Question:

1. Read the case carefully and complete the proposal by filling in the correct sentence NUMBERS. (Some parts of the proposal will have more than one sentence) Do not copy the sentences; do not add your own ideas.

Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza

1. Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza is a medium-sized chain of fast-food restaurants. Its branches are predominantly based in the north-west and Midlands of the United Kingdom and, until lately, this regional concentration and profile has enabled the chain to compete with the larger, international fast-food brands in these areas (many of whom have outlets near to a Zinn’s restaurant).  2. However, in recent years, many of Zinn’s restaurants have begun to struggle; they are losing both customers and staff.  3. The décor and furniture look tired, cooking equipment needs replacing; the menus require updating.  As with all fast-food businesses, the chain’s sales have been threatened by the recent trend towards ‘healthy eating’ and concerns over the environmental impact of the fast-food sector.  5. The recent recession has boosted sales slightly as customers look for cheap opportunities to eat out. 6. Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza should move to healthy combination of meals along with healthy drinks that needs careful planning with the help of food dieticians. 7. Various contests like ‘the happy family moments’, ‘coast to coast’, ‘Full of care’ are to be introduced. 8. Direct marketing as the term suggests, is a method of directly marketing to your consumers by means such as telephone marketing, Online marketing, E-mail based marketing, etc. which Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza needs to tap especially now.  9. The working hours and pay scale of the staff must undergo revision. 10. Lugo furniture manufacturers, situated in Midlands, use the extremely attractive Candi Tube Collections that attracts all ages. The company has quoted very reasonable charges for refurnishing. 11.  By introducing the contests there will be a boost in sales and market share by creating an awareness of the brand and instilling it in the minds of the consumers. 12. The telephone, online marketing that offers direct information to the consumers on their diverse products and services will giving the consumers sufficient knowledge about the products and deals of Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza. 13. Good décor and furniture attract the eyes naturally.   And the rule goes if the staff is happy, the customers are also happy. 14. There is threat that Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza may be labelled as JUNK FOOD SUPPLIERS and POOR SERVICE PROVIDERS, if changes are not made. 15. No business wants to close down because customers do not trust.

• Read the sentences below and decide the function of each sentence by specifying which states a claim and which states a support. Fill your answers in the blank boxes.

PART II (50 marks)

In well written essay of around 300 words, answer the following question.

Team working is one of the core skills for employability. According to Schein (1980), teams form for both functional and psychological reasons. Write an essay discussing the functional and psychological reasons according to Schein theory. (This question will test your essay writing and paraphrasing skills.)

Answer:

A)

B)

Part 2

In the current competitive environment in which business organizations operate has deemed it necessary for employees to be able to coordinate and cooperate with each other in integrating their business activities and functions (Hogan and Coote 2014). Such an integration of their business activities and functions in turn ensures the successful achievement of collective goals and targets and thereby the fulfillment of the overall organizational vision. In this regard, it may be observed that there are specific functional and psychological reasons that enable employees and other members of a business organization to form teams and operate within their scope in an efficient manner. According to the theory proposed by Edgar Schein, employees often undergo various changes in their values and behavior in order to adapt to the existent internal and external business environment of the business organizations (Andrews and Smits 2019). In this regard, it may be mentioned that the purpose of the functional reasons which motivate the engagement of the employees in teams pertain to the achievement of the specific goals that are set for them both in an individual as well as a collective basis. The employees are thereby required to utilize their skills and knowledge in order to be able to perform the functions and tasks assigned to them so as to contribute towards the completion of the individual and collective goals (Gražulis 2015). However, on the other hand, the psychological reasons, which motivate the employees and other members of the organization to form and operate in teams often, involve their personal goals of self actualization or even belongingness within the scope of the organization. Organizations often engage in the setting of performance standards that are required to be met by the employees. In this regard, the employees are often motivated to develop and operate in teams so as to be able to obtain such standards of performance in an efficient manner and thereby achieve the set strategic goals and objectives.

References

Andrews, M. and Smits, S., 2019. Using Tacit Knowledge Exchanges to Improve Teamwork. ISM Journal of International Business, 3(1).

Gražulis, V., 2015. Issue of teamwork in the context of theoretical discourse. Edukacja Ekonomistów i Menedżerów, 38(4), pp.83-101.

Hogan, S.J. and Coote, L.V., 2014. Organizational culture, innovation, and performance: A test of Schein’s model. Journal of business research, 67(8), pp.1609-1621.