Questions for Critical Thinking

Students must complete the Case Study essay as assigned.  The assignment should be done in the form of an essay to include a cover page and a reference page, both in APA format. The body of the essay should be 450- 500 words in length and conform to APA format to include proper in text citation.  Students must have a least twopeer-reviewed references in addition to the assigned reading materials.

Can you have this completed no later than 2/3 @ 8 p.m. EST tomorrow?

The Mei Mei Group: a Family affair in Boston

Many consider family-owned businesses the backbone of American business. “Mei Mei” translates to “little sister” in Chinese, and its name aptly represents a family business of three siblings, Andy, Margaret (Mei), and Irene Li. When Andy, the oldest sibling, formed the Mei Mei Group, it was only appropriate to name it after his two little sisters, Margaret and Irene. Together as the Mei Mei Group, the Lis operate Mei Mei Street Kitchen, a food truck on the streets of Boston, and more recently, Mei Mei restaurant near the Boston University campus. When the siblings decided to go into business together, they realized that despite their distinctly different backgrounds, what they have all shared since childhood was a love of food.

With a passion for food instilled in them by their parents, the Li siblings began brainstorming about how to utilize their complimentary skills to create a family business. With restaurant management experience, Andy oversees the restaurant. Mei studied social entrepreneurship in London. While in London, she created a number of pop-up restaurants in unique locations, including one underneath the railway arches of the Thames River. Mei also attended business school, so she focuses on finances, marketing, business development, and the company’s social media platform. Irene, the youngest sibling, attended Cornell University and has worked and lived on organic farms. Her experience helps the company ethically source food ingredients from local vendors. While in college Irene also began her own pop-up restaurant. The siblings were unanimous in their goal to bring authentic Chinese dishes with an American twist to Boston consumers, using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.

One impressive contribution of small businesses like the Mei Mei Group is its creation of jobs in the local Boston area. Between its food truck and restaurant, the Mei Mei Group now employs more than 35 workers. In addition, the Lis firmly believe that supporting the local food system and area farms provides fresher products to its customers. As a result, they are able to create jobs and provide revenue to the local Boston area economy.

The Mei Mei Group is an example of a small business that has provided an outlet for creative new ideas as business and consumers recognize a need for change. In this case, making a difference in the local food system is part of Mei Mei’s core values. Since opening less than five years ago, the Mei Mei Group has brought 120,000 pounds of local and regional food from nearby farms in the Northeast to the consumers of Boston.