個案資料

Clarke Building and Supplies Limited was a multi-generational family-owned building supply and contracting company headquartered in the western region of the island of Newfoundland, Canada. After the death of the company’s founder and chief executive officer, it fell to the founder’s son to take the helm of the company. With his engineering background, this son noticed inefficiencies and lax controls within the company. He was especially worried about the possibility of a more tightly run national store entering the market and outcompeting his family’s business. Complicating any decision to tighten operations was the community culture of the business, which included many long-time employees, friends, and family members. He could see that there were issues in the company, but he lacked the business acumen and distance to separate symptoms from causes and develop a plan to keep the company healthy and strong for generations to come. He knew he needed to achieve buy-in from the managers so he could implement any solutions he devised.

This case is suitable for senior undergraduate- or graduate-level courses on entrepreneurship, especially those focusing on transition in owner-managed or family-owned businesses. The case can also be used for business students studying management control, entrepreneurship, or family business, and for master of business administration students and executives who are interested in how small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those run by families and operating in smaller communities, have issues that may be unique in comparison to larger organizations. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will have developed their ability to do the following:<ul><li>Understand the difficulties in addressing issues caused by long-standing business practice and culture, especially in family-run businesses with close-knit cultures.</li><li>Explain the concepts behind implementing organizational change, including the need to ensure company morale, train management and staff, and monitor results.</li><li>Recognize trade-offs when deciding which organizational changes to implement.</li><li>Consider the quantitative and qualitative factors involved in implementing change in a business.</li></ul>

• Family Business
• ' Control
• Transition