The case study we examined and presented on was entitled Amy's Ice Cream and came from the chapter on service encounter. This report will outline how we as a group organized and managed our presentation and detail what we would do differently if given a second chance. The planning for Amy's Ice Cream presentation began at the beginning of the 3rd week of the midterm break. Of the five group members, only three of us could be physically present for the first meeting as the other two team members were visiting their home countries. Therefore these team members were contacted a number of days before the meeting was scheduled and an agreement was reached where we would use instant messenger to liaise with each other as the meeting progressed. We used instant messenger to consult them on ideas and points which were being raised during the physical meeting in Dublin. This allowed them to express any ideas, questions or concerns as regards the project in hand. We felt that this was an excellent compromise as we benefited from the input of all team members and also it avoided confusion which would result upon their return to Ireland on April 1st.
[...] Internet searches were also used and information was obtained through websites such as Amy's Ice Cream's official website, the Chartered Institute of Personal Development and YouTube to find theory, current best practices in interviews and also videos of ice cream stores. Another valuable resource which was used was an interview we completed with an employee of a Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop. This provided us an insight into how larger ice cream service firms operated their service encounter and allowed for an interesting comparison with Amy's Ice Cream. [...]
[...] Presenting on Amy's Ice Cream allowed us to improve our oral communication skills as well as our project management skills (In the development, planning and preparations of the presentation). As this was a group assignment, we were able to learn from each other as all of us seemed to have complementary skills and knowledge. Finally the presentation format allowed for us to obtain feedback concerning the material we covered. The class asked questions and this highlighted to us what we may have left out or not explained in enough detail. [...]
[...] Therefore the structure for the presentation was decided as follows: Introduction of the group Explanation of the learning outcomes General information about the company Theory and information regarding the company's culture Video illustrating the company's organizational culture and employee characteristics Personality attributes of employees in service organizations Selection process theory and Amy's ice cream selection process Demonstration of employee selection process Recommendations for the selection process as the company expands Conclusion Questions We felt that this structure would adequately cover all the points required. [...]
[...] We applied these techniques to the Amy's Ice Cream context, thus making the questions etc. appropriately align to their needs e.g. customer complains about his/her ice cream being too hard, what would you do?'. The next few problems posed by the case were less visible yet prominent. They concerned the issues facing Amy's Ice Cream as they expanded. Could their service encounter work across national boundaries, could their current selection procedures work viably in a larger organization, could their service encounter and organizational culture be maintained? [...]
[...] This allowed for the creative aspects the white paper bag brought to be kept on. As for the service encounter and the organizational culture, we proposed that they could be maintained through the performance of training programs for managers. Communication Strategies Employed To communicate the material we were covering in our presentation our group came up with a four step process. We would begin by naming our point and would continue by detailing it and expanding on it. We would then use an example to help illustrate our material and would finish by asking the class questions regarding what we had just said. [...]
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