Case Study: Mr. Felix Cross, is a well-known and successful businessman who is involved in a variety of business ventures in Saint Lucia. One of those ventures is the largest coconut plantation in Saint Lucia, located in the Roseau Valley on the West Coast. Between the years 2012 to 2018 the plantation experienced a year-on-year increase in profitability as it had progressively become the largest supplier of coconuts to the many small businesses that plied their trade as road-side coconut water vendors. From late 2018 through to 2019, Mr. Cross noticed a progressive decline in the volume of coconuts being purchased from his plantation as an increasing number of regulations and restrictions were being placed upon the vendors, with regards to the locations they were allowed to trade. Though the coconut plantation business was still profitable, demand had dropped off to a point where only 60% of the nuts being harvested were being sold on to vendors. The remaining nuts were laid to waste. It became clear to Mr. Felix that this was not a sustainable situation as the profitability of the coconut plantation was declining and would continue to decline given the increasing level of planned development in the traditional locations that the vendors operated. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Saint Lucia with its associated restrictions. As the restrictions with the pandemic continued, less than 30% of the nuts being harvested were being sold. Given the recent history of the coconut plantation business and the impact of COVID-19, Mr. Felix has decided that the time has arrived to identify alternative opportunities for the utilization of his coconuts, including possible diversification of the plantation, beyond just selling coconuts to vendors. Given the multitude of his other business interests needing increasing levels of attention during the pandemic, Mr. Felix has decided to identify and potentially appoint a small team of innovative, entrepreneurial minded people, to explore solutions and to make suitable recommendations for the future direction of the business. The Task: Define the problem being faced by the Coconut Plantation business. Determine the root causes of the problem. Develop Alternative Solutions Implement the solution Evaluate the outcome
Case Study: Mr. Felix Cross, is a well-known and successful businessman who is involved in a variety of business ventures in Saint Lucia. One of those ventures is the largest coconut plantation in Saint Lucia, located in the Roseau Valley on the West Coast. Between the years 2012 to 2018 the plantation experienced a year-on-year increase in profitability as it had progressively become the largest supplier of coconuts to the many small businesses that plied their trade as road-side coconut water vendors. From late 2018 through to 2019, Mr. Cross noticed a progressive decline in the volume of coconuts being purchased from his plantation as an increasing number of regulations and restrictions were being placed upon the vendors, with regards to the locations they were allowed to trade. Though the coconut plantation business was still profitable, demand had dropped off to a point where only 60% of the nuts being harvested were being sold on to vendors. The remaining nuts were laid to waste. It became clear to Mr. Felix that this was not a sustainable situation as the profitability of the coconut plantation was declining and would continue to decline given the increasing level of planned development in the traditional locations that the vendors operated.
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Saint Lucia with its associated restrictions. As the restrictions with the pandemic continued, less than 30% of the nuts being harvested were being sold. Given the recent history of the coconut plantation business and the impact of COVID-19, Mr. Felix has decided that the time has arrived to identify alternative opportunities for the utilization of his coconuts, including possible diversification of the plantation, beyond just selling coconuts to vendors. Given the multitude of his other business interests needing increasing levels of attention during the pandemic, Mr. Felix has decided to identify and potentially appoint a small team of innovative, entrepreneurial minded people, to explore solutions and to make suitable recommendations for the future direction of the business.
The Task:
- Define the problem being faced by the Coconut Plantation business.
- Determine the root causes of the problem.
- Develop Alternative Solutions
- Implement the solution
- Evaluate the outcome
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