WE are working on TOPic #2ALL RECOMMENDATIONS MUST BE FEASIBLE,Semiahmoo Shopping Centre. It is an actual mall located at Whiterock, Greater Vancouver area, BC, Canada.The report instruction includes the requirements of the final report, it is a 3500 words report, with 7 sources, at least 2 graphs. The 3500 words do not include references, appendix, table of contents, and the email inside.
bus_360w_report_topics__topic_2_.pdf
previous_submission_of_planning_notes.pdf
report_sample__2___bc_hydro_recruiting_2.pdf
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BUS 360W (Spring 2019): Report Topics
Assignment Instructions:
Choose ONE of the topics outlined in this package and write a report in response.
You will receive specific instructions and marking guidelines for each report submission
as the semester progresses. There are 3 report submissions throughout the term. Refer to
your course package for the deliverable dates.
In addition to following the specific directions included with each individual topic,
follow these general guidelines:
•
The report’s research must be drawn solely from secondary sources (e.g. books,
academic journals, industry articles, brochures, magazines, newspapers, industry
reports, TV/radio programs, web sites, electronic sources, etc.).
•
When researching your report, you cannot conduct interviews, facilitate focus groups,
call / email / visit companies, or design and administer surveys. You can, however,
use previously published material that draws from such sources.
•
You must use at least 7 sources in your report. All sources must be documented
ethically, and follow the APA citation system for reports.
•
You must use at least 2 graphics in the body of your report. Examples of graphics
include tables, graphs, maps, photographs, flow charts, etc. Graphics on your report
cover or report title page are ok to use, but such graphics do not count as the required
graphics for your report body.
•
Your report must follow proper business conventions and presentation guidelines as
discussed in class and outlined in the course textbook.
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For Report Submission #3, you will submit one bound hardcopy of the report.
•
The report must not exceed 3500 words. The word limit applies only to the
introduction, the body, the conclusions, and the recommendations. The word count
excludes the title page, the transmittal document, the table of contents, the graphics
list, the executive summary, the references page, and any appendices.
Your goal:
Present a report that is as professional as possible in all respects. The report should be
concise while presenting a compelling argument that is supported by the best evidence
available to you.
BUS 360W Spring 2019 Report Topics
1
The Topics:
Topic #1
In Canada, tipping has been the norm in the restaurant industry for several decades.
Originally, this was more common in restaurants with table service; however, tip jars and
tip options on electronic payment systems are now often present at coffee shops and
quick food eateries, and even in other service industries. Further, while tipping is
commonly described as optional—a bonus for excellent or prompt service—many view
non-tipping as rude, uncaring, and cheap. Today, a 15-20% tip is common, and often
even expected, for many service-related positions, especially restaurant servers. For some
restaurants, the servers keep all of their tips, while in other restaurants, they need to share
their tips with other kitchen staff.
A great deal of research has been conducted on this topic, and everyone seems to have an
opinion. Those who support tipping often note that servers in North American tend to
earn somewhere around minimum wage, which is insufficient for daily needs in cities
such as Vancouver, where the cost of living is extremely high. The expectation is that
they will earn additional payment through tips. Those who advocate for the end of tipping
state that restaurants should be ones paying their staff a reasonable wage; they also
typically claim that tipping is unfair, as some service industry positions do not receive
tips, or that restaurant servers keep the majority (or all) of their tips at the expense of the
kitchen staff, bus people, and dishwashers. Finally, they state that serving is not generally
perceived to be a permanent, high-wage position—people who want to make more
money should improve their skills or go back to school and then find higher paying work.
Some restaurants have banned tipping, while others have discussed doing the same.
Various options exist for replacing tips, including higher food prices or automatic service
charges, which are the norm in fine dining restaurants in other countries.
Emad Yacoub, CEO/President & Proprietor of Glowbal Restaurant Group has reached
out to you and your team at Sanctuary 2 Consulting Group to put together a
recommendation report on whether his restaurants should keep their current tipping
system, adjust the tipping and payout process, abolish tipping entirely, or consider some
other option. He is leaving it to your firm to decide on a specific approach, and on what
areas you want to focus on. You’ll want to conduct research on other restaurants and their
tipping policies, and what the impact of abolishing tipping has been.
Glowbal Restaurant Group currently has nine brands, which include Glowbal, Coast,
Italian Kitchen (Alberni Street and Park Royal), Trattoria (Kitsilano, Park Royal and
Burnaby), Black + Blue, The Roof, and Nosh.
Remember to target your report at the appropriate audience. Questions of interest would
likely include (but not be limited to) the following:
•
Does tipping actually affect quality of service? Does tipping go up with quality of
service? If not, what does affect it?
BUS 360W Spring 2019 Report Topics
2
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What are the experiences of other North American restaurants that disallow
tipping?
What environmental factors are important to consider?
What are some of the potential costs and benefits associated with abolishing
tipping?
What can be done to increase the perceived fairness between front of house and
back of house employees?
Would eliminating tipping have any effect on employee turnover?
If tipping is eliminated, how can restaurateurs ensure that exceptional customer
service remains the norm?
What are the relevant legal issues that need to be considered (if any)?
What are the optics issues here for the various stakeholders?
What is the optimal choice: higher prices, automatic service charges, or the status
quo?
NOTE:
• Sanctuary 2 Consulting Group is a fictional company.
BUS 360W Spring 2019 Report Topics
3
Topic #2
You and your team members are senior partners at Agamotto Consulting Group, a
Canadian company based in Vancouver, BC. Agamotto consults in both the public and
private sectors, advising organizations in areas including marketing, communications,
stakeholder engagement, research, and operational strategy, among others. Your firm’s
area of expertise is in Marketing and in Business Development.
Agamotto was recently hired by Jodi M. Shpigel, Senior Vice President, Development, at
First Capital Realty (FCR). FCR owns and operates a number of shopping centres, such
as Broadmoor Shopping Centre, Langley Mall, and Semiahmoo Shopping Centre. Jodi
wants you to put together a strategy for increasing foot traffic and sales for Semiahmoo
Shopping Centre, specifically with a focus on reaching the millennial generation. In
addition, Jodi wants you to provide key recommendations for implementation.
Over the past number of years, malls in general have experienced declining sales amid
increased competition from online stores or competitors such as Amazon and eBay. More
and more potential customers are purchasing items online, or just going to a physical
store to check out the item, and then purchasing the same item online, instead of at the
store. Having said that, some malls within British Columbia are bucking this trend, such
as Oakridge Mall, Pacific Centre, and Metropolis at Metrotown.
Jodi wants your team to research what approach and direction Semiahmoo Shopping
Centre should take to encourage millennials to come to the mall and shop there. She
wants your team to write a research report—based on supporting evidence—that makes
recommendations a specific strategy or strategies the mall should follow.
Jodi is leaving it up to you and your team to decide what area(s) you want to focus on.
Will you look at how they can hold special events to bring in more customers? Will you
look at what they need to do in terms of store composition or potential renovations?
Based on your research, what should Semiahmoo Shopping Centre do?
Your primary focus needs to be on Jodi’s mall. You can use data that references other
markets, but you need to remember that your recommendations will need to be feasible—
and make sense—for Semiahmoo Shopping Centre.
Your report will be addressed to Jodi M. Shpigel, but you must consider the range of
possible primary and secondary audiences in this scenario, and ensure that you provide
enough context for the other readers.
FCR has outsourced this report to Agamotto to ensure independence and objectivity in
the research and subsequent recommendations.
BUS 360W Spring 2019 Report Topics
4
Questions of concern might include (but not be limited to) the following:
•
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•
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What does the research show around what millennials consider to be important for
shopping? Or around whether or not millennials still like to go to malls?
What do millennials like to purchase?
Should Semiahmoo Shopping Centre continue with their current direction and
focus? What direction can—or should—they take?
How should Semiahmoo Shopping Centre market their mall?
Why is online shopping so popular? What are some alternatives or other options
other than online shopping?
How can Semiahmoo Shopping Centre compete against some of the other, more
popular malls?
What can Semiahmoo Shopping Centre do, in terms of working with their
existing stores?
What are the optics issues here? Any key perceptions (true or not) that affect how
people see Semiahmoo Shopping Centre?
What are some of the financial issues or impacts here? What are the costs
involved?
Are there any legal issues here?
NOTE:
• Agamotto Consulting Group is a fictional company.
BUS 360W Spring 2019 Report Topics
5
Selected Planning Notes
Documsnt Planning Pri;*er
Comprehensive profiling of AUDIENCE:
Initial – Jodi M. Shpigel, the senior Vice President at First Capital Realty
Primary – Jodi M. Shpigel. The information contained in the research report will directly
influence the next steps in their strategy.
Secondary – Project managers (PM) who were given initial proposal to the project.
Authorization for participation happens first therefore, the PM should know updates on the
project. Jodi’s marketing team will be an important audience because execution will be carried
out be them. Their expertise in marketing with specific knowledge *jttrLh., shopping centre will
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Decision-maker – Jodi M. Shpigel will be given the proposal for recommendations by Agamotto
Consulting Group where the acceptance on the delivered research report is evaluated
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Gatekeeper – )tb, we as thd consultin! group will be presenting information
Watchdog – Social media news outlets such as Dailyhive and business vendors who are situated
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Assumed Resistance Level and Likely Organization
As we were hired by Jodi personally to research strategies for improving the foot traffic at
Semiahmoo Shopping Centre, the resistance will be neutral. While Jodi will remain analltical to
ensure decisions are made in the interest of the mall, Jgdi’s openness to ideas keep opportunities
available. As a result of the resistance levels, an inrlirtS* approach will be taken as all
information regarding the reasoning behind specific recommendations are welcome.
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What Assumptions Can be Reasonably Made
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. The specified criteria initially set such as bdggllwill remain stable. The
recommendations given have possibilities of executionJnd wiiiEost likely not be
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abandoned.
We as a consulting group possess the expertise capable in delivering comprehensive
recommendations.
Jodi and the team requires help from our marketing and business expertise.
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Deficits?
Knowledge
What Are the Audience’s Specific Needs and
The outsourcing of market research shows that experts at First Capital Realty lack the resources
for an effective analysis of the surrounding community. They see the opportunity to leverage
new ideas from an outside perspective of experts in the field. However, the recommendations
will need high-level details such as risk management, budgets, and other materials needed to
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Observations about PURPOSE
:
Increasing competition from online stores and declining sales seen in malls have raised conceln
for the success of Semiahmoo Shopping Centre. Our goal is to develop specific strategy plans to
recapture consumer interests. Below outlines the primary focuses of our research report and what
will be accomplished.
Analyze Semiahmoo Shopping Centre in terms of its existing customers, location,
population, and to evaluate what works and what does not as well as how effectively does
the Semiahmoo Shopping Centre fulfills their needs.
2. Analyze key factors of competition from online stores to find its best methods to regain
market share.
Analyze millennial consumer preferences and behaviour to identify potential factors to
attr act more customers.
4. Design each strategy plan with implementation guidelines based on each stage-analysis,
along with the constraints to be feasible.
1.
.
We are providing neutral, informative news as we are presenting suggestions to increase
millennial foot traffic. Arguably, this report can also be persuasive because the
recommendations made will have to be backed by evidence to support our specific
decisions.
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