Case Study: Strident Property Services

Abstract

Alex Jacobs has taken over the family business from his father. The company had grown in size and faced challenges that Alex must overcome for the company to remain a leader in the region. Challenges included working with a management team that was there prior to Alex’s arrival, poor customer service, low professionalism, and a divided employee base. His attempts (i.e., identifying problems and informing staff; threats to demote or fire staff) to correct the problems were mostly unsuccessful. The only bright spot was exhibited by Joe Flack, the director of IT, who was able to make successful business decisions with the contacts provided by Alex. Alex needed to act quickly because more and more clients were not resigning contracts with Strident. In fact, the company’s portfolio has decreased from over 200 properties to less than 100. Students are challenged to develop workable strategies to overcome some of the problems mentioned in the case, including a strategy for turning the situation around, if possible.