Day 151 - 10 Jul 95 - Page 62
1 A. Again I would have to seek guidance from human
2 resources but my understanding is that it is possible for
3 an operator to have slightly different personnel procedures
4 or policies, I would have thought, than a company store. I
5 am aware that when they set up a business I think they have
6 to put together their own than handbook or they can accept
7 the Company one. Certainly if they wish to deviate from
8 the Company one, I am pretty sure, and I hope I am not
9 speaking out of turn from human resources, they would have
10 to produce their own crew handbook for their own specific
11 policies within the restaurant.
12
13 Q. That would have to be acceptable to the Company?
14 A. I believe so, but again human resources would have to
15 give me guidance on that. I certainly asked the operator
16 when they do it to see guidance from human resources, so
17 the idea of the field consultant, or perhaps even myself,
18 telling you which door to push against is a way of looking
19 at it because again I have experience in terms of the
20 people who are within the region; I can tell the operator
21 where to go, so I would hope if they produce a crew
22 handbook it is in consultation with human resources.
23
24 Q. They are not just left to get on with it on their own and
25 you do not care what they do and they can disregard the law
26 if they want or anything like that?
27 A. Absolutely not, but again it is a matter of these
28 business people are in business for 20 years so you would
29 expect a far greater form of trust to get on with the
30 business. Again, it is the idea of those guys are more
31 empowered to get on with their business rather than the
32 company people, but to say that they are left alone to
33 operate how they wish is quite incorrect.
34
35 MR. MORRIS: To save time, your field consultants report back
36 from the franchise stores, yes, to you. You get reports in
37 of what conditions are like, whether they are adhering to
38 the standards which you expect?
39 A. The field services department would probably generally
40 meet on a quarterly basis, but again I would not expect to
41 take all my information just from a quarterly meeting and
42 discussion. I believe again that as part of that business
43 review process, which takes place annually for an operator,
44 the field consultant is doing an ongoing evaluation.
45
46 Q. It is a bit like a store audit that would be done for a
47 McDonald's store, a Company store?
48 A. It is probably broadly similar, yes. In terms of the
49 operating parameters, it is certainly the same sort of
50 operating parameters that I would expect from a Company
51 restaurant.
52
53 Q. So the standards that go into the kind of audit which you
54 do for Company stores would be the same, or pretty similar,
55 for non-company stores?
56 A. In Operations?
57
58 Q. Yes, the standards that you expect for your stores?
59 A. There is not one rule for the Operators and one rule
60 for the Company, no.
