Free Essay

Hershey Case Study

In:

Submitted By aseaton84
Words 657
Pages 3
Hershey Foods Corp of Hershey, Pennsylvania was founded in 1894. They have recorded over billions of dollars in sales since then by selling around 3,000 different candy items in various shapes, sizes, and flavors. Their peak sales occur in the 4th quarter covering the Halloween and Christmas seasons. The company has over a dozen plants internationally and domestically, employing over 14,000 people. Hershey’s plan, named Enterprise 21, was to modernize their software and hardware in the beginning of 1996. The plan was scheduled to take up to four years to complete. The plan’s goals were to upgrade and standardize the company’s hardware and move from a mainframe-based network to a client-server environment. During this plan, Hershey replaced 5,000 desktop computers and moved to TCP/IP networking based on newly installed network hardware. They did this because it was determined that Hershey needed to be able to use and share its data more efficiently due to industry demands. Upgrading their system would give them the ability to increase production and customer satisfaction and service. Enterprise 21 would replace the company’s current system with a more up-to-date resource planning software called SAP. The SAP software would be paired with software from Manugistics Group Inc. and from Siebel Systems Inc. The software from Manugistics would provide support for production forecasting and scheduling, and for transportation management. The software from Siebel would assist Hershey in managing customer relations and in tracking the effectiveness of its marketing activities. The management believed implementing these changes would help Hershey better execute its business strategy of emphasizing its core mass-market candy business. Hershey recognized that one of the bigger risks of this plan was the costly transition to the new software programs. They currently had low IT costs but because of this, their software was old and outdated. This could take away their competitive edge if others knew they did not have the most current process and software. They also knew that changing over would be a tedious and labor intensive task that would take around 4 years to complete. One problem they didn’t think of but should have was that there may be a time that the systems would go down leaving them without product to put on the shelves. During the transition, the cutover strategy did not go as smoothly as planned. The SAP modules were being put into production but the project ran behind schedule. The full system didn’t come online until mid-July. This was a major issue because Hershey needed to fill orders promptly to meet the needs for the Halloween season. Because the software was not completely online when it was supposed to be, the project actually cost Hershey $112 million. Another problem that occurred, because of the delay in the system coming online and not being able to fill orders was that shelf spaced in grocery stores was lost. Many stores substituted Hershey’s brand with others because they didn’t want the space to be empty. Once that space was filled by other brands it’s difficult for Hershey to get it back. This placed the long range sales for Hershey at risk. Hershey should have approached the situation in a different way. They should have had a backup plan in the event that the system went down or was delayed so they could have avoided the empty shelves and lack of product problem. They should have taken a proactive approach when they knew there was going to be a delay in processing orders. By doing that they could have saved some of the supporters rather than letting them believe the stores were to blame for the lack of Hershey’s candy. Rather than trying to phase all of the software in at the same time, they should have done it in incremental steps with one program at a time. Having a well-conceived plan would have prevented many of these issues.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Hershey Case Study

...The Hershey Company is the leading North American manufacturer of quality chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery and chocolate-related grocery products. The company also is a leader in the gum and mint category. Hershey recognizes that diversity management skills are vital to the success of the organization. Performance Management The current performance management system at Hershey is a bottom-up approach focusing on employee empowerment. Employees throughout the company are given responsibility to set goals and track progress on their projects. This system measures both business results and whether the results are obtained using Hershey’s four core values. Teamwork is emphasized especially because the company believes in celebrating their successes as a whole. The bottom-up approach specifically appeals to the younger generation and their eagerness for challenge, autonomy, and results. This approach allows the high motivation of the younger employees to work its way back up to the older employees who may be nearing retirement age. (Noe, 55) One way that Hershey could redesign their performance management system to appeal to the diverse age groups of employees is to focus on a developmental purpose. This method would serve as a basis for developing employees’ knowledge and skills, which would be especially helpful with the younger generation of new employees. Having a developmental purpose for performance management would mean each employee would have the opportunity...

Words: 1207 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Hershey Case Study

...genetic material? What experiments confirmed these suspicions? Chromosomes was known to possess deoxyribonucleic acid. The genetical material was expected to have the stability but still capable of accepting sudden and permanent changes to adapt to evolution. Experiments that confirmed the suspicions were done by: • Griffith- demonstrated non-virulent strains of bacteria turned virulent when mixed with heat-killed pathogenic bacteria • Avery and colleagues- showed that deoxyribonuclease leads destruction of transforming activity • Hershey and Chase- used radioactive labels and bacteriophages to show that only nucleic acid was passed onto progeny not protein B)...

Words: 1206 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Role of It in Small Business Success

...Role of Information Technology in Small Business Success Case Study: SME ERP System Sourcing Strategies. Research Question: Are ERP’s necessary for today’s small business to succeed. Annotated References: Sledgianowski, D., Tafti, H.A. M., & Kierstead, J. (2008). SME ERP system sourcing strategies: a case study: Industrial Management + Data Systems, 108(4) 421. doi: 10.1108/02635570810868317. Using Case studies of Small Medium Enterprises, this paper identifies ERP sourcing strategies that are available to them. In preparation, this case study utilizes several sources of input were made use of, including informal conversations, emails, interviews etc. The practices by SME’s compared to what they should be are also examined and compared. Deb Sledginaowski is a well-known writer in the business sector with 9 articles in the USMAI library catalogue. Mr. Tafti is also a prolific writer in information technology with as much as 7 journals in one research database while Kierstead, Jim does not appear to have previous articles written by him, his ability to team up with seasoned and respected writers Kyvik, O., Legar-Jamio, C., Tarabishy, A. (2009). The use of Information technology and innovation in entrepreneurial small frims. Council for Small Business (ICSB). World Conference Proceedings. This study explores the relationship of the entrepreneur’s ability and the use of information technology. The study also proposes the existence of the digital mindset as well...

Words: 297 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Adopting and Adapting the Case Study Design

...The Qualitative Report Volume 14 Number 1 March 2009 42-60 http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR14-1/diaz-andrade.pdf Interpretive Research Aiming at Theory Building: Adopting and Adapting the Case Study Design Antonio Díaz Andrade The University of Auckland Business School, Auckland, New Zealand Although the advantages of case study design are widely recognised, its original positivist underlying assumptions may mislead interpretive researchers aiming at theory building. The paper discusses the limitations of the case study design for theory building and explains how grounded theory systemic process adds to the case study design. The author reflects upon his experience in conducting research on the articulation of both traditional social networks and new virtual networks in six rural communities in Peru, using both case study design and grounded theory in a combined fashion in order to discover an emergent theory. Key Words: Case Study, Interpretive Approach, Theory Building, and Grounded Theory Introduction Researchers adopting a case study design face a number of challenges in making their argument. Yin (2003) himself warns researchers who adopt a case study design to be conscious that their findings will be challenged and prefaces his book enumerating the alleged weaknesses in the case study; a methodology that downgrades the academic disciplines and lacks sufficient precision, objectivity, and rigour. We should note that those warnings come from an author who operates from...

Words: 8296 - Pages: 34

Premium Essay

Strategy Case Studies

...beginning of the 21st century, its CEO/ Chairman, Yang-Ho Cho undertook various transformation initiatives - for instance, improving service quality and safety standards, technology integration, upgrading pilot training, better business focus; putting in place a professional management team, improving corporate image through sponsorship marketing, etc. He gave a new corporate direction in the form of '10,10,10' goal. However, Korean Air is held up by a slew of challenges. Among which are inefficiencies of - Chaebol system of management, possible clash of its cargo business with its own shipping company, limited focus on the domestic market and growing competition from LCCs. How would Korean Air manage growth as a family-owned conglomerate? The case offers enriching scope for analysing a family business’s turnaround strategies, with all the legacy costs involved. Pedagogical Objectives • To discuss the (operational) dynamics of Korean Chaebols - their influence/ effects on the country’s industrial sector and the economy as a whole • To analyse how family-owned businesses manage the transition phase - from a supplier-driven economy to a demanddriven economy • To identify all the possible reasons for Korean Air ’s turbulent times and assessing whether they are controllable or not • To critically evaluate Korean Air ’s transformation efforts - in terms of growth, productivity and cost cuts, especially the efficacy of '10,10,10' goal in a family-run business • To identify various challenges...

Words: 71150 - Pages: 285

Premium Essay

Managing Information Technology (7th Edition)

...CONTENTS: CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY 1 Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (A): The Role of the Operating Manager in Information Systems CASE STUDY I-1 IMT Custom Machine Company, Inc.: Selection of an Information Technology Platform CASE STUDY I-2 VoIP2.biz, Inc.: Deciding on the Next Steps for a VoIP Supplier CASE STUDY I-3 The VoIP Adoption at Butler University CASE STUDY I-4 Supporting Mobile Health Clinics: The Children’s Health Fund of New York City CASE STUDY I-5 Data Governance at InsuraCorp CASE STUDY I-6 H.H. Gregg’s Appliances, Inc.: Deciding on a New Information Technology Platform CASE STUDY I-7 Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (B): Cleaning Up an Information Systems Debacle CASE STUDY II-1 Vendor-Managed Inventory at NIBCO CASE STUDY II-2 Real-Time Business Intelligence at Continental Airlines CASE STUDY II-3 Norfolk Southern Railway: The Business Intelligence Journey CASE STUDY II-4 Mining Data to Increase State Tax Revenues in California CASE STUDY II-5 The Cliptomania™ Web Store: An E-Tailing Start-up Survival Story CASE STUDY II-6 Rock Island Chocolate Company, Inc.: Building a Social Networking Strategy CASE STUDY III-1 Managing a Systems Development Project at Consumer and Industrial Products, Inc. CASE STUDY III-2 A Make-or-Buy Decision at Baxter Manufacturing Company CASE STUDY III-3 ERP Purchase Decision at Benton Manufacturing Company, Inc. CASE STUDY III-4 ...

Words: 239887 - Pages: 960

Free Essay

Role of Power

...contemporary organizational issue you find intriguing. Use one field site or example for the entire paper. Also, be explicit about the level issue. For example, if you are using the concept of personality then it is an individual level issue. A list of concepts and their related levels is provided in a separate document. Focus of paper-related requirements: Outline: Submit a formal outline for your paper, complete with references. The purpose of the outline is to help you organize your content, which also results in increased clarity, improved logic, and better structure of the paper. There may be adjustments from this document to your final paper, but at this stage the paper should not require major revisions. Final Paper: Use a case study format for the structure of your paper. Identify and analyze issues using course concepts, and propose recommendations for the organization you are focusing on. Use of course concepts 1. Use a minimum of 8 concepts for the paper. Include a list of the concepts you used at the beginning of the paper. 2. Briefly define each concept you use within the text (a paragraph or two). 3. For each concept, write a diagnosis at one level (e.g., the person level). For example, you might write “The employee misses work frequently due to stress from conflict with her supervisor.” Note, stress and conflict would require definitions.) 4. For each concept, write a solution or solutions. Identify the level(s) you addressed in Step 2...

Words: 594 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Ungs2050

...Calendar Overall for Case-Study Presentation & Mid-Term Exam – MGT 4760 (Strategic Management) Sem 1, 2012/2013 Sec 8 (M-W) No. | Week | Topics | Class Day | Date | Schedule | Details | | 1 | Chapter 1: The Nature of Strategic Management | 1- Mon 2- Wed | 10/912/9 | | | | 2 | Chapter 2: The Business Vision and Mission | 3- Mon 4- Wed | 17/919/9 | | | | 3 | Chapter 3: The External Assessment | 5- Mon 6- Wed | 24/926/9 | | | | 4 | Chapter 4: The Internal Assessment | 7- Mon 8- Wed | 1/103/10 | Quiz 1 (Chapter 1.2.3) | | | 5 | Chapter 4: The Internal Assessment | 9- Mon 10- Wed | 8/1010/10 | | | | 6 | Chapter 5: Strategies in Action | 11- Mon 12- Wed | 15/1017/10 | | | | | BREAK(22/10 – 28/10) | 13- Mon 14- Wed | 22/1024/10 | | | | 7 | Chapter 5: Strategies in Action | 15- Mon 16- Wed | 29/1031/10 | Case Presentation Session 1Case Presentation Session 2 | Group 1:L: Lia Hilaliah (Case Study 3)Group 2:L: Mas Syairah bte Mohamad (Case Study 5) | | 8 | Chapter 6: Strategy Analysis and Choice | 17- Mon 18- Wed | 5/117/11 | | (Mid-Term Exam 7/11 Wednesday)Seminar Room 1.1 | | 9 | Chapter 6: Strategy Analysis and Choice | 19- Mon 20- Wed | 12/1114/11 | Case Presentation Session 3Case Presentation Session 4 | Group 3:L: Mohamed Sheikh (Case Study 9) Group 4:L: Izzati Nor binti Salleh (Case Study 14) | | 10 | Chapter 7: Implementing Strategies: Management and Operations...

Words: 418 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Ob, Arctic Minings Consultants, Case Study

...ARCTIC MINING CONSULTANTS Case Synopsis Arctic Mining Consultants is a mining company that deals with mineral exploration. In this case study, the project given is staking 15 claims in Eagle Lake, Alaska. The project Manager was Tom Parker, who has a wide experience and specialized knowledge in all nontechnical aspects of mineral exploration. He is a geological field technician and field coordinator for Arctic Mining Consultants. He assigned his previous field assistants John Talbot, Greg Boyce and Brian Millar to help him complete the project. The job required them to stake at least 7 lengths each day in order to be completed on time. However, the whole team has became very tense and agitated, especially Tom Parker, as the deadline was just around the corner and there’s still many to be finished within the limited time. The problem became worse with the way Tom managed and treated his team. The only motivation to the team was the $300 bonuses promised by the company when the job is done on time, otherwise, they might wished to give up already. This happened because working as a field assistant and in long-working hours only giving them low wages, which is considered unreasonable compared to what they have to do. During the eight hard days, everything had actually proved the strengths and weaknesses of each of the team members, including Tom. Case analysis symptoms 1) What symptom(s) exist in this case to suggest that something has gone wrong? The symptom(s) to suggest...

Words: 2346 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Case Study Sample

...Running head: CASE STUDY XYZ Case Study XYZ: An Examination of Project Procurement Management Practices Group 12 John Doe Jane Smith Bobbie Sue University of Maryland University College Project Procurement Management, Semester XXXX, Section XXXX Professor Stephen R. Guth MMMM DD, YYYY [No Abstract or Introduction required for this assignment] The Inception Phase Rating Scale: 5—Excellent, 4—Very Good, 3—Good, 2—Poor, 1—Very Poor |Project Management Area |Inception Phase | |Scope Management | | |Time Management | | |Cost Management | | |Quality Management | | |Human Resource Management | | |Communication Management | | |Risk Management | | |Procurement Management | ...

Words: 804 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Organizations Conflicts

...policy. 2) Employee conditions: a. Lack of motivation  b. Compensate for low wages by over indulgence of free food allowance c. High turnover rate due to availability of high application rates. d. Employees are mostly college and high school students e. Lack of respect for managers. f. No incentive to increase motivation. In the case study Perfect Pizzeria, the area supervisor has many problems that need his attention. The largest appears to be the organization. In this case study I will assume that the area supervisor has the authority to affect change within his organization (i.e. he is the franchise owner). Being in an area with few job opportunities should give him the perfect opportunity to recruit bright, ambitious, and motivated people to staff his pizzerias. How can the area supervisor change his organization to achieve a more fluid corporate culture? I think this change can be achieved by human resource changes, structure changes, motivational changes, and reward for good performance as well as accountability for poor performance. Each one of these areas will require a change from the corporate level. For the sake of my case study I am going to assume that the area supervisor (franchise owner) can lobby to achieve this change within the organization. The first area to look...

Words: 445 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Why Financial Intermediaries Exist

...letters in industry or for a class, knowing your purpose and audience will help determine what information to include. Generally, business letters follow a particular format, although your instructor or company may require you to use alternative formats. This guide provides writers with an introduction to writing business letters. Case Studies: This guide examines case studies, a form of qualitative descriptive research that is used to look at individuals, a small group of participants, or a group as a whole. Researchers collect data about participants using participant and direct observations, interviews, protocols, tests, examinations of records, and collections of writing samples. Starting with a definition of the case study, the guide moves to a brief history of this research method. Using several well documented case studies, the guide then looks at applications and methods including data collection and analysis. A discussion of ways to handle validity, reliability, and generalizability follows, with special attention to case studies as they are applied to composition studies. Finally, this guide examines the strengths and weaknesses of case studies. Desktop Publishing: Desktop publishing is the process of laying out and designing pages with your desktop computer. With software programs such as PageMaker and Quark Xpress, you can assemble anything from a one-page document to a...

Words: 795 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Brussels and Bradshaw

...Brussels and Bradshaw In response to the case study, Brussels and Bradshaw is a well-established financial institution that offers their clients competitive and innovative solutions for their community and work environments. The banking institution offers a summer internship to bright and driven individuals. The internship includes 14 weeks of very intense training and long hours. Interns are paid $20,000 for the contract. During the screening process, out of all the possible candidates Audrey Locke was selected. Audrey has some experience as an assistant, assurance analyst and financial planning analyst. Brussels and Bradshaw is operating in more than 25 countries globally; this case study takes place in Toronto. Many behavioral issues in the Brussels and Bradshaw institution are unprofessional and stressful. Job stress is defined as feeling one’s capabilities, resources, or needs that do not match the demands or requirements of the job (Hitt, Miller, & Colella, 2011 p. 249). Working 70 and 80 hours per week or possibly 120 hours will put a major burden on anyone, especially someone new to the working environment. Audrey is excited with her internship and very eager to learn. She is assigned a mentor and buddy by the business development manager, Kelly Richards. Kelly has 10 years of experience. Although associates consider her human resources, Kelly’s job is strictly administrative. Audrey is never introduced to her mentor and her buddy, Christine Page is very...

Words: 509 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Coach Purses

...Business case studies determine and define the primary issues that a company faces in the modern world market. A well designed business case study can provide a detailed contextual analysis of limited conditions and their horizontal relationships to other entities. In the case of Coach, they are an international clothing accessory company with a reputation of making pristinely handcrafted items with unique designs and a label that represents over seventy years of craftsmanship. In order to fully understand Coach’s business model, empirical data must be collected and analyzed to include the historical and current financial statistics, an in-depth analysis of the company overall, an analysis of the company’s business model, and finally current issues and future forecast that affect the longevity of the enterprise. By studying the history of Coach, both investors and those with an interest in the company can gain insight into key factors that motivate company decisions. Background/History The history of Coach starts in 1941 in a small family run leather workshop with six primary artisans in Manhattan that had skills passed down from generation to generation. It was not long until leather good become sought after for their high quality and workmanship. Through the guidance of the longtime and current CEO, Lew Frankfort, Coach expanded their business from just 6 million dollars 30 years ago to current sales exceeding 3.6 billion dollars. (Coach, 2012) From 1941 to present, the...

Words: 1026 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Muller Case Study

...Case Studies and Exercises Lecture 2. The Rise of Multinational Companies Case: MUELLER: China Bound? (A), (B) and (C). (308-358-1, 308-359-1 and 308-360-1). Discussion Questions: 1. What are the primary ownership advantages of Mueller? 2. What are the major ways in which Mueller could serve the China market? 3. What are their primary advantages and disadvantages?? 4. If Mueller decided to invest in China, what would be the main functions of its subsidiary? 5. How could the risks involved in the FDI to China be managed? Lecture 3. The Myth of the Global Company Case: Lafarge: From a French Cement Company to a Global Leader (304-019-1) Discussion Questions: 1. What are the main characteristics of Lafarge’s internationalisation strategy and competitive competences and how do these differ from those of other cement companies such as Cemex and Holcim? 2. What were the assumptions underlying Lafarge's strategy and how justified were these? 3. To what extent is Lafarge a French company with foreign operations, as distinct from a global MNC, and how is it likely to develop as a MNC? 4. What are the implications of Lafarge’s growth for the internationalisation of other French firms? Lecture 4. Competing Capitalisms in the 21st Century Case: Messier's Reign at Vivendi Universal (9-405-063) Discussion Questions: 1. What was Messier's strategy in transforming CGE into Vivendi, what assumptions was it based on and how justified were these? 2. What does this transformation reveal about the...

Words: 961 - Pages: 4