What is the industry’s food supply chain? It starts from ranchers, bakers, farmers and ends up at your table.  Explain how this network of interrelated activities function.

Week Four Team Research Paper

This assignment will require you to research, discover, analyze, and write a complete Business Report.

“FIRST IN-N-OUT BURGER OPENS —

Harry Snyder introduces California’s first drive-thru hamburger stand in a space barely 10 square feet at Francisquito and Garvey in Baldwin Park. Every day before dawn, Harry visits the meat and produce markets to pick out fresh ingredients, which he prepares by hand. Meanwhile, his wife Esther diligently takes care of all the accounting for the new restaurant at their home right around the corner.” (History, 2021)  https://www.in-n-out.com/history

It’s been a few years since then, and In-n-Out Burger is now a favorite of millions.  Your Team Research Project is designed as a business case study to improve the operations of this very successful company.  (Note: With instructor approval, your team may change the focal company of this project, as long as you maintain the intent of the project.)

Your report will contain these elements:

Company Background (Past, Present, and Future)

Current Business Model and Products (What is the company’s mission statement, objectives, and vision?)

Cost Breakdown Process of Menu Products (Whether it’s batteries, bicycles, or burgers, companies convert raw materials to finished products.  In other words, they invest $1.50 to make $5.00. What are the cost breakdown of IN-N-OUT’s cost of goods sold?)

External Supply Chain Network (What is the industry’s food supply chain? It starts from ranchers, bakers, farmers and ends up at your table.  Explain how this network of interrelated activities function.)

Internal Operations Process (Does the name IN-N-OUT imply fast service?  Contrast and compare several fast food chains and how they  meet customer delivery times. Identify any bottlenecks.)

Re-engineered Process Flow (Once you have completed your research and analysis of the first 5 characteristics mentioned above, how would you improve IN-N-OUT’s external and internal operations?  Process flow-charting works best here.)

Your paper’s research will consist of a minimum of 10 pages that do not include the cover and references pages. Your paper will be written in APA format.

Your group is encouraged to meet out of the classroom to make several group fields trips to IN-N-OUT Burger as part of your research (or a different local restaurant if necessary).  Your group should also meet to review each other’s progress on research and writing. Do not simply delegate tasks and expect a group member to have his or her work available 2 days before the work is due.
There is a Blackboard Collaborate site (see left menu) where teams can meet 24/7 on-line!

Team Analysis

You are required to research costs items at www.costcobusinessdelivery.com and breakdown all bulk items down to a unit cost. Each Excel worksheet provided in the attached workbook contains blank, yellow highlighted cells that require you to completely fill in costs or link costs through Excel formulas. Amount totals for sales (# sold) and payroll for the P&L will be based on “what-if” analysis.

Week Four Team Presentation

Your group must prepare a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation to the company’s CEO (i.e., your professor) and the Board of Directors (classmates) outlining:

Company background
Restaurant Menu
External network diagram
Costing information (breakdown of bulk items to individual unit costs)
Current internal operations chart
Re-engineered supply chain outlining streamlined valued-added chain

Your team is tasked with improving the external and internal operations by redesigning the flow of materials from 2nd/3rd tier suppliers to IN-N-OUT Burger’s distribution centers to its restaurant and finally to its customers. Your will also redesign the internal operations process flow to minimize customer wait time by eliminating all bottlenecks. Reference PowerPoint handout slides for examples:

Slides should be professional:

Simple background (other than white or black)

Effective use of graphics, such as company logos, photos of products, etc.

Clean wording: key words only (consider 5×5: no more than 5 bullets per slide, no more than 5 words per bullet)

Audience should be listening to you, not reading your slides

Exception may be quoted definitions that require the audience’s attention

Effective use of animation – build slides to keep your audience focused on what you are saying

Do NOT mix several types of animations or use too extreme options (e.g. flying, spins, etc.)

Legible: use large enough fonts, colors should be high contrast for projectors (light text on dark background or dark text on light background)
Quantity of slides should match your presentations pace: no faster than 1 minute per slide, a single topic per slide (i.e., not too much)

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