Animesh Verma

DM242009
Section-2

Munchiez Food Truck

Q1. Conduct a SWOT analysis of Munchiez that includes Porter's Five Forces.

Ans: STRENGTHS:

 Faculty Mentor: As the students managing the food truck were all 18 or 19 or 20 years old
with no prior business experience, Munchiez Food Truck had a very dedicated and self-
driven faculty mentor to continuously help and advise them on many areas.
 Captive workforce: Without using any form of outsourcing, each individual department and
work is managed and carried out by students solely. It keeps things in-house, which results
in better judgments, more control, and standardisation.
 No. of suppliers: They avoided any sort of supplier control by serving food products for
which raw materials may be obtained from a variety of sources.
 No. of customers: There are many clients, but none of them has the majority of the
revenue in terms of purchasing power, which discourages any kind of impact on how the
business is run.

WEAKNESSES:

 High Turnover Rate: The students in charge of the food truck change every semester,
resulting in a high turnover rate of 80%.
 Running Hours: Sodexo has given the Munchiez food truck relatively limited operating
hours, which restricts any room for expansion and growth.
 There are numerous restaurants near the university, including McDonald's, Dunkin'
Donuts, Pizzza911, Supreme House of Pizza, etc.

OPPORTUNITIES:

 Social Media: The food truck's TA is primarily made up of students who are quite
active on social media, which gives a fantastic opportunity to generate traction via
these channels.
 Late-night Dining: Munchiez might establish itself as the preferred spot for late-night
meals among students given that this is a recent trend.

THREATS:

 Policy Compliance: As a student-run food truck with limited awareness of compliance

structure, any changes in compliance policy could obstruct day-to-day operations and
threaten the viability of the entire enterprise.
  Substitute Products: Since there are many alternatives to the items served by
Munchiez, there is a significant risk that customers will switch to the alternatives.
Burgers are also available at McDonald's, which is only 1 mile away.
 Potential for New Entrants: Sodexo has threatened to bring its own food truck on
campus due to financial concerns as the food truck craze continues. Additionally, fresh
restaurants or food vans can appear near the university.

Q2. At what stage of the organizational life cycle is Munchiez? What are some typical issues that
arise during this stage?
 What are the four stages of the organizational life cycle (OLC)
 What necessary steps must the different departments and management team members take at
each stage?
Ans The Start-up phase, Growth stage, Maturity stage, and Revival stage are the four phases of
the organisational life cycle.
The brand works to build brand recognition at the startup period, as well as to gauge consumer
expectations and produce early sales. These are the main difficulties a corporation is now
facing.
In the growth stage, the business must make a variety of changes in response to consumer
demand and strategically plan to stay in line with its stated values, mission, and vision.
The business is in the maturity stage when it has a sizable market share, established SOPs, and
highly motivated employees. At this point, the corporation must address external business
factors.
In order to stay afloat during the recovery period and prevent a fall, the company may need to
make crucial changes in accordance with the external and internal business environments.
Q3. What strategies should Munchiez use going forward?

Ans: The Munchiez could use various strategies like:

 Market penetration to boost sales: Both inside and outside the school, there is a
tremendous potential that may be realised.
 Product development to identify new menu items: Due to the high number of
substitutes for food products and the desire of customers to sample newer items,
Munchiez should continuously adjust its menu.
 Market research to identify additional locations on campus to boost visibility
 Strategic partnership with a nearby pizzeria or the culinary programme at the school:
Since the Munchiez don't currently provide pizza, a strategic partnership with a
nearby pizzeria could be very helpful in boosting its options and market share.

Q4. What structural recommendations do you have for Munchiez's management to enhance the
transfer of knowledge from semester to semester?

Ans: The college could include it in the course credit system and require the students to devote a
minimum number of hours to the food truck in a semester or offer additional
certifications/recognitions to the students operating the food truck because one of the main issues
is that they don't show up for their shifts. These actions will motivate pupils to participate actively in
the Munchiez food truck.

There is also a lack of accountability regarding the day-to-day operations of the food truck,
the faculty mentor also lives far from the campus. So, the student managers could be held
accountable for the Munchiez food truck during operation hours. Sufficient power must also be
granted to the respective student manager to take decisions so that there is no conflict among
students while any decision making and no dodging of accountability.