1. What is your assessment of John Addison and Mike Rathle's performance as Azalea Seafood Gumbo Shoppe's chief managers? Should they be commended for their accomplishments since buying the company? How well have they managed the process of crafting and executing strategy?
Within a period of only 12 years, Azalea Seafood Gumbo Shoppe transformed itself from a small local retail food shop to one of the largest producers of gumbo in the U.S with sales of more than one million dollars. This was largely due to the vision of Addison and Rathle of moving from retail sales to that of focusing on commercial accounts for future business. From the time they purchased the company, Addison and Rathle's immediately saw the opportunity to expand their business by marketing to area supermarkets and restaurants. Addison and Rathle adapted to their environment by recognizing the new location of their business would provide them with the ability to expand production but would not support retail sales. This provided the impetus for them to transition to the value-added seafood industry.
Addison and Rathle also responded to adversity when acquired businesses failed affecting their profitability and their customer demand dwindled due to imposed recalls. Addison and Rathle stuck to their vision and began to produce profits the year following. They also realized their core competencies (i.e. seafood gumbo) and used it as their cornerstone to anchor their guarantee of profitability. They also utilized their additional strengths of production, cost effective purchasing and streamlining of operations to increase profits and processes. They also successfully worked to market their product and establish relationships with their customers. They identified weaknesses in the ...