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Hazel had actually worked for the same Fortune 500 Business for almost 15 years. Although the business had actually gone through some hard times, things were starting to reverse. Client orders were up and quality and efficiency had enhanced significantly from what they had been just a couple of years previously due to a company-wide quality improvement program. So it came as a genuine shock to Hazel and about 400 of her fellow coworkers when they were all of a sudden ended following the new CEO's decision to downsize the business.
After recuperating from the initial shock, Hazel searched for work in other places.
Regardless of her efforts, after 8 months of searching, she was no place closer to finding a task than the day that she had begun. Her funds were being depleted and she was getting a growing number of discouraged. There was one bright area, though: She was able to generate a little cash by trimming lawns for her neighbors. She got included quite by chance when she heard one next-door neighbor remark that now that his kids were on their own; nobody was around to cut the turf.
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Nearly jokingly, Hazel asked how much he 'd want to pay. Soon Hazel was mowing the lawns of five neighbors. Other next-door neighbors desired her to work on their yards, but she didn't feel that she could spare anymore time from her job search.
Nevertheless, as the rejection letters started to accumulate, Hazel understood she had to make a crucial decision in her life.
On a rainy Tuesday morning, she decided to go into company for herself-- taking care of community lawns. She was eased to quit the tension of job searching, and she was excited about the prospect of being her own employer. However she was also fearful of being completely on her own. Nonetheless, Hazel was figured out to make a go of it.
Initially organisation was sluggish, but when individuals understood Hazel was readily available, many asked her to take care of their lawns. Some people were merely glad to turn the work over to her; others switched from other yard care services. By the end of her very first year in organisation, Hazel understood she might earn money in this manner. She also carried out other services such as fertilizing lawns, weeding gardens, and cutting bushes. Service became so excellent that Hazel employed two part-time workers to help her and, even then, she believed she could expand further if she wanted to.
Questions:
In what ways are Hazel’s customer s likely to judge the quality of her lawn care services? Hazel is the Operations Manager of her business. Among her many responsibilities are forecasting, inventory management, scheduling, quality assurance, and maintenance.
What kinds of things would she likely forecast?
What inventory items does Hazel probably have?
What scheduling must she do? What things might disrupt her schedules and cause her to reschedule? How important is quality assurance to her business? Why?
What kind of maintenance must be performed?
Hazel decided to offer the students who worked for her a bonus of $25 if she implemented one of their ideas on how to improve the business, and they responded with several good ones. One idea that she initially rejected now appears to hold great promise. The student that proposed the idea has unfortunately left, and is currently working for a competitor. What should Hazel do?
Hazel Case Revisited
Questions:
What competitive advantage does Hazel have over her competitors? Hazel would like to increase her profits, but she doesn’t believe that it would be wise to raise her prices considering the current state of the local economy (she is aware of this current state because of her keen environmental scanning abilities!). Instead she has given some thought to increasing productivity.
Explain how increased productivity could be an alternative to increase
prices? What are some of the ways that Hazel could increase productivity?
Hazel is thinking about purchasing some new equipment. One type of new equipment she is considering is power sidewalk edgers. She believes that power edgers will lead to an increase in productivity. Another type of new equipment would be a chain saw, which would be used for tree pruning. What trade-offs must Hazel think about in her analysis?
Hazel is fairly successful in her neighborhood and now wants to expand into other neighborhoods, including some that are up to five miles away. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of doing this? (this is a classic expansion dilemma) Hazel does not have a formal mission statement and a set of objectives. Take one of the following positions and defend it:
Hazel does not need a formal mission statement and a set of objectives. Many small businesses don’t have them. She definitely needs a formal mission statement and a set of objectives. They would be extremely beneficial. There may be some benefit to Hazel’s business, and she should consider developing one.
Entrepreneurial Journey: Turning Adversity into Success. (2016, Mar 27). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/microsoft-hazel-case-essay
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