Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse for Macbeth Case Study - MyAssignmenthelp

Questions: 1.Explain the planning process adopted by the managers in the organization. 2. Provide a brief summary of Ferguson Plarre's organizational history. 3.Describe Ferguson Plarre's approach to goal setting. 4.How does Ferguson Plarre track progress toward goal achievement? Answers: 1. Planning Process- A planning process is that process which involves creation and continuation of a particular plan, which has been made to achieve a particular goal. The goals for which the planning process is implemented are realistic goals. The process involves making a road map, that sketch out those tasks, which are necessary for the organization to accomplish (Rothwell, 2010). The planning process helps a company to achieve various goals. The process of planning starts with current operation's review and recognizing the current and future needs of the organization. The process also includes envisioning the outcome that is to be achieved by the organization. The process involves several steps that should be followed by everyone in the organization (Soteriou and Coccossis, 2010, p.204). All the organizations, irrespective of the size, have limited resources. The planning process enables the managers of the organization to take right decisions and effectively allocate the resources. The organizations adapt planning process to maximize their profit and resources and minimize their wastes and losses. Planning process encourages the managers to deal with tricky situations and take risks for achieving the organizational goals. The process also promotes team building and cooperation spirit amongst all the members of the organization (Harmon, 2010). There are mainly three types of planning processes, which are widely used by all types of organization. The three types of planning processes that can be used by the mangers are strategic planning, operational planning and tactical planning. In the given organization called Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse, as per the interview of Steve Plarre, the CEO, it has been mentioned that the manager of this organization use strategic planning to achieve the organizational goals and sustain in the bakery industry. Strategic planning is that type of planning, which is designed considering every aspect of the organization and the process begins with the mission of the organization. The process of strategic planning is designed and executed by the top-level manager that includes the CEO, presidents, senior managers, etc. The main objective of a strategic planning is to serve the organization a framework a plan for their future position in the industry (Patton et al. 2015). Figure 1 (Source: Harmon, 2010) The CEO of Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse, Steve Plarre, mentioned in an interview that the top-level managers of the company use strategic planning to make sure the organization is able to achieve long-term goals. The strategies for achieving the long-term goal of the organization includes planning for improving the productivity level, enhancing the growth rate and increasing the profitability rate of the company. There are certain phases involved in the process of strategic planning (Varum and Melo, 2010, p.358). At first, the managers have to analyze the current environment, both internally and externally. After this, the managers have to formulate a strategy at the basic level. In the third phase, they have to implement the strategy practically, where they can translate their high-level plan. Lastly, the management of the company has to evaluate the overall result of executing the plan and review the ongoing performance of the company. Apart from this, the company has to take certain measures to address the issues occurred because of the strategic management and thereafter, find logical solutions to those issues. The company has gone under significant development from the last few years and it has embarked on a strategic marketing piece where they wanted to discover about their position in the market and the whether they are moving in the right direction. They also wanted to know if they are moving ahead with explicit consistency around brand personality and all other factors that have helped the brand to reach at this level (Weber et al. 2011, p.480). The company also conducted a brand personality piece where they conducted a strategic market research with large databases of the customers. The customers of Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse were explicitly asked about what they like about the Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse, what are the interesting things in this company. This survey and personal interview technique helped them to find out the people who are not purchasing a ny products from them amongst this demographic. They later on thought how they could communicate with them, make them experience the products and service from their company (Len-Soriano et al. 2010, p.260). Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse also aimed at creating loyal relation between the new customers and the company. According to Steve, the brand has been able to settle for so many years as they have tried to keep the recipe of their food products very homely. Key things of this company are that they still make most of the products on their own (Chesbrough, 2010, p.362). This company does not have any third party suppliers. The vertical integration piece for them is vital. They make their own products and those products are sold in the Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse stores, exclusively. The speed to the market gives the company a competitive edge. The other strong point about this company is their franchise model. The company does not wish to run down the fee model. They make sure that their franchise sells the bakery products in huge numbers as the sales from the franchise is very essential in terms of company's growth. As a manufacturer of bakery products, it is difficult for them to rely on those franchises, which have low sales volume. The ingredients and designs of the cake is another point of difference that gives the company the higher customer count. They also believe that it is important to save the environment and so they try to reduce the water footprint and carbon emission by planting trees. This commitment attracts more customers and helps the business to achieve more targets (Spee and Jarzabkowski, 2011, p.1242). (Source: Fergusonplarre, 2017) 2. A family owned bakery business called Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse is based in the suburbs of Melbourne. The two families, Ferguson and Plarre, jointly own Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse. Both the families have early European roots and have established this bakery company in Australia over 110 years. In spite of the tough situations, both the owners of Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse have traded though the Great Depression and World Wars (Fergusonplarre, 2017). The families merged their businesses in the year 1980, 6th of June. Since then, they have been significantly contributing towards the bakery industry. After the merger, both the families refined the product range to provide better experience to the customers. In the year 1987, the company started franchising. The company now has the 5th generation running its operations. Currently, there are around 66 stores and Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse has been awarded hundreds of awards for its bakery products. Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse started its fi rst online 'Design Cake Service' in the year 2006. This service assisted the customers to order personalized cakes and get the delivery picked up from the main stores. It has also won a gold medal for their Traditional Steak and Potato in "Official Great Aussie Pastie Competition 2016". Moreover, the company is known for responding significantly towards the climatic changes though sustainable business practices and baking. It also has an environmentally friendly baking facility. Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse has also been rewarded for its excellence in the field of sustainability. 3. The company Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse is jointly owned by two families that have been doing the bakery business from the past 110 years. Both the families have successfully operated in difficult situations and now it has the 5th generation running the company. They aim at embracing the commitment of their ancestors by providing the customers good quality and innovative products. They set their goals by understanding the taste and preference of the customers. The company focuses on creating loyal relation between the new customers and the company. They make sure to use 100% real ingredients in their products and the company itself makes most of the products. As 'designer cake system' has become famous off late, the company started the designer cake system as well and managed to be licensed to use characters from any movie or cartoons. They did so to make sure the needs of the customers are met on time (Poister, 2010, p.204). 4. The company tracks the progress of the activities to achieve the goals by analyzing whether the needs of the customers are met or not. They exclusively ask their current customers about how they like the products and services and what changes can be made so that the company can improve. They also make sure that their franchise stores are making good sales volume so that the business of the company runs smoothly (Bryson, 2012, p.50). The managers evaluate the ongoing performance of the employees of the company so that they can help the company in achieving the organizational goals. There are various other tools, which are used by Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse to track the progress towards the organizational goal achievement. Reference List Books Rothwell, W.J., 2010.Effective succession planning: Ensuring leadership continuity and building talent from within. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Harmon, P., 2010.Business process change: A guide for business managers and BPM and Six Sigma professionals. Morgan Kaufmann. Patton, C., Sawicki, D. and Clark, J., 2015.Basic methods of policy analysis and planning. Routledge. Journals Varum, C.A. and Melo, C., 2010. Directions in scenario planning literatureA review of the past decades.Futures,42(4), pp.355-369. Weber, B., Reichert, M., Mendling, J. and Reijers, H.A., 2011. Refactoring large process model repositories.Computers in Industry,62(5), pp.467-486. Chesbrough, H., 2010. Business model innovation: opportunities and barriers.Long range planning,43(2), pp.354-363. Spee, A.P. and Jarzabkowski, P., 2011. Strategic planning as communicative process.Organization Studies,32(9), pp.1217-1245. Poister, T.H., 2010. The future of strategic planning in the public sector: Linking strategic management and performance.Public Administration Review,70(s1). Bryson, J.M., 2012. Strategic Planning and.The SAGE Handbook of Public Administration, p.50. Soteriou, E.C. and Coccossis, H., 2010. Integrating sustainability into the strategic planning of national tourism organizations.Journal of travel Research,49(2), pp.191-205. Len-Soriano, R., Jess Muoz-Torres, M. and Chalmeta-Rosalen, R., 2010. Methodology for sustainability strategic planning and management.Industrial Management Data Systems,110(2), pp.249-268. Websites Fergusonplarre (2017).About Us. [online] Fergusonplarre.com.au. Available at: https://www.fergusonplarre.com.au/about/about-us [Accessed 25 May 2017]