University Tools

I did my project on University Tools. It is a very handy web site that mainly aids LSU students in creating their ideal schedule. Throughout the website, one can use browse LSU's general course catalog, read ratings of teachers (as well as input them), and create their semester schedules. Recently, University Tools has even added a textbook and ticket exchange to their website. It's very simple to use and will definitely ease the stress and complications of scheduling. The only caution is in reading the teacher and course ratings. Everyone has a different learning style, so some courses that were deemed "not recommended" too one person could be very benefitial to another.

Biz Cafe Week 10

For my final week, I kept everything the same because everything was working for me. I maintained my same prices for coffee, as well as the amount of pounds I bought. My customer satisfaction increased, as well as my revenue!

Biz Cafe Week 9

I increased each cup size's price by 20 cents to increase my profit. I left everything else the same; my coffee purchase amount was just right, as well as my number of cups. My revenue value has increased, but my customer satisfaction has decreased by 1 percent.

Biz Cafe Week 8

Last week, about 8 lbs of coffee went to waste, so I decreased the amount of coffee I bought from 50 lbs to 45 lbs. I bought 5,000 small cups and 5,000 large cups. My revenue value increases by about $1,000 dollars, but my customer satisfaction decreased by about 1%.

BizCafe Week 7

During the past week, one of my servers quit and the managers were "looking stressed". So, I hired another served and increased my managers salaries to $600 to $650 a week. I am now selling three cup sizes of coffee: a small is $2.70, medium $3.50, and large is $4.20. I decreased my weekend hours from 7 AM to 9PM.

My cups sold in value increased, and consumer satisfaction remained about the same.

Biz Cafe Decision 6

This week, I decreased the amount of coffee I purchased from 60 pounds to 55 pounds. In last weeks report, it showed me that 8 pounds of coffee went to waste. I also got rid of my advertisement, since my income statement reported that 40% of my revenue went to advertisement. I also lowered my managers income to $600 because and 38% of my income went to their salaries. Afterwards, I checked my "Comparative Results" and this strategy seemed to be working. My customer satisfaction did not decrease, and I sold more cups than last week.

BizCafe Week 5

I wanted to tweak around some of my decisions, to see if it would improve my revenue and customer satisfaction. I increased my marketing but adding radio ads to the current general awareness ads in the newspapers. I increased my managers weekly salary by $50 and my servers salaries to $9 per hour. Also, bought 60 pounds of coffee instead of 50.

After I advanced the simulation, I realized it did not go as I expected. I replayed my period and next time, I plan to reduce my managers salaries to $625-650. Also, I plan to drop my newspaper advertising and pick up 2 advertisements a day on the radio.

My customer satisfaction did not rise but my revenue did. Success!

BizCafe Week 4

This week, I upped my poundage of coffee from 40lbs to 50lbs because there was a report that my cafe had to purchase an emergency ten pounds of coffee. I also purchased 10,000 more cups because I was close to running out. My customer satisfaction rose to 61.8 percent! It keeps climbing week by week.

Recruitment and Selection

I chose to advertise my ad for recruitment in the student newspaper "UNews." My cafe's main target is college students, so what better way to advertise in the college newspaper? I want workers who are really hustling for money, and are young, energetic hardworkers.




The fiver most important qualities for my servers are appearance, personality, previous work experience, availability to work, and enthusiasm!

The ten questions I would ask are:
1) What previous jobs have you had?
2) Tell me about what kind of activities you did in high school?
3) What do you do in your free time?
4) How many hours can you put in a week?
5) Can you manage school and work?
6) What would you say your biggest weaknesses and strengths are?
7) Have you ever worked in a cafe/restaurant environment?
8) What qualifications do you have for a server?
9) What major are you in?
10) Are you familiar with types of coffee and can you deal with customers well?

Uncommon Grounds Advertisement

My ad for my business is simple and effective. I always hate advertisements that are too wordy or flashy. This gets to the point, and displays my logo so it will be easily remembered.

BizCafe Week 3

This week I decided to open on weekends. I figured that would up my customer satisfaction, as well as my profit and number of cups sold. I kept my same hours from 7 AM to 10 PM, and hired an additional server. I kept everything else the same. Customer satisfaction rose to 62.5 percent! next week, I will most likely keep doing what I am doing.

Logo Design

This is my logo for my BizCafe. It's simple, appealing to the eye, and represents my business well!

BizCafe Week 2

I decided to hire two more servers because received information that my current four servers were feeling overworked. Also, my two managers were feeling stressed, so I increased their salaries by 100 dollars. I cut back on my coffee supply from 70 lbs. to 35 lbs., so not as much would go to waste. Also, I increased the quality of my coffee from good to high, hopefully to increase my customer satisfaction. Satisfaction is up to 50% now!

Café Name Selection

One of your first decisions is the selection of a name for your café. Choosing your café name
should be a creative process provoking a wide range of thoughts and ideas within your group.
Your name will be how people identify your café and should communicate something about
what you intend to provide. For instance, are you aiming for a high-end image? Perhaps
something trendy? Who is your target customer? What would be appealing to them? Is your
name easy to remember? Does the café name work well in a logo design? These are the
kinds of questions you should be considering when choosing a name.

1. Step 1 – Brainstorming and Competitor Scanning. Your team should come up with five
potential names for your café and list them below. Do not use the names of any
cafes that are in your city / town.
List the five names your group chose:
a. Uncommon Grounds
b. Coffee Shoppe
c. Bean Around the World
d. Amore's Coffee
e. College Coffee

2. Step 2 – Gathering Feedback. The next step is to talk to some of your potential
customers about your choices and see their reaction. Interview at least 5
students or friends who are not in your class. Is your name distinctive and easy
to remember? What image / benefits does it convey? You may want to try out
some marketing ideas that include the name to provide more context for the
interview. List some of the feedback you received about each name. Did any of
the results surprise you?
All of my friends liked the name "Uncommon Grounds" the best because it was catchy, trendy, witty, and memorable. That is the image I'm trying to convey. I'm not surprised about this unanimous like for "Uncommon Grounds" because that was my top pick as well.

3. Step 3 - Your Final Choice. What name did you choose and why? Enter that name in
the start-up decisions in the simulation. Remember that your instructor may rate
the names, which will impact your success in the marketplace. Choose wisely!
I choose the name "Uncommon Grounds" because I felt that it was a nice pun that would stand out from my competitors.

BizCafe Case Preparation

• What do you see as the advantages of the proposed location for the café on Main Street?
My cafe is located next to a women's clothing store , as well as another popular dinner restaurant and a bookstore. Shopping, dinner, and bookstores are all perfect compliments to a coffee shop. I could see women shopping at a clothing store, then deciding to get a cup of coffee; or a couple on a date at a dinner restaurant and deciding to go for coffee and dessert after to continue the conversation; or even a group of college kids grabbing some coffee "to-go" on their way to the bookstore to meet for a study group. Any situation, my cafe has many advantages from its location. Even local businesses are located by the cafe, and we all know business people love their coffee.

• List what you think will be the initial start-up costs for your café. What will be the balance in
your checking account after you have paid for these start-up expenditures?
I think the initial start up cost will be about $15,000. If I have an initial amount of $20,000 to start my business, I predict I'll have around $5,000 after I pay for all my business's needs.

• Fixed costs are costs that do not change with fluctuations in volume, and typically are more
difficult to change depending on circumstances. What are some of the fixed costs for your
café? Can you estimate a total amount for fixed costs for the month?
Fixed costs are things such as rent, utility bills, etc. I estimate that my fixed costs per month will be about $3,000.

• What do you think will be taken into consideration when choosing the cafes to receive the
two awards in the simulation? What decisions can you make to improve the ambiance of
your café? What types of decisions do you think will impact customer satisfaction?
I would consider the profit make and customer satisfaction. Cleanliness, music, and furniture are all factors I think would improve the ambiance of the cafe. Friendly servers, quick and good service, organization, and the quality of coffee are all factors that could improve the customer satisfaction.

Uncommon Grounds, Week 1

Week one went pretty successful. I must admit, I didn't really know what I was doing (even after reading the student manual) but I just used common sense and basic business skills to make my decision for my business. My business is open from 7AM to 10 PM, since it is a coffee place and those are the peak hours of coffee consumption. I have two managers and four servers, which I felt would be sufficient to the start of the business. I upped my price of coffee from $3.20 to $3.50, to possibly generate a little more money. I might also need to up my advertising and salary to my employees. Solid success rate this week, with 30% customer satisfaction. At least I'm not in last place...I'm in second to last.

My BizCafe, Practice Round

I named my BizCafe coffee shop "Uncommon Grounds." I thought the name was clever, as well as useful in explaining its business as a coffee shop. I explored a bit around BizCafe, and am excited to start my business! I noticed how many decisions must be made in the start-up section (such as management, new/used furniture, state-of-the-art espresso maker or not) and I was a bit overwhelmed. Honestly, I just bunched in some numbers to see what worked and what didn't work. Then, I began to read the student manuel because I don't want my business to flop because of a bad "rookie" decision about the startup! In my checkbook, I'm already down about $8,000 for my decisions with the used furniture and espresso maker.