Bama Pie Limited Company

Bama Pie, Limited is a company that reinforced â€Å"quality as a way of life.† Bama Pie has been the single source supplier of pies to McDonald†s† U.S. operations. By providing top-quality pie products and â€Å"never missing an order,† Bama had been able to expand its core pie business by landing 50 percent of McDonald†s† oven-ready, prebaked frozen biscuit needs. Another major customer includes Pizza Hut (for which Bama was producing approximately 25% of its bread stick requirements). Bama Pie produced more then 1 million pies per day from facilities in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for McDonald†s. The History of Bama Pie dates to 1927 when Henry C. Marshall decided to utilize the pie-baking talents of his wife, Cornelia Alabama Marshall, to provide employment for himself after a lengthy period of being out of work. The company†s CEO now was 38-year-old Paula Marshall-Chapman, who succeeded her father in 1985 as a chief executive officer of the company. i) Quality has always been the company†s top priority. à  The company had instilled a total quality management discipline in its approximately 600 employees through extensive training and educational programs offered through the in-house Bama Institute. Even fork truck operators have gotten involved in helping solve the inventory adjustments problem. ii) Long-term relationship with McDonald†s has allowed Bama Pie to grow along with McDonald†s as one of its key suppliers. iii) Diversity of expertise: Paula reshaped the management team significantly and assembled a highly professional staff with an average age under 40. The team members are all well-educated, experienced and young (they can serve the company for a longer period of time). iv) BEBOPP: In 1990, Bama instituted the Bama Employees† Bonus on Profit Plan to provide bonus incentives to all employees in the company. The plan was based on an annual return on sales objective that was established by Marshall-Chapman. The profit-sharing plan is a good way of getting employees involved. v) Management talents obtained by Paula: she was the person trained to run the new computer system, and in that capacity she learned the value of training people and helping people solve problems. She was known as the Bama†s problem solver. i) Relationship with McDonald†s: Although Bama has been McDonald†s principal supplier of biscuits for 24 years, they had never established a contract. ii) Relatively small company with limited capital: Compare to Quaker Oats, Bama is a very small company with limited capital for expansion. iii) Limited product line: Bama has a low variety of products. iv) Limited market for its products: Its major customers are McDonald†s, Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart and Sam†s Wholesale Clubs. v) Health Conscious Thinking: Consumers now are more health conscious and some of them do read the nutrition fact label prior to consumption. Pecan pies contain a lot of calories and fat. As consumers become more health conscious, the pecan pies† sales may drop. i) Bama can expand its brand by creating new products such as hard cookies, crackers and power bars. The company still has room for expansion in its under-utilized biscuit plant. ii) Buyout smaller companies that sell similar products. iii) Joint Ventures with foreign local firms: Bama can invite a foreign local firm to invest together to create a local business. They can share ownership, control and profits of the new company. . i) Lose business with McDonald†s: Since more than 70% of the company†s business comes from McDonald†s, if McDonald†s finds another supplier, which provides cheaper pies and biscuits, Bama may lose its business with McDonald†s. ii) Loss of Paula: As it mentioned in the case, Paula is the one who set up the company†s computer system and she is known to be the â€Å"Bama†s problem solver.† With her management talent, she is also described as a â€Å"unique chief executive† by her employees. She is the one who recruits all the professional staff together and she is the core of the company. iii) Competitors: There are a lot of big and small competitors out there. vi) Health Conscious Thinking: As I mentioned earlier, consumers now are more health conscious and some of them do read the nutrition fact label prior to consumption. Pecan pies contain a lot of calories and fat. As consumers become more health conscious, the pecan pies† sales may drop.

Using Kiosk Banking to Lower Cost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Using Kiosk Banking to Lower Cost - Essay Example Such machines, also called electronic kiosks, are used for data retrieval, information gathering, and dispensing banking services. They have an interface platform and a personal computer powered by software to handle financial transactions. Some kiosks also have videoconferencing, magnetic stripe readers, smart card reader and â€Å"electronic pads† that reproduce signatures on laser printed mortgage forms. The banks also realized later that the use of kiosks needs to be marketed pro-actively. These machines can’t attract customers on their own. Olivetti North America Inc, of Liberty Lake, Washington and NCR, Dayton, Ohio are the market leaders in manufacture of kiosks, though not without competition. The kiosks may differ in variety, color, style and working. Washington Mutual Bank of Seattle has installed its kiosks in discount stores where they are used for requesting loan applications besides normal banking functions. The Bank is also experimenting in the kiosk usage in absence of store staff. The Bank feels that the kiosks have made a positive difference to the business. Ed Reger, vice-president of the Bank says that unlike some other banks, they will not give up on developing customer relations and will not put up kiosks in stand alone environment. Reger feels that places like retail outlets, offices of realtors, and retirement homes hold great potential for the use of kiosks. In a typical kiosk operation, a person can fill an application to open a bank account, append electronic signatures and discuss with customer s ervice department through video conferencing. However, the high costs associated with the technology dissuade smaller institutions from using it. Meanwhile NCR and Affinity Technology group have joined hands to put to use NCR software to develop automated lending capabilities. On the other hand, Olivetti kiosks have different core module for different operations. The machine of Dyad Inc., another manufacturer helps the customers to secure a

Production Scheduling and Control Research Paper - 1

Production Scheduling and Control - Research Paper Example Batching was done by having customers waiting in queue sit at the bar until a table is freed. Then, these customers are led inside in batches of eight (8). Thus, there were several occasions when complete strangers would be seated in one table but very few instances when a table seats less than it can fully accommodate. This queer but very revolutionary idea did what it was supposed to do --- maximize throughput. Throughput is another simple yet very underutilized factor in running a business. In simple words, throughput â€Å"is a sales-building concept measured by sales per hour† (Florence, 2008). Maximized throughput leads to maximized sales which consequently leads to maximized profits. The simulation that was used showed how efficient and effective batching is especially during the peak hours because it was able to significantly reduce the presence of variability in the business operations. Variability is the main culprit in not achieving full utilization of a restaurant’s capacity and thus not maximizing throughput (Ernst and Schmidt, 2005). Batching removes variability by making sure that a table is fully maximized because it seats the exact number which it is supposed to, not leaving an empty seat and thus not wasting capacity. The graph that was provided in the website clearly shows that with batching, more people are seated and the number of those waiting in queue or at the bar is reduced. Also, because customers are seated much faster, fewer customers are lost with batching than without. This great idea translates to the ultimate goal of any business --- achieve maximum profitability of the operations. Batching does that exactly. Because more people are seated, more people are served and that translates to profit. Because people do not wait too long in queue, they are more satisfied and that also translates to profit. In fact, figures from the simulation activity show that while batching created a profit of

Multiculturalism and cultural policy in Scandinavia Essay

Multiculturalism and cultural policy in Scandinavia - Essay Example As a prescriptive phenomenon, it refers to settlement policy that works towards promoting the perspective of institutionalizing cultural diversity. This paper expounds on this concept of multiculturalism and cultural diversity, with Sweden being a case study (CRAFT, 2011). Sweden has a reputation of having the most immigration policies in Europe. Behind such an image, their lies a more complicated reality. The current transformations are turning the explicit commitments regarding multiculturalism towards a cultural suppression that tends to conceal the power structure underlying ethnic, gender, racial, and the class inequalities (TCHIBOZO, 2013). As compared with Britain, and many other European nations, some of the multiculturalism paradoxes have been largely examined. This was established through critical reassessment of the dominant institutional, academic, and political discourses (TCHIBOZO, 2013). They tend to focus on changes with regards to the refugee policies, the representation of the immigrant youths and women, as well as the limited voice accorded to the contemporary social movements and the immigrant communities. In the course of discussing the kind of dilemma that is faced by welfare state especially under the localization and globalizat ion threats, a greater focus has been redirected on the perspective of trans-ethnicity. Doing so, exposes the necessity for the more comprehensive description of politics, state, class, everyday life, and the civil society (CRAFT, 2011). With regards to the international comparison, the Swedish nationalism has perhaps been relatively calm, but nevertheless, there were stronger assimilating pressures that were put on both the immigrant communities and the traditional minorities (CRAFT, 2011). Rather than the ethno-nationalist fanaticism, there was a greater elementary ideology of integrating the members of cultural and ethnic minorities into the

Article Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Article Summary - Essay Example The bank not just possesses the financial might but also has a brilliant team of experts who have defined bank’s policies from time to time. Nobel laureate like Joseph Stiglit and prominent economists like Lawrence Summers have added to the intellectual capital of the bank. In spite of the major role played by the bank in global development, it’s financial might and the intellectual assets; the bank has been criticized by the Right wing as well as the Left wing for it’s functioning and this criticism is aimed at not just restricting the activities of the bank but has practically challenged the very existence of the bank. Revenue model of the bank involves selling bonds to investors in rich countries and receiving grants for raising the capital. While lending and soft lending to developing and underdeveloped countries complete the revenue model. In 1996, the bank acknowledged that some of the parts of soft lending were unrecoverable. Left wing wanted these debts to be written off by converting them to grants. Twice, in 1996 and 1999 the bank has ceded to these demands and partly written off the loans. However, there is another demand for completely writing off loans of 33 Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCS). It is notable that some countries like Philippines and China have achieved growth from these soft loans and are yet to repay those loans. Writing-off such loans would mean big loss to the bank and reduced resources for future lending. In the past, bad debts of the World Bank had been compensated by the aid from rich countries. Britain still favors the same model. However, the US wants all the debts to be converted into grants. Under the US pressure, the soft loan fund is being converted into grant fund since 2003 and it is forecasted that by 2035, this fund will be reduced to just 10% of its present size. With no new support coming from the rich countries, this

Criminal law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Criminal law - Assignment Example Constitutional perception of due process is particular in the law of criminal procedure because of various reasons. This is because the procedures followed lead to revelation of the proper ways of handling a certain case. Therefore, the procedures ensure that the lawyer handling a particular case follows the required guidelines for a certain case. These guidelines are actually the constitutional procedures pertaining to the dos and dons of imposing judgment for a case. The law of criminal procedure becomes easy to handle when the lawyer evaluates the process viable for a case. The three branches come from the legislature, the executive and the judiciary (Scheb, 758). The legislature concerns itself with the activities of Policing. The executive concerns itself with the duty of investigation whereas legislature carries out law enforcement investigation. These examples entail the origin of the three branches of criminal law. Grand jury and Trial juries comprise of lawyers who are qualified enough to handle the functions bestowed to the jury (Scheb, 758). Grand Jury carries out the function of investigating whether a certain case has enough evidence. The trial jury is bestowed with the function of ensuring that the right verdict for a certain case. It ensures that justice is paramount in deciding on the right penalties for a

Macroeconomics for business and government Essay

Macroeconomics for business and government - Essay Example This assignment is designed to test your knowledge about the basic terminology used in macroeconomics and your understanding of key macroeconomic concepts. It will also reinforce what is studied in modules 1, 2 and part of module 3. The assignment is made up two parts: part A and part B. The questions in Part A will be marked out of a maximum of 20 marks, and the questions in Part B will be marked out of a maximum of 30 marks in total. Part A This part comprises ten multiple choice questions each worth 2 marks. These questions are designed to test your knowledge of the course content. The questions in this section are typical of the kind of question that will be in part A of the examination paper. Q. 1 Policy makers can become concerned if the unemployment rate is too low because: Answer : B A. stock prices will fall. B. inflation might increase.- C. output will decrease. D. an exchange rate crisis might occur.. Q. 2 If nominal GDP rises from $10 trillion to $12 trillion, while the G DP deflator rises from 2.0 to 2.2, the percentage change in real GDP is: Answer: B A. -10% B. 10% C. 1.1% D. 9.1% E. 20% Q. 3 Which of the following events would cause a reduction in the size of the multiplier? Answer: D A. an increase in the marginal propensity to consume B. an increase in the marginal propensity to save C. a reduction in taxes D. a reduction in government spending E. none of the above Q. 4 Suppose the supply of money equals the demand for money. Given this information, we know that: Answer D A. the price of bonds will tend increase. B. the price of bonds will tend to fall. C. production equals demand. D. the goods market is also in equilibrium. - E. the supply of bonds also equals the demand for bonds. Q. 5 Suppose there is a simultaneous tax cut and open market sale of bonds. Which of the following must occur as a result of this? Answer : D A. Output increases. B. Output decreases. C. The interest rate increases. D. The interest rate decreases. E. Both output and the interest rate increase. Q. 6 The reservation wage is: Answer: C A. the wage that an employer must pay workers to reduce turnover to a reasonable level. B. the wage that ensures a laid-off individual will wait for re-hire, rather than find another job. C. the wage that would make an individual indifferent between working or not working.- D. the wage offer that will end a labour-strike. E. the bribe that must be paid to a maitre d' when you want a table but did not call in advance. Q. 7 Which of the following describe the rising distortionary effects of taxes in the economy: Answer : D A. the price-setting curve shifts downwards. B. the wage-setting curve shifts rightwards. C. an increase in the proportional tax wedge. D. an increase in the natural rate of unemployment. E. all of the above Q. 8 The aggregate demand curve will shift to the right when which of the following occurs? Answer : D A. a decrease in the money supply B. a reduction in consumer confidence C. a rise in the p rice level D. a decrease in taxes E. a decrease in the price level Q. 9 Which of the following represents the medium-run effect of an increase in the price target? Answer : D A. a decline in output B. an increase in the interest rate C. a decrease in the price level D. all of the above E. none of the above Q. 10 - When inflation has not been very persistent, we can expect that: Answer D A. expected price level for a given year will equal the previous year's actual price level. B. the current inflation rate will not depend heavily on past inflation. C. lower unemployment rates will be associated with higher inflation rates. D. all of the above - E. none of the above Part B Please answer each of the following questions using your own words. Use diagrams, tables or equations in your answer where appropriate. As a guide, you should be able to answer questions 11, 12 and 13 within 150 words (each question), and questions 14 and 15 within 250 words (each question), plus diagrams if approp riate (except where a question requires only a list or calculation). Note: