Question
Unit 9: Leadership, Policy, and Culture
Case Study Analysis Paper:
Prepare a case study analysis of Case 9, Defender Direct, Inc.: A Business of Growing Leaders found in the Cases
section of your digital book.
Closely follow the Case Study Analysis Template by clicking on the hyperlink. Please utilize this template format for this
Assignment. Use titles and subtitles per the format for readability purposes. Focus upon the idea of the company’s
strategy-culture relationship and which of the four strategy-culture situations should it implement in order to help move
Defender Direct forward. Please include the SWOT Analysis with the four quadrants in the appendix of your paper (after
the References page). You can find the SWOT analysis template in Doc Sharing.
Assignment Checklist:
• Conduct a SWOT Analysis on the case study company’s current strategy-culture relationship.
• Create a case study analysis focusing on which of the four strategy-culture situations it should implement in order
to help move the company forward.
Defender Direct Inc-A Business of Growing Leaders
Company Name: <Defender Direct, Inc.>
Topic of the Week: <Management Policy and Strategy>
Synopsis of the Situation
Defender Direct, Inc. was a small growing business involved in ADT security systems and Dish Network Satellite TV installations. Its headquarters are located in Indianapolis, and concentrates its operations in the U.S. region. Defender Direct, Inc. started as a small business with Dave Lindsey at the helm of its operations. In the first few months of operations, Dave Lindsey operated the business right from home, inviting his employees to work from his home. The new company employed direct marketing methods to look for clients. Dave Lindsey and his team of marketers would go knocking on door-to-door basis looking for clients interest in the company’s products.
Direct marketing efforts employed by the company paid off well. The company experienced tremendous growth over a period of 10 years. Defender Direct maintained an average annual growth rate of 60 percent over a span of 10 years. In 2008, the company was ranked 387th on the list of top Inc.500 fastest-growing companies in the U.S. Dave Lindsey attributed the growth to what he termed as “growth” of his employees that was achieved through training and development. A major challenge facing Dave Lindsey, was the need to continually transform his role in the company from that of a door-to-door salesman to a CEO. The company also faced challenges with recruiting a qualified and experienced CFO due to its relatively small size. Lindsey also faced challenges with the payroll.
Alternative Solutions
<Create at least three alternative solutions that are original and not from the case study itself.>
- Dave Lindsey should consider optimizing the local payroll operations. The payroll system at Defender Direct, Inc. was ineffective and constantly stressed out Dave Lindsey.
- Defender Direct, Inc. should have considered placing one of its employees for the CFO position. Training and development can enable the CFO gain the required knowledge and skills.
- Involve consultants to help the CEO, Dave Lindsey, adapt to the changing nature of the business. Getting help from consultants could help Dave Lindsey to add the expertise or knowledge he needed.
Selected Solution to the Problem
<Choose one of the Alternative Solutions that you created that will best fit and describe it.>
Defender Direct, Inc. started as a small business at Dave Lindsey’s home. Over time, Lindsey had transformed himself from a simple door-to-door salesperson to a CEO, all within a span of 10 years. Over the course of the 10 years, Lindsey had become a sales manager, a controller, a regional manager, a president, and finally a CEO. The biggest challenge as he says was to reinvent his relationship to the business. Lindsey faced the challenge of adapting himself in terms of skill, process and mentally to the needs of a growing business. Getting help from consultants could help Dave Lindsey to add the expertise or knowledge he needed.
Due to the expanding nature of the business and the increasing complexity of various business functions that Dave Lindsey was in charge of, there was need to quickly acquaint himself to the new roles. A side effect of rapid growth and structural changes in a business is that it requires diverse expertise to handle the emerging challenges. On the other hand, no single CEO may have all the necessary skills to manage all the emerging complexities. As such, seeking help from an outside consultant can enable Dave Lindsey acquire knowledge and skills that he lacks.
Implementation
<Discuss a plan in how you intend to implement the Selected Solution on behalf of the company featured in the case study.>
Qualified consultants can help businesses transform from small regional business to large organizations with nationwide operations. Qualified consultants can bring in a wide range of skills and expertise to an expanding business. Hiring an outside consultant is appropriate in situations when the project is non-recurrent in nature (Bates, & Basch, 2003). The first step in choosing an outside consultant is to develop a list of viable outside consultants from which to pick one. This list can be developed from a variety of sources such as newspapers, personal referrals, newsletters, professional directories, and others.
The second step is to organize for selection of the qualified consultant. The top management should define the problem at hand or the project that requires consulting. The goals of the consultancy should clearly outlined. The third step is to establish a budget for consultants. It is important that the company establish a budget for feasibility purposes. It is also important to define the actual roles of the consultants. This can help avoid confusion. The top management should investigate the average cost of hiring consultants in the industry and for such roles. This can help in remaining within the budget. The last step is develop a selection team that can be able to examine the list of consultants and recommend the most appropriate.
Recommendations and Conclusion
<Discuss one of the alternative solutions not chosen and express why this would be a good choice as well and wrap up the analysis.>
Dave Lindsey should consider optimizing the local payroll operations. The payroll system at Defender Direct, Inc. was ineffective and constantly stressed out Dave Lindsey. As companies expand, complexities emerge in the payroll systems. One of the major challenges with payroll system of expanding organizations is lack of visibility. Cloud based payroll providers can help provide a better payroll system. Cloud based payroll systems can help increase efficiency and reduce the overall cost of payroll operations. Cloud based payroll system offers scalability, which means that it can support additional modules (Deka & Bakshi, 2015).
Defender Direct, Inc. was a small business with operations in ADT security systems and Dish Network Satellite TV installations. Started in 1998, the business experienced tremendous growth averaging 60 percent per year. The tremendous growth of the business brought new challenges due to the increasing complexity of operations. For instance, there were challenges with the payroll system and in hiring a CFO. The CEO, Dave Lindsey, increasingly faced challenges of managing an ever-expanding business. This paper recommends the hiring of expert consultants to help manage the increasing complexities.
References
Bates, M. E., & Basch, R. (2003). Building & running a successful research business: A guide for the independent information professional. Medford, N.J: CyberAge Books.
Deka, G. C., & Bakshi, S. (2015). Handbook of research on securing cloud-based databases with biometric applications. New York, NY: IGI Global.
Defender Direct Inc SWOT Analysis
Appendix
Figure 1. SWOT Analysis based upon the topic of the week for the company case.
Strengths
- High growth rate of an average 60 percent per annual.
- Strong marketing concept, involving direct marketing.
- Strong presence within the domestic market.
Weaknesses
- Inefficiency with the payroll system.
- High growth rate, introducing complexities in the area of management.
- Inability to find the right employees.
Opportunities
- Opportunity for overseas expansion.
- Increased profitability and thus opportunities for growth.
- Venture capital.
Threats
- High costs of operations.
- Cash flow problems.
- External business risks.
Related:
