Introduction
Institutional foodservice has been a tremendous and sensitive entity in campuses, according to the US Census Bureau an estimate of young people aged 15-24 years in Asia comprises of 18.4% of the population and approximately half of the stated percentage anticipated on pursuing college and universities. The report further indicates an increase of 22 million students by 2015. Dynamism and indeterminate environments under which institutional food service operators operate normally pose threats on stability. In Saint Louis transport seems to be one of the dynamic and indeterminate aspects that limits food delivery to the students leaving near the campus.
Executive summary
Transportation has been a sensitive issue on the students leaving near the St Louis University, based on a detailed research conducted on the area, many of the students have minimal or no access on effective food delivering channels. The current restrictions and barriers presented by the transportation have yielded the idea of coming up with an innovative strategy aimed at filling the gap presented in the stipulated problem. Delivering food to these students through a convenient and effective system seems not only as a profitable business but also an approach to aid students recover from the predicaments availed to them in the current situations presented by the transportation. The idea behind the preceding analysis is aimed at creating a company to deliver foods to the identified population. Students residing near the campus are experiencing transportation problems which can be averted through developing or coming up with a company aimed at catering for the stated needs. The business plan offering a distinctive approach on the systematic analogy needed in relation to creating a unique entity relating to the stated analysis. This includes offering a detailed analysis on the respective strategic analogies necessitated or necessitating the respective means. Though food delivery is commonly a sensitive issue in regard to the respective restrictions and the need to be effective and efficient, the study is aimed at creating a conceptual framework towards creating a clear insight on the respective undertakings that can be executed towards achieving the stated objectives.
Description of the product and service
The essence of delivering food to the students residing near the campus who have transport problems requires a strategic approach. Coming up with a company based on the stated ideas on the problems or the limitations impacting the students can effectively and efficiently deliver services to the students. The products that the company is aimed at offering are on the various sorts of foods that the students orders. The numbers of students that reside near campus and faced with the transport problems which are the commonly targeted consumers are many offering a stable ground to establish the company. The services to be availed by the company include; increasing effectiveness and efficiency in food delivery services, offering a stable and reliable food delivery model, and availing fast and convenient food delivery channel to the students. Creating a company that delivers foods to students in St Louis who lives around the campus because of the transportation problems is essential.
The differing analogy compared to the various marketplaces is distinctive based on the various aspects. The unique advantage presented by the setting up of the company is based on the fact that the gap presented by the market and which the company seeks to bridge creates a competitive advantage for the company progress and prosperity. To supplement the stated analysis; it is evident that the company seeks to create a competitive advantage by not only availing the services to the consumers but also creating a reliable service delivery channel or system. The baselines under which the plan is based to mark the credibility and reliability is solely aimed at transforming the current transport problems experienced by the students to opportunities that will affirm their food delivery model. Based on an intrusive and detailed research conducted to bring up the stated facts, the plan incorporates the student’s ideas, the market or the industry performance through industry analysis and strategic analysis on the essential regulations and consideration towards the corporate social culture which is essential in relation to transforming the current misfortunes by the students to ideas Senauer, (2001).
Lack of available company offering the same services within the same areas as transport limits the delivery of these services creates a unique advantage under which the company seeks to undertake. This through doesn’t entirely eliminate competition, the significance is marginal if fully explored. Effectiveness and efficient are the cornerstones towards increasing consumers satisfaction. According to (Taylor, 2005), consumer satisfaction is not only essential towards transforming the organizational performances but also creating strategic approaches towards consumer loyalty and retention which are equally essential and significant approaches defining the effectiveness of the market.
Another aspect that seeks to transform the effectiveness and the efficiency of the company to be established is the availability of the market which is an essential aspect towards transforming an organization. Students residing near Saint Louis are many creating a ready market within the location understanding their purchasing behavior before indulging on the strategy to cater for their market were an essential step that the plan was aimed at undertaking. According to various researchers consumer behaviors are the acts projected by the consumers as they search for, purchase, use, evaluate and dispose products and services expected to satisfy their needs. It focuses on the vast ways that the individual consumers, families or household formulate decisions on how to utilize their resources such as money and time on the consumption of the related products Shanka, (2005).
Target audiences and the market segments that the plan seeks to advocate for or addressing include the students who reside near the campus who are the basically the core target consumers. Based on the statistics on the number of consumers or the students within the location indicate a high number essential towards supporting the company towards marginal performances. Analysing the targeted consumers as they make purchasing decisions is essential as it will help the company identify areas to offer more resources and improve on with the aim of increasing sales as they increase customer satisfaction. There are aspects that normally influence individual consumer purchasing decisions. These aspects may be internal, external or situational or even a combination of all. Identification of these factors by the company is essential as it forms baselines’ of their products and services development in relation to increasing sales and customer satisfaction. These aspects that may limit the purchasing of the products and services offered by the company on their consumers on purchasing decision making process should be analysed as conducted by the company hence creating a competitive advantage within the local market.
SWOT analysis
Under this analysis the various strategic approaches needed towards creating a clear insight on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats availed by both external and internal factors are examined.
Strengths
The company seeks to adopt some of the most competitive approaches towards creating a competitive advantage this includes; developing and embracing an effective Human resource management strategy to our employees, locating the company in the strategic location near the target market is essential towards catering for the consumer need, offering effective and efficient food delivery services to our consumers and developing organizational structure which incorporates all the stakeholders entities within the organization. Creating a good regulation through developing missions and visions and acting towards the values is essential towards developments and performance of the entire organization.
Weaknesses
Under this entity, various limiting factors towards achieving the organizational goals are addressed. Some of these limiting factors include; locating the organization within the desired strategic area can be limited by the increasing environmental awareness. The fact that the company seeks to cater for the students residing near the campus with transport problems pose a weaknesses towards creating a good reputation on the company services. Developing contingency plans aimed at addressing some of the stated facts is essential towards minimizing the impacts.
Opportunities
There are various opportunities availed by the organization within both the external and internal environments. Some of the opportunities that the external environments avails the company includes; high market, availability of products, developing innovative approaches under which the consumers or the students can make orders and opt the delivery times, ability to use the various effective and efficient ways to embrace the consumers needs, offering quality services to build a good reputation and strategizing on more strategic approaches towards increasing consumer satisfaction. The current dynamism in technology and innovations if effectively adopted provides marginal benefits towards offering effective and efficient services to the consumers.
Threats
Under this analysis the various challenges on both external and internal environments are examined. Some of the threats that pose on both internal and external environments include; the technological develops if not effectively taped offers threats towards minimizing consumer satisfaction, the various food policies regulating the food distribution and handling creates an undeterminable environment that may limit the effectiveness of the organization. Competition by other similar organizations or companies seeking to offer the similar services to the consumers on service delivery pose a threat towards developing and increasing organizational performance. The market trends are also some of the threats that the company experiences. To minimize this threats the company seeks to embrace a six model infrastructure of; quality service delivery, services cape, product quality, value to the customers, technology applications and convenience.
Conclusion
Based on the analysis above, it is evident that the food delivery impacted on the students by poor transport system. To cater for the stated business problem, idea on developing a company is ignited. The company is aimed at offering effective and efficient food delivery services to the students residing near the campus. The company will incorporate various approaches to establish a reliable food delivery system through incorporating the interests of all the stakeholders. Developing an effective corporate social responsibility is an essential supplement within the organization.
References
Chiquan, G., Anand, K., and Pornsit, J., (2004). Customer satisfaction and profitability: is there a lagged effect. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 12(3): 129.
Aaker & A., D. (2004). Strategic market management (7th ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John
Wiley.
Ruetzler, TM 2005, ‘Culture and service quality perceptions: Development of a university foodservice survey’, PhD thesis, University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi.
Senauer, B 2001, ‘The food consumer in the 21st century: New research Perspectives’, (working papers) Minnesota: Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota.
Shanka, T & Taylor, R 2005, ‘Assessment of university campus café service: the students' perceptions’, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, vol. 10, no.3 pp. 329-340.
