Today's hospitality managers have many options when choosing a purchasing distributor for their business. These distributors range from large distribution firms that carry anything a hospitality company needs to small niche suppliers that specialize in a specific category of products.
Choose one (1) major food / equipment distributor, either global, regional, or local (i.e., Sysco Foods Inc., U.S. Foods, Sherwood Food Distributors, or S&W Wholesale Foods), for restaurants and conduct an in-depth research study.
Create a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:
1. Choose one (1) distributor company and provide a brief overview including:
a. a history of the company
b. the geographical areas that they serve
c. a high-level list of supplies they offer (by category)
d. the main competitors
2. Choose one (1) competitive distribution company and compare and contrast five (5) similar products (offered by both firms) in the areas of price, quality, and value. Create a table to represent the data.
3. Provide an overview of this company's payment policy including:
a. the objective of payment policy
b. the costs of paying early
c. the costs of late payment
d. the mechanics of bill paying
e. discounting
4. Compare and contrast the distributor's payment policy with at least two (2) competitive distribution companies. Describe which payment policy is the most efficient and explain why.
5. Determine whether or not to choose this distributor as the main supplier for the restaurant chain you selected in Assignment 1. Explain the decision by discussing the following items:
a. The impact of this distributor's purchasing policy on the supplier selection.
b. This distributor's ranking based on the supplier selection criteria outlined in Chapter 12 of the Feinstein and Stafanelli textbook.
c. The most important supplier selection criteria for this distributor.
d. The comparison between this distributor and its competitors based on the most important selection criteria identified in number 5c.
6. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.
Your assignment should follow these formatting requirements:
• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA or school-specific format.
• Include a cover page containing the tile of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page, the reference page and the appendix containing your food budget are excluded in the required page length.