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Kudler Fine Foods Operations Focus

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Kudler Fine Foods Operations Focus
Ian Solace
BSA/502
April 16, 2012
Christine Lin

Kudler Fine Foods Operations Focus Kudler Fine Foods is a growing, upscale food retailer that currently uses exclusively manual processes to place orders for all of its products. In an effort to help streamline practices and increase profitability, it is recommended that Kudler move toward an Internet-based mode of ordering and fulfilling stock. This type of ordering system could save Kudler both time and money as well as reducing inaccuracies inherent in the manual ordering process.
Current Ordering System Currently, there is no central purchasing department for the string of three stores. It is the responsibility of each of the three department managers within each store to determine requirements for the items in their departments and to place purchase orders directly with suppliers (Apollo Group, Inc., 2011). The department managers are required to fill out a standard, manual purchase order form for each order as well as receive and manually verify each shipment as it comes in. To place an order, these forms must be mailed, faxed, e-mailed, or even handed to suppliers (Apollo Group, Inc., 2011). These forms then become the primary tracking and financial documents for all merchandise orders (Apollo Group, Inc., 2011). This vast amount of paperwork must be maintained and stored in the accounting department to ensure vendors are paid. Another hurdle exists in that each department manager is independently responsible for obtaining the best pricing, quality, and delivery possible (Apollo Group, Inc., 2011). Each of the department managers is encouraged to check with his or her counterparts within the other stores to see how their pricing, quality, and delivery schedules stack up (Apollo Group, Inc., 2011). From Kudler’s standpoint, this can lead to inconsistent pricing

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