ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
(to be completed by the student)AIB student ID number: 2011040021
Student name: ALEXANDRA PIKE
Course name: BBA HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT
Subject name: E-COMMERCE
Subject facilitator: ANSARAH ALI
Teaching Centre: TTHTI
No. of pages: 16
Word count: 2491
DECLARATION
ASSESSMENT SHEET
Principles learnt (for example, number and understanding of principles referred to, their influence on the structure of this paper, number and correct citations of references, use of appropriate jargon)
/4
Application of principles. That is, the analysis and evaluation of the example problem based on the principles, including the final recommendations and their justification
/8
How well the example problem was described, including the extent and depth of information (including the data) about it that was accessed
I disagree with the assessor’s assessment and the new mark is as follows for the following reasons:
/20
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the world today, most businesses are setting up their own websites to perform online transactions. Trading online enables businesses to reach much wider audiences while cutting the costs of traditional retailing methods (Business Case Studies 1995-2015).
Through this development; it is indicated that customer satisfaction and the overall efficiency of these establishments improve. There is also a revolution in the supply chain management. As compared to the advantages of traditional brick and mortar type business processes, on becoming a click and mortar type business by implementing e-commerce; there are more advantages and positive impacts achieved.
The company, Suzan’s Catering; seeks to enhance and improve their marketing and customer satisfaction. E-commerce provides virtually free marketing not only to presently established customers but also to a wider market on a global scale. In the catering industry, not many businesses have incorporated e-commerce into their business, so this aids in setting the business apart from other catering companies. It improves the competitiveness of
Suzan’s Catering; not just because of the quality of goods and services delivered but also the convenience given to a wider market of clients and customers. With the improvement in marketing and sales, productivity and profits increase.
TABLE OF CONTENTSContents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...3
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...4
INTRODUCTION ...5
MARKETING; CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ...6
THE OVERALL EFFIENCY OF THE BUSINESS ...9
THE SUPPLY CHAIN ...12
CONCLUSION ...14
RECOMMENDATIONS ...15
REFERENCES ...16
...5
MARKETING; CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ...6
...16
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...3
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...4
INTRODUCTION
The name of the company chosen for this assignment is Suzan’s Catering. This company deals with providing all catering needs to its clients. This includes cakes, meals, pastries, equipment, servers and the delivery of these products and services on request. The company is seeking to expand its business by gaining a larger number of customers while maintaining the loyalty and satisfaction of those at present. In keeping up with modern times and with regards to ensuring comfort and convenience for customers, the business is
considering the potential use of e-commerce. With this new implementation, the business also hopes to gain better marketing with decreased cost in overall marketing efforts.
The objective of this assignment is to discuss and highlight how the application of e-commerce in a small business would affect marketing, the overall efficiency of the business and the supply chain. Presently, Suzan’s Catering functions through the use of telephone to communicate with customers. Customers would call or email to place their order, the owner of the business would respond in confirmation, and the order would be delivered to them on the specified date and time. Customers either pay in cash or cheque upon delivery de
As there is no physical storefront, Suzan’s Catering plans to develop a webpage and social media page. There, On the webpage, would be a view contact information, product information, (nutritional fa on the owner and business, fillable e-forms, information on the ordering process, andd details about he delivery service. Customers could create
MARKETING; CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Because of the nature of the business, a physical exchange is always performed at the end of the transaction process. By initializing e-commerce, the business would become a type of click-and-mortar business, as it involves online and offline operations. To ensure customer satisfaction; the business as well as the webpage would meet many requirements. Some of these requirements are listed in the table below.
REQUIREMENTS DESCRIPTION
PRODUCT AVAILABILITY Albums with small images of the available products would be accessible; each with a link to view in a larger size, so that the pages load easily.
INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY Contact information, product sizes and prices, and nutritional facts would be easy to access through links provided. Links to related or similar products would be available for price comparisons.
RELIABILITY All information online would be updated
weekly.e, Information provided would be aaccurat and useful to site visitors and customers.
be sent to customersthe process of how to place ordetion emails wil
COMMUNICATION AND FEEDBACK All responses to questions, comments and orders would be promptly given through direct emails or it would be uploaded onto the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page. Suggestionssand recommendations would also be providedto customers with reference to their preferences and order history. .
Figure 1: Requirements and Descriptions of the Business’s webpage to ensure Customer Satisfaction.
With reference to the table above; the interactivity, the quality of information and the quality of the service provided on the site would all be assessed to ensure that the
customers’ need are met and satisfied. In terms of the interactivity; quick feedback will be provided to the customers, as well as a variety of choices for their purchasing decisions, so that they are not restricted in options. All information, photos andonline fillable e-forms from the main website would also be equally accessible through thea soial media page on Facebook. The woulmust ssered. Montates would be providedupdated regulrho ingredients and nutritional facts so that customers are aware of allergens in the products, etc.
The willingness to help and assist customers by providing product suggestions and recommendations through customer preferences would be vital in establishing customers’ satisfaction and improve the quality of the products. With quick feedback, the customers would develop confidence in the business as they feel as if the owner is never too busy to respond to their requests. A sense of trust would be instilled in customers and this leads to increased loyalty from customers, as well as good reputation building through customer reviews.
Figure 2: The relationship between Service Quality, Interactivity, Information Quality and Customer Satisfaction. This business comprises of business to customer trading where the business deals directly
with the customers either facto-face, over telephone or through the adoption of e-commerce; via a webpage, and an order is placed.
setine es Case Studies 1995-2015). Twor equike th
Tng the webpage, emails and phone calls, as well as to production processes. With feweptions, tecatering staff would be free to perform other vital tasks. They would be able to focus on preparing orders to customer specifications, which results in increased customer satisfaction.
E-commerce would help improve the competitiveness of Suzan’s Catering; not just because of the quality of goods and services provided but the convenience given to a wider market of customers. TOe easier access to first-time customers and marknto decreaing the coting through physical flyers and business cards, and also decreases the dependency on word-of-mouth. This hereby improves marketing and sales. With the addition of new customers, sales would increase and thus productivity and profits would increase as well.
Better relationships would be built with customers through the use of reviews and feedback via the website and Facebook page. ty analysing and understanding customer’s trends as well as takinnd suggestions into consideration, products would be made to suit the customers’ preferences. This aids in enhancing the efficiency through customer data. In
All customers would feel empowered by the ability to place their customized orders online. The website and the Facebook page gives customers all of the information they need so that they are able place these orders anytime, confirm order details, request changes, and repeat orders without delays. it also has a
can be made on timdering the use of instant messaging and confirmation emails; customer disputes and order adjustments would be handled quickly and easily without interrupting the workflow and the overall stress on staff. As a result of this, apart from customers’ invor reliable record ocustomers’ disputes would be available to reference for future discrepancies.
With the maintenance of online records, the analysis of trends could be performed without trouble and in less time. This would be used to anticipate seasonality of orders and ensure that all ingresary materials are available. Bulk orders can be negotiated with many suppliers beforehand so that stocks would be readily attainable for the months of high demand. This action would impact immensely increase in rstocks would be used efficiently; so that wastage and expired goods would decrease. This would help to minimize or decrease production costs.
Upselling of new and unpopular products through the use of online promotions only (via the website, emails and the Facebook page) could encourage customers’ sales and therefore increase revenue without the additional expenses on physical advertising and sampling.
Through the webpage, the quality of information accessible is improved and easily available online as compared to over the phone or through an actual meeting with the business staff. However, to an extent thiive effect on business as it brings physical interaction with
customers to a minimal, and the relationship between customer and business may
deteriorate. TOhe e information e available to customers on the other hand, would have to be limited as top of the products delivered from being adopted by existing and potential competitors.
through traditional methods of calls and face-to-face encounters. If at some point, the
webpage crashes due to a server overload as many people access the site at the same time, it can affect the interaction between the business and the customers. OAlso other issues su servce dropping from the internet service providers (ISP) can or errors and bugs o affect the transaction and communinteraprocess en the business nd firsquainted cusers.
When the webpages undergoes scheduled mntenance and upgrades, the business would experience what is known acustomers would be unable to access the webpage for that particular period of time. Details about this event would have to be displayed on the
THE SUPPLY CHAIN
A supply chain can be defined as three or more organizations directly linked by one or more of the flows of products, services, finances, and information from a source to a
customer (Mentzer et al., 2001). It usually consists of key personnel or organizations associated with the supplier, manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer and consumer (Wigmore 2013). lower for customers. In association with the catering business, the supply chain wouer, manufacturer (Suzan’s Catering) and the consumer.
Traditionally, the business would purchase all equipment and stocks needed from various suppliers. When a consumer places an order by contacting the business through telephone or directly at the establishment, the order is manually written and verbally confirmed. The materials bought from the suppliers are used to create the products which are then delivto the consumer on the specified date and time. Upon delivery the customer pays cash or cheque and a physical invoice is given. If the order is to be changed or cancelled, the consumer would have to contact the business via the same means to relay this
information.
Sometimes, outsourcing the equipment and ingredients needed for production from suppliers can be time consuming as multiple groceries and supermarkets are visited. If stocks are bought too soon, even if stored properly; the quality would deteriorate overtime and they eventually expire. If no stocks are bought and a consumer calls to make a same-day order, the materials needed would then be sourced and may be purchased at a higher cost. In some instances, the required ingredients may not be available and would then need to be substituted. This in turn would af quality of the product and the timeliness in deliv
The production staff works to creatsduct, and an invoice is sent via email to the customer once it is finishedproduct is delivered to the customer where they pay and receive a stamped copy of the invoice sign tolitate their own record purposes.
Based on ordering trends through customer data collected, the business could purchase stocks accordingly to reduce wastage. The time taken in outsourcing materials can be reduced as materials can be ordered online and received within a specified time.
Disintermediation and reintermediation takess place throug this aies such as supermarkets and groceries can either be removed or reintroduced to the supply chain. More time can now be put into the actual uction and delivery of the product.
If the customer wishes to adjust or cancel the order, it can be done online through their personal account on the webpage. Customers can access their previous and current order forms submitted where they can adjust the details to be resubmitted or cancel the order.Same day changes and cancellation to orders already submitted would not be an issue; as customers would receive a notice upon order submission regarding the time period in which these adjustments can be made.
CONCLUSION
Tthe implementaton of e-commerce into this business would bring forth many advantages but also few disadvantages. E-commerce pushes the business forward into the 21 century market, but causes the business to develop a strong dependence on modern day st
technologies. The overall efficiency of the business improves as advertising and marketing becomes easier, but the demand for the online service would increase as more customers would choose to communicate via these methods. ease of access adds to the convenience and comfort, in addition to; the quality of the physical product meeting the customer’s requirements, ensures delivered satisfaction. However, the relationship between the customer and business owner and staff can weaken instead of strengthen as little to no physical interactions occur before, during in or after the ordering process and delivery of the product. Still, once there is continuous online interaction between business and customer, accuracy in order transaction and timely delivery, the business will prosper through the incorporation of e-commerce.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Ton order to prostent service and keep up i would eventually turn more to e-commerce. This may be by considering online payment options as oppose to cash and cheque only upon delivery. In this way customers can pay beforehand so cancellations are
avoided,ofe providers would need to be established to ensure quality service and
uninterrupted connections are maintained. TheAfter this is done, the business will ensurecan assure that their online customers have an enjoyable experience on their website. With the increased in profits, Tthe business could then consider hosting the webwith a private
company that would adequately manage, monitor and maintain all online bng paid a monthly or annual fee. Once all throblems that arrned with online transactions are dealt with
REFERENCES
Attard J. (2006), ’10 Ways to make your website work harder for you’, Management Services Winter, Institute of Management Services
Berger A.J & Gattorna J.L (2001), ‘e-commerce and supply chains – breaking down the boundaries’, Gower Publishing, Aldershot
Lin H-F. (2007), ‘The Impact of Website Quality Dimensions on Customer Satisfaction in the B2C E-commerce Context’, Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, Hospitality and Tourism Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 13 April 2015
MacGregor R (1951), ‘E-Commerce in Regional Small to Medium Enterprises’, IGI Publishing, IGI Global, UK
Mentzer (2001), ‘What is Management in Supply Chain Management’, Journal of
Management Policy and Practice vol. 11, pp. 11, viewed 13 April 2015 http://m.www.na-businesspress.com/JMPP/NaslundWeb.pdf
Nicke C (2006), ‘The impact of E-Commerce on Supply Chain Management’, viewed 13 April 2015, http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/80393/the-impact-of-e-commerce-on-supply-chain-management
R.P Mohanty, D. Seth & S. Mukadam (2007), ‘Quality Dimensions of E-Commerce and their Implications’, Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, Hospitality and Tourism Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 13 April 2015
Sowinski, LL (2013), ‘E-Commerce and the Supply Chain’, Food Logistics, 146, pp.24-29, Hospitality and Tourism Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 13 April 2015
Wenninger J (1999), ‘Current Issues in Economics and Finance’, the Research and Market Analysis Group of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Viewed 13 April 2015
http://www.ny.frb.org/research/current_issues/ci5-10.pdf
Wigmore I (2013), ‘Supply Chain’, viewed 13 April 2015, http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/supply-chain
Yang G. (2012), ‘Relationships between E-Commerce and Supply Chain Management’, Springer International Publishing AG, Part of Springer Science+Business Media viewed 13 April 2015,
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-642-29637-6_87#page-1
