english (report)

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT

Presentation Title: A Comparative Analysis of 2 Businesses of Similar Industry in Different Geographical Locations

GROUP MEMBERS:

Names Presentation / Research Report Roles.

Michelle Tung Man Kaye (0324175) Comparative Analysis of the Businesses’Competitive Traits / Appendices / Interviewer

Boon Li Ying (0323839) Recommendation / Appendices / Interviewer

Foo Ji Sun (0323550) Comparative Analysis of the Businesses’Competitive Traits / Video Editor

Gillian Chong Yeong Lin (0323941) Key Summary / Description of the history of the business

Lee Xin Ying (0322432) Brief Description of Two Business

Sulaiman Idris (0321087) Methodology

Muhammad Faidh (0323712) Brief Description of Two Business

ENGLISH II / ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605 / ENG 0205)

LECTURER: Mr. GopiGhantan MyIvaganam

SUBMISSION & PRESENTATION DATE: 15 Jan 2016

Table of Contents

No. Title Page number

1. Key Summary 1

2. Methodology

2

3. Description of the history of the business

3 - 4

4. Brief description of the business 5 – 8

5. Comparative Analysis of the Businesses’Competitive Traits

9 – 12

6. Recommendation 13

7. Bibliography 14

8. Appendices 15 – 25

9. Attachment 26 - 32

10. References 33

Key Summary

Throughout our research, Bak Kut Teh restaurant is a common business that is known everywhere in within the food industry in Malaysia. In this report, we have chosen 2 Bak Kut Teh restaurants. Both Bak Kut Teh restaurants are situated in two entirely different locations, the geographical difference between the two create many differences in terms of the taste, texture and overall dish altogether. This adds to our advantage as it creates multiple points of comparison for us.

The first restaurant we visited is located at SS14 in Subang Jaya, Selangor a bustling district well-known for its higher educational institutes around the area. The restaurant is located facing the busy Persiaran Kewajipan and NPE Highway in Subang Jaya, opposite of SS15. The notable restaurant, Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh is a frequently packed during dinner hours and is quite well-knowned. Secondly, the next restaurant we visited was Restaurant Tian Hoe Bak Kut The. It is located in the small but growing city of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The restaurant is located along a quiet area with just a few shops. Although it’s located in a secluded place near an industrial and also housing areas, the exquisite restaurant offers mouth-watering Bak Kut Teh. Therefore, in our opinion, Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh is more commercially successful because of its taste of food and the strategies they used.

Methodology

Data collection was done through interviews which were conducted with the managers and supervisors at each Bak Kut Teh restaurant through physical visits on two separate occasions. We were readily equipped with the necessary equipment such as a camera for video recording and taking photos, mobile phone for additional voice recordings and stationary for jotting down notes. We were well prepared and did not come across any major obstacles or difficulties. We also printed out the interview questions and held sufficient discussions beforehand to prepare us intellectually. Furthermore, language barriers did not pose a challenge as we have a multi-lingual team, all of us can communicate fluently in both Mandarin and Cantonese dialect as well as English and Bahasa Melayu.

The data presentation by the end of this assignment for us to present a written report as well as a verbal presentation. We collectively analysed the similarities and differences between the two restaurants and divided the sub-topics amongst ourselves to further analyse, tabulate and do more research on it specifically. This method of delegation worked for us because it lessened the burden on every member while ensuring a standard and uniform quality of work. Lastly, we edited the report to ensure it contained the most accurate facts and format before the submission. After completing most of the report, we then started to summarize the information to place on the Powerpoint slides for our oral presentation. Following that, we practiced and drilled our knowledge on our own subtopics to present with the help of each other until we could present it fluently.

Description of the history of the business

Klang, a popular shipping hotspot, not only that everyone who has been there would say that the best Bak Kut Teh is served here and those who have not been here would be eager to go and have a bite. It still remains a debate on whether it is the best Bak Kut Teh that is served in Klang Valley. There are those who would swear by a particular shop that they frequently patronise and others who have tried a few shops here and there and stuck to the best of the lot. These food lovers will scrutinise every single aspect of the dish, down to how strong the herbal taste should be in the soup or how thick the gravy should be. We found this to be true as certain people who enjoy this dish only frequent their favourite shop and do not go to other shops.

Bak Kut Teh is believed to have originated from the Fujian province of China. The introduction of the dish to Singapore and Malaysia is attributed to the Hokkien immigrants who moved to this region in the 19th century. The dish is said to have been popular with the Chinese coolies as a hearty breakfast before starting their backbreaking tasks for the day. To describe in detail, Bak Kut Teh is a soup based dish consisting of different cuts of pork meat simmered in a herb based broth for hours. Most shops will normally use pork ribs, but they are also known to include other cuts of pork into the herbal broth as well. Meat from other parts tend to be softer and delicate compared to meat from the pork ribs, though most of it will just melt away as soon as it is spooned into the mouth. The herbs and spices that are normally used to give it that distinct taste are star anise, cinnamon, cloves, female ginseng (locally known as dong guai), fennel seeds and garlic, which are boiled for hours together with the selected cuts of meat. The meat becomes infused with all the flavours from the herbs and spices, and the sweetness from the meat seeps into the broth, mellowing the tangy and sharp taste of the herbs. Other ingredients commonly found in a bowl of Bak Kut Teh are mushrooms, fried tofu puffs, pieces of dried tofu and iceberg lettuce. There are numerous variants of Bak Kut Teh with its cooking style closely influenced by the prevailing Chinese enclave of a certain geographical location. Singapore Bak Kut Teh has three popular types which are the Teochew style, which is light in color but uses more pepper and garlic in the soup. The second being the Hoklo (Hokkien), who prefer saltier food, use more soy sauce resulting in a darker soup. The third being the Cantonese, with a soup-drinking culture, add medicinal herbs to create a stronger flavoured soup.

Malaysian’s own variant of Bak Kut Teh, is usually in a dry form and has also recently become increasingly popular, especially in Klang. Although called dry, the broth is in fact reduced to a thicker gravy, to which other ingredients such as wolfberries, dried dates, dried chillies and dried squid are added. Unlike the original rib soup, the dry version has a tangier, sharper taste and is more akin to a herbal stew than the classical broth. It is often recommended locally in Malaysia as an excellent hangover cure. A less fatty variation of Bak Kut Teh is made with chicken instead of pork is called Chik Kut Teh. It also serves as a halal

version of the dish catered to Muslims, whose religion forbids them to consume pork. Throughout the years, creative traders have come to realize that some patrons do welcome the idea of having side dishes along with the main dish. It is now common to find these restaurants now offering dishes like blanched iceberg lettuce drizzled with a mixture of oyster sauce, fried shallots and a little bit of the oil from the fried shallots and other dishes to their customers. The restaurants also offer additional ingredients like enoki mushrooms, chicken feet, fried strips of dough or locally known as youtiao for dipping into the soup or even meatballs at additional prices. It is normally eaten with fragrant rice and sprinkles of fried shallots and raw garlic. Some shops also serve it with yam rice as an alternative to plain rice. To pique the interests of Bak Kut Teh lovers, another version of this dish was introduced. It is fascinating to see how a simple dish like this became a famous and widely eaten staple in Malaysia. This dish was supposed to be a nourishing dish for Chinese coolies who came to Port Klang to work during the British colonial era. Herbs and spices said to be good for health were gathered, with pork added to add flavour to the broth, resulting in this dish. Hot tea is always drunk together with this meal as it is believed that the high amount of fats in the dish is removed because the tea is able to flush out excess oil from within the body. Most Bak Kut Teh lovers will request extra bowls of soup. Some shops are very generous with their soup, obliging customers with their repeated requests. Others will kindly but firmly tell the customers that soup refills are limited as it is very precious. There are even rumours that some of the soup pots are continuously refilled with fresh soup every day, to keep the intense flavours from the day before inside the pot, thereby making it even more mouth-watering.

Brief Description of the Business

Business 1: Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh

Current Location: No.66, SS14/2, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Business hour: 10.45am – 12am

Number of branches: 0

Number of employees: 7

Main products sold: Klang bak kut teh, braised pork’s leg, chicken wine soup, black pepper stomach soup, home steamed fish head

Estimated current number of customers: <100

Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh was founded by Ivy Chong, whom we managed to interview and has been established since 2006. The design of this restaurant looks like a normal restaurant, there is no any special design.

The capital required to start their business is around RM100,000. Their business’ annual revenue figure is not more than RM500,000. There have no any specialized field of

knowledge they need to run this business. They only learn some medicinal materials that are related to bak kut teh. The reason of they chose this location to start the business is because it is near to their house and it will be more convenient to them in running this business. They have no any others branches and this is the only shop they have.

Their target customers consist of family, students and office workers. This restaurant has 6 competitors in the same area. Nevertheless, the feature of this restaurant is they will not use any strategies to compete with their competitors. The reason is all of them use different medicinal materials in cooking the bak kut teh. They will discuss together if one of them want to increase the price and they will increase the price together if one of them decides to do this. No matter how, it is an illegal activity for them to do that.

The most challenging part in this business is when the business is bad. They have no any recent development and also will not often release a new product.

Products sold by Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh:

bak kut teh braised pork’s leg chicken wine black pepper stomach soup home steamed fish head

Business 2: Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh

Current Location: 347, Taman Yoon Fook, Jalan Tampin 70450, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

Business Hour: 9.30am – 2.30pm (Closed on Monday)

Number of branches: 0

Number of employees: 4 (Tuesday to Saturday), 5 (Sunday)

Main products sold: bak kut teh, braised pork’s leg, chicken wine soup, clay-pot chicken rice, herbal tea

Estimated current number of customers: > 150

Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh was founded by Siew Kon Sin in 1981. The person who accepted our interview is Siew Kon Sin’s son, Ken Siew. Their restaurant looks like a traditional shop, there are a lot of medicinal materials arranged orderly in a glass frame cabinet. This restaurant is well equipped with different sizes of cooker along with a hygienic place.

The capital required to start this business is around RM20,000. Their business’ annual revenue figure is approximately RM200,000. The thing that they need to run this business is good interpersonal relationship. They also need to have the knowledge about some medicinal materials. The current location of this restaurant is the first shop of them and they have no any branches.

This restaurant is specialized in traditional favour of bak kut teh. Their target customers is family and office workers. They are famous and sometimes, will have some Hong Kong Stars come and taste their cooking.

They are the only one restaurant sells bak kut teh in this area so they have no any competitor sell the same types of food with them. Their competitors are nearby food court and tea restaurant. The most challenging part in their business is the location of their restaurant. They located at a remote area, not in the centre of a town or city. They have no any recent development but they have plan to renovate their restaurant like paint and do some interior decoration.

Products sold by Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh:

bak kut teh braised pork’s leg chicken wine clay-pot chicken rice herbal tea

Comparative Analysis of the Businesses’Competitive Traits

Item Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh

1. Competitors There are four competitors in the area:

(a) Da De Bah Kut Teh(b) Chuan Chiew Bah Kut

Teh(c) Ming Siang Bak Kut

Teh(d) Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh

There are two competitors in the area:

(a) Restoran Seremban Garden

(b) Kedai Sin Thow Yuen

2. Brief of Competitors

(a) Da De Bah Kut Teh-Their main products is Bah Kut Teh -Also one of the oldest Bah Kut Teh restaurant in that area-Their restaurant is much more newer due to renovation.

(a) Restoran Seremban Garden- This is “kopitiam” which they sell different kind of food such as toast, economic rice and so on.

(b) Chuan Chiew Bah Kut Teh

-Their main products is Bah Kut Teh and some Chicken rice.

(c) Kedai Sin Thow Yuen -Their main products is seafood and also famous for its “Siew Pao”

(c) Ming Siang Bak Kut Teh -Their main products is Bah Kut Teh and also Curry Fish Head

(d) Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh -Their main product is Bah Kut Teh and also braised pork’s feet

3. Competition strategies

Pricing

-they discuss together to ensure the prices are the same

-they set its prices higher than the other competitors

Advertising

-advertised via word of mouth -advertised via word of mouthProduct variety

- 100% Klang Bak Kut Teh- Dry Bah Kut Teh- Braised Pork’s Leg- Chicken Wine Soup- Black Pepper Stomach Soup- Home Steamed Fish Head

- Bah Kut Teh - Chicken Wine Soup- Braised Pork’s Leg- Clay-pot chicken rice

Taste of Food

-the taste of the Bah Kut Teh soup is quite tasteless

-the taste of the Bah Kut Teh soup is much more heavy compare to the other

4. The obstacles faced by new business

Need to have a large amount of capital to start the business. It is difficult to overcome the obstacle because the standard of living is very high nowadays.

The location is not crowded. It is difficult to overcome the obstacle because it doesn’t increase the annual revenue of the business.

5. Nature of their Markets

Perfectly competitiveChuan Klang Bak Kut Teh is operating at place full of competitors. If they increase their price of products, they will lose a lot of the customer.

OligopolyTheir competitors will not have a very big impact to their business.

6. Summary table to compare the similarities and differences between the two business.

Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh Business (Similarities) Tian Hoe Bak Kut The

Bah Kut Teh Main products sold Bah Kut TehNone Branches None

Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh Business (Differences) Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh

Ivy Chong (First generation) Founder Ken Siew (Second generation)No.66, SS14/2, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Location 347, Taman Yoon Fook, Jalan Tampin 70450, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

7 Employees 4 on Tuesday to Saturday5 on Sunday

Less than 100 Customers More than 150Different age of people Targeted Customer Older age of people 10.45am – 12am (midnight)Everyday

Business Hour 9.30am – 2.30pmClosed on Mondays

Less than 500,000 Annual Revenue More than 200,000

7. Conclusion

Based on our analysis, these two business are different in many ways. Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh need to broaden their knowledge in the area of medicinal materials, so that they can improve their taste of food. Besides that, they have a lot of competitors in the same area, they need to create more new products to compete with their competitors. They can cut off the number of employees when the normal and only hire more employees in the weekend to reduce their salary expenses.

As for Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh, their shop need to be relocated in a more strategic place. This can help them to increase their income and it is more accessible for their customer. Not only that, they also need to create a new product in the future, so that they can attract more customer come and try their new product. In terms of its prices, they should decrease their price of products. These improvements can help them to increase their income and the customer will more willing to come again to their restaurant.

Therefore, in both restaurant, we certainly believe that Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh is more commercially successful. The reason is because Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh their restaurant is more delicious. This is the main reason why the customer will come again to their restaurant. The design of their restaurant will give the customer a traditional feel and is more eye-catching than Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh. They also used the right way to reduce their expenses which are hire one more employee on Sunday only. This is because usually Monday to Saturday will not have too much customer but Sunday will have more customer compare to another six days.

RecommendationBased on our analysis regarding to the two restaurants, Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh and Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh, we have provided a few recommendations on improving the competitiveness of each business.

Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh

Current Area of Improvement RecommendationEnhance the taste of food The owner should concentrate more on the

taste of the Bah Kut Teh soup. This way, it will have their own uniqueness of taste and also can increase the number of customer.

Expansion of the space Owner should upgrade and expand the space of the restaurant. So that the customer have a better environment and a comfortable place for them to enjoy their meal.

Employ Chinese workers Owner should employ Chinese workers which they can more easily to communicate and understand what the customer needs.

Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh

Current Area of Improvement RecommendationLocation of the restaurant Owner should have change their location or

have another branch, so that it’s more convenient for the people to access their restaurant.

Increase number of workers During our interview with Mr. Ken, we found that they have only 4 employees including himself. Mr. Ken should increase the number of workers. The reason for it is allow its system to be more organized, where all of their employees will have their own specialized jobs. Thus, when peak hours it’s enough worker to help around.

Renovation Owner should renovate the restaurant although it is full with traditional feel. This will provide a more comfortable environment to the customers.

Bibliography

1. Terry. T. (2003). Shiok! Exciting Tropical Asian Flavors, Joo Seng Road, Singapore: Priplus Edition (HK) Ltd

2. Robyn, E. (2008). Food & Drink. Australia, AUS : Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang.

3. James. P. (2010). Seafood Handbook. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

AppendicesA compilation of some pictures, survey questionnaire and results, interview notes in the process of studying and comparing the two Bak Kut Teh restaurants and also minutes of the group meetings.

(1)Chuan Klang Bak Kut TehI. Pictures

These are Chuan Klang Bah Kut Teh’s nearby competitors, Da De Bah Kut Teh, Chuan Chiew Bah Kut Teh, Ming Siang Bah Kut Teh and Yu Kee Bah Kut Teh.

The entrance of Chuan Klang Bah Kut Teh

The menu of main dishes

We’ve tried some of the main dishes as shown in the picture. 100% Klang Bah Kut Teh, Dry Bah Kut Teh and also a famous side dish called “you tiao”

II. Survey Questionnaire and Results

1) When was the business founded?Answer: The business founded in 2006.

2) Who are the key founders? Answer: Ivy Chong

3) What prompted the founders to start this business?Answer: The main reason is to earn money.

4) How much capital is required to start this business? What, if any, specialized field of knowledge do you need to run this business?Answer: The capital required is one hundred thousand. We have no any specialized field of knowledge, but we need to know some medicinal materials that are related to Bak Kut Teh.

5) Why did you choose this location to start this business?Answer: I am living nearby this area, this location is more convenient to me.

6) What are your main products?Answer: Bak Kut Teh

7) Who are your customers?Answer: Any age, such as family, students and office workers.

8) What is the business’ annual revenue figure?Answer: Less than five hundred thousand.

9) How many branch offices/stores do you have (if applicable)?Answer: We have no any branches.

10) Can you provide us a brief history of your business and its most recent developments?Answer: No history can be provided and we have no any recent development.

11) Do you have many competitors? Who are they? Who are your top 3 competitors?Answer: Yes, there have 6 Bak Kut Teh restaurants in this area. The top 3 competitors is Da De Bak Kut Teh, Chuan Chiew Bak Kut Teh and Ming Siang Bak Kut Teh.

12) How big is your market share as well as your top competitors?Answer: I don’t know.

13) Is the business constantly facing strong competition from other competitors? What strategies have they used to compete with you?Answer: No, usually we discuss together the method to increase the customer and if any one of us want to increase the price of products, we will increase it together.

14) How do you compete with your competitors (i.e. what strategies do you employ to divert customers away from your competitors?Answer: We have no use any strategies. We will solve the problem together.

15) Are your pricing decisions strongly affected by your competitors?Answer: No, because all of us have almost the same price of products, we will no increase or decrease the price before discuss with each other.

16) Generally, do you feel it is easy or hard to enter this market? Why?Answer: Hard, because there are a lot of sellers and you are difficult to earn a higher profit.

17) What are the most challenging part in your business?Answer: When the business is bad.

18) How often do you release a new product (note: this assume the business sells differentiated products)?Answer: We have no release the new product in a certain time.

19) What do you think of this business as the need to improve it?Answer: Yes, but it needs some times to reach the target.

20) What are the goals that you want to attain in the future?Answer: Increase my annual revenue.

III. Interview Notes

IV. Name Card

(2)Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh I. Pictures

The entrance of Tian Hoe Bah Kut Teh

The menu of Tian Hoe Bah Kut Teh

We’ve tried some of the famous dishes like “Chicken wine” and also the must try dish “Bah Kut Teh”

These are Tian Hoe Bah Kut Teh’s nearby competitors, restoran seremban garden and kedai Sin Thow Yuen.

II. Survey Questionnaire and Results

1) When was the business founded?Answer: The business founded in 1981.

2) Who are the key founders? Answer: Siew Kon Sin

3) What prompted the founders to start this business?Answer: Main reason is to earn money.

4) How much capital is required to start this business? What, if any, specialized field of knowledge do you need to run this business?Answer: The capital required is twenty thousand. We only need to know some medicinal materials and the most important thing is we need to have a good interpersonal relationship.

5) Why did you choose this location to start this business?Answer: Because we have a lot of customer are in this area.

6) What are your main products?Answer: Bak Kut Teh

7) Who are your customers?Answer: Any age, but the most is older people.

8) What is the business’ annual revenue figure?

Answer: Approximately two hundred thousand.

9) How many branch offices/stores do you have (if applicable)?Answer: We have no any branches.

10) Can you provide us a brief history of your business and its most recent developments?Answer: We have no any recent development.

11) Do you have many competitors? Who are they? Who are your top 3 competitors?Answer: Yes, there are some restaurant around this area but we are the only one Bak Kut Teh restaurant.

12) How big is your market share as well as your top competitors?Answer: Sorry, I don’t know.

13) Is the business constantly facing strong competition from other competitors? What strategies have they used to compete with you?Answer: No, it depends on customer favour.

14) How do you compete with your competitors (i.e. what strategies do you employ to divert customers away from your competitors?Answer: I set a higher price than other restaurant.

15) Are your pricing decisions strongly affected by your competitors?Answer: No.

16) Generally, do you feel it is easy or hard to enter this market? Why?Answer: Hard, because nowadays if you want to open a restaurant, it needs a lot of capital and you must have a good interpersonal relationship.

17) What are the most challenging part in your business?Answer: My shop is located far from the city.

18) How often do you release a new product (note: this assume the business sells differentiated products)?Answer: We usually no release a new product.

19) What do you think of this business as the need to improve it?Answer: We will try to improve the taste of food and have a renovation in the future.

20) What are the goals that you want to attain in the future?Answer: We can have more customer visit our restaurant.

III. Interview Notes

IV. Name Card

Minutes of Group Meetings (1)

DATE 28TH December 2015TIME 01:30PM-02:30PMVENUE Library, Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus

NAMES OF GROUP MEMBERS

TUTORIAL GROUP

Boon Li Ying FridayFoo Ji Sun WednessdayGillian Chong Yeong Lin FridayLee Xin Ying FridayMichelle Tung Man Kaye FridaySulaiman Idris FridayMuhammad Faidh Friday

NO ACTIVITY ACTION TAKEN BY1. Discuss about the interview location and

timeBoon Li YingMichelle Tung Man KayeFoo Ji SunGillian Chong Yeong LinLee Xin YingSulaiman IdrisMuhammad Faidh


DATE 10TH JANUARY 2016TIME 01:30PM-05:30PMVENUE E3.12, Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus


TUTORIAL GROUP

Boon Li Ying FridayFoo Ji Sun WednessdayGillian Chong Yeong Lin FridayLee Xin Ying FridayMichelle Tung Man Kaye FridaySulaiman Idris FridayMuhammad Faidh Friday

NO ACTIVITY ACTION TAKEN BY1. Recommendation Boon Li Ying2. Comparative analysis of the business’

competitive traitsMichelle Tung

3. Video editing Foo Ji Sun4. Key Summary and description of history Gillian Chong Yeong Lin5. Brief description of the business Lee Xin Ying


DATE 14TH JANUARY 2016TIME 10am – 1pmVENUE E3.11


TUTORIAL GROUP

Boon Li Ying FridayFoo Ji Sun WednesdayGillian Chong Yeong Lin FridayLee Xin Ying FridayMichelle Tung Man Kaye FridayMuhammad Faidh FridaySulaiman Idris Friday

NO ACTIVITY ACTION TAKEN BY1. Combine report Boon Li Ying

Michelle Tung Man KayeGillian Chong Yeong LinLee Xin Ying

2. Power Point

Attachment

Bak Kut Teh

Group Members:

• Lee Xin Ying 0322432• Boon Li Ying 0323839• Michelle Tung Man Kaye 0324175• Gillian Chong Yeong Lin 0323941• Foo Ji Sun 0323550• Sulaiman Idris 0321087• Muhammad Faidh 0323712

Study two trades or businesses of the same category and type in any parts of the Peninsula, and more

specifically, Klang Valley.

The Assignment

Data collection was done through interviews which were conducted with the managers and supervisors at

each Bak Kut Teh restaurant through physical visits on two separate occasions.

Methodology

What is Bak Kut Teh?How do they come from?

Description of the history of the business

•History of Bak Kut TehBak Kut Teh is believed to have originated from the Fujian province of China

•Bak Kut Teh in MalaysiaThe introduction of the dish to Singapore and Malaysia is attributed to the Hokkien immigrants who moved to this region in the 19th century

•What is Bak Kut Teh?

A soup based dish consisting of different cuts of pork meat simmered in a herb based broth for hours

Normally use pork ribs, but they are also known to include other cuts of pork into the herbal broth as well

•What is in the Broth?

Normally star anise, cinnamon, cloves, female ginseng (locally known as dong guai), fennel seeds and garlic, which are boiled for hours together with the selected cuts of meat.

Brief Description of Two Business

• Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh

• Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh

Tian Hoe Bak Kut TehSeremban

Chuan Klang Bak Kut TehKlang Valley

Chosen Restaurants

Chuan Klang Bak Kut TehKlang Valley

Current Location: No.66, SS14/2, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor.

• Founded by Ivy Chong in 2006• Number of branches : 0• Number of employees : 7• Capital required to start their business : RM100,000• Estimated current number of customers : <100• Recent development : None• Design of restaurant : normal restaurant

About Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh

Business hour : 10.45am – 12am (Open Everyday) Main Products Sold :

• bak kut teh• braised pork’s leg• chicken wine• black pepper stomach soup• home steamed fish head

Tian Hoe Bak Kut TehSeremban

Current Location: 347, Taman Yoon Fook, Jalan Tampin 70450, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

About Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh

• Founded by Siew Kon Sin in 1981• Number of branches : 0• Number of employees : 4 (Tuesday to Saturday), 5 (Sunday)• Capital required to start their business : RM20,000• Estimated current number of customers : > 1,500• Recent development : None• Design of restaurant : traditional restaurant

Business Hour : 9.30am – 2.30pm (Closed on Monday) Main Products Sold :

• bak kut teh• braised pork’s leg• chicken wine• clay-pot chicken rice• herbal tea

Comparative Analysis of the Businesses’Competitive Traits

Da De Bah Kut Teh

Chuan Chiew Bah Kut TehMing Siang Bak Kut Teh

Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh

Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh

Restoran Seremban GardenKedai Sin Thow Yuen

Competitors

PricingChuan Klang Bak Kut Teh• they discuss together to ensure the prices are the same.

Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh• they set its prices higher than the other competitors.

Advertising• they both advertised via word of mouth

Competitors Strategies

Black Pepper Stomach Soup

Chicken Wine Soup

Braised Pork’s Leg

Home Steamed Fish Head

Dry Bah Kut Teh

100% Klang Bah Kut Teh

Product variety ofChuan Klang Bak Kut Teh

Chicken Wine Soup

Bah Kut Teh

Herbal Tea

Product variety of Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh

Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh• Need to have a large amount of capital to start the business. It is

difficult to overcome the obstacle because the standard of living is very high nowadays.

Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh• The location is not crowded. It is difficult to overcome the obstacle

because it doesn’t increase the annual revenue of the business.

Obstacles faced by new business

Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh• operating at place full of competitors.

Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh• Their competitors will not have a very big impact to their

business.

Nature of their Markets

• Both sells Bah Kut Teh• No other branch

Similarities

ChuanKlangBah KutTeh TianHoe Bah KutTehFirst generation

- Ivy ChongFounder Secondgeneration

- Ken Siew

No.66, SS14/2, 47500, SubangJaya, Selangor.

Location347, Taman Yoon Fook, JalanTampin70450, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

7 Employees 4 on Tuesday to Saturday5 on Sunday

Less than 100 Customers More than 150Different age of people Targeted customer Older age of people

10.45am – 12am (midnight)Everyday

Business Hour 9.30am – 2.30pmClosed on Mondays

Less than 500,000 Annual Revenue More than 200,000

Differences

• Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh is more commercially successful

• Taste of food is more delicious

• The design of their restaurant will give the customer a traditional feel and is more eye-catching than Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh

• Used the right way to reduce their expenses

Conclusion

• Based on our analysis regarding to the two restaurants, Chuan Klang Bak Kut Teh and Tian Hoe Bak Kut Teh, we have provided a few recommendations on improving the competitiveness of each business.

Recommendation• Enhance The Taste of Food

• Concentrate more on the taste of the Bah Kut Teh soup

• Can increase the number of customer because of their own uniqueness of taste


• Expansion of The Space

• Upgrade and expand the space of the restaurant

• Customer have a better environment and a comfortable place for them to enjoy their meal


Employ Chinese Workers

• so that more easily to communicate and understand what the customer needs


Location of The Restaurant

• change their location to the prime spots in high traffic areas, so that it’s more convenient for the people to access their restaurant


Increase Number of Workers

• increase the number of workers because they have only 4 employees including Mr. Ken himself so that enough worker to help around when peak hours


Renovation• renovate the restaurant because

will provide a more comfortable environment to the customers although it is full with traditional feel


REFERENCES

1. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1800_2011-03-18.html

2. http://www.smokywok.com/2011/12/bak-kut-teh-chinese-herbal-broth-with.html

References

1. Bak kut teh. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2016, from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1800_2011-03-18.html

2. Bak kut the. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2016, from http://www.smokywok.com/2011/12/bak-kut-teh-chinese-herbal-broth-with.html

http://www.smokywok.com/2011/12/bak-kut-teh-chinese-herbal-broth-with.html

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1800_2011-03-18.html