Applebees International - Assignment Example

Career Fair Assignment Applebee’s International, Inc. of Company: Applebee’s International, Inc. Parent Company: DineEquity, Inc. Brief Description of Company Applebee’s is an American company which operates in the restaurant industry. It builds up, franchises and functions the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar chain of restaurants. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of DineEquity, Inc. since November 2007 (formerly IHOP, International House Of Pancakes Corporation). Brief History: The Applebee’s string was initiated on January 1, 1980 by Bill and T. J. Palmer who commenced with their first restaurant, T. J. Applebee’s Rx for Edibles & Elixirs, in Decatur, Georgia. In order to reflect both the Palmer brothers’ idea of a place people could name their own, in 1986, the name of the idea was changed into Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar. It has also been known as Applebee’s Services, Inc. and it functions as the largest casual-dining restaurant chain in the world. Corporate Office Location: The Company’s corporate office is located currently in Kansas City, Missouri; it has been shifted from Lenexa, Kansas in September 2011. Products: As Applebee’s functions in the restaurant industry, its theme mainly spots on a type of casual dining of food with conventional American cuisine comprising of salads, sea food such as shrimps, chicken, pasta and its signature dish, ‘riblets’. All Applebee’s restaurants contain a bar division which serve alcoholic drinks but this addition pertains to places only where it is permissible by law. Size of Company Company Details Total Number of Units (as per 2011) 1,990 Number of Employees company-wide 28,000 Revenue (DineEquity, Inc., as of Sep 30, 2011) US$ 1,130 million Net Loss (DineEquity, Inc., as of Sep 30, 2011) US$ -14.55 million Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) US$ -0.82 According to the official website of Applebee’s, currently there are more than 1,990 Applebee’s restaurants functioning under the system in around 49 states, 15 international countries and one U. S. territory. Moreover, there are approximately 28,000 employees working under the system of Applebee’s (Applebee’s 2012). Core Values and Constituents of Applebee’s Vision Awards & Recognitions Applebee’s continues to sustain itself as one of the best names in the restaurant industry all over the world; this is depicted through its awards and recognitions, some of these are listed below: Chain of the Year – Restaurant Hospitality Magazine Excellence in Retention Award – Nation’s Restaurant News, People and Performance Award Council Heart of the Workplace Award – For modeling of best personnel and people practices Top Performer in Management Retention Award Catalyst Award Project Excellence and Team Excellence Awards – 7th Annual International Food Service Technology Exposition One of America’s Best Managed Companies – Forbes Magazine Specific Issues Faced by the Company Every company faces controversies in its going concern, so has Applebee’s. Some instances include it under a forced arbitration issue when it violated the Arbitration Fairness Act in 2009 and it banned its employees to sue the company under any circumstances. This was reported by The Huffington Post on February 11, 2009. Another issue pertains to side-work payment of compensation by the company under which it was sued and this continues since 2006 regarding hourly payment of wages to servers to work for non-serviced labor. Utilization of Social Media The website as a source of information for its users comprising of prospective employees and other general users is quite appropriate but it has to be enhanced for friendly user viewing. There should be a translation factor installed on the website of the company for non-English user and the absence of a proper mission statement and a vision should be taken care of as this is quite of a basic information conveyance to users. 2. Old Navy Name of Company: Old Navy Parent Company: Division of The Gap. Inc. Brief Description of Company Old Navy is an American origin brand pertaining to the retail industry. Owned by The Gap, Inc., it is an American brand of clothing as well as a chain of stores. It should be taken into notice that is not a subsidiary but a division or a brand constituent of The Gap, Inc. The current CEO of Old Navy is Glenn K. Murphy and the President is John Wyatt. Brief History: In the year 1994, Old Navy commenced with its first stores in Northern California in cities like San Leandro, Colma and Pittsburg. The initial first three stores were originally developed as Gap Warehouse stores and their dimension of size and scale were relatively higher than others opened by the company before. In 2005, the then president, Dawn Robertson said that Old Navy’s competitors included Hollister Co. and American Eagle Outfitters. Doris and Don Fisher opened the first Gap store in 1969 in San Francisco (Gap, Inc. 2012). Corporate Office Location: Old Navy’s corporate operations function in San Francisco and San Bruno, California, United States. Products: Old Navy brand’s products are different clothing items such as lightweight sweaters, pencil-thin denim jeans, and numerous other clothing modern products and accessories for every age type including women, men, boys, toddler boys and girls etc. The Gap, Inc. has five brands namely Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. Size of Company The Gap, Inc. - Company Details Total Number of Units (Only Old Navy) 1,027 and in total 3,100 Number of Employees (The Gap, Inc. – Total Worldwide, covering all its five brands) 134,000 Revenue (The Gap, Inc., as of Oct 29, 2011) Old Navy: US$ 1,180 million Gap, Inc.: US$ 14,630 million Net Income (The Gap, Inc., as of Oct 29, 2011) US$ 980 million Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS - The Gap, Inc., as of Oct 29, 2011) US$ 1.74 As of the year 2007, Old Navy has around 1,027 stores in the United States and Canada. Its flagship stores are its largest stores situated in New York City, the Mall of America, Seattle and San Francisco. The biggest of these giant stores is in San Francisco on the Market Street. Talking about Gap, its total distribution stores are 12 in number with nine of them in the United States and one each in Canada, U. K. and Japan. Mission of the Company Old Navy’s mission is to provide affordable, fashionable and modern clothing and accessories for adults, babies, kids, moms, etc. The brand’s philosophy is simple; they tend to make a positive lasting impact on the residents or people and the places in which it operates. Core values for the brand include humility, compassion and a firm desire to win which were the values followed by Doris and Don Fisher when they opened their first store in 1969. Awards As Old Navy is just a brand under the trademark of The Gap, Inc. and not a company, there was little information available which is the case in this section as well. But this can be related to the Awards and Recognition section for its head company, The Gap, Inc. The Gap, Inc. has worked hard to work as one of the world’s greatest places to work and has won numerous awards and recognitions, some of them include: Ethisphere Magazine’s, World’s Most Ethical Companies – 2010 Financial Times – Justmeans, Social Innovation Awards – 2010 CR Magazine, “100 Best Corporate Citizens” – 2011 Fortune Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” – 2010 & 2009 Specific Issues Faced by the Company Some of the issues faced by Gap, Inc. included its trademark dispute with a number of other entities due to gap being a common English name. There was a lawsuit imposed by the company against a golf course in British Columbia, named Bootleg Gap. After three years of talks and negotiations and due to less funds and finances possessed by the golf course, it changed its name to Bootleg Golf. Gap has also suffered from allegations pertaining to forced labor or engaging labor on low wage rates or indulging with sweatshops. Utilization of Social Media The website is quite innovative and there is a separate website for each of its brands. But again, there has to be a translation incentive attached with the website, moreover, there should be a ‘chat with executive’ option at the bottom of the website screen for the ease of users. Gap should work honestly on its labor practices all over the world in its stores and should follow the proper laws regarding this subject. 3. Enterprise Rent-A-Car Name of Company: Enterprise Rent-A-Car Parent Company: Enterprise Holdings, Inc. Brief Description of Company Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a rental car company acting as a subsidiary of Enterprise Holdings, Inc. which became a private limited company recently in 2009 and operates a number of names under it. It is the largest car renting company in North America. Considering its vast operations, it purchases around 7% of all new vehicles sold in the U. S. Brief History: Enterprise Rent-A-Car was formed in 1957 by Jack Taylor as a car rental company and throughout its inception, it has performed outstandingly to become North America’s largest car rental company offering additional services as well such as car leasing, vanpooling car sharing etc. Corporate Office Location: Clayton, Missouri, United States Products: Car-Rental, Car Leasing, Vanpooling, Car Sharing, Fleet Management Services, International Car Services, Hourly Rental programs, local car rental programs, etc. Size of Company Company Details Number of Units (Enterprise Rent-A-Car) 6,000 neighborhood and airport locations Number of Employees (Enterprise Holdings, Inc.) 68,000 Revenue (Enterprise Holdings, Inc.) US$ 12,100 billion There was no straightforward information available for the subsidiary, Enterprise Rent-A-Car itself, so apart from the number of units, the details pertain to the parent company, Enterprise Holdings, Inc. The stores of the subsidiary include local market locations as well as airport locations and they are spread around countries comprising of United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom and Ireland. Mission of the Company Enterprise Rent-A-Car believes in making lifelong relationships with customers and that through providing quality and superior services to each and every customer. This practice of the company has enhanced its culture brilliantly and this has been applauded by the world in terms of numerous books and articles (Enterprise Holdings, Inc. 2012). Awards & Recognitions BusinessWeek Magazine – One of the “50 Best Places to Launch A Career” Proud Recipient of the Freedom Award - ESGR (Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve) Award Diversity Employers Magazine - The Top 100 Employers - 2011 Specific Issues Faced by the Company An issue relating to Enterprise Rent-A-Car was the recall of its cars sent for rentals. As per the case sued upon the company by the California Bar Journal in 2010, a PT Cruiser rented out to two sisters erupted fire and caused instant deaths. Moreover, there were a number of fleet management controversies as well which caused the company a hand full of penalties. Utilization of Social Media The website of the parent company is not quite innovative and user friendly, as this is the private holding company, its website and other sources of information should be easily accessible. Moreover, it is a fact that it is a private company but some of its details such as financials should be made available to users for comparison. 4. Waffle House, Inc. Name of Company: Waffle House, Inc. Parent Company: Waffle House Capital, L.L.C. Brief Description of Company Waffle House, Inc. is an American chain of restaurants offering casual dining dishes to customers in over 1600 locations in more than 25 states in the U. S. It provides food service and is a privately held company. Brief History: The first and foremost Waffle House commenced in 1955 on a Labor Day weekend in Avondale Estates, Georgia; this was conceptualized and founded by Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner who still have considerable shares in the company today. Corporate Office Location: The Company’s headquarters are located in Gwinnett Country near Norcross, Georgia, United States. Products: The restaurant chain offers versatile food products and services including a breakfast focus with omelets and other dishes; some signature deals along with some of America’s leading brands and many other quality served dishes. Size of Company Company Details Total Number of Units More than 1,500 Revenue (as of 2009) US$ 524 million The company has performed very well since its inception and has served innumerable customers; it has currently more than 1,500 customers in around 25 states in the United States. Just to quote an example, Waffle House has served more than 264 million omelets to customers since 1955. Mission of the Company As the company has been formed by two persons who are still the majority shareholders, being senior players, their ideologies will be by nature quite friendly and cooperative. Their mission is to proffer its customers an exclusive experience through providing with one of the greatest food products, cooperative, friendly and attentive service along with an affordable price and a welcoming atmosphere (Waffle House, Inc 2012). Awards & Recognitions Waffle House has been considered A Unique American Phenomenon due to their philosophy of serving GOOD FOOD FAST. It has served millions of omelets, coca cola glasses, hot dogs, breakfast deals since 1955 and has assured its service as GOOD and FAST. Specific Issues Faced by the Company Race issues concerning to racial discrimination has been posted as an issue against the company by some customers in 2005. Moreover, there was an instance when undercooked hamburgers caused deaths of four persons in 1993. Utilization of Social Media The main data source for the company, the website is not so innovative and user-friendly; it misses some factors such as a separate section for its awards and recognitions and a translation add-on as well. Moreover, though it has been considered as one of the best disaster management company, it should work on the employee racial issue as potential employees may think of it as an offense to them. 5. Target Corporation Name of Company: Target Corporation Parent Company: Target Corporation (Itself) Brief Description of Company Target Corporation, known as Target, is an American retailing company and is considered the second largest discount retailer in the United States after Wal-Mart. It is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 list as of the year 2010. It is a public limited company and is listed on the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 index. Brief History: The Company was founded by George Dayton in 1902 as the Dayton Dry Goods Company and the first store opened in 1962 in Minnesota. Corporate Office Location: Target Plaza Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Products: All types of retail products comprising of clothing, groceries, shoes, jewelry, health and beauty products, electronics and so on and so forth. Size of Company Company Details Total Number of Units 1,750 Number of Employees (as per 2010) 355,000 Revenue (as of October 29, 2011) US$ 69,240 million Net Income (as of October 29, 2011) US$ 2,980 million Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) US$ 4.30 *Source: Yahoo! Finance 2012 As mentioned before in this paper, the corporation has worked very efficiently and effectively and has covered a vast market all over the world. It has around 1,750 stores in 49 states in the United States including more than 240 SuperTarget stores. The stores are spread all over United States, Canada, Australia, etc. Mission of the Company With the brand promise of Expect More, Pay Less and promising to fulfill it, Target Corporation’s mission is to become the most preferred shopping destination for its guests by proffering exceptional value, sustainable innovation and exclusive guest experience (Target Corporation 2012). Awards & Recognitions A Great Place to Work Fortune Magazine – Ranked 22 on its list of “World’s Most Admired Companies” Forbes Magazine – Ranked 23 on its list of “America’s Most Reputable Big Companies” Corporate Citizenship Ethisphere Institute – Ranked Target as one of “The World’s Most Ethical Companies” Specific Issues Faced by the Company Lack of labor unions, labor wage issues, working against gay and lesbian organizations are some of the past issues and controversies the world has talked about Target; the labor issue can be of concern for prospective employees. Utilization of Social Media The company’s website for viewing by users and potential employees is finely developed but there should be some additions to it such as a chat option with an employee of the corporation. For anticipated career opportunities, there should be ads and vacancies posted on social mediums such as twitter, facebook, linked in, etc. The company should give equal and fair chances to candidates from international venues and there should be an Equal Employment Opportunity in almost all career vacancies listed out by Target Corporation. References Applebee’s International, Inc. Our History. 2012. January 30, 2012 Enterprise Holdings, Inc. About Enterprise. 2012. January 30, 2012 Gap, Inc. Our Brands: Old Navy. 2012. January 30, 2012 Target Corporation. Corporate Awards + Recognition. 2012. January 30, 2012 Waffle House, Inc. Our History. 2012. January 30, 2012 Yahoo! Finance. Target Corporation Common Stock (TGT). 2012. January 30, 2012 Read More