Taco Bell Case Study

Workshop Case Study – Taco Bell Design, Layout & Process Choice â€Å"Design for Transformation† In 1999, three out of every four Mexican fast-food meals purchased in the United States were made from one company – Taco Bell. However, this market dominance may never have come about unless the company had not transformed its operations throughout the 1980’s. In the early 1980’s, Taco Bell was typical of this kind. It was essentially a job shop operation. Nearly all food production was carried out on site: – –foodstuffs were prepared from their raw state; food items such as ground beef for tacos were cooked for a period of several hours in vats; –guacamole and other sauces were made-up; –beans were washed, cleaned and cooked; Once these items were ready for sale, they were then assembled in response to a customer order. This meant that wait time at the cash register was 105 seconds on average, an even slower during peak peri ods. This type of operations led to a number of management challenges. Staff had to be scheduled and organised in shifts so that they mainly prepared food items and cleaned the unit during slack periods, whilst they assembled orders and served customers during busy times.It was estimated that the restaurant manager spent an hour each day working on his crew schedule in order to match labour supply as closely as possible to potential demand, and thereby meet the company’s cost targets. Food cost control was also a priority, which meant that a great deal of time and effort went into ensuring no menu item was prepared in too small or too large a quantity. But the complexity of this operation, lead to quite wide variations in food quality, both within single units and between units in the chain. This was not helped by inconsistency in the quality of raw materials, which were ainly sourced locally. The emphasis on in-house food production meant that that the ratio of kitchen to di ning space was 70:30. Moreover, the main assembly line where food items were made to order ran parallel to the service counter, so that employees on the line were facing away from the customers. At that time, Taco Bell did not have a drive-through window, even though 50 per cent of competitors’ sales were from this source. Beginning in 1983, the CEO of Taco Bell, John Martin, made a number of major changes to the physical layout.The food assembly line was reconfigured to have two shorter lines at right angles to the service counter. This improved product flow and improved customers’ perception of the operation. The introduction of electronic point-of-sale not only improved order taking and cash handling, but also provided improved data on which food forecasting could be made. Other changes included: – –adding new menu items; –increasing the average size of new units from 1600 up to 2000 square feet; –adding drive-through windows; the upgradi ng the decor and uniforms of staff. However, external pressures meant that Martin also had to adopt a new operations process. By the mid-1980’s, the US fast-food market had matured and competition was fierce. Previously performance was judged on growth, which could be achieved by opening new units. In the mature market-place, market share became much more significant. Labour shortages also meant an increase in labour costs, up by 18 per cent for the industry, but by 50 per cent for Taco Bell due to its relatively larger, skilled workforce.Whereas chains with burger or chicken concepts could offset this increase by taking advantage of falling food costs, Taco Bell’s food cost remained at around 30 per cent of sales. So by 1989, Taco Bell was a relatively small player in the market being squeezed by rising costs. In a series of initiatives, the operation was transformed. K-minus was a project that turned the kitchen into just a heating and assembly unit. Nearly all food preparation (chopping, slicing and mixing of vegetables and meat) and cooking was eliminated.Beef, chicken and beans arrived in pre-cooked bags, lettuce was pre-shredded, hard tortillas pre-fried and guacamole delivered in cartridges. This changed the ratio of ‘back-of-house’ to ‘front-of-house’ to 30:70, reduced staffing levels in each unit and increased the operational capacity of each unit. The SOS (speed of service) initiative was designed to respond to market research that showed customers wanted their food fast. Recipes were adapted and a heated staging area developed so that 60 per cent of the menu items, representing over 80 per cent of sales volume, were pre-wrapped ready for sale.This reduced (Total Automation of Company Operations – TACO) was an IT project designed to computerise in-store operations and network each unit to headquarters. TACO provided each manager with daily reports on 46 key performance measures, assisted with production and labour scheduling and aided inventory control. This reduced the time restaurant managers spent on paperwork by up to 16 hours a week. These process changes and the investment in technology were also accompanied by changes in human resource management. The restaurant manager’s job was now very different from what it had been due to K-minus, SOS and TACO.Taco Bell recognised that managers should now focus much more on ‘front-of-house’ and on the customer. The management structure within each unit was therefore changed along with job descriptions and remuneration packages. Much more pay was performance related, so that top managers could earn $80, 000 a year, a huge increase on previous salary scales. Selection criteria for the new restaurant managers were also adapted to reflect the new style of operation. Between 1984 and 1994, Taco Bell doubled its sales and tripled its profits. Despite this, competition remained tough.With the right processes in place, Marti n could now look to other ways in which to improve operational performance. So, in the mid-1990’s the focus switched from technology to human resources, with the growth of team-managed units and the development of the learning organisation within Taco. (Source: Brown, Lamming, Bessant & Jones, Strategic Operations Management, 2nd edn. Elsevier, 2005) Tasks Clearly from the Taco Bell case, managing the process transformation is an enormously important challenge for operations managers in both service and manufacturing settings.Success does not come about purely by having the correctly designed layout, process and technology. Other skills and tacit knowledge also come into play. Task 1 Critically evaluate how strategic operational initiatives such as K-minus, SOS and TACO struck the right balance of addressing the â€Å"hard† & â€Å"soft† operational problems Taco faced and delivering customer satisfaction. Task 2 Changing the transformational process (i. e. to t he layout, product and process control) has a direct correlation to improving customer service and satisfaction? Discuss.

The Different Sources of Law in England and Wales Essay

The Different Sources of Law in England and Wales - Essay Example Judges create common law by delivering written judgments on the cases that have been brought before them. If magistrates’ courts across both Wales and England were to be allowed to follow and make their own precedents, this would have the effect of creating relatively huge variations in both the regional and local legal customs in the two countries (Gearey, Morrison and Jago, 2013). The common law works to ensure that the law remains common throughout the land. However, it is the responsibility of the House of Lords and the criminal division of the Court of Appeal to create legal precedents in relation to criminal matters affecting Wales and England. It is the decision that is made by these higher courts that works to bind the lower courts.  At times, new situations occur that are found to be entirely new in relation to common law. In such instances, courts in England and Wales can sometimes opt to look aboard at the decisions of the courts made in other commonwealth countri es in order to seek the necessary guidance or from them. This allows for common law systems to have a degree of flexibility and stability as they continue to look to each other for guidance (Gearey, Morrison and Jago, 2013).Statute Law and Common Law Interaction  Although the English legal system is primarily founded n common law, this does not necessarily mean that statutes are any less binding. In fact, the relationship between statute and common law is that that statute law codifies certain rules whereas the common law serves to provide clarification.

Social and Situational Crime Prevention Strategies Research Paper

Social and Situational Crime Prevention Strategies - Research Paper Example The most widely recognized definition of crime prevention in the latter part of the 20th century refers to the difference between social and situational strategies of crime prevention—social strategies are generally called ‘community crime prevention’ (Stenson, 1991, p. 63). Many argue that the concepts of social and situational prevention are quite contemporary, even though the principles they support are not. This paper analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, and applications of situational and social crime prevention strategies. Social crime prevention focuses mostly on transforming social environments and the impulses of lawbreakers. Social crime prevention strategies hence are likely to place emphasis on the creation of programs, like activity-based courses and youth associations, to discourage existing or possible delinquents from future criminal behavior. Jon Bright claims that one of the main advocates of social crime prevention is the United Kingdom, which â €Å"aims to strengthen socialization agencies and community institutions in order to influence those groups that are most at risk of offending† (Stenson, 1991, p. 64). On the other hand, situational crime prevention strategies primarily involve ‘opportunity reduction’, like monitoring of activities in public places (e.g. parking lots, shopping malls, etc.) through surveillance equipment, to lessen opportunities for criminal activities. Both social and situational crime prevention strategies are likely to be ‘multiagency’ in focus, instead of being motivated by a single agency, like law enforcement (Lowman & MacLean, 1992). The top radical criminologist, Jock Young, has identified multiagency crime prevention measures in this way: â€Å"Multiagency intervention is the planned, coordinated response of the major social agencies to problems of crime and incivilities† (Lowman & MacLean, 1992, p. 64).  

Low Cost and Scheduled Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Low Cost and Scheduled Airlines - Case Study Example The core benefit of this service is that it's a cheaper way to travel and it began in the USA mainly to maintain a low cost structure compared to the competitors. Their main aim is to have the lowest cost structure and they charge for the food ordered during the flight. The actual product includes the packaging, branding, quality, features and design. The low cost airlines are a service so it does not have packaging but branding is essential for any company to instigate brand loyalty and to attract customers. Branding is essential to create high brand equity in the market since the more powerful and valuable a brand is the more will increase the market share. Quality can be an issue in this case because all they provide is a safe flight and food that might not be up to higher standards. When they do not provide passenger services then quality is of question here but people mainly come to them for cheap fares and they are not concerned with the other services. These airlines provide s ingle passenger class only. Finally, the augmented product includes delivery, warranty and after sales services. Low cost airlines deliver at cheap prices without much of services to attract the masses and they do not provide much of the after sales services but the delivery of the product is equal to the expectations of the consumers since they want cheap fares. On the other hand, scheduled airlines are e... e core benefit of this service is the choice of traveling in comfort with innumerable choices to be in luxury and bliss, plus it also allows people to travel on a cheaper price compared to business class and it provides lesser services or choices to travel in luxury. They charge enough on the ticket to provide food and other luxurious services. The actual product is about branding without which these airlines can not survive and make a name in the market. They need high brand equity to achieve a huge market share. They have to maintain good quality to maintain high brand equity. The augmented product is about delivery and after sales services. They deliver according to the customer's expectations and they do give after sales services like car service on landing in the destination. The Price The low cost airlines provide low fares. Their main pricing goal is current profit maximization. In this case they estimate what demand and costs will be at different prices and they choose the best option to attract more customers and earn high profits. But they also aim to achieve market share leadership through lowest costs, lowest prices and highest long-run profits. They have mainly stressed on competition based pricing that is setting prices based on what the competitors charge. The main aim is to have a lower cost structure compared to competitors in order to attract more customers. The scheduled airlines provide expensive fares that range between business class and economy class. These airlines have product quality leadership as their main pricing goal. They charge high prices to cover high performance quality and other costs. These airlines have value-based pricing approach that is setting prices based on the buyer's perceptions of value rather than on seller's cost.

Why I feel Grateful to Duncan Abdelnour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Why I feel Grateful to Duncan Abdelnour - Essay Example For the sake of brevity, I would like to call this a personal epiphany of sorts. I had this experience about two months ago and it involved a news report that talked about the coolest tech startups in the US. Certainly, I know about Silicon Valley or Facebook or how Instagram fetched a whooping $1-billion price tag when it was acquired. The tech world for me is "that far" - something that is within the realm of the probable but not exactly a game changing sphere where I see myself being part of or being successful participating in. Its realness is further diminished by the difference in the field I have chosen for myself, my interests and my skill-sets. What caught my attention was the portmanteau that is seemingly the preferred choice in naming most tech startups nowadays. It was Beatmerch. It was so interesting for me because the name tagged to it is someone I know or, at least, someone I am familiar with: Duncan Abdelnour. This person would probably not remember me from Adam. But he was indelibly etched on my mind. The perfectly coiffed and neat hair and that bushy eyebrows in the news photograph are unmistakably the same as sported by the person who sat before me at a conference I half-heartedly attended for an academic assignment last June. I knew him because we were handed these name tags and that was the only other memory Ive had of that event because he unknowingly dropped it in my latte. He did not apologize because he apparently did not know of it. I was annoyed nonetheless. Here is the thing: Reading about Duncan Abdelnour and Beatmerch sort of woke me up and inspired me at the same time. He is still currently in college, majoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship in the University of Tampa but he already has this cool startup business, which made $126,000 in less than a year.

Urban Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Urban Education - Essay Example Teachers are central to the excellence of students. There are no poor students, there are bad teachers. A good teacher is able to see the potential of every student and help develop that potential. A good teacher considers intellectual, physical, emotional, social and spiritual dimensions of students’ human experience, enhancing students’ social interactions and belief in democracy and other ideas of the US. A good teacher is always a leader. Such a professional becomes a caring mother (or father) for his students, creating comfortable and favorable conditions for the development of each of them. He effectively communicates with parents and community and inspires colleagues to be flexible, to recognize talents and hidden resources of their students and adopt an individual approach. A teacher should be a leader able to encourage others to be creative. Such a leader can organize a thoughtful change process in his school, facing everybody’s needs and aims. A teacher who is a leader educates through all his life, influencing his students, colleagues, parents, and community. As we can see the reforms are to take place not in the sphere of urban education, but in the minds of educators themselves. Then one sees wonders of urban education when students from the poorest districts show results much better than those from prestigious schools when students become valuable citizens and realized personalities. There has always been needed in teachers–leaders, able to inspire and educate others. The fact is that that the profession has always been undervalued. Teachers are underpaid. They are not listened to even in cases when decisions directly concern their needs and work.  

The Aim and Importance of Literacy and Numeracy Essay Example for Free

The Aim and Importance of Literacy and Numeracy Essay Literacy and numeracy are an extremely important part of everyday life and the 2 key subjects taught in school; Literacy is the basis of communication, Speaking Listen, along with Reading and Writing. We speak to and listen to people all the time and we contact people we can’t speak to by letter or email. Then numeracy is in the very least the centre of problem solving; money handling; weighing and measuring along with handling data which we all do on a near daily basis, with activities such as: cooking, shopping and keeping check on our bills and bank account . It is important that every child develops these skills as early on as possible so the foundations are there to build on as they get older. For the majority of children this should begin at home with family members talking as much as possible with them to encourage their speech and crayons to scribble and gradually inspire them to write their name etc. Parents can count things with them and sing counting songs to promote understanding of numbers and by the time a child starts school/pre-school they should be read to daily. The aim is to make sure every student can effectively access literacy and numeracy from a young age as it will later be important across the curriculum. Regardless of their ability work should be tailored to meet their specific needs. It is also to promote numeracy and literacy skills in their everyday situations by introducing activities and events which are suitable to their requirements and cover the planned outcomes. All young people need to develop these abilities in order to progress in their learning and education as well as developing their life and social skills ready for  most students to successfully gain employment and or to lead independent lives. Numeracy is applied across the curriculum in several ways: In science and cooking, with the use of weights and measures, timing, problem solving and calculations, science also covers data handling and predictions along with the use of graphs. It is also promoted in activities such as shopping and using a cafe where students have to recognise money; calculate amounts; work out which coins they need and how much change should be given. It is introduce in practical activities  such as wood work where students plan and design something they will make, they measure wood, count screws and possibly use problem solving during the activity if it doesn’t go to plan. Students may be encouraged to grow plants, so they can measure and record growth along with plotting the recordings and showing this in a graph. They are encouraged to analyse the data and explain their findings. Other examples of numeracy across the curriculum are geography, history and PE. Geography may be using graphs to see such things as rainfall through out a year or in different places, so  reading and understanding data is required, and history may use numeracy by putting events in chronological date order and knowing which occurred fist etc. PE uses measurement in high jump, long jump, discuss, javelin and any other activity where distance or height need recording. Numeracy skills involving money management, addition, subtraction, weights, area, space and measure will be implemented in daily life when shopping, paying bills, checking wages and bank account transactions, along with planning meals, cooking, decorating, ordering curtains, gardening and most DIY projects. Literacy is more easily promoted across the curriculum as all lessons and activities involve speaking and listening which is generally the main form of communication, and most will involve reading and writing. The majority of mainstream subjects implicate reading a text book, so good reading skills are essential. Many instructions for work to be completed are given orally and listening skills are required. Students need to be able to ask or answer questions verbally; higher order questioning may be used to ascertain knowledge and understanding and to provoke more  independent thinking, so speaking and listening abilities are used here. Good reading skills also help students with their spellings when writing which helps with presentation in every subject. Strong and confident reading and writing skills will enhance the student’s interpretation of exam papers and lead to better qualifications being gained at the end of their education. Our young people are encouraged to take part in verbal dialogue as much as possible, often prompted by questioning which should be aimed at the student’s level; this promotes their listening  skills as well as their speaking. Some students use PECs to communicate to other, but these students are still verbally and gesturally prompted to speak. Students are encouraged to ask for things they need, rather than it just being given to them, which is done to promote their communication capabilities. Literacy skills involving Speaking, listening, reading and writing will be implemented in everyday life when communicating, whether in a verbal conversation or via a social networking site, or in correspondences such as a letter or email. In conclusion, numeracy and literacy are the basis to everyday life, so strong foundations need to be established as early as possible to ensure a strong structure to build up on, in order to develop the essential skills for a successful education and more importantly for the life skills we all require to maintain a good standard of independent living as adults. Every effort should be made to ensure all students develop the capability to communicate to the best of their ability as soon as possible, as this is crucial to the continued development of their learning, independence and their  social skills, as well as an effective life after school. The delivery of literacy and numeracy should enhance student’s confidence and individuality along with their personal and social skills. All outcomes, achievements and progress should be clearly recorded with indicators of the next step to be delivered to the young person. With the use of a personal learning plan work should be resourced to meet the level and needs of a student. Numeracy and literacy can be introduced in each subject or task at the appropriate level and often implemented in a practical manor if necessary.