Assignment 2 research report

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ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 1 SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN FOUNDATION IN NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIROMENT PRESENTATION TITLE: GROUP MEMBERS Names Presentation & Report Roles Joyce Wee Yi Qin Comparison analysis, Transcripts, Compilation Lim Pui San Brief description, Photographer, Mok Po Yi Comparison analysis, Videographer Ryan Kerry Jee Jin Yiing Key Summary, Conclusion, Minutes Sonia Mancxia Artistic cover, Recommendation Tan Wing Hoe Brief description, Videographer Too Mun Fai History, Interviewer ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) LECTURER: MS. CASSANDRA WIJESURIA SUBMISSION &PRESENTATION DATE: 12 TH JANUARY 2015 (MONDAY)

Transcript of Assignment 2 research report

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 1

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

FOUNDATION IN NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIROMENT

PRESENTATION TITLE:

GROUP MEMBERS

Names Presentation & Report Roles

Joyce Wee Yi Qin Comparison analysis, Transcripts, Compilation

Lim Pui San Brief description, Photographer,

Mok Po Yi Comparison analysis, Videographer

Ryan Kerry Jee Jin Yiing Key Summary, Conclusion, Minutes

Sonia Mancxia Artistic cover, Recommendation

Tan Wing Hoe Brief description, Videographer

Too Mun Fai History, Interviewer

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605)

LECTURER: MS. CASSANDRA WIJESURIA

SUBMISSION &PRESENTATION DATE: 12TH JANUARY 2015 (MONDAY)

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page Numbers Artistic Cover

Cover Page 1 Table of Contents 2

Key Summary 3 1.0 History of Trade

1.1 77 Unisex Saloon 4 1.2 GC Hair Studio and Academy 4

2.0 Brief Description of Business 2.1 77 Unisex Saloon 5 2.2 GC Hair Studio and Academy 6-7

3.0 Comparative Analysis 8-10 3.1 Summary Table of Differences 11-12

3.2 Conclusion 13 4.0 Recommendation 14

4.1 77 Unisex Saloon 14 4.2 GC Hair Studio and Academy 15

Bibliography 16 Appendices

∙ Appendix 1: Transcript ∙ Appendix 2: Photos ∙ Appendix 3: Meeting minutes

17-22 23-26 27-29

References 30

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 3

KEY SUMMARY

To deepen our understanding towards the uprising of the hairdressing profession

local business as a team, we researched and interviewed 2 hairdressing firms of which

one of them being a home based business (77 Unisex) and another being a commercial

based business (GC Hair Studio & Academy).

GC Hair Studio & Academy has been operating for 15 years and it is founded by

the founder and director Gary Choy. This leads to the naming of the firm being GC Hair

Studio & Academy. It is a renowned hairdressing company in the Klang Valley. It has also

been the favourites of many throughout the area since it began operating 15 years ago

due to its dedication, professional skills and various hair services it has to offer.

On the other hand, 77 Unisex is a home based business, founded by Madam Ho

Ah Yoke 30 years ago when she was at the age of 23. It is a renowned home based

hairdressing saloon in the neighbourhood and also the surrounding the area of Sungai

Way. This home based hair studio of hers is renowned for its traditional hairdressing

methods and authentic hair products with cheap prices up until now.

Different environments and other external factors lead to different business

outcomes when both home based and commercial based business such as these two

firms are compared and which leads to a series of analytical research that we, as a team

had done.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 4

1.0 HISTORY OF BUSINESS

1.1 77 UNISEX SALOON (HOME BASED BUSINESS)

For our home based business interview, we managed to find a hair saloon located in

Sungai Way. She started this business 30 years ago when she was only 23 years old.

After working with many different types of jobs, she finally found her interest in hair

styling. This eventually became her passion and motivated her to continue this line of

profession as a hair stylist for the next three decades up until now. She operated her

business in a small hair studio which was built behind her mother’s backyard to save

cost. Her modal for this business was only roughly RM6000 back then, which would be

equivalent to today’s RM15000. When she first started her saloon, business was

booming as many people from around Sungai Way would come to her saloon to cut, dye

or perm their hair. During Chinese New Year Eve, she would have to work ti ll midnight

to keep up the pace with all the customers getting their hair styled up for the festive

season. However due to many factors such as increase in competitors, customers

moving out of Sungai Way and others, business has declined drastically throughout the

years. Nowadays, she only needs her housemaid to help around in the saloon, instead of

hiring a few assistants like she did back then. Her annual revenue for the past few years

never exceeded RM14000 due to the lack of customers as compared to before. She

managed to last so long up until now in this business because she is not required to pay

any rent.

1.2 GC HAIR STUDIO AMD ACADEMY (COMMERCIAL BASED BUSINESS)

The GC Hair Saloon & Academy has one headquarters located in Cheras, Selangor and

another operating branch situated in Puchong, Selangor. This hair saloon has been

operating for 15 years by its founder and director Gary Choy, hence its name being GC

Hair Saloon & Academy. This saloon has been favourites to many as it satisfied and still

satisfying customers throughout the Klang Valley leading to many new customers

coming in every once in a while. The said saloon provides many different services such

as the regular haircut that comes with any style or fashion of your choice, quality hair

curling, hair dying with their signature hair dye brand, Schwarzkopf which originates

from Germany. Most of the time, they will employ two to three hair stylists to work side

by side with the manager of the saloon. GC Hair Saloon & Academy also has their own

academy that teaches students of all ages that are interested in becoming a hair stylist.

The students will be taught personally by the director or manager and gradually become

a qualified hair stylist trainee after six months of training at GC Hair Saloon Academy.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 5

2.0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

2.1 77 UNISEX SALOON

77 Unisex Saloon is a home-based saloon, located within an old residential area in

Sungai Way. The founder of this business is Madam Ho Ah Yoke. Madam Ho started her

business in 1985 because her passion towards hairdressing was lit up after being

influenced by her sister in her years of 23 rd. This business is slightly different from others

due to her lower expenses as compared to others as she wise-used the backyard of her

house to build a small space for her hairdressing career.

The services provided by 77 Unisex Saloon are commonly practiced by most of

the saloons in the market, which includes haircuts, hair dying, hair perming and hair

straightening for both men and women. According to Madam Ho’s interview, there are

five to eight customers in average that visits the saloon every day. Most of the visitors

are Madam Ho’s regular customers. Occasionally there will be some new customers that

heard of the saloon through their friends. Generally, the targeted market of this

business is children and senior citizens staying surrounding the neighbourhood. Since it

is a small business, only one foreign labour is hired for miscellaneous tasks.

Due to the rise of popularity of this profession, there are many competitors

around Petaling Jaya and also Subang Jaya. The strategies that Madam Ho used to

maintain her business are using good quality hair products and maintain good

connections with her customers. Besides offering such services, there are also few

products sold such as hair mousse and hairstyling wax.

This business of hers has no branches. The operating hours of this business starts

from 8AM to 5PM every day and closes every Monday.

Pricing list

Services Price (RM)

Haircuts RM 12

Hair dying RM 40 - RM 50

Hair perming RM 70

Hair straightening RM 150

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 6

2.2 GC HAIR STUDIO AND ACADEMY

GC Hair Studio and Academy is established by Gary Choy in 1998. This saloon is

located in Bandar Puteri Puchong (a commercialized area opposite Giant, Puchong). This

saloon is a commercialized service business as it has two hair branches under the said

company. The headquarters is situated in Cheras while the first branch is in Puchong.

The services provided include haircuts, hair dying, hair perming, hair

straightening, hair therapy and hair styling. It also provides hair academy and courses

for the public. Due to its strategic location, it has a good and steady flow of customers in

and out of the hair studio every day, which has around 25 to 30 customers. Therefore,

the saloon hired 3-4 full-time hairstylists and a few trainees from their own academy.

Youngsters and adults between the ages of 15 to 50 are mainly the targeted market of

this saloon.

There are a few competitors in this area, such as Parfait Hair Studio and

Millionaire Studio, both of which located right opposite GC Hair Studio and Academy. To

face the obstacles, GC Hair Studio and Academy provides excellent hairdressing skills

with good quality products imported by Germany to maintain its business. Besides, hair

products such as shampoo, conditioner, hair serum, hairstyling wax and hair mousse

also retailed by the saloon to increase the business income.

The business hours of GC Hair Studio and Academy are from 10:30 AM till 8:30

PM and the saloon is off on Tuesdays.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 7

Pricing list

Junior Senior Professional Director

Cut & Blowdry

RM10 above RM15 above RM26 above RM35 above

Shampooing & Blowdry

RM16 above RM19 above - -

Shampooing & Blowdry & Cut

RM30 above RM35 above RM46 above RM55 above

Short Medium Long

Dying RM60 RM90 RM120 above Additional

Highlighting

- - RM30 above

Hair Perming RM60 RM90 RM120 above

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 8

3.0 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS’ COMPARATIVE TRAITS

77 unisex saloon GC hair studio and academy

i. Number of competitors in the area

∙ Hong House Saloon ∙ New Colour Saloon ∙ Fione’s Hair cut

∙ Izzo Hair Saloon ∙ D Hair Park ∙ APT Hair Saloon

ii. Brief description of competitors

Hong House Saloon Izzo Hair Saloon

The business started in 1996. The saloon provide normal hair dressing services. They mainly focus on children and senior citizens.

The business started in 2006. The saloon provides services such as Hair dying, rebonding, hair perming, nutritional hair treatment and algae hair loss treatment.

New Colour Saloon D Hair Park The saloon has moved from a

residential area to a shop lot in the year 2003. The business also sells hair accessories apart from normal hair dressing services

This saloon business started

recently and it is located at the second floor of one of the shop lots. They provide the same services as a normal saloon and also make up and nail services.

Fione’s Hair Cut APT Hair Salon

The saloon is newly founded at Sungai Way new village. The

saloon provides makeup and hair dressing services and other usual hair services.

The business has been operating for 20 years. It has 43

branches and this is one of them. APT is a major hair saloon chain and also a hairdressing academy in Malaysia. They provide professional hairdressing and make up services as well.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 9

iii. Business strategies to compete with competitors

Pricing The pricings are slightly higher

than other home-based saloons in that area because it offers better quality products.

The prices are affordable

despite offering professional hairdressing services and good quality hair products.

Pricing ( During peak seasons )

The saloon will not raise the prices for any services.

They will raise the price at a range from around RM3 to RM4 during peak seasons.

Advertisement

A small signage is positioned in front of the main gate of the house. They do not advertise

much because most of their customers are regulars.

The saloon has a large signage placed at the façade of the shop lot. A largely printed pricing list

is placed in front of the saloon as well. There are banners positioned in front of the saloon to attract customers. A website and Facebook page are used to publicize their business.

Quality of services

Friendly and interactive. The services offered are satisfactory and professional.

Atmosphere

The interior of the hair studio is old so as the furniture and the equipment used. The shop radiates a vintage feel, offering a vintage feel to the customers.

The hair studio’s interior is modern and fully furnished. Furniture and equipment used are up to date and are in good condition to ease labour and

ensure the comfort of the customers.

Variety of products

The saloon uses good quality of local hair products to provide

services to the customers.

They are known for implementing a German

branded hair product -Schwarzkopf. The product is a qualified hair care product to ensure customers the best hair care solutions.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 10

Obstacles faced by a new business

A new business usually faces the lack of publicity. They are not well-known from the start so they intend to have a problem to advertise their business. If this problem persists, they might have a low number of customers visiting. Besides, the intense competition among the same industry at a specific location might affect the new businesses. Customers often prefer to visit existing businesses

rather than the newly formed businesses. This is because customers are more confident with what they are familiar with. This will bring down the sales of the new business.

Nature of market

Both the saloon is in a perfectly competitive market. There are a lot of hair saloons at the same area and they are providing similar hairdressing services as well.

For 77 Unisex saloon, the business provides good hairdressing skills as the shop owner has much experience in this field. The business also provides better hair products to ensure customers getting the best services hair and scalp. For GC Hair Studio and Academy, the business serves customers with professional hairdressing skills with a comfortable

environment. They implement qualified hair products which are imported from Germany to ensure the quality of their services offered.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 11

3.1 SUMMARY TABLE OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH SALOONS

77 Unisex ASPECTS GC Hair Studio and Academy

∙ Haircuts ∙ Hair dying ∙ Hair perming ∙ Hair straightening

Services ∙ Haircuts ∙ Hair dying ∙ Hair perming ∙ Hair straightening

∙ Hair therapy ∙ Hair styling ∙ Hair academy

One foreign worker for

miscellaneous tasks

Workers 3-4 full time hairstylists

*2-3 trainees from the academy (occasionally)

Retirement Future plan Plans to open new branch

in Petaling Jaya within 2 years.

∙ Products used such as shampoos and other hair products are of high quality

Strategy Excellent hairdressing skills along with using renowned and branded hair products.

Madam Ho Ah Yoke started her hairdressing career at the age of 23. She started having passion towards hairdressing after being inspired by her sister.

She started her own business in 1985 at the backyard of her house and it still exists up until now.

Founder and History Gary Choy is the CEO and Artistic Director of GC Academy of Hair Design. After graduating from London, Gary worked as a professional hairdresser, as well as owning his first

hair studio which began operation in 1998.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 12

77 Unisex is located in an old residential area in Sungai Way. The saloon is built in the backyard of a residential unit back then hence making it old

looking.

Location GC Hair Studio and Academy is located in Bandar Puteri Puchong (opposite Giant, Puchong). There are a lot of other hair studios

operating around that area (2 hair studios located just across the road).

0 Amount of other saloons nearby

5

No branches Number of branches One branch (Puchong) *Headquarters at Cheras

8 AM - 5 PM Business hours 10:30 AM - 8:30 PM

Solely handled by Madam Ho

Business operation Managed and monitored by Lee Yi Ling (Branch Manager)

5 - 8 customers per day Number of customers 25 - 30 customers per day

∙ Children and senior citizens

∙ Regular customers

Targeted market Youngsters and adults ages from 15 - 50

RM12 Price Range (Haircut only)

RM6 - RM55

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 13

3.2 CONCLUSION

Based on the analysis, it is apparent that 77 Unisex is a home based saloon that was and

is still operating in the backyard for decades. Through these years, it has become a

hobby rather than a job or a business to the saloon owner. In contrast, GC Hair Studio

and Academy is an established and commercialized saloon and is situated in Puchong.

Although different in business styles, both saloons sells the same types of hair products

which includes shampoos, conditioners, hair mousse, hair styling wax and hair serum.

In terms of potential, GC Hair Studio and Academy has more potential to develop

further as Mr Gary Choy has the intention of branching out the business to different

locations in the Klang Valley. In fact, it already has a branch after 15 years of operation.

As for 77 Unisex Saloon, it is still in the same condition as it was 30 years ago and has no

plan of renovating the place. The less attractive interior, out of date equipment and old

hairdressing styles is also one of the down factor that tends to slow down the business

growth.

Besides that, the presence of 77 Unisex is hardly visible to the public as it is hidden at

the backyard with no advertisement. The lack of advertisement and publicity restricts it

with the same customers that came since the start of the business. On the other hand,

GC Hair Studio publicizes themselves in the World Wide Web and social media. This

helps attracts the younger generation to the saloon.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 14

4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

The comparative analysis has been done between 77 Unisex (home based

business) and also GC Hair Studio & Academy (commercial based business).

Through thorough research and analysis, we can conclude that GC Hair Studio &

Academy (commercial based) have not fully utilize the location that they are operating

their business. This is due to the place being not strategic enough. The location set up

for business is affected by the many saloons clustered around the same area competing

against each other. The saloon that was interviewed also faced business tension due to

the major differences in prices in that particular area.

As for 77 Unisex (home based), the major obstacles that the business are facing

are the unawareness of the presence of the saloon and also its home based specialty

hair services it has to offer due to the lack of advertisement. Besides, the home based

saloon less attractive interior and also out of date equipment tend to drive customers

especially the younger generations. This is another downside of the business which tend

leads to it being an obstacle to the business’ income.

4.1 77 UNISEX SALOON

1. ADVERTISEMENT

Due to lack of advertisement and publicity, the presence of the 77 Unisex is hardly

visible. The placement of the banner is placed too far away from the saloon itself which

leads to confusion. Visual advertisement is very important especially for a home based

business like 77 Unisex. They could consider being more aggressive in terms of

advertising and publicity to create awareness, attention and also attraction towards the

saloon’s presence. Advertising and publicity can be taken another further step through

social networks such as Facebook and Instagram. Through social network advertising

and publicity, 77 unisex is able to spread attention to the public regarding its specialty,

hair services offered and also professions without having to waste money.

2. ENVIRONMENT & EQUIPMENT

77 Unisex should really take the interior of the saloon into account. The interior of the

saloon is far too old and does not look appealing towards customers, especially not to

the customers of the younger generations. Hence, they can consider either an interior

facelift and overhaul or some minor renovations to attract more customers. 77 Unisex

should also upgrade the equipment and furniture used to entertain their customers as it

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 15

is getting old and also out of date. They could invest in new equipment in order to

attract and maintain existing customers and also further expand their hair services.

4.2 GC HAIR STUDIO AND ACADEMY

1. PRICING

As GC Hair Studio & Academy is located amidst of a bunch full of competitors, the prices

should be cheaper than the rest of the saloons around. This could ensure the saloon to

maintain existing customers and also attract more new customers as lower prices are

bound to attract more customers as compared to the other saloons with a higher price.

The prices that are being offered could also be lowered during festive seasons.

Promotional rate could also be given to the customers during the period of festivities.

Prices could also be lowered in terms of academy fees to attract more students or

apprentices to pursue career in the saloon which in turn will also help raise the business’

income.

2. LOCATION

As mentioned previously, GC Hair Studio & Academy are placed in the middle of a bunch

full of other famous saloons. This proves that the location of the saloon is an obstacle

for the said business. In order to cope with this, GC Hair Studio & Academy should

consider searching for a new and more strategic location whereby the quantity of hair

studios and saloon is not as high and the demands of saloons are high. This will drive the

business income of GC Hair Studio & Academy to a whole new overwhelming level as

the competition in this said kind of location is low and hence and attract more

customers solely the saloon as the demand is high.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 16

BIBLIOGRAPHY

∙ Tezak, E. & Folawn, T (2011). Successful Salon and Spa Management (6th ed., p. 156). Cengage Learning.

∙ Cohen, W. (2005). The Marketing Plan (5th ed., p. 37). John Wiley & Sons.

∙ Mokotoff, E.C. (2010). The Salon Industry Business Artist (p. 20). Lulu.com

∙ Kumar, S.A. (2008). Entrepreneurship Development (p. 26). New Age International

∙ Ladies & Gentleman : GC Hair Studio & Academy. (2011, February 3.). Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://famecherry.com/fameporting/ladies-gentleman/gc-academy/

∙ Hair-tractive Makeover Contest. (2007, September 24). Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://hairtractive.blogspot.com/2007/09/gc-hair-studio-and-

academy.html

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 17

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1

Transcript (77 Unisex Saloon): Too Mun Fai and Ho Ah Yoke

Q: When did the business first started?

A: When I first started this business, I was 24 years old. I’m currently 54 years old so this

business was started 30 years ago, which was 1985. It was hard times back then, my

hands had rashes due to the over exposure to the chemicals in the hair products. My

mother saw my condition and told me to stop working and get married.

Q: Are you the sole owner of this business or you have other partners working with you?

A: It’s my own business at the backyard of my house.

Q: Why did you choose hairdressing?

A: I started working as a factory worker at a young age of 12. My interest towards

hairdressing was inspired by my sister. She brought me into this field and sparked my

passion towards hairdressing.

Q: The saloon usually has more regular customers or new customers?

A: The saloon is located at the backyard, making it not visible from the roads. So we

seldom have new customers coming in. Occasionally, there will be one or two new

customers coming in after being introduced by friends. Some of my regular customers

come from Subang or Shah Alam because they were used to have their hair cut by me.

Q: What is the annual revenue of this business?

A: This business earns an amount of approximately RM 1000 every month. So the annual

revenue will be about RM 12000.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 18

Q: How did you manage to keep the business running with the amount of revenue the

business gets?

A: Well, I don’t have to worry about rental as it is within the compound of my own

house.

Q: Is this the only saloon for this business?

A: Yes. We don’t have any branches as it is only a small business.

Q: Are there any tough competitors around this area?

A: Of course there is. Competition is everywhere. As this is an old village, there are quite

a number of saloons along the main roads and the marketplace. Business was good

when it first started, but it slowed down gradually after time. The demand is different

now, especially the youngsters.

Q: How much did you spend to start up the business from scratch?

A: I didn’t actually spend much as the saloon was at my own backyard. The cables and

wires were done by my father so I just have to spend more on the accessories and

equipments. I spent around RM 6000 in total to start this business.

Q: In your opinion, do you think running hair business in present days is easy?

A: It’s not easy to run this business right now compared to the past. There are too many

saloons in the market now, the competition is very strong. The other saloons set their

prices very low because they have a student hairdressers working for them.

Q: Do you sell other products besides providing hair dressing services?

A: Yes. We sell shampoos and a number hair styling products.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 19

Q: Do you hire any extra workers?

A: I have 2 hairdressers working for me last year. But the business slowed down so I let

them off. Currently, I have a foreign worker working for me. She usually does the

miscellaneous tasks such as washing the towels and cleaning the floor.

Q: Will there be more customers during festive seasons?

A: Not really. Business gets slower during that time. It used to get very busy especially

during Chinese New Year. I have to work all night on the eve of CNY to keep up with the

flow of customers to get their hair done for the celebration.

Q: Which age range are your customers from?

A: Senior citizens. My nephew once told me that my saloon looks like an old folks’ home.

Sometimes they’ll bring their grandchildren along for haircuts so usually there are

children and senior citizens.

Q: What services do the customers usually request for?

A: They usually come for haircuts.

Q: How are the hair services usually priced?

A: RM 12 for haircuts. RM 40 for hair dyeing. RM 70 for hair perming and RM 150 for

hair straightening.

Q: Does these prices apply to all gender?

A: Yes. The prices apply to both male and female. The only thing that matters is the

length when it comes to dyeing, perming and straightening.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 20

Transcript (GC Hair Studio and Academy): Too Mun Fai and Lee Yi Ling

Q: When did the business first started?

A: 15 years. The business started 15 years ago which is year 1998.

Q: Who started this business?

A: The founder of our studio is Mr Gary Choy, who is also our director currently. He

started the business after his graduating from London with a hairdressing profession.

Q: Are there any existing branches in the country?

A: There’s only one brunch currently which is this store you are in (Puchong) which was

opened about 3 years back. Our headquarters is located in Cheras.

Q: Are there any future plans for the business?

A: Yes. We are currently planning to have another branch in Petaling Jaya. There is a big

market there though the competition is quite strong. But these are still all in planning

stage, so hopefully it will happen in a couple of years

Q: Who are your targeted customers?

A: Generally, we target customers in the age range from 15 to 50 because we have a

more modern style of hairdressing. They can be of different races. Our customers are

usually economically average or above average.

Q: Does the saloon face strong competition?

A: The competition here is very strong. There are already 7 saloons just within this

commercial area, which is a lot. You can see that there is already 2 saloon across the

road. We have the advantage of seniority here as we were here for a longer time than

the other saloons nearby so it somehow attracted more customers to us.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 21

Q: The saloon usually have more regular customers more or new customers?

A: We have both but there are relatively more regular customers. They usually come for

follow-ups.

Q: Is running the business hard?

A: Actually there’s no such thing as tough or simple. It really depends on how much

passion you have towards this career and how often you practice your skills. It is also

important to keep your skills updated as there are always new hairstyles or hair

products. You have to know which product suits the hair condition of your condition.

Passion, skills and knowledge is what you need to run the business well.

Q: Does the saloon sell any products for extra income?

A: We sell a wide range of hair products from hair care products to hair styling products.

We mostly focus on the sales of Schwarzkopf, which is a known German brand. Of

course there are other local brands but there are too much for me to state.

Q: How are the hair services usually priced?

A: They are priced according to grades (junior cut, senior cut, Professional cut and

Director cut). For example, I am the manager of this branch so I will cut under director

cut. Director cuts are usually priced RM 45 for males and RM 50 for females (long haired)

For hair colouring, the pricing are according to the length and thickness of hair. For guys,

the price are usually around RM 120 and RM 240 for long haired females.

In terms of hair wash, it will be at a price of RM 30 for both male and female.

Q: How many workers does this branch have?

A: So far there are 3-4 full time workers in this branch. Occasionally, there will be a

couple of students from our academy working as trainees.

Q: Will there be more customers during and before festive seasons?

A: Yes of course. The saloon will be busier than usual a month before the festive seasons.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 22

Q: Will there be a raise in price during that time?

A: There will be a slight rise in price which will be a few Ringgits. The other saloons out

there might have 30% - 50% rise but we usually do that just to balance up with the rise

in the workers’ salary.

Q: What services do the customers usually request for?

A: They usually come for haircuts or colouring. But it depends on how we push our

services because they don’t really know what we have in our list of services.

Q: The business name states that there’s an academy. Can you roughly talk about it?

A: Our academy has students from age 15 to 50. They are taught normal hairdressing

skills and how to dress themselves appropriately as a hairdresser. They can go further in

hairdressing by attending advanced classes after the basics (6 months).

The classes are usually kept small at 1 to 2 students so the teachers can attend to every

student. After graduating, they can choose to work for GC or work in a saloon elsewhere.

Q: Does the saloon prefer to hire hairdressers from their own academy of other

hairdressers?

A: We usually prefer hiring those from our own academy as it is easier to teach them

new styles because their basic foundation in hairdressing is from us. So the style would

be similar.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 23

APPENDIX 2

Following are photos and documents taken during interviews.

77 UNISEX SALOON

The entrance of 77 Unisex Saloon. It is built at the backyard of a house in the form of an

extension

Interior of the saloon There are only a few simple furnitures and chairs set up in the saloon

The entrance The saloon

is built at the backyard of

a house like an extension.

Hair washing area An old hair washing

chair is positioned at the back of the

saloon

Madam Ho attending to her customer

before the interview

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 24

Hair dressing equipments [LEFT] Vintage hair perming machine [TOP

RIGHT] Combs and scissors [BOTTOM RIGHT] Hair curlers

Group photo with Madam Ho, founder of 77 Unisex Saloon

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 25

GC HAIR STUDIO AND ACADEMY

Entrance counter Saloon interior

Hairwashing area A products display shelf placed in the

centre of the saloon.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 26

Photo with Ms Lee Yi Ling, Branch Manager of GC Puchong

Hair colour samples

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Two competitors located opposite GC

hair studio, which are Parfait Hair Studio and Millionhair Studio.

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 27

Appendix 3

Minute 1

DATE 31st DECEMBER 2014

TIME 2 PM to 4 PM

VENUE Taylor’s Lakeside University Campus

GROUP MEMBERS TUTORIAL GROUP ROLES Joyce Wee Yi Qin Monday

Lim Pui San Monday

Mok Po Yi Tuesday

Ryan Kerry Jee Jin Yiing Thursday

Sonia Mancxia Thursday

Tan Wing Hoe Monday Too Mun Fai Thursday

No. ACTIVITY ACTIONS TAKEN BY

1. Decision of business line for research purposes. All members

2. Decision of choices regarding location of businesses. All members

3. Finalization of business line and locations. All members

4. Distribution of roles between group members. All members 5. Listing of interview questions. All members

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 28

Minute 2

DATE 05th JANUARY 2015

TIME 12 PM to 2 PM

VENUE Taylor’s Lakeside University Campus

GROUP MEMBERS TUTORIAL GROUP ROLES

Joyce Wee Yi Qin Monday Lim Pui San Monday

Mok Po Yi Tuesday

Ryan Kerry Jee Jin Yiing Thursday

Sonia Mancxia Thursday

Tan Wing Hoe Monday

Too Mun Fai Thursday

No. ACTIVITY ACTIONS TAKEN BY 1. Designing of artistic cover. All members

2. Compilation of home based business and commercial based business interview questions

All members

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 29

Minute 3

DATE 10th JANUARY 2015

TIME 10 AM to 7 PM

VENUE Taylor’s Lakeside University Campus

GROUP MEMBERS TUTORIAL GROUP ROLES Joyce Wee Yi Qin Monday

Lim Pui San Monday

Mok Po Yi Tuesday

Ryan Kerry Jee Jin Yiing Thursday

Sonia Mancxia Thursday

Tan Wing Hoe Monday Too Mun Fai Thursday

No. ACTIVITY ACTIONS TAKEN BY

1. Finalization of artistic cover. All members

2. Compilation of the each sub parts of the research report.

All members

3. Finalization of the compiled research report. All members

4. Finalization of edited interview videos for both home based business and also commercial based business.

All members

5. Preparation of presentation slides. All members

6. Finalization of presentation slides. All members

ENGLISH II (ELG 30605) | ASSIGNMENT 2: RESEARCH REPORT | pg. 30

REFERENCES

∙ Tezak, E. & Folawn, T (2011). Successful Salon and Spa Management (6th ed., p. 156). Cengage Learning.

∙ Cohen, W. (2005). The Marketing Plan (5th ed., p. 37). John Wiley & Sons.

∙ Mokotoff, E.C. (2010). The Salon Industry Business Artist (p. 20). Lulu.com

∙ Kumar, S.A. (2008). Entrepreneurship Development (p. 26). New Age International

∙ Ladies & Gentleman : GC Hair Studio & Academy. (2011, February 3.). Retrieved January 10, 2015, from http://famecherry.com/fameporting/ladies-gentleman/gc-academy/

∙ Hair-tractive Makeover Contest. (2007, September 24). Retrieved January 10,

2015, from http://hairtractive.blogspot.com/2007/09/gc-hair-studio-and-academy.html

∙ Personal Interview

Structure: Ho Ah Yoke (5th January 2015) Personal Interview

∙ Personal Interview

Structure: Lee Yi Ling (6th January 2015) Personal Interview