Chick-Fil-A: Bird of a Different Feather

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Chick-fil-A challenges. Maintaining values based culture, while not alienating large target markets, is a significant challenge. Succession planning is also an issue for the firm. How many generations can continue to maintain the original values, continue the niche market while adding value to the target market?

Human Capital. Chick-fil-A prides themselves developing human capital by developing the knowledge and skills of the company’s workforce. Employees are considered the resource and the investment of the enterprise (Hitt & Hoskisson, 2013). This strategy can also be seen as induced strategic behavior, innovation as a top-down approach where the firm’s strategy and structure fosters innovation’s associated with the business structure and strategy (Hitt & Hoskisson, 2013).

The marketing strategy for Chick-fil-A was directed specifically at the target market (millennials). Using a hip campaign designed for brand awareness, “Eat Mor Chikn” has propelled the company from a regional chain to a national chain.

Locations are in-line mall restaurants and drive-thrus that have always separated the company from the traditional stand-alone restaurants. In an attempt to capture additional millennial market share the firm is introducing salad and fruit options in their menus (Saef, 2015).

Summary

For Chick-fil-A to continue to thrive the company needs to continue to reinvent itself while staying focused on the core values that was the foundation of the Samuel Truett Cathy based on his strategic leadership. The leadership strategy will be difficult to maintain since the family continues to be separated by generations and societal changes can create changes.

Using the company’s differentiation/focus niche market and redefining the overall target market, the largest target population of millennial's, Chick-fil-A will need to continue to relate and provide innovation to this market, while proceeding with the leadership and corporate values of Samuel Truett Cathy.

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Bibliography

Fry, R. (2016, April 25). Millennials overtake Baby Boomers as America's largest generation. Retrieved from Pewsresearch.com: http://www.pewreserach.org/fact-tank/2016/04/25/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers/html

Hitt, M. A., & Hoskisson, R. (2013). Strategic management Competitiveness & Globalization (Eleventh ed.). Stamford: Cengage Learning.

Lawrence, A. (2014, September 14). Here’s What Chick-fil-A Can Teach Entrepreneurs About Business Success. Retrieved June 17, 2016, from Young, Fabulous, and Self-Employed: YFS Magazine: http://yfsmagazine.com/2014/09/18/heres-what-chick-fil-a-can-teach-entrepreneurs-about-business-success/

Saef, D. (2015, October 5). Retrieved June 17, 2016, from Entrepreneur.com: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249342

Schoultz, M. (2012). A Story About Chipotle's Non-traditional Maketing Strategy. Retrieved June 11, 2012, from Digitalsparkmareting.com: http:/www.digitalsparkmarketing.com/creative-marketing/non-traditional-marketing/

Unknown. (2016, Jne 18). Strategic Plan Chick-Fil-A. Retrieved June 17, 2016, from Chick-Fil-A: https://www.homeworkmarket.com/sites/default/files/q2/06/02/example_strategic_plan_-_chich-fil-a.pdf