Down East Spud Busters

Human Resources Case Note

Down East Spud Busters

The major goal of this case is to provide students with knowledge, insight and practice in the recruiting area of human resource management. It is worth repeating and re-emphasizing the fact that recruiting and training are very time-consuming and expensive and that it really pays to “do it right the first time”.

Students should focus their efforts on the fundamentals and legalities of the recruiting process that include the job description and job announcement, recruiting, screening, interviewing, hiring and training.

As with most case studies, it is beneficial for students to spend some time researching the technical, statistical and other unique features of this particular industry. That data will help students develop the best criteria for the positions to be filled and will also provide some production and financial bases from which to set up the selling and distribution system.

While the focus of the case is on recruiting, students should also look at the bigger picture that includes a number of important and relevant issues such as business organization and the organizational chart, territory assignments, support staff requirements, and the physical distribution process (transportation of dry, perishable and frozen goods, delivery and storage, costs of transportation, materials handling and insurance).

Given that this new workforce consists primarily of sales associates, attention and discussion should be dedicated to the selling process as it applies to the markets listed in the case.

This case also provides the opportunity to discuss the concept and application of value-added processing and marketing (the trade-offs of “turning a potato into a frozen package of gourmet stuffing”).

Strategic and tactical planning is also inherent to the case, as the company has set us a multi-phase project to be effected over a period of years.

*Down East Spud Buster Case by David Tooch of University...