Security)
Detection & Response (Security)
Grid Computing
Cloud Computing
Virtualized Computing
Communications Architecture
Database Architecture
Decision Support
Artificial Intelligence
Business-to-Business eCommerce
Business-to-Consumer eCommerce

Depending on the specific technology proposed, some of these considerations will be more important than others, or may need specific consideration prior to implementation. The responses entered into the table for each consideration must be aligned to the specific technology proposed and appropriate to the Black and Brew Café.

For example, if the alternative technology being proposed were to include a kiosk for customers to place their orders at the Café, then for the area of Accessibility, the following might be entered:

Area	High/Medium/Low Importance or Relevance or Not Applicable (N/A)	Explanation for Ranking
Accessibility	Medium	Since the customers will use the kiosk to enter their orders, the kiosk must be accessible to everyone, even those with disabilities. Customers may have a variety of issues using the kiosk, so this will not be the only method customers can place an order -- the counter personnel still will be available to take the orders. Accessibility is ranked "Medium" because of the importance of access to the kiosk in placing an order for some customers and for public relations. However, accessibility is not "High" since there are other methods of placing orders.

An annotated outline provides the basic information in full sentences, but in outline form rather than in paragraph form. In this case, each aspect of the next steps to be taken to implement your proposed technology must be addressed. Provide all of the important facts, without the expanded discussions used in full-length papers. Each of the topics in the list below should be explained as they apply to the proposed technology and to the Café, using a few sentences for each topic and providing information specific to your proposal.

When providing the brief explanation of the proposed alternative technology, identify the alternative technology, state what the technology is expected to do for the Café, and summarize the information provided in the Stage 2 assignment.

The annotated outline should address the next steps in each of the following areas that the Black and Brew Café will take to implement your proposed alternative technology:

• VERY brief description of proposed technology (to set the stage for the rest of the outline)
• Project Management (schedule, resources, deliverables)
• System Development Life Cycle (all phases)
• Change Management
• Employee Training
• Leadership Expectations
• Defining Success
• Reference(s)

The "right" and "wrong" answers have to do with whether or not students incorporated the course concepts from the textbook and addressed all areas of the assignment, correctly ranked each consideration as the consideration relates to the proposed technology, and have provided a well-supported explanation for the ranking assigned. Your "next steps" must be defined specifically for the Black and Brew Café, addressing (1) the business, (2) the environment, and (3) your alternative technology proposed. Also, external research on at least one aspect of the assignment, cited in APA format, must be incorporated in this annotated outline. For the Table of IT Considerations, the exact ranking proposed is not as important as (1) whether the technology ranking provided is applicable to the solution, (2) are ranked appropriately considering the explanation provided, and (3) are appropriate to the Black and Brew Café.