Discussion Board Forum 1: Chick-fil-A
Roger Smith
Discussion Board Forum 1: Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A is a well known quick-service restaurant in the United States. The company operates in the restaurant industry, where it has had a lot of success. In 2012 the company’s annual sales far exceeded 4.6 billion dollars [ (Chick-fil-A, n.d.) ]. Chick-fil-A is a company that can directly benefit from total quality management, a contemporary management technique.
Total Quality Management
Total quality management “is a method by which management develops policies and practices to ensure that the firm’s products and services exceed customers’ expectations” [ (Blocher, Stout, Juras, & Cokins, 2013, p. 13) ]. A company’s main goal is to be profitable but profitability cannot be obtained by the use of poor quality [ (Hackman & Wageman, 1995, p. 310) ]. In the long run poor quality will prove more costly to a company than good quality. Contrary to popular belief, being able to meet consumers’ needs actually beings with meeting the needs of employees [ (Morand, 1993, p. 3) ]. Total quality management is not solely about the satisfaction of the consumers but also the satisfaction of the shareholders [ (Padhy, 2013, p. 119) ]. A company must be concerned with both the quality of their product and their employees, thus being concerned with total quality management.
Chik-fil-A’s founder, Truett Cathy, knows that customer service is essential to building a successful company. The company received top ratings for their customer service in 2012, according to a study conducted by New Temkin Group Research [ (Hasty, 2012, p. 158) ]. The company has already shown success by implementing the total quality management technique, in regards to its customer service.
Chick-fil-A is a company that reverences the Sabbath and is closed on Sundays [ (Chick-fil-A, n.d.) ]. This leaves its consumers unsatisfied when they have Chick-fil-A cravings on Sundays. Chick-fil-A can further benefit from the total quality management technique by implementing it in their products. Following the technique will require the company to make adjustments to their practices in providing their product. One potential way to stay true to their beliefs and meet customers’ expectations would be to have a frozen food option. A frozen food option, if executed in the proper manner, could help improve the company’s stance with consumers. Another option would be to include breakfast on the menu all day on Saturdays, so consumers can pick up breakfast to refrigerate and eat on Sunday mornings, when the restaurant is closed. If implemented properly, total quality management could be a positive force for Chick-fil-A.
References