Operations Management

Operations Management

Case Study

Eleni had worked for the same FT Global 500 Company for almost 16 years. Although the company had gone through some tough times, things were starting to turn around. Customer orders were up, and quality and productivity had improved dramatically from what they had been only a few years earlier following a companywide quality improvement program. So it came as a real shock to Eleni and about 350 of her co-workers when they were suddenly made redundant following the new CEO’s decision to downsize the company.

After recovering from the initial shock, Eleni tried to find employment elsewhere. Despite her efforts, after eight months of searching she was no closer to finding a job than the day she started.

Her funds were being depleted and she was getting more discouraged.

There was one bright spot, though: she was able to bring in a little money by gardening for her neighbors. She got involved quite by chance when she heard one neighbor remark that now that his children had left the family home, nobody was around to cut the grass and water some plants. Almost jokingly, Eleni asked him how much he’d be willing to pay. Soon Eleni was doing the basic gardening of five neighbors. Other neighbors wanted her to work on their gardens, but she didn’t feel that she could spare any more time from her job search.

However, as the rejection letters began to pile up, Eleni knew she had to make a decision. On a sunny Wednesday morning, she decided, like many others in a similar situation, to go into business for herself—taking care of neighborhood gardens. She was relieved to give up the stress of job hunting, and she was excited about the prospect of being her own boss. But she was also fearful of being completely on her own. Nevertheless, Eleni was determined to make a go of it.

At first, business was a little slow, but once people realized Eleni was available, many asked her to take care of their gardens.

Some people were simply glad to...