JACR is a publication of the Southwest Case Research Association (SWCRA). JACR publishes teaching cases in all business disciplines. Cases may be grounded in primary and/or secondary data sources. Whether primary or secondary, sources must be well documented.
Page 1
Synopsis
No abstract provided.
Keywords:
Preface case
Citation:
English, W., Maranville, S. (2008). Problems at USP?: A Tom, Dick, and Harry Saga. Journal of Applied Case Research, V7 (3), 1-4. http://swcra.net/Cases/V7_N3.pdf
Page 5
Synopsis
As dusk fell on an early January evening in 2005, Bob Edison slipped off his
shoes and got more comfortable at his desk, preparing for several hours of study and
review. The next day, he and Dr. William Simpson, a management consultant whom he
had engaged, would conduct a strategic planning retreat with the key employees of USP.
Edison (Exhibit 1) had founded USP thirteen years previously and was the owner and
president of the company. He found himself reflecting on what his business had
accomplished in the past and wondering what 2005 and following years might hold for
him and his company.
Keywords:
Strategy
Citation:
Cullers, S., Vitucci, S. S. (2008). Setting a Strategy. Journal of Applied Case Research, V7 (3), 5-16. http://swcra.net/Cases/V7_N3.pdf
Page 17
Synopsis
Driving toward the Hyatt hotel in Dallas, Bob Edison grinned slightly, shook his
head and thought to himself, “I agreed to let a group of case-writers analyze my
company. What have I gotten myself into?” He was on his way to a unique meeting
where a group of researchers would employ case methodology techniques to analyze his
company and prepare cases on a range of different managerial issues facing his company,
Universal Specialty Polymers (USP). Edison had agreed to the meeting because he
believed that the insight coming from these “outsiders” would benefit his company and
help him resolve some of the challenges facing the organization.
USP and its sister companies, USP Construction and LPNA had grown
significantly during the past five years to the point that the combined companies had
revenues over $12 million and employed 33 people. This was no longer a small
business. Although Edison played a central role in the operational management of the
companies, he found that as the company grew, it was more difficult for him to spend
time with clients, even just to talk with them on the telephone. He was forced to devote
more time and effort to executive management issues.
He was proud of the rapid growth of the USP group, and took satisfaction in the
quality of product lines and services. However, the fluctuations in the business cycle
were dizzying at times. There had to be some way to bring stability to the various
divisions within his companies. Was the answer to “circle the wagons” by centralizing
and focusing on a few specific products? Or, should the group continue to diversify?
Perhaps it should adopt a new business model altogether. As so often happens with
rapidly growing young companies, there comes a time when the central question
becomes, “Where do we go from here?” As Edison gazed ahead on I-35, he asked
himself, “Is growth of USP rooted in the past or is it dependent on breaking out in a new
direction?”
Keywords:
Strategy
Citation:
Sharland, A., Fiedler, A., Wong, R. Cumber, C. (2008). The Future Strategy Decision. Journal of Applied Case Research, V7 (3), 17-25. http://swcra.net/Cases/V7_N3.pdf
Page 26
Synopsis
Bob Edison, a Dallas-based entrepreneur, built three businesses from the ground
up: Universal Specialty Polymers (USP), a manufacturer of polymer-based construction
products; LP North America Distribution, Inc, which distributed liquid polysulfide, a raw
material used by USP and other companies that made similar products; and USP
Construction Services, a construction contractor that used USP products in various
industrial and commercial construction projects.
Edison owned the three businesses and served as their president. He was proud of
the financial success of the three companies (See financial statements in Appendices G,
H, and I and the related notes in Exhibit 1) and of the quality of service that the three
businesses provided to their customers. All three businesses built their reputations on a
philosophy of providing extreme service to customers.
Edison was very involved in both the day-to-day operations and long-term
planning for the businesses. He thought, somewhat wryly, that one or another of the
businesses was always at a critical turning point. As a result, keeping up with his
responsibilities required an ongoing balancing act. As the businesses grew, Edison
focused on recruiting a competent managerial team for the companies. By early 2005, he
had in place a managerial team that could handle most of the routine operating decisions,
leaving him free to concentrate on setting the long-term direction for his businesses.
At the beginning of each year, Edison conducted a review of the results of
operations for the previous year and developed detailed plans for the new year. He
gathered the financial statements for 2004 and other information for the three businesses,
and he began his assessment of 2004, wondering what unforeseeable challenges 2005
would bring. Once again, he believed that both he and the businesses were at a critical
turning point.
Keywords:
Financial performance
Citation:
Cullers, S. (2008). Information for Decision Making. Journal of Applied Case Research, V7 (3), 26-30. http://swcra.net/Cases/V7_N3.pdf
Page 31
Synopsis
At the start of Universal Specialty Polymer’s annual strategic planning meeting in
January 2005, key executives of the company felt an urge to congratulate themselves as
they discussed the final performance figures for the previous year. The company was
profitable, had excellent credit, and had accomplished several key goals in the past year.
However, several challenges loomed on the horizon, including rising raw material prices,
ongoing litigation, and the completion of several initiatives that had been initiated but had
not been brought to closure. While there had been a healthy growth in sales, profitability
had declined the past year (see Exhibit 1). Bob Edison, CEO of USP, was keen on
developing a set of strategic initiatives and operational action plans that would sustain
long term growth in profitability.
A major question lingered in his mind. Was the recent decline in profitability due
solely to rising material costs or was it symptomatic of undetected problems that required
immediate attention and action? At the meeting, several areas were identified as
deserving attention. One was the state of the company’s marketing organization. The
marketing organization had developed in a somewhat ad-hoc fashion over the years, and
possibly needed a redesign to be more efficient. Another key area was the future of the
company’s relationship with its contractors, and its continued participation in
downstream integration.
Keywords:
Marketing
Citation:
Ahmed, I., Maddux, H. S., Prasad, R. (2008). The Search for Market Performance. Journal of Applied Case Research, V7 (3), 31-44. http://swcra.net/Cases/V7_N3.pdf
Page 45
Synopsis
Universal Specialty Polymers (USP), a leader in the polymer-based construction
industry, was founded in 1991 by Bob Edison and three of his associates. By 1995 USP
was on its way to success and was named to the Dallas 100 with a vision to be recognized
as a national leader in polymer systems production.
Success came and continued throughout the decade as the company rose to be a
leader in polymer construction products technology in industrial, institutional,
commercial, and marine markets particularly in terms of customer satisfaction, product
performance, and the financial well-being of its employees and other stakeholders. Sales
and earnings began to grow, and USP continued its flight as an industry leader. To
support their growing operations, USP began to employ new information systems and
update their legacy systems and soon added various modules of the MAS 200 enterprise
system.
Yet despite, or perhaps, because of their success, USP soon found itself facing
expansion decisions and slowing profits. While they had made steps to improve their
information system capabilities, they were not up-to-date with some of the MAS modules
and had done little to take advantage of the Internet as a sales and distribution channel.
USP recognized that improving their use of information systems could help them control
costs and increase revenue if appropriately and strategically developed. They also
recognized that in order to continue growing and reverse the declining profits, USP
needed to enhance their sales and distribution infrastructure.
To successfully accomplish this, Rachel Clark, chief information officer of USP,
was faced with a quandary of how to best support the company’s needs. How could they
employ Internet technologies to improve sales and distribution? Could their MAS 200
modules and Goldmine customer relationship management (CRM) support such an
effort? Will MAS 200 seamlessly integrate into an Internet-based system? Should they
consider upgrading to MAS 500 for their enterprise system and Saleslogix for CRM? To
determine the answers to these questions, USP needed to fully evaluate their current
information systems to determine its capabilities in the context of current operations and
its capacity for growth, while determining the best course of action to support the sales
and distribution network.
Keywords:
Managing information
Citation:
Syler, R. A., Plumlee, G. L. (2008). Employment of Information Systems at USP. Journal of Applied Case Research, V7 (3), 45-53. http://swcra.net/Cases/V7_N3.pdf
Page 54
Synopsis
Bob Edison, the CEO of Universal Specialty Polymers (USP), was frustrated. He
has just heard from Steve Dillard, the Director of Sales and Marketing, that a large
storage company may be suing USP. The unsatisfactory results experienced from a
product installed at the company’s warehouse facility was not because of any fault in the
product itself, but rather because of misapplication of the product due to incomplete
product knowledge on the part of the contractor. Edison knew that the contractor did not
have the funds to make the necessary repairs. Therefore, to avoid a lawsuit, USP might
have to send out one of its subcontractors to clean up the problem.
The USP Group of companies (USP) was in the business of manufacturing and
marketing polymer-based construction products for purposes such as sealing and coating
floors, and lining industrial containment structures. USP’s customers were generally
contractors who install the products on various construction projects. The quality of the
installation depended very much on whether or not the factory instructions have been
followed properly.
To assist the contractors in applying USP’s products properly, the technical
personnel at USP provided a great deal of technical support to their clients. Much of
USP’s technical assistance to the contractors was conveyed in an informal way, such as
conversations over the phone. Consequently, the documentation was inconsistent, and it
was difficult for USP to produce proof of technical accuracy.
Faulty installations due to contractors’ non-compliance with USP’s specific
product instructions had given rise to costly litigation. In almost all of this litigation,
USP had been listed among the defendants. Edison believed that the company needed to
implement a more formal structure for managing the technical service process so that the
knowledge content of the technical advice could become more standardized, accessible,
and sharable.
As the company was migrating increasingly into the service-providing segment,
the need for establishing a knowledge management platform was paramount. The
management team was now facing the task of identifying a knowledge management
approach and implementing it.
Keywords:
Managing information
Citation:
Fiedler, A., Wong, R. Sharland, A., Cumber, C. (2008). The Knowledge Management Challenge. Journal of Applied Case Research, V7 (3), 54-60. http://swcra.net/Cases/V7_N3.pdf
Page 61
Synopsis
Bob Edison, the President of Universal Specialty Polymers (USP), looked at the
printouts his consultant Dr. William Simpson had given him and attempted to make sense
of what he was reading. Having felt a need to identify why there were constraints in his
company’s operations, he had asked Simpson to suggest a method for pinpointing the
problems. The suggestion had been to use a tool to assess what aspect of the
organizational culture was restricting further company growth. The assessment entitled
“The Denison Organizational Culture Survey” had been administered in early 2000 and
now, two months later, Edison was faced with the dilemma of determining how to
implement any changes that might be needed.
Keywords:
Organizational culture
Citation:
Reed, M., Brunson, R., Carson, C., Marshall, J. (2008). Assessing the Organizational Culture. Journal of Applied Case Research, V7 (3), 61-70. http://swcra.net/Cases/V7_N3.pdf
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