An Ounce of Change
Sumanth P Desai and Sushil Kumar Pare
KLS Institute of Management Education and Research, Karnataka, India
Sanjay Hanji
MIT Vishwaprayag University, Maharashtra, India
M M Munshi
Visvesvaraya Technological University, India
Volume 19: 2025, pp. 123-142; ABSTRACT
This compelling case study presents a dilemma faced by a student, Sharada, at the crossroads of her career. She must choose
between pursuing a lucrative career and her family business in a small town, which needs to be resurrected. As she grapples
with the decision of whether to pursue a corporate career or salvage her family’s legacy, Sharada’s ability to analyze
operational and business challenges is put to the test. Her prime focus is to understand her family’s restaurant business,
delving into its intricacies, ranging from the economics of offering a fixed menu to the challenges posed by competitive
pricing and staffing costs. During a festive season, Sharada seizes the opportunity to analyze the restaurant’s operations
with one cook and one helper, and then with an additional temporary helper. Sharada confronts the complexities of a traditional
family business and modern practices, seeking to bridge generational gaps, earn her parents’ trust, and secure the restaurant’s
future with her analytical insights.
Keywords: Johnson-Bellman rule, job scheduling, Gantt chart, kitchen operations, small-scale restaurants, change management.
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