NAME SHIMPEKE

COURSE FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT

1.Management cannot supervise effectively beyond a limited number of persons and determination of the appropriate number is difficult. Explain the factors involved in determining the proper number. (20 marks)
The number of persons that management can effectively supervise and oversee in business is indeed one difficult to determine and there is no tangible, workable formula that cab be universally applied to arrive at the ideal figure. This is because there are a number of factors involved which vary across industry type, individuals, and so forth. (Urwick, L.E.1956)
Span of control is a term in business management, usually in human resource management. Span of control refers to the number of subordinates who report directly to a given manager or supervisor; the more people under the control of one manager. (Koontz, H.1966) - the wider the span of control. Less means a narrower span of control. The factors affecting this aspect and that need to be considered before an ideal number is obtained are as follows:
Geographical dispersion; the geographical dispersion is when the branches of a certain business are widely dispersed. Then the managers will find it difficult to supervise each of them, because the span of control will be smaller. (Koontz, H.1966)
Capability of workers; the capability of workers is important is important in that if workers are highly capable, they do not require much supervision and can be left on their own, e.g. Theory Y type of people (According to Henri Fayol), need not be supervised much as they are motivated and take initiative to work, as such the span of control will be smaller.
Similarity of task and capability of supervisor; if the tasks the subordinates are performing are similar, then the span of control can be wider, as the manager can supervise them all at the same time. (Neumann, R.1998).
However, of course the capability of the supervisor has to also be taken into consideration. The capability of an experienced boss with good understanding of the tasks, good knowledge of the workers and good relationships with the workers, will be able to supervise more workers.( Drucker, Peter.1954),
Value-add of the boss, a boss that is adding value by training and developing new skills in the workers will need a narrow span of control than one who is focused only on performance management. The latter’s thrust will likely be to recruit more subjects to get the same results while the former seeks to obtain the same results with fewer workers or alternatively achieve more with the current workforce. (Gulick L. et al, 1937)
The ability of a superior to add value to his subjects, and the extent to which he is able to achieve that thus has an effect on the current and/or future span of control prevailing in his/her section. . (Gulick L. et al, 1937)
Volume of other tasks, if the boss has other responsibilities, such as membership of committees, involvement in other projects, liaising with stakeholders, and so forth, the number of staff directly reporting to him/her will need to be smaller.(Pugh D.S. et al, 1972)
Required administrative tasks, if the boss is required to have regular face to face meetings, complete appraisal and development plans, discuss remuneration benefits, write job descriptions and employment contracts, explain employment policy changes and other administrative tasks then the span of control ought to be reduced. (Urwick, L.E. 1956)
The advantages of wide span of control are: * There are less layers of management to pass a message through, so the message reaches more employees faster * It costs less money to run a wider span of control because a business does not need to employ as many managers
The width of the span of control depends on:
The type of product being made – products which are easy to make or deliver will need less supervision and so can have a wider span of control. ( Davis, R.C.1951),
Skills of managers and workers – a more skilful workforce can operate with a wider span of control because they will need less supervision. A more skilful manager can control a greater number of staff. (Davis, R.C.1951)
A tall organisation has a larger number of managers with a narrow span of control whilst a flat organisation has few managers with a wide span of control. A tall organisation can suffer from having too many managers (a huge expense) and decisions can take a long time to reach the bottom of the hierarchy. (Urwick, L.E.1956)
The financial position of an organisation can indirectly be a determinant of the management structure and span of control to be adopted, that is, a flat or tall structure if the nature of work permits either. This will likely be so in the current Zimbabwean economy where many companies are either scaling down or closing shop completely – organisations are generally flattening. A tall organisation, though can provide good opportunities for promotion and the manager does not have to spend so much time managing the staff. (Urwick, L.E. 1956)
b) With the aid of relevant flow diagrams explain how and where HACCP is applied in the food service industry. (30)

The safety of foods is increasingly important in the foodservice operations. The top management of the centralised food service systems identifies food safety and quality control but yet there are also critical control points that need to be considered as well since some of the food is prepared, chilled, and reheated for service. Therefore there is need of emphasis on the food safety and that a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) will be implemented throughout the system. (Corlett, D.A.1998).

The implementation of HACCP and its application depends on the operation for the Critical Control Points (CCP). The menu that is provided in the food service system is the one that determines where HACCP is to be implemented. HACCP programs build on the prerequisites of the food service system which are production equipment, supplier, personal hygiene, training chemical control, storage, transportation, receiving, production equipment and pest control. The quality assurance, standard operating procedures and the standardized recipes are critical in food safety. (Corlett, D.A.1998). The implementation of HACCP needs to put into consideration the flow of food throughout the operation.
Flow diagram
Cooking area
Cooking area
Weighing room
Weighing room
Storing
Storing
Receiving
Receiving

Distributing
Distributing
Storing
Storing
Cooling
Cooling
Packaging
Packaging

Serving
Serving
Reheating
Reheating

This operational flow chart facilitates in minimising the potential hazards in food products. The incorporation of HACCP principles would be apparent by clearly segment areas such as receiving, storage, food processing, equipment cleaning, and transportation. For example, the receiving area would be separated from other parts of the operation by doors or partitions. The doors should be kept closed to minimise contamination such as dust and exhaust fumes. The receiving and delivery vehicles should be kept in closing area so as to protect them from cross contamination. The storage areas are often separated from preparation areas, dish and dish washing, refrigerated cooked products separate from raw ingredients or unprocessed products such as in a restaurant the ready prepared meats separate from raw meat. (Neumann, R. 1998).

Selection of equipment for central kitchens should be critical s that it should include safety of the food product that is the way it is constructed and installed. Considerations are based on local regulations for equipment operation and installation. The implementation of HACCP is then based on how it was installed such as drains and ways of sanitisation standards. Once the equipment is installed, preventive maintenance schedules should be implemented. For equipment that requires temperature calibration, a regular schedule with appropriate documentation needs to be in place. When selecting equipment, consideration needs to be given to critical control point (CCP) information that can be collected automatically by built-in sensors such as thermometers and use of refrigerators. In the storage of ingredients and final products there are possible hazards of contamination therefore it is considered as the CCP. (Neumann, R.1998).
Procurement is the function by which foods and supplies are purchased and received into the facility. Procurement needs to write clear purchasing specifications that are food products, including food safety. The selecting of suppliers should prefer those that own HACCP programs depending on own HACCP. Inspecting the delivery trucks for temperature and cleanliness and checking temperatures of products delivered are steps that should be included. An example where HACCP is applicable in food service industry is in food retailer. (Drucker, Peter .1954),
When selecting equipment, consideration needs to be given to critical control point (CCP) information that can be collected automatically by built-in sensors. Thermometers with recording devices should be specified for cooking and chilling equipment, such as freezers, refrigerators, and steam-jacketed kettles. Ideally, this information could be collected automatically at intervals determined by the operator. This information could readily be reviewed by the foodservice managers to make adjustments during the preparation, production, storage, and transportation of food products. For example, all refrigerator and freezers could be equipped with automatic temperature sensors that have a running log of temperatures. These data could be sent to a computer system where the foodservice manager could review the performance of all equipment in the centralized foodservice system. In the HACCP program development a food service system will need to describe menu and products, develop a food product flow diagram, conduct a hazard analysis, and identify critical control points. Establish critical limits, identify monitoring procedures, establish corrective action procedures and validate the plan. (Neumann, R.1998).
However it should be emphasized that Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system focuses on prevention of food hazards in a foodservice operation. The hazard analysis part of the system focuses on identifying potential hazards that might cause customers being ill or injured. These hazards might be physical, chemical, or microbiological. Physical hazards can be non-food items in food, such as a stones, piece of metal in food that might cause injury. A chemical hazard would be chemicals that accidentally get into foods, such as a cleaner or sanitizer or insecticides in vegetables. A microbiological hazard would occur when food is contaminated with a microorganism that can cause illness. The critical control point (CCP) part of the HACCP system focuses on the flow of food through the foodservice system. A critical control point is defined as “a step where control can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to acceptable levels” (Mortimore & Wallace, 1998). Depending with product HACCP is specific, critical limits for cooking remains specific to each food item in the process.

References
1. Corlett, D.A. (1998). HACCP user’s manual. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers.
2. Custer, M.J. (1989). The challenge of sanitation. Food Management, 24(4), 56.
3. Davis, R.C. (1951), The fundamentals of top management, Harper, New York
4. Drucker, Peter (1954), The Practice of Management, Harper, New York Entwisle, D. and Walton, J. (1961) "Observations on the Span of Control", Administrative Sciences
5. Quarterly, 1961King, P. (1992). Implementing a HACCP Program. Food Management.
6. Gulick, L. and Urwick, L. (1937) (eds), Papers on the Science of Administration, Institute of Public Administration, New York
7. Koontz, H. (1966) "Making Theory Operational: The Span of Management", The Journal of Management Studies, Vol 3, 1966.Mortimore, S., & Wallace, C. (1998). HACCP: a practical approach. (2nd ed.)
8. Neumann, R. (1998). The eight most frequent causes of foodborne illness. Food
Management,
9. Ouchi, W. and Dowling, J. (1974) "Defining Span of Control", Administrative Sciences Quarterly, Vol 19, 1974. 11.Pugh, D.S, Hickson, D.J., Hinings, C.R., and Turner, C. (1972), "Dimensions of Organization Structure", in: Hall, Richard H. (ed.), The Formal Organization, Basic Books 12.Urwick, L.E. (1956) "The Manager's span of control", Harvard Business Review, May/June 1956.