Organizational structure of international Dairy Queen Essay

International Dairy Queen is a subsidiary of William Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Group. Charles â€Å"Chuck† Mooty is the President and CEO. Charles Chapman is COO while James S. Simpson is CFO, Treasurer and Controller (Hoover’s Inc. 2007). According to President and CEO, Charles Mooty, the main asset of the company is people being a service company. Moreover, the company has franchisees and should be assisted to maintain growth (Jossi 2001). Dairy Queen was originally run as a family corporation until shareholders decided to sell to Berkshire Hathaway. Mooty’s strategy includes the development of people, brand and presence (Jossi 2001). Recent lawsuits filed by franchisees against the mother company had caused too much rift in between the company and the franchisees. Mooty aimed to put the past behind and rebuild the relationship with the franchisees so that IDQ and the franchisees operate as a singular system (Jossi 2001). To revitalize the market, DQ also introduced another concept restaurant, the DQ Grill and Chill. It is a more pricey dining experience that would cost a customer on the average at $6 USD per head. According to Wolkowitz (2005), there are 51 restaurants, two of which are company owned while the rest belonged to franchisees. Jawad Business Group owns and operates the DQ Grill and Chill in Bahrain. The organization structure of International Dairy Queen could be illustrated in the diagram below. Since International Dairy Queen (IDQ) is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, the management team of IDQ is under the auspices of the mother company. Figure 1 – Organization Structure of International Dairy Queen IDQ has the traditional top-down organization where the mother company determined its management and the conduct of business (Berkshire Hathaway). Berkshire Hathaway has accountability to its shareholders. The structure is perceived as such because it was the shareholders who originally approved the sale of Dairy Queen to Berkshire. Therefore, any decision by the management should have the approval of the shareholders before it can proceed. If Dairy Queen’s original owners did not sell their shares to Berkshire, DQ would still remain a family-run corporation. Bibliography â€Å"A Story of Sweet Success† n. d. [Online] Available at: http://www. dairyqueen. com/en-US/About+Dairy+Queen/Corporate/History/default. htm [Accessed 20 July 2007] AgExporter. 1996. Arabian Gulf: Hot Markets for US Foods [Online] Available at: http://www. allbusiness. com/agriculture-forestry-fishing-hunting/557170-1. html [Accessed 21 July 2007] Badawy, M. K. 1980. Styles Of Mideastern Managers. California Management Review . Spring 1980; Volume 22, Issue: 3; 51-58. Bahrain This Month. 2007. Eating Out [Online] Available at: http://www. bahrainthismonth. com/restaurants/cuisine. fastfood. php [Accessed 22 July 2007] Garber, A. 2004. Quick-serve Concepts Upscale Image, Elevate Prices. Nation’s Restaurant News; Volume 38, no. 18;1-4. Ford, C. W. , Nonis, S. A. and Hudson, G. I. 2005. A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Value Systems and Consumer Ethics. Cross Cultural Management; Volume 12, Issue 4; 36-50. Hill, C. W. L. , & Jones, G. R. 2004, Strategic Management Theory: An Integrated Approach 6th ed. , Boston: Houghton Mifflin Hoffman, K. 2005. Drive Thru Gourmet / New Blizzard Flavors May Leave Competitors Quaking in Their Boots, Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas: 10 Hoover’s Inc. 2007. International Dairy Queen, Inc. Overview. [Online] Available at: http://www. hoovers. com/dairy-queen/–ID__13811–/free-co-factsheet. xhtml? cm_ven=PAID&cm_cat=INK&cm_pla=CO1&cm_ite=dairy-queen [Accessed 21 July 2007] Jossi, F. 2001. A Royal Challenge [Online] Available at: http://www. qsrmagazine. com/issue/interview/chuckmooty.phtml [Accessed 21 July 2007] Kavoossi, M. 2000 The Globalization of Business and the Middle East: Opportunities and Constraints. Westport, CT. Quorum Books. â€Å"March Into Spring as DQ ® Goes Green,† n. d. [Online] Available at: http://www. dairyqueen. com/en-US/About+Dairy+Queen/Corporate/Press+Releases/March+Into+Spring+as+DQ%C2%AE+Goes+Green. htm [Accessed 20 July 2007] Porter’s Diamonds of National Advantage 2007 [Online] Available at: http://www. quickmba. com/strategy/global/diamond/ [Accessed 21 July 2007] Toffler, A. 1990. Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century. Bantam. New York. US Foreign Commercial Services and US Department of State 2004. Doing Business In Bahrain: A Country Commercial Guide for U. S. Companies [Online] Available at: http://www. export. gov/middleeast/country_information/CCG/Bahrain/Doing%20Business%20in%20Bahrain%20FY%202005%20(CCG)%20-%20Final. doc [Accessed 21 July 2007] Wolkowitz, D. 2005. DQ Grill & Chill: Well-Known Ice-Cream Brand Turns Up the Heat with New Look, Expanded Menu, Nation’s Restaurant News [Online] Available at: http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_5_39/ai_n9523126/pg_1 [Accessed 21 July 2007].