Business and Services Marketing: Yo Shusi

Business and Services Marketing: Yo Shusi

1. Critically assess to what extent a theatre analogy is appropriate when analysing the service encounter at Yo! Sushi. How might the analogy provide insights into employee and consumer behaviour during the service encounter?

Yo! Shushi is a potent illustration of the operation that fits into the theatre analogy. As highlighted in the case study, Yo! Sushi is a restaurant company established in 1997 by Simon Woodroffe. The company has embraced what most businesses do to succeed in the market.  By definition, the concept of theatre analogy is more concerned with treating clients in a unique way most probably converting them from new clients to frequent and potential clients. To succeed in the market, the business has embraced a number of ideas to enhance customer satisfaction. The company has embraced a number of strategies to succeed in the food industry and attract a number of clients. As illustrated, the company’s environment has been the ideal place for customers to eat and spend their quality times with the family. The company has embraced the need to provide quality services to its clients. More recently, the company has consistently offered fresh and healthy foods. The company provides other dishes based on vegetarian, meat, and fish options, which can be consumed quickly at a reasonable cost. As documented by Gronroos (1982), it is complex for businesses to emerge the best over other competitors. Often, most firms find it difficult providing unique services that attract first time clients to potential and frequent clients. Although most companies have the best marketing strategies to attract new clients, it becomes difficult to convert them to potential or frequent clients. To succeed in the business realm, it is crucial to embrace unique ideas and strategies to attract customers.

To succeed in the hotel industry, Yo! Shushi has good reputation with its clients, respond to problems urgently, and recruit competent workers to serve clients well. It is a well-documented fact that, the company has perfectly embraced the concept of theatre analogy on its business operations. As previously mentioned, the restaurant has become the best place to eat and dine with families. The conveyor belt that stretches around the bar/eating counter in the dining room, call buttons, Japanese TV, and robot drinks trolleys makes it the ideal place to be. This means that, most customers who value comfort are more likely to choose the restaurant because it has facilities that foster that. Also, customers who are conscious with time are more likely to choose the restaurant since it creates a platform for one to eat and pay quickly without wastage of time. The restaurant has the theatre analogy as it establishes what clients need and work hard to facilitate that. For instance, the restaurant attracts most clients who value spending quality time away from home. As Hill & Alexander (2006) puts it, clients in the hotel industry value restaurants that show concerns for the needs and wants. With this in mind, Yo! Shushi has laid a strong ground where clients can spend quality time with their families at an affordable price. The management has emphasized on creating an environment in, which client enjoy their time fully in the restaurant.

Typically, the concept of theatre analogy is best demonstrated by the ideal that the restaurant offers several dishes to its clients. To fully understand this ideal, it is crucial to provide a comprehensive analysis of the concept of theatre analogy. In essence, theatre analogy is crucial concept in marketing where service delivery is regarded as performance (Holbrook & Corfman, 1985). Theatre analogy defines human behaviours as a drama or performance, which dictates the performance of the business. From the ongoing discussion, different aspects of the drama can be used to describe how Yo! Shushi has embraced the act of theatre analogy. Basically, employees are the main actors as they provide services to the consumers. It is crucial to note that, the way they handle clients play a crucial role of converting new clients to frequent and potential clients. Overall, employees of Yo! Shushi are responsible of entertaining or convincing the clients that the restaurant is the ideal place to be as discussed by Bourassa, Cunningham & Handelman (2013).

The analogy provides insights about employee and consumer behaviour during the service encounter. For instance, a company is more likely to attract a number of clients when it provides favourable or attractive physical settings. The physical setting of this company is a perfect example of one that would attract most people. As highlighted in the case study, the restaurant is attractive, clean, and open (Chandana et al 2013). The physical setting of the restaurants makes the restaurant to have the act of performance. The conveyor belt makes the restaurant unique from its competitors. It also creates customers’ satisfaction. The kitchen location is located strategically and this helps the clients to view what is going on. The restaurant has a superb reputation of providing efficient services such as Japanese TV thus, attracts clients to stay for long periods.

To Jacoby and Olson (1985), the performance of the company plays a crucial role in attracting clients. The restaurant is more likely to succeed in the hotel industry as it value customer care. The interaction between employees and clients determines how the company performs financially. Yo! Shushi ensures that only trained chefs prepare the meals. However, it is important for this restaurant to embrace a number of strategies to emerge the best among its competitors.  As noted in the case study, the company should embrace ways to measure the restaurant performance. The management team needs to evaluate whether the company is fully achieving its financial goals and objectives and converting new clients to potential and frequent clients.  This would in turn determine how the company operates, which in turn determines consumer behaviour. It is also important to evaluate the kind of foods that attract a number of clients. (Brown, 2009).

2. What are the implications of viewing consumers as co-producers in the service process at Yo! Sushi

There are various implication s of explaining consumers Yo! Sushi as the co-producers. To fully understand this implication, it is important to understand the concept of co-production. Basically, co-production occurs when the company works hard to provide quality goods and services that promote customers’ satisfaction. In this case, the company is not only interested in making sales, but in facilitating satisfaction through the goods and services provided.  Now, Yo! Sushi embraces a number of strategies to increase customers’ satisfaction.  The restaurant has invested on the services it provides to its clients. Yo! Sushi uses conveyor belts to distribute orders to clients. From this, customers are expected to order what they want thus, saving their time. Through this, the company minimizes the complaints that may emerge when an employee fails to serve the client promptly (Johnson & Tor 2009). Through such facilities, the restaurant can only recruit few workers thus, minimizing the overall cost of recruiting many employees. To Hoffman & Bateson (2009), price is a major determinant of customer satisfaction. A client is more likely to be content when he is provided with goods and services he can afford. The lower cost of recruiting fewer employees lays a strong ground for the company to provide cheaper and favourable food to consumers at competitive prices (Hikkerova, 2011).

Co-production is a crucial factor that cannot be underestimated in enhancing greater satisfaction. Yo! Sushi has embraced every idea to increase customers’ satisfaction. For instance, conveyor belts allow customers to serve their meals at their pace. Also, clients enjoy the co-production experience through other facilities such as call button and Japanese TV. Call buttons help customers to express their needs to the company while Japanese TV enhance great comfort.

3. From the information in the case study, identify what constitutes quality at Yo! Sushi. How could it be managed and measured across the Yo! Sushi chain of restaurants?

The company associates quality services with quality performance. This explains why the company has invested on a number of facilities to enhance great satisfaction, which in turn enhances financial growth. For examples, the company has worked hard to ensure that clients access the services more conveniently. As noted in the case study, the company has located most of its restaurants in strategic locations. With this, the company is more likely to attract most clients and further convert them to potential ones. The restaurant strives hard to provide quality services. Specifically, it provides products based on customers’ preferences, needs, and expectations. The restaurant is also working hard to improve its products and services to satisfy or meet the changing consumer needs. The location of the business determines how the company operates financially since most clients are satisfied when they can access services or products at convenient areas (Kurtz and Kenneth 1998).

As technology continues to peak at a high rate, Yo! Sushi has considered innovation as a core strategy to succeed in the hotel industry.  Overall, the company provides its goods and services with the latest technology in the hotel industry. Examples of such devices include call buttons and conveyor belts, which a restaurant can perfectly utilize. The restaurant has attracted a number of modern clients who value technological innovations. Conveyor belts have allowed customers to place orders effectively. The restaurant has other technological equipments such as Japanese television and robot drink trolley.  In the modern age, consumers are more satisfied when they purchase commodities from businesses that utilize technological facilities. It is undeniable fact that, most technological facilities save time and money.

As highlighted in the case study, the company associates itself with the Japanese culture and this explains why there is a Japanese TV in the dining areas. By nature, Japanese foods are more expensive in most regions such as United States, Canada, and UK just to name a few (Meuter et al, 2000). With this, most clients consume such foods in rare occasions. After conducting a thorough research of what is happening in the hotel industry especially with Japanese food, Yo!Sushi established the need to provide its products at an affordable cost thereby attracting most clients to the restaurants. The company ahs packaged its services in attractive ways. Additionally, the restaurant has a clean and friendly environment, and this makes it the ideal place to be. Overall, one may affirm that the restaurant has packaged its products in tremendous ways and this would help the restaurant to emerge the best among its competitors.

The company relates quality with variety. To attract a number of Japanese clients, the restaurant has introduced variety products. As discussed in the case study, the restaurant provides variety services such as fish, meat, and vegetarian options. With this, the company offers consumers an opportunity to enjoy variety products ranging from meat to vegetarian (Wilson, Zeithaml, Bitner and Gremler, 2012). The company associates excellent customer care services with quality marketing strategies. Yo! Sushi recruits competent and skilled workers who have expertise to handle customers efficiently. As noted in the case study, the restaurant has trained its workers such that, they know how to interact with customers effectively. The business has invested a lot in increasing customers’ satisfaction. The management team has emphasized on cleanliness and hygiene. This increases customers’ satisfaction since customers cannot complain of stomach upsets (Bourassa, Cunningham & Handelman 2013).

In essence, Yo! Sushi can manage its quality in various ways. The company should evaluate whether its meeting its set goals and objectives. At this point, it is crucial to evaluate whether the company is attracting the intended clients. Such an evaluation would enable the company to understand what needs to be fixed to enhance the set goals and objectives. According to Parasuraman (1988), a business must embrace modern technologies to emerge the best over its competitors in the modern age. As technology continues to advance at a high rate, then this creates the need to invest more on technological facilities. The management team must be updated on what is going in the modern time in relation to technology. This research would advocate the company to invest more on facilities such as surveillance cameras and CCTV to access the daily activities taking place in the hotel (Flores & Bedolla 2013). This would help the company to access whether employees are providing quality services to consumers. It would also access whether consumers are more likely to come back again. It is crucial for the company to establish what other competitors are doing in the market and embrace unique strategies (Zeithaml, Parasuraman & Berry 1985 and Cheng 2013).

The company can measure its services by monitoring the number of clients visiting the restaurant. Calculating the sales volume would measure the sales growth. To access whether the company is providing quality services, the management team can track the number of first time clients, potential, and frequent clients. This would determine whether or not the company is converting the first time consumers to frequent and potential clients (Klassen & Rohleder, 2001). The company would utilize the SERQUAL model mostly used by companies to access performance and quality. This model would help the company to access its credibility, reliability, and effective communication between restaurant staffs and consumers. This model would help the company to embrace strategies that foster effective communication and quality services. The management team would have a chance to evaluate whether it’s leading the company effectively. Such an evaluation would help the company to succeed and emerge the best over its competitors in the hotel industry (Yin & Pryor 2012).

4. Critically analyse the capacity and demand issues that Yo! Sushi faces. How might it manage these issues

There are various demand issues that Yo! Sushi faces in hotel industry. First, stiff competition is a core issue likely to influence how the company operates and distribute its goods and services. In the case study, the company intends to open extra branches to attract clients from different regions. According to Kimes (2003), when a business open more branches it is more likely to attract more rivals. Considering the company is intending to open more branches, it is more likely to attract more competitors in the hotel industry. Most businesses are more likely to venture in the same industry, thus sharing the same market with Yo! Sushi.  Stiff competition may cause the company to distribute its goods and services at a cheaper price to attract more consumers in the market. The company may have to introduce better marketing strategies to attract many clients. In this case, the company may spend a lot of resources in technological facilities to emerge the best in the modern age. To manage this issue, the company could work hard to provide unique goods and services and this would attract a number of clients. This would help the company to emerge the best over other competitors (Lovelock and Gummesson 2004).

The issue of pricing may be a core issue that may affect the company. As noted, the company provides quality products and services at affordable prices. Although such prices attract most consumers, such a strategy may hinder the company to attract the market that prefers expensive products to cheap ones (Hoffman, Bateson, Wood, and Kenyon  2009). To manage this issue, the company could raise its prices reasonably to attract the two markets.  To emerge the best over other businesses in the hotel industry, this company should embrace high ethical standards. The company could implement effective ways of increasing customer loyalty such providing discounts and trips to potential and frequent clients (Kes 2011).

Yo! Shusi has different types of clients from different cultures. With this, the management can face difficulties in enhancing satisfaction to these people. Considering the restaurant is located in overcrowded areas, this may dissatisfy clients.  With this, it is important for the company to embrace ways of convincing the clients that the place is the ideal place to be. Considering that the company offers Japanese TV, it may limit clients who do not understand Japanese culture. In this regard, it is crucial for the company to embrace other cultures and portray their need in serving them with quality products and services (Czinkota & Coskun Samli, 2007).

As noted in the case study, the company has trained its staffs to ensure that food products are prepared and processed using the best way possible. It is crucial for the company to train its employees on how to serve all meals effectively. The company should invest more on facilities that reduce food waste. In this case, the company can invest on many refrigeration materials to store perishable goods (Heiden 2014).

 

 

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