A Responsive Organization
Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
The Responsive Organization
Panera Bread Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Panera, LLC, operates bakery-cafes under the names Panera Bread and Saint Louis Bread Company. As of December 29, 2001, the Company had 100 Company-operated bakery-cafes (including two specialty bakery-cafes); ten bakery-cafes operated as a joint venture through a 90%-owned indirect subsidiary (for a total of 110 Company-owned bakery-cafes) and 259 franchise-operated bakery-cafes (including one specialty bakery-cafe). The Company specializes in meeting four consumer dining needs (breakfast, lunch, daytime and take home bread) and try's to targets suburban dwellers and workers by offering a premium specialty bakery and cafe experience with a neighborhood emphasis.
The Company was originally formed in March 1981 under the name Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. and consisted of three Au Bon Pain bakery-cafes and one cookie store. The Company continued to grow the Au Bon Pain concept domestically, primarily on the east coast, and internationally throughout the 1980's and 1990's. On December 22, 1993, the Company purchased the Saint Louis Bread Company. At the time, the Saint Louis Bread Company consisted of 19 company-owned and 1 franchised bakery-café primarily located in the Saint Louis, Missouri area. In August 1998, the Company entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement to sell the Au Bon Pain Division to ABP Corporation. The sale was effective on May 16, 1999. At that time, the Company changed its name to Panera Bread Company.
The Company's bakery-cafes are principally located in suburban, strip mall and regional mall locations. Its business is currently operating in 30 states (St Louis Bread Co changes to Panera Bread Co, 1999). Big Apple Bagel and the Panera Bread Co are two companies in a very similar business with two very distinctly different types of organizational structures...
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