Kudler Fines Foods

Food retail is a competitive business. With that is mind, the management team from Kudler Fine Food adopts computer and internet technology, and focuses on Porter's model to gain competitive advantage.

Four primary functions of management are planning and strategizing, organizing, leading and controlling, and decision making (Gomerz & Balkin, 2002). Planning and strategizing functions set future objectives and map out activities to achieve those objectives. Organizing function determines how resources are arranged and coordinated to perform tasks to achieve desired goals. Leading function energizes people to contribute their best individually and in cooperation with other. Controlling function measures performance, compares it to objectives, implements necessary changes, and monitors progress (Gomerz & Balkin, 2002).

Planning for long-term projects is the function of strategic managers (Gomerz & Balkin, 2002). These top managers are the chair of the board, president, chief executive, and vice president. Kudler's president is Cathy Kudler.

Tactical managers are responsible for translating goals and plans developed by strategic managers into action, and for measuring the performance of the implementation (Gomerz & Balkin, 2002). They hold the function of strategizing and decision making. At Kudler, tactical managers include Harvey Stephens, director of finance and accounting, Yvonne Reynolds, director of store operations, and Brenda Wagner, director of administration and human resources.

Operational managers supervise the operations of the company (Gomerz & Balkin, 2002). At Kudler, these are the store managersÐ'--Ken Vesper, Laurie Priest, and Juanita Lopez. They directly involve with non-management employees, implementing the specific plans developed by the tactical managers. In addition, due to their direct association with the workers they hold the function of organizing and leading.

Kudler management improves with the help of computer and internet technology. It provides the company with a greater control of the business, and a network between the stores for better information sharing. The Finance and Accounting Department recently installed the Retail Enterprise Management System (REMS). It has many modules--such as general ledger, accounts payable, account receivable, point of sale (POS), bank reconciliation, and asset management and accounting--to help the company managing its business more effectively. For example, POS module captures and reports all retail sales. The data are automatically transmitted to the general ledger for record, electronic payment clearing house for credit card authorization, and purchasing function for inventory managing. Computer also allows Kudler to keep comprehensive database containing information relating to customers, employees, inventory, suppliers, products, etc. more efficiently. In addition, internet helps Kudler in several ways. It provides an information network between stores where data on pricing, suppliers, inventory, etc are readily available. It also provides Kudler a better way to associate with other businesses. It makes ordering and purchasing process easier. It gives the company up-to-minute information of any bank transaction.

In fact, Kudler is not the only retail food company that jumps onto this technology bandwagon. North Carolina-based Food Lion Company is using computer software developed by Galleria to keep increase consumers' loyalty (Anonymous, 2006). The program helps improve management by:

1. Turning collected customer data into demand intelligence to better understand customer behavior and needs.

2. Executing