...Problem statement: Kudler Fine Foods University of Phoenix MGT/521 Dr. Abdelmagead Elbiali September 28, 2010 Problem Statement Kathy Kudler opened Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) in 1998. The idea of opening a gourmet food store came to her one day when she realized she could not find a good selection of quality gourmet goods in her neighborhood. Her vision was to cater to the “savvy shopper” who is looking for top quality meats, wine, produce, and cheeses. Kathy opened her first gourmet fine food store in La Jolla California in 1998. She proceeded to open the second location in Del Mar in 2000, and expanded to Encinitas in 2003. Multiple issues are indentified in KFF strategic plan. First, Kathy continues to take on almost all of the management responsibilities. She has hired a store manager and assistant manager for each location but doesn’t allow them to work fully in that capacity. Her management style has not changed though she has continued to expand her business. Second, a payroll that consists of high paying employees such as butchers, bakers, and wine stewards for each location. The last issue I will address is, 12% of perishable food is either donated or thrown out each month resulting in a substantial loss to KFF month. Kathy Kudler is the founder of KFF. She continues to handle all of the financial responsibilities for all stores’s and orders all inventory. She works seven days a week and will occasionally even stock shelves and run the cash register...
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...Problem Statement: Kudler Fine Foods University of Phoenix Situation Analysis and Problem Statement Developing a workable business plan is the first step in successful business ownership. With this road-map, business owners have a guideline to follow from the initial start-up to the finish. The financial statements within the business plan help owners and managers to understand how earnings are spent. Focusing on these two areas can alleviate past, present, and future issues or problems that many businesses experience. Although Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) has many addressable issues, the business plan and financial statement stand out the most. A weak business plan equals a weak business. For the owner, Kathy Kudler, to reach her goals, she will need to invest in the development of a solid plan that addresses all aspects of her company. Situation Background (Step 1) In the five years of operation, KFF has had two business plans. The first in 1998, Kudler herself developed. A college student developed the second business plan five years later (KUDLER INTRANET, 2008). After reviewing the updated business plan, I discovered several weak areas and underdeveloped. In addition to these areas, the 2003 Income Statement shows several areas of concern relating to high or excessive expenditures. Issue Identification KFF operates on over a million dollar budget with a business plan developed by a college student. Four areas on the 2003 Income Statement stand out as excessive...
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...Kudler Fine Food Problem Statement MGT/521 Date Instructor Name Kudler Fine Food Problem Statement Kudler Fine Foods vision is to be the premiere gourmet grocery store for those savvy shoppers who are searching for the finest meats, produce, chesses, and wines, if this company issues are not resolved in a timely manner, then the vision of Kudler Fine Food could only be a vision and not a success. In accomplishing this vision, Kudler Fine Foods has several obstacles that it must overcome. Team B members identified many issues within the organization including high payroll cost, inventory turnover (lack of jit), lack of effective advertisement, no knowledge of the financial aspect , technology issues, and lack of delegated of duties by management. These problems need to be addressed to be truly successful and to maximize profit. Problem Statement As the organization continues to expand, Kathy Kudle, president and founder of Kudle Fine Foods, find she is spreading herself thin. Ms. Kudle had taken on daily responsibilities, for which she has hired qualified team members to do. The organizational charter shows one store manager per store, a director of finance and accounting, a director of store operations, and a director of administration and human resources, ( Kudler Fine Foods), but the strategic plan under stakeholder analysis states, “Ms. Kudle hire, fires, finalized the inventory numbers, and places the weekly orders and controls the finances making sure all...
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...Problem Statement Kudler Fine Food Kudler Fine Foods is a premier gourmet grocery store chain located in San Diego, California. In 1998, Kathy Kudler, the owner, opened the first location in a La Jolla. A few years later, the second location was opened in Del Mar and the final store location is in Encinitas. All three locations have the very finest domestic and imported meats, produce, cheeses, wines, and fresh bakery (Apollo Group, 2007). The strategic plan of Kudler Fine Foods identified several issues within the organization including high payroll, inventory turnover and wasted food, future competition; however, the largest issue appears to be the management. The problem statement identified at Kudler Fine Foods is the centralized management style; the decision making is at the highest level. Kudler must create a new management team to operate more effectively and efficiently by allowing the team to enhance and hone their specialty skills. The present management style limits the staff’s capabilities; they are unable to dedicate their efforts on focusing on developing the company’s long term strategic plan. As the company grows, the management team has remained unaltered. The small management team is overloaded with many responsibilities and there is a lack of delegation by the owner. Kathy manages all of the purchasing, marketing and advertising, finances, and personnel. Although Kathy has a manager, assistant managers, and department managers at each location, she has...
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...Kudler Fine Foods problem statement Abstract The topic being researched is how Kudler Fine Foods can improve the success ofthe business by preparing for possible competition, and streamlining expansionprocedures. The sources used are the Kudler Fine Foods Strategic Plan, and TheUniversity of Phoenix online databases. Findings suggest that implementing aresearch and market analysis plan, as well as an effective risk management planwill ensure successful expansion and growth of Kudler Fine Foods. A riskmanagement plan and market analysis of new locations, will allow Kudler toacknowledge potential problems and pre pare for them. The following is a problemstatement explaining what is currently wrong with Kudlers plans on expansion,and how they can improve these plans. IntroductionAfter reviewing the strategic plan for Kudlers Fine Foods it is obvious thereare several issues that will stunt the growth and success of the organization.The company is suffering from a lack of management and poor organizationplanning. The issues that will be discussed are the poorly developed expansionand growth plans, and the lack of risk management in preparation of a competitorentering the market. Problem StatementThe management at Kudler Fine Foods is planning on opening a new location whenall of the current locations are not successful, and the company has not done aproper analysis of the need for their services in the area. Also Kudler is notprepa...
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...Kudler Fine Foods Problem Statement Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) is a chain of upscale specialty food stores in southern California. The concept of KFF was made a reality in 1998 when Kathy Kudler opened the first store in La Jolla. Two years later, KFF expanded with the opening of a second location in Del Mar, followed by a third location three short years later in Encinitas. The long-term vision of KFF is to become the premier gourmet grocery store for shoppers interested in purchasing the finest imported and domestic bakery, meats, produce, cheeses, and wines (University of Phoenix, 2008). Problem at Hand The process of identifying KFF’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats unveils many issues for the company, one of which is a small management team with a large amount of responsibilities (University of Phoenix, 2003). As they continue to grow and expand, the management configuration at KFF remains unchanged. Although a manager has been hired at each store, Kathy is still the primary administrator at all three locations. She manages all of the finances, purchasing, and inventory as well as marketing and personnel. If Kathy were to take any extended time off or become ill, no other employee possesses the ability to deal with major business issues, leaving KFF non-operative. With the majority of her time going toward management positions at each location, Kathy has made herself inaccessible to customers. Contact with her customer base is essential for her...
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...Problem Statement - Kudler Fine Foods Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) is a chain of upscale specialty food stores in the San Diego area of Southern California. The stores target cooks who want only the finest ingredients, including prime cuts of meat, fresh seafood, exotic produce, imported cheeses and dairy products, and fine wines. There is a bakery on the premises which offers a wide variety of freshly baked breads and pastries. KFF also offers catering, online ordering, and special orders of items not carried in the store (Kudler Fine Foods History, 2007). Kathy Kudler is the owner of KFF; it was her own passion for gourmet cooking, and her vision of a specialized “one stop” gourmet grocery store which caused Kathy to recognize the opportunity for such a specialized store. In 1998 the first KFF store opened La Jolla, California. Kathy’s vision proved to be successful and, within five years, generated enough revenue to enable her to open two additional stores, one in Del Mar and the other in Encinitas. The long-term vision of KFF is to become the premier gourmet grocery store for shoppers interested in purchasing the finest imported and domestic bakery, meats, produce, cheeses, and wines (Kudler Fine Foods History, 2007). “Our ultimate goal is to compete in high-end areas in other cities as well. Our long-term plan includes possible sites in: Scottsdale, Arizona; Naples, Florida; and Greenwich, Connecticut” (Kudler Fine Foods Strategic Plan, 2007). In the next five years, KFF will...
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...PROBLEM STATEMENT Kudler Fine Foods need to expand management team to encompass the needs of the growing organization. When are we seeing the problem? Overall, in the business-Kathy is no longer able to run the operations by herself, the organization is in need of technological advances, and financial analysis going forward. How big is the problem? The problem is reflected by looking at the insufficient inventory and purchasing system, need for better financial planning with opening and consolidating the new store with the struggling store. In addition, Kathy is stretched thin with visiting each store with the frequency that she does. What specifically is the problem? Management team needs to be expanded with dependable people who can focus on different aspects of the business allowing Kathy to focus on the company as a whole. What requirements did the company fail to meet? Failure to prepare a good analysis when expanding to DelMar versus Espanita and now looking to consolidate DelMar with the new store because of fledgling sales. Using technological advances to create a value-added purchasing/inventory system. Having better understanding of customer purchasing cycles and trends. PROBLEM STATEMENT ANALYSIS Identifying issues within an organization is important to determining the overall performance goals within an organization. Creating a problem statement for the issues is the most important step in solving these issues. A good problem statement will...
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...Kudler Fine Foods Problem Statement In order to effectively prepare the company to avoid potential issues in the future, Kathy will need to work to make herself more expendable. In doing this, she will be able to move about the different locations and maintain confidence that the tasks she has delegated will still be properly handled. Perhaps the optimal route would be to hire a vice president. The logic being that this person will serve as Kathy’s back-up for all duties. Kathy can hire someone with experience in managing a similar organization, or evaluate her current staff of managers for someone qualified for the position. The latter would not only fill the position with someone competent in the field, and someone who has already invested time into the company, but it can also be beneficial to the overall morale of the company. “When new employees see that opportunities exist for them and that there's a track record of hiring from within, they tend to stay longer with your company” (Green, 2007.) Hiring within will be cost effecting in avoiding fees associated with recruiting, but it will save a lot of time interviewing and integrating a new person into the culture of the company. Another option, if Kathy prefers not to have a vice president could be for her to simply delegate responsibilities. As mentioned in the strategic plan, there is a proposal of having the inventory system set-up electronically. At that point, managers should be able to efficiently track and know...
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...Kathy Kudler fulfilled her dream of owning her business when she first opened Kudler Fine Foods in 1998. The company offers gourmet food items such as meat, cheese, baked goods, and wine. The success of the first location opened in La Jolla proved that there is a strong market of specialty food items. This paper will summarize the problem statement based on the issues as stated during the Weed Four discussion in the classroom. It will also address management’s efforts to resolve these issues and achieve the organization’s goals. In addition, an end vision will also be created based on the resolution of the issues. An issue is a situation in question or that causes concern. On the other hand, a problem is that a situation that poses as difficult that must be resolved. If an issue exists, a solution may be available. A solution for a problem, however; requires more time to determine the best solution and unresolved problems lead to issues. After reviewing the company’s strategic plan, it is apparent that the company is faced with some challenging issues that may hinder the company’s success if management does not take immediate action to recognize and seek resolution to correct the existing issues. One of the main issues is Kathy’s role as a hands-on manager within all aspects of the business operations. All major decisions are also made by Kathy, including frequent visits to all three locations to oversee the purchasing arm of the business. This management style...
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...Kudler Fine Foods Problem Statement Ryan Jaffe MGT 521 October 19, 2010 Bruce Carter III Kudler Fine Foods Problem Statement When Kathy Kudler created Kudler Fine Foods she envisioned establishing a one stop gourmet store. She wanted to sell the most excellent of products including meats, cheese, produce, and wine. Shortly after opening her first store, she expanded locally opening two others; creating her own chain of gourmet stores. Kathy now has a vision of providing quality foods to the local area while expanding and opening new stores throughout California. Kudler Fine Foods’ strategic plan places this idea in perspective along with other goals Kathy wants to reach, but with these goals are also a few issues that will need to be overcome for success. Kudler Fine Foods can expand locally and globally by developing the management team, marketing department, and working on operations management. With the improvement of these issues, Kathy will have no problem expanding her store beyond her first vision of a local supermarket. Kudler Fine Foods faces an immense issue in the area of expansion. If Kathy is going to expand to anymore locations whether it is locally or globally she will need to change her present management technique. With the planned expansions into Carlsbad and then San Francisco, she cannot continue to run all the stores throughout California on her own. Kathy will need to consider hiring individual management teams for each location that can perform...
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...Kudler Fine Food (Problem Statement) The paper should examine Kudler Fine Foods existing issues and identifying current strategy. The paper should discuss Kudler’s marketing and Strategies for better positioning for growth. Kudler Fine Foods, founded by Kathy Kudler in 1998 with a vision to grow into several store in high end markets. In summary and as shown in the 2003 strategic plan illustrated that Kudler Fine Foods was founded by Kathy Kudler first in La Jolla – California area, followed by two additional stores in 2000 and 2003. While the KFF La Jolla location was doing well, there were some challenges on the second location in Del Mar – California in which consideration for merging the Del Mar store with the third location in Encinitas - Carlsbad, California. Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) vision “Kudler Fine Foods will be the premiere gourmet grocery store for those savvy shoppers who are searching for the finest meats, produce, cheeses, and wine” the vision statement automatically set the targeted customers with specific passion for gourmet cooking and fine wines from a singles source. Kudler Fine Foods important task is to understand to look outside the box and look into ways to how to reach the market and review their current position, marketing & strategy plans among few other issues and have a mission statement to align with base on some kind of key metrics to measure progress. KFF entire operations carried issues that became problems. Some of the issues also...
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...Create a problem statement, from the identified issues, which focuses management's efforts to solve these issues and reach the organization's goals. Describe where Kudler Fine Foods could be if this problem is solved by management. Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) is a premier gourmet grocery store. It has the obligations to its employees and loyal customers to remain competitive in the field and keep the quality of their products and wine at the highest level. A wide variety of organic produce grown locally as well as a wide selection of local and imported wines are the products that KFF offers. KFF is very customer oriented and always strives to provide a friendly and attentive way to serve their customers. The KFF management is planning on opening a new location when the other current locations are not successful. After they opened their first store in La Jolla, California, KFF has expanded their business to Del Mar and Encinitas, California. KFF's future growth plans include expansion to other areas in Southern California, specifically in Carlsbad California due to its large populatin base and relative proximity to the Del Mar location. Currently, the Del Mar store is not performing well compared to its financial targets and also because of the small population in the area. KFF has planned these moves without doing a proper analysis of the need for their services in the area. Kudler is not yet prepared for factors that may decrease the profitability of the company, or...
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...Problem Statement and End Vision for Kudler Fine Foods Abstract Kudler Fine Foods is an upscale specialty food store committed to providing the highest quality of gourmet foods and customer service. Kathy Kudler’s desire to remain competitive in the market is evident in her commitment to maintain her vision for convenience and to provide the best and freshest quality of gourmet food. Kudler Fine Foods is faced with many issues one in particular is daily excess of inventory. A large portion of Kudlers inventory is perishable as a result there is a 12% of excess of inventory discarded or given to charity every two to three days. The purpose of this paper is to create a problem statement based on the problem solving process identified in the Problem Solving-Based Scenarios regarding the issue at Kudler Fine Foods and to establish an improved vision for Kathy to growth the business. (University of Phoenix, 2010) Problem Statement and End Vision for Kudler Fine Foods Kathy Kudler’s passion to for gourmet cooking and her frustration to find the best ingredients locally drove her to establish Kudler Fine Foods. Kudler Fine Foods is an upscale specialty food store established in 1998 has three locations at La Jolla, Encinitas, and Del Mar in the San Diego Metropolitan area (University of Phoenix, 2010). Kathy’s vision was to establish a place that would supply a wide selection of the freshest ingredients for gourmet cooking with the convenience of a one-stop shopping...
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...Problem Statement for Kudler Fine Foods MGT 521 January 3, 2011 Problem Statement for Kudler Fine Foods Kudler Fine Foods was established in 1998 by Kathy Kudler (Kudler, 2003). “Kudler’s vision was a premiere gourmet grocery store for savvy shoppers who are searching for the finest meats, produce, cheeses, and wine” (Kudler, 2003, p. 3). Kudler Fine Foods, like many other organizations today is facing challenges because of an increase in competition and an unstable economy. After reviewing Kudler’s strategic plan, several issues were identified regarding the organization’s business practices. I will address one issue and identify alternative solutions. I will also provide a vision for Kudler by describing where the organization could be if management realize the opportunity. Problem Statement As Kudler Fine Foods expands in an ever-changing business world, its management structure is not transforming. Kudler Fine Foods shall create a well-define management team to work together effectively to achieve the organization’s mission. “One function of management is to give direction to their organizations, provide leadership, and decide how to use organizational resources to accomplish goals” (Nickels, McHugh and McHugh, 2008, p. 182). One major issue this organization face is a small management team. According to Kudler’s strategic plan, the risk of possessing a small management team is considered a weakness (Kudler, 2003). Kathy Kudler is...
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