(EMAILWIRE.COM, January 29, 2010 ) (Cary, NC) – Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q® (SCNB) is pleased to announce that thanks to the partnership between the North Carolina-based restaurant brand and North Carolina State University’s College of Management MIE 411 – Managing the Growth Venture course, the online sales and ordering process has been streamlined to produce a more customer-centric process.
During the Fall 2009 college semester, a group of students from Professor Lewis Sheats’ MIE 411 course were charged with the daunting task of streamlining the online business model for the restaurant brand – incorporating such tools already in use, like social media and online ordering capabilities, but also auditing shipping and processing models that were not effectively yielding strong profit margins for the restaurant’s shipped bar-b-q. The group presented a final presentation to Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q and the company quickly began work on applying the recommendations.
Jim Crawford, NCSU Class of 2010 student and group leader, noted that “[the group] found it valuable that SCNB believes and focuses on the customer being KING. In that regard, it made our project more definitive to zero-in on research, functionalities, strategies, operational efficiencies, and marketing, which on-end enhances the complete customer experience online." The opportunities didn’t end with being able to partner with a customer-focused brand for the group though, “what made our team project so unique was the opportunity to work on a real growth venture within an entrepreneurial organization that has a long standing, unique, and rich North Carolina cultural history”, added Crawford.
“What makes the Entrepreneurship classes at NCSU so special is while students work on developing their entrepreneurial education they have the opportunity to work with real businesses in the community – identifying problems and creating real-life solutions,” says MIE 411 lecturer Lewis Sheats. “It is a great learning experience for them to see their work in action. We have several examples of students' work being implemented and making a real impact on the participating companies, SCNB being one of the more recent ones. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved.”
“Selling our signature product online is a new venture for our company and like any new venture, you work through the kinks. The students from the College of Management helped us smooth out these issues”, concluded Richard Averitte, Marketing Director for Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q. “Their work exceeded our expectations and we are very pleased with the results.”
The final presentation that was made by the MIE 411 student group to decision-makers at Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q can be viewed on the restaurant’s official blog at http://scnbnc.com/blog/.
About Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q
Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q has a 40-year history serving the finest fried chicken and Eastern-North-Carolina-style Bar-B-Q, made fresh daily from family recipes and served in a family-friendly atmosphere. Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q has over 30 locations in North Carolina as well as an online store where BBQ can be ordered and shipped anywhere in the United States. Visit http://www.SCNBNC.com/ for more information or call 919-852-1742.
Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q
Richard Averitte
919-852-1742 ext 107 raveritte@scnbnc.com
