Communicating in Cupcake Business - Case Study Example

Name: Institution: Topic: Establish Networks of a Cupcake Business Professor: Course: Date: Establish Networks of a Cupcake Business Profitability Our business intends on increasing revenue and decreasing expenses in order to maximize yearly profits. That is to raise the average ticket amount from $5.42 to $ 6.50, to increase up sales of bakery products by 20% and to decrease overall utility bills by 7% by installing great efficient appliances and light bulbs (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2011, pg.87). Increase Awareness To increase general awareness of specific expertise or menu items. Participate in an annual citywide baking competition with media coverage. Educate various people about baking and to make the best cupcakes in the country and provide the best customer service. Production To increase cupcake production 10% every day, educates people about baking, best quality products and has well equipped machines. Ensure that our customer gets the cupcakes in time without failure. Our business aims at developing a various cupcakes shops countrywide and internationally, opening up a bakery school where we shall teach students how to bake cupcakes and also cakes of various flavors and sizes, opening of three more units within a year and the development and implementation of a training program that shows new hire activities for the first 90 days on the job. Ethical standards are the principles that when followed they promote values for example trust, good behavior, fairness and kindness. Value It is a strong ethical business practices that can be found in a business reputation and company brand. This will enable our business to make customers believe in our products and make them continue buying constantly. This is because they can buy a similar product from our competitors. This business ethic will help our business to be ahead of our competitors will lesser business practices. The risk of damages This is the actions of employees that can damage the business reputation shall ensure that sales person will be ethical in carrying out a transaction with a customer and this will motivate the customer to spread information about the transaction hence lifting reputation of business (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2011, pg.121). Transparency This business ethic helps in increasing the loyalty of customers that leads to repeat business and referrals of others to the business over time. The increase of customer trust can be carried out through publishing ethical guidelines and ethical training of staff. Social responsibility This helps the business to show commitment to the society hence building the reputation of the business. An example can be the use of the website or newsletter that describes the charities and volunteer programs that employees participate in. This ethic will be integrated into all business activities. Our objectives are: To increase the production awareness among the target audience by 30% a year Informing the audience about the features and benefits of our product and its competitive advantage that will lead to a 10% increase in sales in one year Decreasing of potential customers’ resistance to buying our products that will lead to 20% increase of sale that are closed in six months or less Meeting customer needs Our system for establishing customer needs is based on the product that is offered by our competitors. We will ensure that we maintain honesty and request input. Customers will take monthly surveys so as this can help us know what customers yearn for and create customer loyalty. Quality vs. quantity: shall ensure that staffs are well trained in bakery, food service, and storage and holding equipment so as to produce best quality products that the consumers will want more. Marketing: this will be done through word of mouth, advertising in local newspapers, magazines and website.Commuity donations occasionally and sampling of our products to help create brand awareness. Face to face business networking: our business will be regularly meeting with clients and major shareholders to discuss about developing our business. Online business networking shall be carried out online advertisement through websites and chat rooms (Westwood, 2002, pg.92). Developing employees This is developing career plans for current employees that require budget planning and execution. Ensuring the return on investment in the form of enhanced skills in professional development or technical capability warrants the expenditure. The business will be prepared for employee turnover and have applications and resumes ready to take action should the business need to replace or expand the human resources. Workflow shall be analyzed by precisely defining each job’s responsibilities, experience, skills and knowledge. The managers can plan in the development and retaining of employees to accomplish each task. This can be done through creating a comprehensive plan, which is budgeted, training and recruitment programs for current and future year (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2011, pg.141). Establishing Of Occupational Health and Safety Training This will ensure that employees are aware of hazards and can identify them. Each employee will have a job specific assessment which will be carried out when he or she starts work. It will include identification of risk and prevention (Westwood, 2002, pg. 17). Employees will be trained in safe evacuation and will be practiced. They will be availability of first aid kits. Our business will ensure that there is improvement in our products by keeping up with the best technology, carrying out a survey of our customers this will help the business by knowing what the customer wants or is satisfied with and having qualified staff. Risk that could occur they are fire, accidents and theft. To ensure none of this happens they will be emergency exits and fire extinguisher. There are a number of networking strategies that will help our business to be established and maintain business relationships. They are as follows: connecting, through acting authentically people tend to recognize and respond positively. Our business will ensure that it listens to the partners, shareholders and customer queries about products and services. Establishing relationships Business networking happens at conferences, trade shows and organizations. Our business will be attending such events and get contact information of companies and people that have the same interests as ours. In order to get the most from a business relationship, it will need attention. Our business will narrow down the business relationships in a network to five or ten very important members that are most able to advance career goals. We shall use social networks like twitter and facebook; our targets are town crier bakery, ranch bakery and the lemon tree bakery. They will be international and local bakeries (Shetty, 2002, pg. 29). The company shall be sending articles to interested people, responding punctually when contacted by a business relationship through emails, phone and social networks. The business will maintain relationships through the best customer services, production of quality services. Our business will have professional networks and associations such as culinary associations, Kendall College, institutes of packaging which will help us in packaging our products, transportation and colleges to train our staff. Our business will be able to obtain their services and member through social networks and communication. They will assist in building our business through marketing, establishment of good network relationships and participating in their professional events. Our business will participate and maintain personal skills by volunteering in functions, offering baking classes and being active members of various bakery schools and associations. Our business will be carrying out a meeting twice after three weeks and when required. In the meeting we shall be discussing ways of marketing and maintain the best products and customer service. Our ways of working together are collaborating, embracing new change in technology and better communication. The staff will be trained in various ways of working as a team and the establishment of good relations (Westwood, 2002, pg. 35). The SWOT analysis is useful in trying to understand the competitive environment facing an industry. Our business looked at the following: Barriers to Entry Our business starts with a relatively small amount of capital. However the business success is determined by the leader’s ability to acquire sufficient distribution, building a brand recognition and loyalty. Buyers, that is supermarkets, grocery stores, hotels and convenience stores which will be able to appropriate the business’s profit because of the massive number of small bakeries. Suppliers, they can affect our business by price swings of raw inputs. Learning good communication and negotiation skills helps the business to deal with various people, within and outside the organizations. Learning various communication skills will equip the business to be able to deal with, handle, motivate people and assert customers. Negotiation skill is the ability to communicate, discuss and agree on something amongst people with different objectives (Shetty, 2002, pg. 42). Our business will ensure that negotiation skills are carried out by putting a lot of thoughts in work plans through analyzing and base plans on logical conclusions, consideration of people’s needs and requirements. Delicious Cupcake Company is a small business. We will sell cupcakes for any occasion, celebration and work with our customers on how they would like their cupcakes to be designed. We will supply cupcakes for bakeries, supermarkets and stores. All cupcakes are freshly baked and delivered on time without any delays. We will also cater for events and occasions such as weddings, personal events, birthdays, baby shower, anniversaries, company events and seasonal events. In three years we intend to open up various branches countrywide and internationally, also open up a bakery college. We shall establish good relationships with other bakery companies and associates this is to ensure that our products are marketed and establish a good reputation hence having a great market. We will ensure that our staff will go through training in various fields. Our business will carry out promotion through the following methods: Internet advertising: this method will reach a lot of people because it is a world wide way of advertisement. If people from various countries want to try our products they will send their orders and will have a positive impact. Email marketing: use of newsletters and brochures to market and promote products. Company booths: like at street fair where shall display our products to consumers. Offering free samples, press releases and sponsoring charity, sponsor the event and bake cupcakes for the events. Marketing research is a critical part of a business. It helps improve management decisions making in providing relevant, accurate and timely information (Westwood, 2002, pg. 21). Market research will help us know the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for our products. It will also help us know where we need to improve for example marketing skills, promoting our products and customer satisfaction. It will help in identifying how successful the product and services will be, setting of prices, knowing the interested customers, better customer management and business growth. Bibliography Westwood. 2002. The marketing plan a step-by-step guide. United Kingdom: Kogan Page Publishers Jackson, Schuler & Werner. 2011. Managing Human Resources. New York: Cengage Learning. Wayne & Dauwalder. 1994. Communicating in business: an action-oriented approach. Marrickville: Austen Press. Shetty. 2002. Personality Development STD. Prakashan: Jeevandeep Prakashan Pvt Ltd Read More