Company Overview

History

Mr. Baker Cake & Pastry Shop Ltd. is a name that has come to signify quality and freshness in

bakery products. A success story that was written by a family that is committed to provide quality

products and concerned with the prosperity of the country was founded by Mr. Mohammad Ullah

in the early 2003. The company made a humble beginning with the help of a leading manufacturer

of confectionery and bakery products in Belgium, whose ready-made mixes and ideas were used

by Mr. Baker. Right from the beginning of the company, the policy has been very simple and

consistent to use high quality raw material to deliver high quality products to the customers. This

leading bakery maintains their quality through a frequent visits by international chefs from Europe.

Even in the worst of times they are committed to deliver their products 365 days a year. It is now

one of the top brand in Dhaka with 28 branches providing cakes, pastries, chocolates and fast

foods.

Vision

The motto of Mr. Baker is:

“Quality is a way of life.”

Their vision is to be the first choice of consumers around the Dhaka city and create a benchmark

in quality standards in the Bakery industry using the latest equipment and technology. And also to

run a socially responsible business that provides excellent service with inclusive employment.

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Mission

Mr. Baker Cake & Pastry Shop Ltd. is built on three foundation stones:

 A focus on authentic products from the biscuits, chocolates and cakes world.

 A targeted brand policy: building brands with real content.

 Strengthening its clear leadership with its specialty products.

Core Values

 A belief in the value of food

 Exceptional customer service

 Partnering in the communities we serve

 Creating a positive experience for staff in a warm, nurturing environment

Objectives

The group believes that Mr. Bakers’ objective should be expansionary, given its current standing

in the market. A market leader can maintain, grow and protect its position in the market by

employing strategies focused on the following:

 Acquire new customers

 Encourage more frequent usage and

 Pursue new trends, products and processes that have the potential for growth

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 Company’s Organizational Structure

Owner

General
Manager

Assistant
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General Manager

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Production Manager Administration Manager

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Asst. Administration Manager

DIRECTOR

Factory Supervisor Accounts Manager

DIRECTOR DIRECTOR
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Workers Workers Workers Workers

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 Product Lines

Major products of Mr. Baker are cakes, pastries, chocolates, fast foods and biscuits.

Pastries Cakes Fast-food Biscuits Chocolates

Ganache Ganache Beef Patties Garlic Toast Vanilla

White Ganache White Ganache Chicken Patties Plain Toast Strawberry

Chocolate Mousse White Vanilla Vegetable Patties Butter Toast Banana

StrawberryMousse Belgium cake Mutton Patties Babysweet Toast Rasberry

BelgiumChocolate StrawberryMousse ChickenChili Roll Finger Toast Coffee

Black Forest Chocolate Mousse Chicken Roll Spice Toast Orange

White Forest Marble Cake Chicken Burger Salt Stick Mango

Chocolate Slice Opera Cake Beef Burger Plain Biscuit Caramel

Musk Melon Chocolate Rice Cheese Roll Fruit Biscuit Capricio

Brownies Hazel Nut Cake Vegetable Roll Marble Biscuit Hazel Nut

Opera Mix Chocolate ChickenSandwich Nuts Biscuit Mix Chocolate

Pyramid Heart Shape Club Sandwich Sultans Biscuit Milk Chocolate

Vanilla Chocolate Desert Chicken Samosa Cherry Biscuit Chocolate Nuts

Jam Roll Musk Melon Cake Beef Samosa Cheese Stick Dark Chocolate

Cream Roll Mix Forest Chicken Toast Coffee Sweet

Switch Roll White Forest Fish Finger Griva

Fruit Tart Black Forest Sausages

Beg Oil Tart Cream Cheesecake Pizza

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 Chocolate Tart Tiramisu Danish

Queen Tart Plum Cake Croissant

Kiwi Mousse Date Cake

Hazel Nut Kiwi Mousse

Chocolate Pie Marziban Cake

Mango Oval

Rasberry Oval

Mr. Baker produces 25types of pastries, 23 types of cakes. 20 types of fast-food, 16 types of

biscuits and 14 types of chocolates. They also produces bread and burger bon for daily purposes.

They also take special orders for different occasions.

Some Sample cakes of Mr. Baker

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 Assignments and Contributions

I started my work at Mr. Baker Cake & Pastry Shop as an Assistant Administration Manager in

their factory. Rather than an internship I am starting a full time job here. My senior manager, Mr.

Shahadath Hossain gave me a brief introduction about the works of an assistant admin and the

tasks that I will be accomplishing there. Also he introduces me to the workers and shows me how

the works have done here. Mainly my task is to supervise almost 200workers and I have the power

to manage the employees by my own. After seeing the level of responsibility I was a bit frightened.

However, the behavior of my superior ease me a lot.

The main working hours of the factory is 8am to 12pm when all the cakes, pastries and chocolates

are made. There was a tight schedule of timing for the job done. Mainly there are 2shifts of work,

one for the fast-food items and other for the pastry items. I don’t need to supervise any fast-food

items, however all the cakes & pastry items were directly under my supervision. My job is to make

sure whether all the ordered items were made within the time limit. I also need to check and recheck

if the production is going smoothly and whether the employees are working efficiently or not. Also

I had to match the actual amount with the projected amount of cakes and pastries after they were

baked. Followings are some of my key responsibilities:

 To oversee daily production

 Preparing Work Schedules
 Ensures product quality
 Keeps facility running
 Maintain hygiene
 Assigning Employee Tasks and supervise them

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 Experience and Lessons learned

Unquestionably, the last three months long job experience at Mr. Baker Cake & Pastry Shop Ltd.

was a wonderful experience for me. Even though at first I was a little nervous about entering into

an entire new setting, I was able to settle quite rapidly by adapting to the work, culture,

environment, and people in the branch. Undoubtedly, this was possible because of the continuous

care of my senior manager and all the other coworkers, which made the switch much easier for my

part. As I steadily got to know about the department and its activities, my first job experience is

being a valuable time period. For me, it was a total learning experience like;

Pressure Handling

Progressively, I was able to get familiar of simple food industries requirement, such as

communication, awareness of responsibilities, meeting tight schedule etc. I was able to recognize

the idea behind assuming accountability and winning challenges as they come. For example, on

some events, when I had to deal with a huge amount of production of cakes, chocolates and special

orders together within a specific time, I got the chance to increase my competence to adapt to

challenges and performing successfully. So, time management was another attribute that I was

able to work. There had been several events where I had to deal with huge production pressure to

be done within a specified time period and therefore, I had to keep track of the time.

Analytical Skills

While doing this job I could implement a lot of my theoretical knowledge into practical work. In

my study life I have learnt a lot of theories in different courses which I could relate to the works

done during the job to some extent if not to the fullest.

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Besides all these, I had acquired the knowledge of applying tactics of managing hard situations

and how to manage emotions at work. I believe that this would help me a lot in my future life.

People Skills

While working here, I had to work and mix with many different types of people within the

organization and also with many different sorts of customers need when I get those special orders.

Managing people is one of the main tasks of my job and also it is the most difficult part. And here

I have to manage almost 200people at the same time which uplift my management skill.

Technical Skills

During these three months, I became quite efficient in scanning and auditing files. I have learnt to

check vast range of financial information within a very short time while I supervised the accounts

of 28branches.

Organizational Culture & Environment

Organizational Culture

“Organizational culture is a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs, which governs

how people behave in organizations. These shared values have a strong influence on the people

in the organization and dictate how they dress, act, and perform their jobs. Every organization

develops and maintains a unique culture, which provides guidelines and boundaries for the

behavior of the members of the organization.” (http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-

organizational-culture-definition-characteristics.html)

Mr. Baker Cake & Pastry Shop Ltd. demonstrates following basic values through its culture:

 Appreciation of the work done by the employees

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  Continue their professionalism in every work accomplished

 Setting goals and enhance productivity

 Trains organizational culture and creates communicative

 Builds self-motivation among the employees

 Increases interpersonal skills

 Shapes dedication, sincerity, transparency and accountability

Work Environment

Mr. Baker has a well decorated modern and very beautiful factory in Mokdum Ali Road, Dhour,

Turag. It’s a large three-storied bungalow shaped building with well-established facilities all

require equipment to prepare baked goods.

Pic: Factory of Mr. Baker

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The ground floor of the building is being used to make the fastfood and biscuits items while the

1st floor is concentrated to make cakes, pastries and chocolates. There is also a prayer room and a

kitchen in the ground floor where 60people can eat together.

The 2nd flood is dedicated for the owner and managers only. The GM and AGM have their own

room bounded with glass. For the others there are no separate office rooms, they all have their own

desks in cubicles with very small barriers, which ensures that all the employees work in an open

environment and build up a sense of companionship among the employees.

At Mr. Baker, refreshments are given every now and then and there is no limited time for the lunch

hour. Anyone can go and come at their desired time and anyone can drink tea/coffee whenever

they want. This also motivated me as I think refreshment and coffee are important because when

someone is mentally hanged or is hungry, they cannot work productively. Usually the environment

in the factory is informal. But when it comes to satisfy their consumers, I have seen how careful

and helpful these employees are. Everyone always put emphasis on meeting their deadline of

finishing a task.

Department and Coworkers

Different tasks are allocated under different departments at Mr. Baker and they are given different

names. I started working under the administration department, but later on I was given the

opportunity to work with the other teams such as production, finance and tax section etc. The main

and vital decisions of the teams are taken by the heads of the departments but the most important

decisions are taken by the approvals of the Owner and General Manager of the company.

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 Interactions and Communications

Before starting my job in Mr. Baker I was a full-time student and my surrounding was bounded

by people from my age group. Just before joining, the thoughts that scared me the most was that I

would have to spend whole 8 to 10 long hours of my daily life with a mixture of people who are

mostly senior than me, came from various background and the corporate environment which I have

never belonged which seemed a great challenge for me.

However, this age gap seemed less when I joined and after two weeks of joining my seniors started

to like me so much. Also the interactions with my senior manager Mr. Shahadath Hossain were

very regular during my first week of office. As I had no experience about working in the food

industry before, interactions were needed. Naturally my nature is that I can mix with different

types of people very easily. I am friendly with people and it is certainly that people starts liking

me after they gets to know me. Also I was lucky to have the chance to work with Eftekhar Alam,

the General Manager of Mr. Baker who was certainly cooperative and friendly He gave me a

thorough knowledge about the task of the factory and the bakery industry. He made me feel entirely

comfortable with perfect instructions and by communicating at regular intervals to help me out

whenever I required, I quickly gripped the concept of the company.

The office felt very friendly, after the first month. I was properly involved in interacting with most

of staffs to some extent by the end of few weeks. After that, I had been able to see the helpful

attitude and the organizing work system which they implement systematically. I totally got

involved in working with all officers as the month went by. I did not face any major problems in

my job while working with all of them. I had a smooth interactions with all of the employees as

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well. They loved to share their experiences and knowledge which was best thing about them. They

would initiate communications time to time and allow me to share my future and educational plans.

These comfortable discussions and connections with my seniors and co-workers made my job life

much easier than my expectation.

Managing Difficulties

Luckily, I did not have to face huge complications during my last three months of service life. But

at first there was a small problem. As I started my career with this job, I was a complete stranger

in the corporate world. When I had begun, I did not know anyone. Everyone was unknown to me.

For this reason during the first few days of office there were communicational obstacles. Yet, with

the support of my seniors I was able to overcome this small complication very rapidly. Everyone

also supported me to overcome this problem.

Honesty, as most of the tasks were very much within my reach, I did not face any work related

troubles. However, there have been few cases where I had confusion and doubt regarding few

tasks. There was a learning curve that I had to overcome to appropriately understand and adjust to

the work sets. Yet, no matter what the obstacle was I can share it to any of my senior manager. I

could always ask them of any difficulties. They always support me with all the required

instructions and guidelines. Despite of the continuous involvement in their daily workloads, they

always make time to provide me important clarification for the questions that I had. I feel lucky to

be a part of this team.

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 Differences between Expectation & Experience

Nowadays the education system of Bangladesh has become bookish and we are not given the

proper practical training in order to know the real-life situation. Although I got the opportunity of

doing a full time job but a 3 month internship program as a course curriculum for BBA gives the

students the opportunity to avail the real life experience and opens the door to our career life. It is

the stage where one can gather some corporate knowledge that will improve the value of academic

understanding. However, before going for the internship/job, a student is a fresh graduate and

his/her expectation is very limited. In fact in my case I did not even know what to expect. We have

a lot of real life cases in our different courses but all of those were USA based where the scenario

is totally different from the scenario of the subcontinent. In my undergraduate program, I only

gathered academic knowledge and had little contact to real-world experience.

At the very beginning of joining to the job, I thought the environment of the job place would be

really tough and people would be harsh and I expected to learn a lot of necessary work that would

help me in the future. However, things turned out to be different. Although I really had to learn

very quickly but the environment was pretty good and I was warmly welcomed by the team of Mr.

Baker.

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 Future Plan

Many people says that this non-corporate managerial job is boring and has a little value as a

profession. Initially I also thought that they were right. However, from my last couple of months

experience my mind setting about this managerial job has been totally changed.

Getting a management position can be a great way to turn current job into a career. Many managers

go on to become general managers or district managers, overseeing multiple stores or restaurants.

Some even move on to suit-and-tie corporate jobs. As an added bonus, the management experience

can be used anywhere. Even if someone decide, for instance, to go from the food service industry

to the retail world, they'll be valued for their ability to lead a team.

This job period made me appreciate this kind of working environment. From my experience,

managerial occupation is a fun profession and I want to be a part of it for the rest of my job life.

It's a great feeling to know that you are trusted by your superior to make important decisions while

being in charge of employee schedules, ordering supplies and budgeting. Also managers get to

interview people, hire them and promote them. Managers have a great deal of responsibility, which

for the right person, is a big job perk. Working here as an Assistant Manager is fun and awarding.

The people are very friendly and treated me like a family. It also taught me necessary abilities to

achieve my future goal. It helped me to find some of the areas that I needed to develop. That’s why

I decide to build my career as a manager.

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 If I had to re-do this again, how I would do it

If I had the chance to re-think and re-start my career again I would like to make the same decision

again. Part of being a manager has it perks. The perks don't stop with just money. Managers usually

get bigger discounts, better benefits, more vacation time and sometimes even bonuses. Also there

is power to supervise employee performance, recognizing and rewarding positive contributions and

exercising the company's progressive discipline policies when applicable. Being an assistant

manager in the biggest food chain of Dhaka city have numerous responsibilities, all of which are

important to a well-functioning bakery. And also there are no specific certification requirements

for bakery managers. In other words, I am enjoying my work at Mr. Baker and I would like to

continue my career here.

Problems that Mr. Baker is currently facing

Mr. Baker Cake & Pastry Shop is the largest food chain shop in Dhaka that follows their own style

to convince their consumers and they may also improve the strategies by training up their existing

employees. Even after that, they may improve their promotional activities as I found that the

promotional activity of Mr. Baker is very poor as they do not advertise over television or radio.

They uses only newspapers and bill board as a promotional activity. They should take care of this

little problem as early as possible.

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 Conclusion

The last 3months job at Mr. Baker has opened up a door of practical knowledge in the food industry

and has given me the real life experience of doing a job. Regardless of how much one thinks he

has learned about his chosen job from studies a real job offers students the opportunity to gather

hands on work experience that one cannot develop in the classroom. Being honest, this job in Mr.

Baker is a great experience for me. I have gathered real world knowledge about the sector beside

my bookish knowledge. Also my managerial post gave me the opportunity to apply my academic

idea into the real world. This also gave me the idea of why everyone gives extreme priority to their

customers. Besides, this job is enhancing my managerial quality in a large scale production

activity.

Overall, my first job experience has taught me a lot and I consider myself lucky to work as an

assistant manager in the largest food chain factory in Dhaka.

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Appendix

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 JOURNAL 1-WEEK 1

Work Done

I started my work at Mr. Baker Cake & Pastry Shop on the 1st of October, 2017. I was selected by

their human resources department and was assigned to work as Assistant Administration Manager

in their factory. Rather than an internship I am starting a full time job here.

At the first day of work I was not assigned any important task. I got to know how corporate culture

is and get introduced to my colleagues. My supervisor, Mr. Shahadath Hossain gave me a brief

introduction about the works of an assistant admin and the tasks that I will be accomplishing there.

Also he introduces me to the workers and shows me how the works have done here. Mainly my

task is to supervise almost 200workers who makes those cakes & pastries. After seeing the level

of responsibility I was a bit frightened. However, the behavior of my superior ease me a lot. He

also cheers me up by saying that tasting various types of cakes, pastries, chocolates and fast-food

are part of my job!

That’s all what was given to me for the first week and my supervisor said gradually my work load

will be increased.

Learning & Achievement

The very important thing that I have learnt in the very first week is to work in a corporate culture

and to mix with people from diverse backgrounds. Also I get know much about the process of

making cakes and other food items.

Observation/Reflection

I have observed many such things that attracted me towards the company. The manager, supervisor

and each and every person is really very polite, calm and very friendly. My supervisor was

explaining everything to me very politely and in such a manner that was very understandable. Each

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& every department is very organized. The office is very well decorated & a modern office. It

really attracted me a lot.

JOURNAL 2-WEEK 2

Work Done

The first week at Mr. Baker Cake & Pastry Shop went smooth with no such work, learning the

environment only and doing a very few tasks. However as days passed by, the work load began to

increase. As I am working with the administration team therefore I had to deal with workers, chefs

and supervisors all who were under me. There was a tight schedule of timing for the job done.

Mainly there are 2shifts of work, one for the fast-food items and other for the pastry items. I don’t

need to supervise any fast-food items, however all the cakes & pastry items were directly under

my supervision.

Learning & Achievement

Although I was totally new to the factory, my post provides me a great deal of power and

responsility. I was trying to learn about workers psychology a little bit and how to deal with

difficult situations in a fruitful way. Nothing much important work was given me to accomplish.

My colleagues and superiors began to depend on me and started giving me the workload. This is

an achievement for me as I have learnt to cope with new people and work in a group effectively

without making any mess.

Observations/ Reflections

My observation is not different from the previous week. I have seen so many things which attracted

me towards the organization more. Here I get to know about different types of things which will

help me in future.

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Notable Incidents

At the second week at Mr. Baker, I met the General Manager of Mr. Baker, Mr. Eftekhar Alam.

My supervisor introduced me to him and we got to know each other. This was a notable incident

this week.

JOURNAL 3-WEEK 3

Work Done

I am getting more comfortable as days are passing by at Mr. Baker. I am getting used to the

environment and people are getting more familiar.

I am now given the partial power to manage the employees by my own. My superior gave me the

opportunity to show what I am able to do.

The main working hours of the factory is 8am to 12pm when all the cakes, pastries and chocolates

were made. We made 25types of pastries, 23 types of cakes. 20 types of fast-food, 16 types of

biscuits and 14 types of chocolates on a regular basis. Also there are some special orders for cakes

and pastries for which we have special chef who was a chef in Radisson Blu. My job is to make

sure whether all the ordered items were made within the time limit. I also need to check and recheck

if the production is going smoothly and whether the employees are working efficiently or not. Also

I had to match the actual amount with the projected amount of cakes and pastries after they were

baked.

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Learning & Achievement

This week, I have learnt how to manage almost 200workers at a time in an efficient way. It boost

my confidence level so high and my manager was really happy to see my performance over the

week.

Observation and reflection

My observation was not different from the previous weeks. As it was the third week so I got

interacted more with my coworkers. All of them were very friendly. I got to know about their

working life in Mr. Baker and I could feel myself as a part of Mr. Baker.

Notable Incident

This week I have seen the biggest cake of my life. It was a humongous cake weighted over

150pounds! It was ordered for an opening ceremony of a garment factory which was inaugurated

by our Honorable Finance Minister Mr. Abul Maal Abdul Muhith. I was really excited by seeing

the size of the cake and also little bit delighted as it was made under my supervision.

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 JOURNAL 4-WEEK 4

Work Done

Each week after my first, the job got easier and more fun with each passing day.

It was the “cookie week” for me. We had to mass produce a lot of cookies. It was a really cool

experience for me because even as a new assistant manager I get to look out in each step – spraying

the pans, working the cookie machine, taking the pans, off, putting the sugar on the sugar cookies,

and baking them. After they finished baking, I got to go into the packing room and monitor pack

up all of the cookies. Sometimes by the end of the day, the Production Manager who was in charge

of me came talk to me about my day. As promised, he asked if I liked it, and if I would like to stay

there or thinking otherwise. After thinking about it, I had told him that although I am having a

great run, I felt that I would get to learn more hands on technique of management at the bakery.

Sometimes my co-workers showed me around and give me a basic idea of the things I don’t know.

My manager kept me by his side and showed me how to do each task that was needed.

Learning & Achievement

My experience in this week has been a fantastic. I have learned so much in just these past one

month– more than I would have anywhere else. I feel more confident with my abilities to manage

workers. I have also learned more about myself. I feel better-rounded as an upcoming manager

from this experience.

Observation and reflection

My observation was not different from the previous week. As it was the fourth week so I got

interacted more with my coworkers. Needless to say, it took me a lot longer than one week to get

my skills where they needed to be, but it was certainly a start.

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Notable Incident

Later in the week I asked my production manager to teach me a little bit more that we had not

touched yet. He agreed to start showing me how to pipe borders on cakes. To some people, this

may seem like a really simple job, but to me, I was terrified. I had no clue how to pipe borders on

cakes! He took it very slow with me and gradually helped me improve the way I was doing it. It

was a fun time.

JOURNAL 5-WEEK 5

Work Done

This week I worked mainly on the document handling of the marketing strategy. Marketing

strategy is a method of focusing an organization's energies and resources on a course of action

which can lead to increased sales and dominance of a targeted market niche. Marketing strategy

determines the choice of target market segments, positioning, marketing mix, and allocation of

resources. It is most effective when it is an integral component of overall firm strategy, defining

how the organization will successfully engage customers, prospects, and competitors in the market

arena. Corporate strategies, corporate missions, and corporate goals. As the customer constitutes

the source of a company's revenue, marketing strategy is closely linked.

Our marketing strategy combines product development, promotion, distribution, pricing,

relationship management and other elements; identifies the firm's marketing goals, and explains

how they will be achieved, ideally within a stated timeframe. We use various types of strategies

like using a low cost product to attract consumers. Once our organization, via our low cost product,

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has established a relationship with consumers, our organization will sell additional, higher-margin

products and services that enhance the consumer's interaction with the low-cost product or service.

We also do product differentiation (broad), cost leadership (broad), and market segmentation

(narrow) as our marketing policy.

Learning & Achievement

This week, I came to know about the various marketing strategies of Mr. Baker Cake & Pastry

Shop. It’s totally a new experience for me and I am glad to be a part of this.

Observation and reflection

My observation was not different from the previous week. In this week I came to know about the

working of our marketing department and knowing whether the company is on the cutting edge of

technology and business innovation.

JOURNAL 6 - WEEK 6

Work Done

This week was different from other typical week with lots of workload and special orders. I was

temporary in charge of the production department because of the suspension of our production

manager. The Production Supervisor is responsible for all production activity; including mixing,

depositing, baking, freezer loading and unloading, slicing, finishing, ingredient preparation,

whipped cream production, hand shop finishing, high speed and secondary line finishing,

packaging and labeling. Production manager needs seven days a week operation, to meet company

service, quality, cost, safety and people objectives. I was totally caught by surprised by this

decision of upper management. As I know almost nothing about production I had to really

concentrate hard to manage this section. My work includes development, implementation and

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monitoring of programs for product tracking, supplier certification and measuring quality and

safety of ingredients, WIP and finished product, programs to measure process control and

adherence to specifications, for programs to measure controls for the environment.

I did more than I was being paid to do without any complications. It was a really busy and stressful

week for me.

Learning & Achievement

The very important learning from this week is that I have learnt various thing about production. I

supervises production activity to ensure compliance with all formulations, specifications, methods,

procedures and practices so that product quality meets all specifications and standards for

wholesomeness, appearance, dimension, weight, flavor and texture. Hence I came to know about

bread baking, pastry baking and cookies baking this week.

For a bread baker, that means preparing the dough, letting them rise, shaping them, proofing them,

and finally baking and cooling them. Pastry bakers prepare or thaw their dough, then shape and

fill them as needed. Cake, muffin and cupcake bakers measure their batters into the appropriate

pans, using a scale or scoops of a known size to ensure consistency and portion control. Cookie

bakers measure dough onto sheets using standardized scoops, or press softer dough through a

piping bag or cookie press.

Observation & Reflection

This week I learned that even if you work really hard and do everything you are asked, it does not

always mean that it is enough for management. Management does not always listen to an associate

manager. However, the most enjoyable part of my job was getting to know many things about

producing cakes, pastries and chocolates.

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 JOURNAL 7 - WEEK 7

Work Done

This week also I was working for the production team. Now I had to do both the task of the

production manager along with the assistant administration manager. It's a great feeling to know

that you are trusted by your superior to make important decisions while being in charge of

employee schedules, ordering supplies and budgeting.

For some reason, we often start our day of work in the wee hours of the morning, say 3 or 4 AM.

Yes, that means the chefs and associates workday is often finished earlier than other jobs, but it's

not like they get to stay up late all the time, because they have to be up again at 3 AM the next

day. And as their acting production manager I had to be in the factory from dawn to dusk.

This week my boss give me job applications along with the C.V of the candidates for the post of

the Branch Manager and Factory supervisor and asked me to the list down the candidates whose

qualification and the experience is according to the requirements. After my primary selection I

submitted those applications to the AGM who call the candidates for the interview. It was a great

deal of responsibility, which for me, is a big job perk. Although this week I had to work in holidays

and even one night, I am enjoying my job and responsibilities here.

Learning & Achievement

Working here as an Assistant Manager and a Production Manager at the same time is fun and

awarding.

Observation/Reflection

I came to know that part of being a manager includes making some very difficult decisions.

Managers have to make a lot of unpopular decisions for the good of the company

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 JOURNAL 8 - WEEK 8

Work Done

This week I only work with the production team of Mr. Baker. Typically, bakery managers are in

charge of hiring, developing and terminating bakery staff. However, I feel that bakery managers

must have experience preparing baked goods such as pastries, breads, cakes and cookies.

I came to know that we use the age-old method of long fermentation for our breads and laminated

pastries. This means that after the dough is mixed, it’s given a pre-determined time at a controlled

temperature to develop flavor and strength. Fermentation coaxes flavor from the wheat. This

process can take hours. The production method itself is more a process than a recipe. Our “recipes”

or formulas change with time, raw ingredients and to a certain extent the seasons. Our bakery is

temperature controlled from the time dough is mixed until it goes into the oven, but seasonal

variations such as humidity and what actually happens in the fields with a grain of wheat can throw

it all off. This is the true skill of Mr. Baker: taking these seasonal changes, and manipulating the

raw ingredients to produce the same bread or cakes day after day. We really only have control over

two variables in our process: time and temperature. We keep close control over these variables and

use them to our advantage. Warmer dough will ferment faster, for example, so by knowing this we

can further manipulate the fermentation on the dough. Often times, we may slow the final proof

on our breads to stage the oven if we get backed up in our production. We can also warm the

proofing dough up to push it along if needed. The ultimate goal is to create a consistent loaf of

bread each day, indistinguishable from the one we made all the days before.

Now I can oversee baking staff to ensure the bakery's standards are enforced. It was really a very

good experience for me.

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Learning & Achievement

At the Mr. Baker factory, our recipe for success begins with the highest-quality ingredients: our

employees. Each one plays a critical role in creating our professional, collaborative environment

and contributes to our success as the most advanced producers of superior dessert products Mr.

Baker makes everything from scratch, that’s what sets us apart from others. I feel proud to be a

part of this team.

Observation & Reflection

Bakery work may come with a rewarding smell, but it still requires a good amount of physical

work. Also there is lots of cleaning involved, of course. All those bread loaf pans and cake pans

and baking sheets have to be washed every day. Cleanliness is super-important in baking. After

this week I strongly feel like having previous work experience in a bakery and the ability to work

under pressure is important to be a production manager.

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 JOURNAL 9 - WEEK 9

Work Done

This week my work pressure was little less because the department recruited a new factory

supervisor. Hence I only need to supervise the production unit and let the administration unit in

the new supervisors’ hand. It was a bit relief for me after couple of hectic weeks.

This week I complete production plan by scheduling and assigning personnel; accomplishing work

results; establishing priorities; monitoring progress; revising schedules; resolving problems;

reporting results of the processing flow on shift production summaries. Also I maintain work flow

by monitoring steps of the process; setting processing variables; observing control points and

equipment; monitoring personnel and resources; studying methods; implementing cost reductions;

developing reporting procedures and systems; facilitating corrections to malfunctions within

process control points; initiating and fostering a spirit of cooperation within and between

departments.

Learning & Achievement

My achievement was that I could learn about production from a colleague at this early age and a

bonding was created between us. This relationship building would help me in networking in the

near future.

Observation/Reflection

I realize that as an acting production manager I am maintaining quality service by establishing and

enforcing organization standards. Also maintain safe and clean work environment by educating

and directing personnel on the use of all control points, equipment, and resources.

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 JOURNAL 10- WEEK 10
Work Done

This was a rare lazy week for me! To my utmost surprise, management still keep their faith on me

as a production manager and still not thinking of hiring one. So I have nothing new to do in this

week beside managing crews within area of responsibility. At Mr. Baker, refreshments are given

every now and then and there is no limited time for the lunch hour. Anyone can go and come at

their desired time and anyone can drink tea/coffee whenever they want. This also motivated me as

I think refreshment and coffee are important because when someone is mentally hanged or is

hungry, they cannot work productively. Also there was no special orders pressure in this week.

So I did a little work with receiving and purchasing functions to ensure proper rotation and

optimum inventory levels for all materials and supplies as I believe overseeing inventory is part of

a bakery manager's responsibility.

Learning & Achievement

This week I learn to manage material usage to ensure minimal waste and maximize yield while

maintaining strict adherence to formulations and specifications. We continue to lead our industry

in quality, while consistently exceeding expectations through our commitment to being partners

of choice with our employees, customers and communities.

Observation & Reflection

My observation this week was knowing the protocol of excess foods. Following that strict protocol,

Mr. Baker cake shops returns unsold cakes, pastries, chocolates and snacks on a 36hours basis to

the bakery. Depending on the state of deterioration, if still edible, the cakes, pastries, chocolates

and snacks are given to charity or being sold as cattle feed. If products are stale, the entire lot is

destroyed.

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 JOURNAL 11- WEEK 11

Work Done

This week I came to know a great news from the upper management. The 15years old Mr. Baker

is putting up a website of its own. The main reason of creating a website is to expand as a chain

cake shop across the country. It wants to be the national 'cake shop' retail boutique, occupying its

own niche.

Many of our valuable customers were asking for an online cake ordering system for years. The

idea is to provide each and every people out there to have a “fun” party at different occasions. The

customers can order instantaneously across anywhere around the area, anywhere they want. The

online cake ordering system will be computerized so that it has less paper work to do and it will

save both the money and the time. It will also reveal bakery to the outside environment. So

everyone will have the win-win situation. The customers will be more benefitted from the system.

At the homepage, there will be a lot of cakes and some sections to choose from. Also there will be

lots of categories, based on which a customer can select the right cake at the reasonable price.

Having established the reputation firmly, the Owner and the General Manager of Mr. Baker

believes that this is the best way to expand. Also the company plans to launch new products such

as sweet within a very short time to grab a new market segment.

Learning & Achievement

As an acting production manager, I am learning to review processing schedules and production

orders and making decisions regarding resources needed to meet those schedules or orders.

Because the main responsibility of a production supervisors is to help manufacturing firms achieve

their production goals and objectives. Production managers also need to work toward maintaining
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the quality of manufactured products. That’s why I inspect raw materials to confirm they meet the

company’s quality requirements, monitor manufacturing processes and make recommendations to

senior manager on how some process can be improved.

Observation & Reflection

Mr. Baker is here to stay for sure and their journey has just started, with still a long way to go. But

perhaps it’s time for us to familiarize ourselves with the product because if the early signs are

anything to go by, Mr. Baker may be the biggest game-changer in their respective market.

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