...Jock Sommese Business 102 02/18/2012 Report by Rushil Gupta Entrepreneurship: Cold Stone Creamery was founded by Donald and Susan Sutherland in an effort to make perfect ice cream that was neither soft serve nor hard packed. What makes them stand out compared to many other ice cream stores is that all their stores make ice cream fresh daily in the store. The company was founded in 1988 and had its first store in Tempe, Arizona (which is still operating), they also moved there headquarters to Scottsdale, Arizona from Tempe, Arizona in 1997. Their name Cold Stone Creamery comes from a granite stone used to mix add–on like cookies, m&m’s, sprinkles, chocolate… into ice cream. The store main ingredient is ice cream with additional add-on offered to customized it specially for the customers, but over the years they have added ice cream cakes, smoothies…. Its first franchise store was opened in Tuscan in 1995 and now they 1400 franchise in operation today. Cold Stone creamery doesn’t only operate in the US but rather across the world like Taiwan, Japan, China, United Emirates, and Denmark …. Cold Stone merged with Kahala Corp in 2007 to become Kahaka-Cold Stone, which has thirteen brands. Originally the CEO of the new company was the original CEO of Cold Stone but after several months he left the company and previous CEO of Kahala Corp became the new CEO of Kahaka-Cold Stone. Cold Stone has performed pretty well as a franchise but they have started to Co-brand to expand in...
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...3 STUDENTS FROM THE SAME SECTION (WITH SAME CONTENT EXPECTATIONS) CASE 1: Cold Stone Transforms the Ice Cream Social with Facebook By Casey Hibbard (Published November 22, 2010) (Full length article available at http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/cold-stone-transforms-the-ice-cream-social-with-faceb ook/) Ice cream has always been social. But Cold Stone Creamery has found a way to make it even more so—with Facebook. Today, Cold Stone continues to innovate outside the kitchen, recently releasing what may be the first eGift feature on Facebook, and running contests that get thousands engaged even more deeply with the brand. The payoff goes well beyond greater customer engagement; Cold Stone’s promotions add to the bottom line by moving people from their computers to physical stores. In July 2010, Cold Stone made eGifting more tangible. Now you can send Facebook friends a code for an actual ice cream creation eGift, ranging from $5 to $7, right from the Cold Stone Facebook fan page for delivery via Facebook or email. Like a gift certificate, recipients can instantly redeem the gift at any of the retailer’s American locations by showing a printout or the code on their mobile phones. For a viral effect, the eGift shows up in the recipient’s News Feed on Facebook, so all friends can see it. One of the first brands to enable eGift Social, created by First Data Corporation, Cold Stone links its social media presence directly with sales. “The strategy, and really...
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...Is Pro Wrestling fake or real? EN1320 Comp1 Research Paper IIT-Tech As long time avid fan of pro wrestling I always get ask is pro wrestling is fake? Sure pro wrestling is a male oriented soap opera, that storylines and matches do have predetermined outcome. Predetermined meaning the refs, wrestlers and bookers know who is going to win or lose a match before the actual match starts. Yes the hazards can be real inside the squared circle because if a wrestler receives or takes a “bump” the wrong way. It could be a career ending injury that wrestler might not even wrestle again. That being said every pro wrestler trains day in and day out to insure nobody gets hurt in the squared circle. For the untrained eye or people who don’t follow wrestling do not factor that in. Now the question that is always topic of debate about pro wrestling is it a sport or entertainment? Pro wrestling is part entertainment part sport because Greco Roman wrestling style it uses. The moves preformed like headlocks, suplexs and slams come from the Greco Roman wrestling style. Pro wrestling uses “Gimmicks” meaning the persona, usually artificially created; one has in order to draw fan interest. Here is where the entertainment comes into play for pro wrestling. Without the entertainment aspect of it, pro wrestling would boring, stale and not really fun to watch. Who wouldn’t want to watch a guy named “Dude Love” an overweight guy wearing tie dye, sunglasses and talking like a throwback 1960's hippie...
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...Breaching Experiment: The Human Response to the Invasion of Personal Space. Most people do not like having their personal space invaded and everyone reacts to this in their own personal matter, depending on that person's preference and the approach of invasion as well. As a usual, we keep distance between other people about arm’s length; we call it personal space. In most cases, this personal space is set for the comfort ability of one another. However, in my experiment, I decided to breach this norm, and took some situations into action. I invaded personal spaces of friend and strangers and observed the reactions of these people. The feedback I received from the invasion of my friend's personal space differed from the response of invading a stranger's. While we were at the café with my best female friend, I stayed very close to her all the time. As we sat down at the table, I sat near her, where was enough space only for one person, instead of sitting on the opposite side. She hadn’t say anything about my invasion, but I noticed that she was wandering if something wrong with me. Though, when I intruded stranger’s personal space, their reaction toward it was different. While I was in subway, I spotted a man who was sitting on the empty bench and reading a newspaper. When I sat down right beside him, as close as I could, the man stopped reading and looked at me, as if he was expecting me to say something, but I just smiled to him. The man ease up a little and continued his...
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...morning after a tough work week. He says, “then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather” (154). This went unappreciated by anyone in the family, including the author; “No one ever thanked him” (154). Once the rooms were warm, his father would call him, only for the author to return not the thanks he properly deserved. In his poem, Hayden uses contrast to illustrate the relationship between him and his father. The temperature of the house and outside, symbolize their relationship. His father goes out in the “blueback cold” to make the house warmer, to make “banked fires blaze” so that his child can wake up in a nice warm temperature. He says, “I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking”(154). Despite his effort, the author treats his father with just as much coldness as the climate they live in, even at the sight of his shoes cleaned. Hayden writes, “Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well.” (154). His father created literal warmth for him, but he did not warm up his father’s heart emotionally in return with love. In the last two lines, he says “What did I know, what did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?”(154). Here he is telling us he lacked the comprehension of how his father was showing him his love through the things he did for him as a child. The duties his father performs are lonely and austere because he did these things on his own and without as much of a thanks from anyone...
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...Is Pro Wrestling fake or real? (07/31/2015) EN1320 Comp1 Research Paper IIT-Tech As long time avid fan of pro wrestling I always get ask is pro wrestling is fake? Sure pro wrestling is a male oriented soap opera, that storylines and matches do have predetermined outcome. Predetermined meaning the refs, wrestlers and bookers know who is going to win or lose a match before the actual match starts. Yes the hazards can be real inside the squared circle because if a wrestler receives or takes a “bump” the wrong way. It could be a career ending injury that wrestler might not even wrestle again. That being said every pro wrestler trains day in and day out to insure nobody gets hurt in the squared circle. For the untrained eye or people who don’t follow wrestling do not factor that in. Now the question that is always topic of debate about pro wrestling is it a sport or entertainment? Pro wrestling is part entertainment part sport because Greco Roman wrestling style it uses. The moves preformed like headlocks, suplexs and slams come from the Greco Roman wrestling style. Pro wrestling uses “Gimmicks” meaning the persona, usually artificially created; one has in order to draw fan interest. Here is where the entertainment comes into play for pro wrestling. Without the entertainment aspect of it, pro wrestling would boring, stale and not really fun to watch. Who wouldn’t want to watch a guy named “Dude Love” an overweight guy wearing tie dye, sunglasses and talking like a throwback...
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...Services Marketing at Ice Cream Shops: Baskin-Robbins, Ben & Jerry’s and Cold Stone Creamery Introduction This purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast services marketing at three ice cream scoop shop companies: Baskin-Robbins, Ben & Jerry’s, and Cold Stone Creamery. In a Mintel report on ice cream shops published in 2009, “roughly seven out of 10 respondents say that ice cream is the first thing that they think about when wanting a tasty treat” (Ice Cream). Given that consumers are easily drawn to ice cream as a product, ice cream shops are not necessarily challenged at attracting customers to eat ice cream, but instead must focus their marketing efforts on selling the experience and service that comes with a customer’s visit to an ice cream shop. Some focus is also placed on marketing the quality of the product as an extension of the service experience. As described throughout this paper, all of the companies use both similar and differing tactics to market their service experience to their customers. Company Overviews Baskin-Robbins is a subsidiary of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., based out of Canton, MA. It was founded in 1945 in Glendale, CA by Burt Baskin and Irvine Robbins. At the end of 2009, the company consisted of 6,207 franchised locations worldwide, in 33 countries and 46 states (Dunkin’ (a)). It has created over 1,000 flavors of ice cream in its lifetime, and serves over 300 million customers each year (Dunkin’ (b)). Ben & Jerry’s is a wholly owned subsidiary of...
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...why it’s so important that a business practice prudent financial management. Cold Stone Creamery Cold Stone Creamery was founded in 1988 by Susan and Donald Sutherland. The couple liked ice cream that was neither hard-packed nor soft-serve, and opened the first Cold Stone Creamery in Tempe, in the U.S. state of Arizona. In 1995, Cold Stone opened its first franchise in Tucson, Arizona, and grew quickly through the late 1990s and early to mid-2000s. in June 2008, a Wall Street Journal article, by Richard Gibson, examined the unusually high number of Cold Stone Creamery franchises that had closed or been put up sale by their owners, many of whom had severe financial losses and emotional distress. Challenges Facing Cold Stone Creamery Franchisees The following are the financial challenges confronting Cold Stone Creamery franchisees: 1. High prices in a tough economy. It’s hard to sell enough $4.00 scoops of ice cream in a difficult economy to support the overhead of a business that has a high overhead. 2. Saturated market. Cold Stone expanded rapidly and many franchisees complain that the stores are too close together. Its competitors also expanded in the 1990s and early to mid-2000s. 3. Believing the hype. Many Cold Stone franchisees bought in when the buzz surrounding the company was the strongest. 4. Franchisor control. In regard to specific financial issues, Cold Stone Creamery franchisees have complained about the way they are required to operate their businesses...
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...Analysis 35 Strengths 35 Weaknesses 37 Opportunities 38 Threats 39 Marketing Goals and Objectives 40 Goals 40 Objectives 40 Marketing Strategies 41 Target market 41 Value Proposition 42 Positioning Statement 42 Issues Analysis 43 Action Plans 45 Valpak Savings Coupons 45 Free Smoothie Sample at Gasparilla Distance Classic Race Expo 46 Customer Loyalty Card 47 University of South Florida Freshman Orientation Promotion 48 Tuesday Free Kids Giveaway 49 Dog Yappy Hour 50 Student Study Break promotion 51 Clear Channel Outdoor Digital Billboard 52 Senior Citizen Afternoon Happy Hour 53 Monthly Customer Drawing 54 Marketing Budget 55 What We Learned 56 Product Statement Award-winning Cold Stone Creamery has been serving up superior ice cream, cakes, cup cakes and...
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...Analysis 35 Strengths 35 Weaknesses 37 Opportunities 38 Threats 39 Marketing Goals and Objectives 40 Goals 40 Objectives 40 Marketing Strategies 41 Target market 41 Value Proposition 42 Positioning Statement 42 Issues Analysis 43 Action Plans 45 Valpak Savings Coupons 45 Free Smoothie Sample at Gasparilla Distance Classic Race Expo 46 Customer Loyalty Card 47 University of South Florida Freshman Orientation Promotion 48 Tuesday Free Kids Giveaway 49 Dog Yappy Hour 50 Student Study Break promotion 51 Clear Channel Outdoor Digital Billboard 52 Senior Citizen Afternoon Happy Hour 53 Monthly Customer Drawing 54 Marketing Budget 55 What We Learned 56 Product Statement Award-winning Cold Stone Creamery has been serving up superior ice cream, cakes, cup cakes and...
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...Table of Contents Section Title of Section Page(s) I. Executive Summary 2 II. Brief History of Microsoft Corporation 2 III. History of Microsoft Customer Relationship Management Software 3 A. Timeline 3 B. Additional Information on MS-CRM Dynamics 2011 3 IV. Common Business Issues 3-6 V. Proposed Solution 6-7 VI. Recommendations for Executive Committee 7-8 VII. Attachments 8-15 A. References 8-9 B. Supplemental Materials 9-15 I. Executive Summary Especially true in today’s global economy, time is money and cost is the most volatile aspect of management. Efficient software solutions are an integral aspect of forward-thinking organizational management. The top competitors to Microsoft in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) sector are Oracle and SalesForce.com. This document will analyze deploying Microsoft’s CRM solutions in any company wishing to maintain a competitive advantage in the current economy and technological realm. II. Brief History of Microsoft Corporation As can be read in an analytical Excel document we created in August of 2011: In 1975, Gates and Allen form a partnership called Microsoft. Like most start-ups, Microsoft begins small, but has a huge vision—a computer on every desktop and in every home. In June 1980, Gates and Allen hire Gates’ former Harvard classmate Steve Ballmer to help run the company. Starting with a new operating system named "MS‑DOS," their hard work revolutionized daily office work into what will eventually...
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...Strategic Business Analysis - Tim Hortons 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 2 TIM HORTONS MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS 3 2.1 Mission Statement 3 2.2 Vision 3 3 HISTORY 3 3.1 Tim Hortons Brand 4 4 PAST STRATEGY 4 4.1 Merger with Wendy’s International lnc. 4 5 CURRENT STRATEGY 5 5.1 Brand Recognition 5 5.2 Unique Business Model 5 5.3 Market Expansion into the U.S. 6 5.4 Co-Branding – Cold Stone Creamery 7 5.5 Community Involvement (Children’s Foundation) 7 5.6 Coffee Partnership - Working within the Industry Value Chain 8 5.7 Measures Of Performance 9 6 FUTURE STRATEGY 9 6.1 Five Key Points for 2010-2013 Strategic Plans 9 6.2 U.S. Market expansion 10 6.3 Market Leader in Canada 10 6.4 International Strategy 11 7 CONCLUSION 11 8 APPENDIX 12 9 REFERENCES 12 1 Executive Summary A strategic business analysis of Tim Hortons’ restaurant chain was conducted and action plan is recommended. We are the Vice President of Marketing and Chief Financial Officer and presenting this report to the shareholders of Tim Hortons. This report includes a review of Tim Hortons’ past strategies by focusing on its origins from the beginning to the establishment of their valuable “Brand” reputation in Canada. We will perform an analysis of the past, present, and future strategies of the business. 2 Tim Hortons Mission and Vision Statements 2.1 Mission Statement: Our guiding mission is to deliver superior quality products...
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...Dippin’ Dots Case Analysis Business Policy-DeVry University COMPANY NAME, WEBSITE, and INDUSTRY Dippin’ Dots is going to be the chosen case for this case analysis. The Dippin’ Dots website is https://www.dippindots.com. As stated in the book it is a company that is in the ice cream manufacturing and scoop shop retailing business (Dess, 2012). This company has made many growth spurts, even throughout the test it was put in. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY Dippin’ Dots is a company that mainly sells ice cream, but the business has recently implemented coffee dots made from rich quality Arabian beans which could be eaten as frozen ice cream dots, it can blend with Frappe beads to make Dippin’ Dot Frappes, or heated up and drank as a hot beverage. It started out by founder Curt Jones in Grand Chain, IL in 1988. By 1990 he launched his first production facility headquarters in Paducah Kentucky. Curt Jones was working as a microbiologist which had helped him come up with the idea to use liquid nitrogen for the sole purpose of freezing things very rapidly. He used his skills from his job and applied them to making Dippin’ Dots ice cream. With this information Curt Jones implemented not only one store, but since opening he has launched several franchise locations worldwide today, along with Dippin’ Dot set ups in many amusement theme parks, festivals, and fairs. Chad Wilson, the present controller and franchising director helped Dippin’ Dots hit its next spurt of growth by putting in...
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...Industry Overview Our group evaluated the ice cream industry from a Porter’s Five Forces perspective to determine the attractiveness of the market. Next, we observed Amy’s Ice Creams’ strategy through interviews and class concepts to see how Amy’s competes. Then, we assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the company’s strategy to offer recommendations for Amy’s Ice Creams going forward. Production and Sales The biggest activities in the ice cream industry consist of production and sales. In 2011, U.S. manufacturers produced 1.53 billion gallons of ice cream, a 6.5 percent increase from 2009. In addition, U.S. ice cream sellers sold 25.4 billion servings of ice cream and other frozen desserts. This represents a 2.4 percent increase from the previous year, a slight increase after two year of stagnant sales (New Hope 360). There are two channels for ice cream sales. The first channel is food service where customers visit an ice cream parlor and pay a premium for the product. The second channel is retail where customers purchase their favorite brand of ice cream from a retail chain like Wal-Mart. Food services constitute a larger portion of the two channels accounting for 57 percent of overall ice cream sales (New Hope 360). Products The products in the ice cream industry include premium ice creams and novelties. Premium ice creams include sorbet, sherbet, and fruity flavored ice products packaged by the pint or quart. Novelties are separately packaged ice cream...
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...Real-World Business Analysis: Procter and Gamble Arlissa Williams MMBA-6570-9 Business Strategy for Competitive Advantage The Business Model Procter and Gamble is the world’s largest consumer products company that provides “branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come.” -www.PG.com, 2010 - “New CEO Bob McDonald, who assumed office in July, is on the road promoting P&G's ‘purpose-inspired growth’ strategy of ‘touching and improving more consumers' lives in more parts of the world... more completely’"(Kanter, 2009). In 2007, P&G created a five prong business strategy to assist the company in growth, both financially and organically. Its business model focused on innovation in all parts of the company. Using the core strengths of consumer understanding, scale, innovation, go-to-market capabilities, and brand-building, virtually all the organic sales growth delivered in the past nine years has come from new brands and new or improved product innovation. Not only did the company want to ensure that its products were what the customers desired, they wanted to create a lasting positive effect on the community. The five strategies were as follows: Products: “Delight the customer with sustainable innovations that improve the environmental profile of [the] products” (P&G Strategies, Goals and Progress, 2010). In order to provide the most innovative products to the consumers...
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