Kudler Fine Foods Case Study Residents of the San Diego metropolitan area are fortunate to be able to frequent the local specialty food store known as Kudler Fine Foods. Founded by Kathy Kudler in June 1998, Kudler Fine Foods now has three stores. Kudler Fine Foods is located in elite shopping centers. Guests will find the best and freshest domestic and imported gourmet products from the following categories: bakery and pastry, produce, meat and seafood, condiments and packaged foods, cheese, dairy and wine. KFF has a defined organizational chart that identifies the administrative team of the company. The human resources department has created job descriptions for each job category that help the management team in leading the company. Many employees are involved in the day-to-day planning of company operations, but the responsibility for setting future goals and determining the activities necessary to achieve them falls to Kathy Kudler, Harvey Stephens, Yvonne Reynolds and Brenda Wagner. At KFF, the organization is run by many people. Brenda Wagner, Director of Administration and Human Resources develops policies and directs and coordinates administrative and human resources activities related to employment, compensation, labor relations, benefits, training and employee services (Apollo Group , Inc. 2007). Harvey Stephens, KFF's Chief Financial and Accounting Officer, is primarily responsible for planning and directing the financial and accounting activities. Harvey develops and implements objectives related to the company's financial management. Harvey is responsible for preparing budgets, financial statements and payroll in compliance with GAP and California law. Yvonne Reynolds, Director of Store Operations, organizes and assigns resources such as inventory and delegates purchasing, maintenance, safety and compliance to the Purchasing Manager and Inventory Manager. Kathy Kudler organizes advertising, researches and purchases new products. Kathy delegates purchasing of store inventory to store managers and handles unique or important items herself. Forecasts are managed by Kathy and her department managers using historical data. Leadership at KFF is carried out across the entire organization. Leadership is achieved through effective communication, inspiration, motivation and guidance. KFF implements effective guidance from the beginning of the employment relationship by assigning a "buddy" collaborator to each new employee for the first 60 days of work. KFF also uses an incentive program tied to the store's overall performance to motivate and inspire employees.