Dynamic Processed Analysis

Where structured processes are formally designed and structured, “...Dynamic Processes are flexible, informal, and adaptive processes that normally involve strategic and less structured managerial decisions and activities” (Kroenke, Boyle, p. 299).  The dynamic process is not standardized, the process is not the same every time. The marketing process at Chef’s International is dynamic because the way each restaurant advertises and markets themselves differ slightly. The company advertises all the restaurants on local radio stations 105.7 94.3 95.9 as well as in the Asbury Park Press newspaper and on nj.com. The frequency and type of advertising here can change based on the time of year. Those restaurants that are located at the Jersey Shore need less marketing during the summer season. However, during the off season there is more of a need to advertise and draw the customers in.   The marketing process at Baker’s American  is the dynamic process which will be highlighted here.

Another aspect of their marketing plan that varies based on the restaurant and the time of year is the social media posts. Each restaurant also has their own Facebook and Instagram pages as well as their own website in which they market their restaurant. The manager of each restaurant is responsible for updating posts on their social media sites and responding to any questions or comments posted on the site. This is why the restaurant’s social media pages illustrate a social CRM, because it is a dynamic process with both the manager and the customers working to create and process the content that is posted and commented on. Therefore, given the flexibility each restaurant has when it comes to social media and how the restaurant engages with it, Baker’s American’s Facebook page is the SMIS which will be illustrated here. 

                    Baker’s American Instagram Page Baker’s American Facebook post

The textbook defines a Social Medial Information System (SMIS) as “...an information system that supports the sharing of content among networks of users” (Kroenke, Boyle, p. 338). It can be critical to the growth and success of a business to harness the power of social media to promote and market their business. According to statistics, there are 4.8 billion social media users throughout the world. In addition, between April, 2022 and April, 2023 there were 150 million new social media users across the platforms. Given those numbers, and the fact that marketing on social media does not cost much if at all, it makes sense to use the platforms to the advantage of the business. The chart below is a few years old, however, it gives a good visual regarding the amount of potential customers represented by social media users. 

Source: Based on “126 Amazing Social Media Statistics and Facts,” www.brandwatch.com/blog/ amazing-social-media-statistics-and-facts

           Baker’s American Facebook pages, pictured below, illustrates the interactions between customers as indicated by the number of followers and likes. They do have a very loose social media plan, the managers use common sense with regard to what to post, keeping away from anything inappropriate or controversial. Often the managers will ask customers if they can take and post pictures of them dining or to show them enjoying a large function at the restaurant. This is done to influence others to think about having their next party or function or just come in for a meal at the restaurant. Employees are not discouraged from posting pictures at work on their own social media commenting that they are working and to stop in to influence family and friends to come in and visit.

If there are inappropriate comments left by a social media user on Baker’s Facebook page, the manager’s can delete the comment and block the commenter if it is egregious. This is similar to YouTube, however, Baker’s American’s is not written down and less formal. YouTube has rules and policies labeled Community Guidelines which they have on their website. These rules and regulations apply to the YouTube content and outlines what you can and cannot do on YouTube. It also advises what the consequences are for anyone who violates those Community Guidelines.  

The SMIS was developed for the restaurant in order to allow the managers to engage with the customers, update them on upcoming specials and events. Facebook was specifically chosen to engage with Baker’s target audience which are Baby Boomers and Generation X which make up the majority of Baker’s customers. When a customer leaves a bad review the manager engages with the customer. They apologize about the negative experience and encourage them to return to make sure they have a better experience and create a returning customer. The manager offers the customer a gift card or discount for their next visit as incentive to encourage their return. In fact, the manager connects with customers offering good reviews as well, as illustrated in the picture below. 

Baker’s American Facebook page and a recent posts

        However, Baker’s American  does not effectively use their SMIS to market their restaurant. When going through the Facebook page, the last post was August 28. They also do not use any type of analytics to determine how effective their SMIS is. Google Analytics and Facebook insights are free services which will provide statistics and information about user behavior on your social media page and other key metrics. These are important tools to help a business boost and improve their SMIS to make it work for them. The way Baker’s American uses their SMIS highlights the importance of having a marketing strategy which is implemented effectively with a social media plan, which Baker’s American does not have. 

        A social media plan is essential for businesses in today’s climate where people find most of their information from social media. And while social media is extremely popular, it is still a relatively new concept and many companies still do not know how to harness it effectively to their benefit. By creating a plan it will allow Baker’s American to use it to achieve their goal whether it be an increase in sales, raising awareness of the company or bringing people in for special events. An effective social media plan is illustrated by the six steps below. Those steps include defining a goal for the company, identifying what metrics would be considered a success, identify the target audience the company is trying to attract, define your value, make personal connections with the social media and then use the data available to analyze the impact being made. 

Image from Using MIS 2021 by Kroenke and Boyle

      Based on the above steps, Baker’s does have a loose social media plan, their goal is more customer interaction with the SMIS to build a bigger customer base. Success would be increased sales and they have identified their target audience which is why they use Facebook. The value Baker’s American brings is easy access to the specials and events at Baker’s. The personal connections are made because managers engage with customer comments on the Facebook page. However, they do not gather and analyze the data which can negate the other steps because they are not analyzing the data to see how they can improve to reach those goals. The issue with Baker’s plan is, there are no parameters for the managers with regard to how often they need to post on the Facebook page and how often they should monitor it. That coupled with the fact they do not utilize any analytics to determine how successful the SMIS means their social media plan and marketing through social media is not as effective as it can be.

Social capital is important when working with SMIS because it can help spread the message the business is projecting through their marketing over the SMIS. The textbook defines social capital as “...the investment in social relations with the expectation of returns in the marketplace” (Kroenke and Boyle, 346). Social capital can be gained through social media by being proactive and engaging with the customers and increasing the number of relationships in the social network. This can help add value to the business. 

Social capital can add value to a business in four ways, through information, influence, social credentials and personal reinforcement.  It adds value by providing the business with information that can help them improve and build upon. It also allows the business to influence those critical to its success. With regard to Baker’s American, it is the customers that are critical to its success and giving them a platform to see the different drinks, meals and specials is a way to influence them to patronize the restaurant. The third way social capital brings value is with social credentials which means there is a certain amount of status that comes with being linked to highly regarded people and businesses. “Finally, being linked into social networks reinforces a professional’s identity, image, and position in an organization or industry” (Kroenke and Boyle, 346). For Baker’s American there is a medium value of social capital when assessing it based on the number of relationships and strength of those relationships in their social network. 

Baker’s social value can be measured in gaining more customers through people liking their social media pages. This is reinforced through reviews that others can see and agree with. Being linked to social networks reinforces our image and position in the industry because it displays how many people have visited and liked our restaurants. It is reinforced by customers comparing one restaurant to another, basically building competition within its own company and keeping it away from outside threats. This strengthens their relationship with their current and future customer base. Baker’s does not earn any actual revenue from our social media platforms. We only earn endorsements, customer support and public relations.making” (Kroenke and Boyle, 356).

Another option for social networking is an Enterprise Social Network. This is a software platform that allows employees to connect with each other on a company’s own internal social network. This is used in place of public social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. “These applications may incorporate the same functionality used by traditional social media, including blogs, microblogs, status updates, image and video sharing, personal sites, and wikis. The primary goal of enterprise social networks is to improve communication, collaboration, knowledge sharing, problem solving, and decision making” (Kroenke and Boyle, 356).

.Image from Using MIS 2021 by Kroenke and Boyle

Source: Based on Andrew McAfee, “Enterprise 2.0: The Dawn of Emergent Collaboration,” MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring 2006, http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/enterprise-the-dawn-of-emergent- collaboration.

        Andrew McAfee termed the phrase Enterprise 2.0 which he described as the use of ESN. McAfee also created the acronym SLATES which refers to the characteristics employees want in  an ESN as illustrated by the chart above. Baker’s American does not use any of these approaches. The closest thing it has to an ESN is an iphone messaging group. Every employee for all 14 restaurants within Chef’s International  is included in the group. This is used to cover shifts or relay emergencies amongst all employees. Employees can search for updates in their workplace such as specials or emergency updates. When new posts are made on social media platforms, links are provided to the employees in this group. This allows the members of the group to repost or comment on the posts to increase visibility. It also allows employees to discuss internal affairs and create discussion groups. However, there are not any real uses for tags, extensions, or signals within this group.

        Baker’s American uses both web based and native applications in order to run their structured and dynamic processes. The structured sales process is run through the use of native applications. For example, regional managers are able to use Excel to incorporate sales reports from all the restaurants into one program. With regard to the dynamic marketing process, the restaurant uses web-based applications for their Facebook and Instagram page. Web-based applications are those that run in browsers. Therefore, the managers are able to access Facebook and Instagram from their phones or computer.

        From their phones the managers are able to log into Facebook or Instagram, take pictures and upload them. They are also able to log in from the desktop or their laptop and interact with customer comments on Facebook or upload weekly specials or pictures of dishes to entice customers to come in and eat.

        Baker’s American does not have a written, structured BYOD policy, they just require the employees to use common sense when using their own devices to post to social media. The manager can use their personal phone or the company desktop to log into the Facebook account to post and comment. Other employees are encouraged to post about the restaurant on their own social media while working to encourage friends and family to come in. The restaurant requests they not post anything negative or anything that would reflect badly on the company. MDM software is in use at Baker’s American for all the devices used at the restaurant. MDM Software allows the IT administrator to oversee and control any company devices. It is a way to ensure that the company’s policies are being adhered to. The restaurant uses DBS POS Solutions as well for their MDM software. As stated above, this company is their tech software company that regulates the computers and works as their IT department.