I am writing this critique to provide useful information on the degree to which the American Food and Vending’s “Best Practices for Controlling Food Costs” conveyed the basic requirements for controlling food costs to its front-line operations managers. Throughout this critique, I will explain in chronological order to what extent does this program adequately cover the relevant information on controlling food costs, to what extent will the design of the program facilitate the stated objectives, and based on my analysis of the content and design- what are the key changes I would make to this program. Through my own knowledge of controlling food costs, lectures, and outside readings I will compile a practical critique that digs deep into the American Food and Vending’s program.

* To what extent does this program adequately cover the relevant information on controlling food costs? * The program covers controlling food costs extensively, and does adequately cover a large range of information; however, the information seems somewhat generic and does not go into specific detail on how exactly the company specifically lowers its food costs.

* To what extent will the design of the program facilitate the stated objectives? * The program highlights its objectives upfront, unpacks each step of the Eight-Step Model, and goes into detail about each objective. The design of the program allows the reader to clearly see the company’s stated objectives, and then learn about each of them in a comprehensible manner through detail and hands-on learning.

* What are the key changes I would make to this program? * Based on my analysis of the content and design, I would give more real-life examples of specific ways the company did something right and saved the company money in food costs, as well as when the they did something wrong and raised its food costs.

To what extent does this program adequately cover the relevant information on controlling food costs?

Throughout the program, American Food and Vending goes through a wide range of information detailing the relevant information on controlling food costs. The introduction sets up the program nicely by explaining the range of what food costs should be in comparison to the company’s overall costs, then details why that range is appropriate. It is important to first understand why controlling food costs is so vital to the success of a company before one can understand how to control its food costs- something this program emphasizes well.

The program then introduces the Eight-Step Model, which highlights the key components of controlling food costs in a clear and concise manner. Once the introductions were completed, the first two steps of the Eight-Step Model were established. The program covers the two steps, ordering and receiving, in a simple and easy to understand manner, but does not dive deep into the specific needs of the company and where exactly they save and lose money- something I found as a recurring theme throughout the program. Each step, thereafter, is highlighted neatly with simple short statements of ways to control food costs for that segment.

The program is successful in going through each of the eight steps, as promised, with its focus being narrow on that specific step. Within each step, relevant information about controlling food costs is presented and teaches the reader about ways to lower food costs. The program does a good job of going through each step and detailing a few possible steps to looking at food costs and keeping them under control. All the information within the program is relevant and pertains to controlling food costs, but American Food and Vending could have gone into far further detail within each step making their program more extensive.

Although each step of the Eight-Step Model was unpacked and explained, the program failed to integrate any of the steps together especially in instances where I felt there was overlap. Furthermore, much of the information seemed generic and could have applied to any company. Even though sometimes that can be a good thing, with such an important aspect of a company such as food costs, the information should have been more specific and example-oriented. Giving specific examples of way the company did something good and bad after explaining each step would have been a good way to find closure and truly understand exactly what needs to be done every step of the way.

To what extent will the design of the program facilitate the stated objectives?

The design of the program was done very well with the stated objectives always clearly in the readers mind. The most successful part of the program was the way the design set up breaks to stop and make sure the worker truly grasped each and every concept. The worksheets were the most effective tool in the program because they provided a different way of thinking about each step, instead of just simply reading through each objective. The company does a great job explaining exactly what they want its employees to get out of this training guide, and keeping that straight path throughout the entire program. I was impressed with the transparency and conciseness of each step of the program, with the design certainly being a principle factor. The objectives were upfront and straightforward, the Eight-Step Model was introduced quickly, the notes and slides kept me on track, and the program had even flow throughout.
The program does an excellent job of keeping the reader moving forward at a fast enough pace that the information is easy to understand but slow enough that the information can also be absorbed. The design also allowed for the trainer to stay involved the entire way through, and gave some leniency toward helping people who did not understand a certain aspect. For example, after each step of the Eight-Step Model, the program allows the reader to stop and reflect on each step- an aspect that was useful, intuitive and hands-on.

The scenarios given along the way allow the reader to see specific examples of what they should do in certain situations after applying the knowledge they just learned- a great tool for training. As mentioned above, I believe there should have been more real-life situations and less hypothetical situations; however, the design of the program succeeds here where the content does not.

One aspect of the design that could have been done better was to have less repetition. Reading through a program that has the exact same style, design, and flow throughout the entire guide sometimes can begin to take away from the content as it becomes trite and more difficult to read. Although I did find the design effective, the program could have been broken up differently.

What are the key changes I would make to this program?

Although I did find that the American Food and Vending’s “Best Practices for Controlling Food Costs” was an effective guide and tool for looking at food costs, after analysis of the program there are a few changes I would make. The most glaring change I would make would be to make the program less generic. Many of the examples in the guide seemed very basic, broad and slightly elementary. The program should have gone into far greater detail on the specifics of cutting food costs, especially as it pertains to their company. I did not feel the program went beyond the most basic of principles for controlling food costs, while also focusing on the theory in general.

The program should have gone through a really good month of inventory and explained why the company did such a good job that month controlling food costs. Then, they should have detailed a really bad month of inventory and explained why the company failed to do a good job controlling that month controlling food costs. Furthermore, the program could have cross-examined the months and really tie the two together. Although the worksheets at the end did a solid job showing specific examples of math equations of how food costs work, the program failed to truly show the heart of the company. The program should have gone through a large order of inventory and each step along the way where they could have saved money. I do not believe the program was specific enough and should have used far more real-life examples that happened specifically within their company.

The program also should have gone through a day of where a worker went through each of the eight steps in the Eight-Step Model, and dissected each step along the way. This should have been done for both the positives and the negatives to show a comparison of both sides. One of my biggest problems with the program was its focus primarily on ways to control food costs and lack of focus on ways people did not control food costs. By showing both the positives and negatives, the employees will have a better understanding of what to do and what no to do.

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Training is one of the most important aspects of any successful company and having clear, concise, and effective guides are the first step. Keeping the guide up-to-date, hands-on and intuitive are pivotal to training new employees especially in such an important aspect of a company such as food costs. American Food and Vending’s “Best Practices for Controlling Food Costs”, as a whole, had most of the components of a successful guide, but like every program always has room for improvement. Keeping a clear focus on the company’s objectives is the most important aspect of a training guide, a facet that this guide thrived in; however, the guide failed to cater specifically to examples from previous situations where the company was or was not successful- a component that took away from the program’s effectiveness. Overall, the program was successful in keeping its objectives clear and hitting on each of the points the company desired. I believe, by using this program, American Food and Vending will be a more successful company.