Reference no: EM132104130

Read the following examples of introductions for a referenced paper and answer the following questions:

1. Which of the following introductions more effectively sets-up an analytical referenced paper? Why?

INTRODUCTION A

The invention of the chocolate chip cookie was an accident. Mrs. Field’s Cookies was not created specifically to make a profit. However, both have achieved unforeseen popularity. Chocolate chip cookies are tradition and for a decade Mrs. Field’s Cookies was reeling in profits selling quality cookies with a “feel good” feeling. In the late 1980s, rapid growth paired with recession and a cash-flow drought forced the all company-owned chain to close nearly half its stores. Now the company is scrambling to make a profit.

Targeting the gourmet cookie market was not the result of extensive market research or analysis. Debbi Fields just made great cookies. The market was filled with single outlet retail stores and competition was purely regional.

Fresh, quality cookies caught on quickly. Randy Fields developed an expert system that could exploit Debbi’s personal selling technique at every store and simultaneously maintain tight control at the management level. Despite financing difficulties and poor response to its initial stock offering, Mrs. Fields’ managed to grow and expand throughout the 1980s without franchising a single store.

INTRODUCTION B

Facing a turning point in 1988, Mrs. Fields, Inc. had a number of decisions to make that would have long-term effects on the company. Mrs. Fields was encountering rapid growth, product expansion, and mounting debts. Just two years earlier, the company experienced an unsuccessful initial public offering and refused to franchise stores, thus illuminating the question of how its growth was to be financed. Another question was how the company was going to control this growth. Historically, the company modified its information systems to accommodate any expansion so that Debbi Fields would not lose daily contact with the company’s stores. Mrs. Fields, Inc.’s existing computer system played a large role in the daily business. In order to accommodate the company’s proposed acquisition, the computer system’s database would have to be expanded. With the company’s flat hierarchy structure, the company would lose control with continued expansion. Debbi and Randy Fields need to delegate authority and remove themselves from the daily operations of the company. Additionally, franchising would provide closer supervision at the local level and alleviate some financial burdens. These changes are necessary in order to fuel Mrs. Field’s current acquisition plans and future growth. This paper explores the analysis and implementation of organizational structures, franchising options, and data management strategies that are needed to decrease debt and increase successful growth for Mrs. Fields, Inc.