I.

Introduction

One of the basic facts yet harder to deal in management is the fact that everything
changes. There are lots of things we need to do in order to keep pace of whats happening
globally. We must be prepared and equipped enough to make things in progress and not be
confined in the traditional way of doing things. We must be open to the new organizational
dynamics and technology that will help us to be more competitive and in general, in order to
achieve our goal as an organization.

II. Objectives
The objectives of this study are:
1. to study and analyze the existing dynamics within a restaurant,
including the present conditions of the sales and services;
2. to identify problems within the organization;
3. to determine certain factors that are associated with the onset of
these problems;
4. to develop strategic management to address the problems
identified
5. to recommend alternative course of actions or final decisions for
the organization
III. Background of the Study

A. General Profile of the Existing Restaurant

Estasyon Uno is a restaurant/eating place, as documented in the Security and
Exchange Commissions, privately owned by Mayor Hernani A. Braganza and his wife. It is
located in #312 Tomas Morato Extension, Corner Scout Borromeo, South Triangle, Quezon
City. It started its operation in July, 2003 spanning a 20-square meter area. At present, it has
ten (10) employees: chief cook, two (2) dish washers, five (5) waitresses, one (1) cashier, and
one (1) driver. It caters primarily to the taxi drivers, bank/office employees, and other
surrounding commercial and residential establishments.

B. Rationale of the Study

First, the study based its significance in achieving the main goals of the organization
to establish sustained profits and at the same time, providing quality service to the costumers
and to the development of the human resource.
Secondly, the study also considered the opportunity of the restaurant to expand as
they plan to do the construction in the next month and will continue for three months. The
expansion will include a three-storey building first storey is more likely a renovation of the
existing restaurant with an additional unit of take-out grill and Pasalubong Shop wherein the
products will be coming from Pangasinan most especially from Alaminos City where the
owners came from; the second will be a bar/restaurant, and the third is an installation of a call
center office and other related enterprise.
Lastly, the study will be a combination of analyzing the existing organizational system
or dynamics and will try to recommend further changes or improvement for its expansion.

C. Methodology and Data Collection

The study made use primarily of field methods in data collection such as:
1. Participative Observation the researcher (the assistant manager who is me)
keenly observes the dynamics within the organization while at the same time
participates in the dynamics (so as to create a natural setting for the events to
happen).
2. Survey using a questionnaire for the costumers, mainly the taxi drivers, was
administered. This survey seeks to obtain data on costumer satisfaction, factors that
can affect costumer satisfaction, and allowed costumer recommendation or
suggestions for changes to be done and for further improvement.
- sample size is 30
- random sampling was used
3. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was also conducted to ascertain
collective views of the employees about the organization.
- One FGD was conducted among the 8 employees
4. Individual interviews with some key persons related to the organization such as
the owner and some employees that exert leadership within the organization.
- 3 interviews were conducted: with the owner, the cook, and the cashier

The study made use of the results from these methods which were conducted
last year and a follow-up last month.

D. Limitations of the Study

The limitations of the study lie primarily on the restricted modes of data
gathering and the limitation of the analytical tools or measurements since the data were
all collected by only one person that may in effect, will not be able to provide necessary
analytical procedures and consequently, limited recommendations.

IV. Identification of Problems

A. Organizational Design
 1. Vision-Mission the organization has no clear and visible stated vision
and mission. What the employees seem to understand is that they just
merely do to make a living and earn some income. In effect, they seem
to see only the short-term goals why they are in the restaurant. The
manager/assistant manager also has a hard time to do managerial roles
because of the lack of focused vision and mission. This is important
because it gives direction to the organization and focuses its sources
and effort.
2. Plan of Action Since the organization lacks vision-mission, there is
also no directed plan of actions for the restaurant. Consequently, the
restaurant tends to experiment on trial-and-error basis, trying to figure
out what will work and what will not work. Because of this, there is a big
tendency to increase inefficiency and ineffectiveness, depleting
resources, increased costs and unsatisfied costumers.
3. Job Description The organization has no clear demarcations for the
roles of each employee such that overlapping of roles occurs, the
tendency to social loafing of some, and confusion of roles among them
leading to unproductiveness.
4. Organizational Structure the organization has no one who looks after
the entire organization full-time. The owner asked me to assist them in
managing their restaurant (as a pay for my allowance and board and
lodging in medical school), therefore, I could not manage the restaurant
full-time. My knowledge is limited about what is happening in the
restaurant and there were times that, I cannot address immediate
needs or problems since I am in school. The employees tend to decide
on their own consensus even without the knowledge of both the owners
and me.

B. Specific Problems identified

1. Production This pertains to the inefficient production of services
needed by the costumers (shortage of supplies like discrepancies in
marketing lists and grocery items, inefficient delivery of supplies due to
uncoordinated communication to the suppliers of goods that are in need to
be delivered, not available services like cellphone reloading and inefficient
monitoring of reloading items)
2. Consumption costumers choose their food preferences according to
what is offered not according to what they want them to be served. (the
concept of nagtityaga na lang sa kung anong meron).
 3. Employees
a. Cashier sometimes lack of coordination between the two cashiers
for each shift (6:00am-6:00pm shift and 6:00pm-6:00am shift). Cash
is not properly monitored since there is no automated machine to do
so.
b. Cooks differences in the taste and in the preparation of the menu.
Since we have one major cook and on her day-offs, the head
waitress and one of the male dishwasher are assigned to cook.
Major complaint among the suki is the differences in the taste of
the food.
c. Waitresses tendency to social loaf, unsatisfactorily treating some
costumers
d. Dishwashers inefficient use of water, partially leading to high water
bills
e. Driver high turnover rate, fatigue (marketing everyday as early as
3 a.m.), low compensation relative to other drivers

V. Possible Factors that may be associated with the onset of the Problems
a. Organizational Design
i. Vision-Mission no one to really commit time to develop the vision-mission
statement of the organization
ii. Plan of Action no committed time to work on it
iii. Job Description implicit understanding of each employee on their job
description without really emphasizing on them what they must be doing
iv. Organizational Structure no one is committed to analyze the right
organizational structure

Another factor on the onset of these organizational design problems is that, the
employees are not that interested with having or not having a vision-mission or plan of actions.
They do not fully understand its importance. Therefore, the challenge for the implementation
seems to be on their lack of interest and cooperativity.

b. Specific Problems identified

1. Production not updated marketing lists, no assigned person to do the
grocery and reloading load wallet
2. Consumption limited food choices, lack of new and creative food
preferences, not monitored statistics like frequencies of the
highest food preferences, etc.
 3. Employees
f. Cashier lack of skills, relational problems
g. Cooks lack of coordination, personal preferences
h. Waitresses lack of coordination, relational problems, lack of
professional skills (all of them did not go to college except for one)
i. Dishwashers lack of managerial control
j. Driver not well-compensated

VI. Possible Solutions to the Identified Problems

a. Organizational Design
i. Vision-Mission take time to create the vision-mission statement, clarify
goals to the employees, empower them through collective ideas and
implementation
ii. Plan of Action take time to create plans of actions to achieve specific
goals for each department or employee
iii. Job Description take time to do it and let the employees understand their
specific roles, monitor and evaluate them on this
iv. Organizational Structure take time to analyze whats the best
organizational structure that would most centered on achieving the vision-
mission of the organization
b. Specific Problems identified
i. Production update marketing and grocery lists, coordinate well with the
suppliers (the specific details about the product, when will be the delivery),
assign specific person to run the errand of reloading load wallet for
continuous service
ii. Consumption update menu, take time to discover new menu suitable for
the costumers, conduct a survey that seeks to obtain information on the
costumers preferences, conduct an inspection in the location to further
enhance competitiveness of the organization
iii. Employees improve on their skills (like conducting seminars or
workshops), review compensation and apply necessary increase in the
salary or other compensations in the form of awards for reinforcement, let
them understand their main roles then monitor and evaluate them on that
area, more assertive managerial control over them (despite the my age gap
with them that sometimes, hinders me from doing my managerial roles.
a. Cashier
b. Cooks
c. Waitresses
 d. Dishwashers
e. Driver

Table 1.1 Summary of the Organizational Design Problems, Possible Causes and
Solutions
Organizational Problems Possible Cause/s of Possible Solution/s to
Design Identified/Encountered the Problem/s the Problem/s
1. Vision-Mission - lack of vision- - no time to do it take time to create the
mission vision-mission
statement, clarify goals
to the employees,
empower them through
collective ideas and
implementation
2. Plan of Actions - insufficient no committed time to - take time to create
work on it plans of actions to
achieve specific goals
for each department or
employee
3. Job Description - insufficient, lack of implicit - take time to do it and
understanding among understanding of let the employees
employees each employee on understand their
their job description specific roles, monitor
without really and evaluate them on
emphasizing on them this
what they must be
doing
4. Organizational - lacking Organizational take time to analyze
Structure Structure no one is whats the best
committed to analyze organizational structure
the right that would most
organizational centered on achieving
structure the vision-mission of the
organization

Table 1.2 Summary of the Specific Problems Identified, Possible Causes, and
Possible Solutions
 Specific Problems Identified Possible Cause/s of Possible Solution/s of the
the Problems Problems
Production Not uppdated update marketing and
- inefficient production of services marketing lists, no grocery lists, coordinate
needed by the costumers assigned person to well with the suppliers (the
Ex. shortage of supplies like do the grocery and specific details about the
discrepancies in marketing lists and reloading load wallet product, when will be the
grocery items, inefficient delivery of delivery), assign specific
supplies due to uncoordinated person to run the errand of
communication to the suppliers of reloading load wallet for
goods that are in need to be delivered, continuous service
not available services like cellphone
reloading and inefficient monitoring of
reloading items
Costumers Consumption update menu, take time to
-limited food preferences (the concept limited food choices, discover new menu suitable
of nagtityaga na lang sa kung anong lack of new and for the costumers, conduct
meron). creative food a survey that seeks to
preferences, not obtain information on the
monitored statistics costumers preferences,
like frequencies of conduct an inspection in the
the highest food location to further enhance
preferences, etc. competitiveness of the
organization

Cashier sometimes lack of Cashier lack of - improve on their skills (like

coordination between the two cashiers skills, relational conducting seminars or
for each shift problems workshops)
- review compensation and
Cooks differences in the taste and in Cooks lack of
apply necessary increase in
the preparation of the menu. coordination,
the salary or other
personal preferences
compensations in the form
of awards for reinforcement,
Waitresses tendency to social loaf, Waitresses lack of
- let them understand their
unsatisfactorily treating some coordination,
main roles then monitor and
costumers relational problems,
evaluate them on that area,
lack of professional
- - more assertive
skills (all of them did
managerial control over
not go to college
 except for one) them (despite the my age
gap with them that
Dishwashers inefficient use of water, Dishwashers lack
sometimes, hinders me
partially leading to high water bills of managerial control
from doing my managerial
roles.
Driver high turnover rate, fatigue Driver not well-
- purchase new automated
(marketing everyday as early as 3 compensated
machine, computers for
a.m.), low compensation relative to
records and receipts
other drivers

VII. Final Decision/Recommendations for the Existing and the Expansion

of the Organization

Establishing the vision-mission statement of the organization will greatly make the
difference in the course of the existence of the organization. This gives purpose, meaning and
direction to the organization. There must be comprehensive job description and division of labor
among employees and each of them must understand their specific roles. In addition to that,
there must be a regular monitoring of each of the employees in terms of doing their
responsibilities that can be used as a marker in evaluating each of them for proper
compensation and rewards for reinforcement.
The manager must take actions to reduce production costs or producer transactions by
coordinating with the suppliers with specific details of the goods, update necessary things in the
marketing and grocery lists, assign specific person to do marketing, grocery, and reloading. The
manager can employ technological opportunities to lower costs of transaction like the use of
computers, develop internet links with the suppliers, and to consider payment through an
electronic payment system to conserve time and energy.
The manager can also implement policies to reduce consumer transaction costs. It can
make use of its strategic locations which is an intersection of both commercial and residential
establishments which reduces the travel time of the consumers. The manager can also make
use of receipts or order slips to monitor the needs and the preferences of the costumers. Also,
she can consider developing a website for the organization or can advertise it electronically.
The manager can also take actions to increase demands like producing quality products
and regulate prices. Also, she can devise new products and services. This is mostly evident
through its expansion.
Lastly, there must be an emphasis on the employees skills and relational abilities among
them and among the costumers. There must be a continuous development of their skills and
attitude towards their work.