Questions • Assigning workers to specific lawns

1. In what ways are Hazel’s customers • Planning daily and weekly service routes
most likely to judge the quality of her • Timing seasonal services (fertilizing, trimming)
lawn care services? Disruptions that may require rescheduling:
Hazel’s customers are most likely to judge • Bad weather (rain, storms)
the quality of her lawn care services based
• Equipment breakdowns
on the visible results and overall
experience. This includes how neat and • Employee absences
healthy the lawn looks after service, the • Customer cancellations or special requests
consistency of results from visit to visit, her
d. How important is quality assurance to Hazel’s
reliability in showing up on schedule, and
business? Explain.
her attention to details such as edging,
trimming, and cleanup. Customer service Quality assurance is extremely important because Lawn
also plays an important role, as politeness, care is a visible service—customers immediately see
responsiveness, and fair pricing influence results, Poor quality leads to lost customers and negative
customer satisfaction and repeat business. word-of-mouth, High quality helps Hazel compete with
professional lawn-care companies, and Repeat business
2. Hazel is the operations manager of
depends on consistent results
her business. Among her
responsibilities are forecasting, e. What kinds of maintenance must be performed?
inventory management, scheduling, Hazel must maintain:
quality assurance, and maintenance.
• Lawn mowers (blade sharpening, oil changes)
a. What kinds of things would likely
• Trimmers and other tools
require forecasts?
• Vehicles used for transport
• Customer demand (number of
lawns per week/month) • Safety equipment

• Seasonal workload (higher demand • Storage areas for supplies

in growing seasons) • Preventive maintenance reduces breakdowns and
• Labor needs (when to hire or service delays.
schedule workers) 3. What are some of the trade-offs that Hazel probably
• Supply usage (fuel, fertilizer, seed, considered relative to:
equipment wear) a. Working for a company instead of for herself?
• Revenue and cash flow Working for a company
b. What inventory items does Hazel • Stable income and benefits
probably have? Name one inventory • Less risk
decision she has to make periodically.
• Less control
• Gasoline
Working for herself
• Lawn fertilizer and weed control
chemicals • Income uncertainty

• Seeds and soil • More risk and responsibility

• Replacement mower parts • Greater independence and potential earnings

• Tools (trimmers, blades) b. Expanding the business?

Inventory decision: Advantages

How much fertilizer or fuel to keep on hand • Higher revenue

to avoid running out without overstocking. • Better economies of scale
c. What scheduling must she do? What • Ability to serve more customers
things might occur to disrupt schedules Disadvantages
and cause Hazel to reschedule?
• More employees to manage
• Higher costs and risks and is currently working for a competitor. Should Hazel
• Less personal control over quality send that student a check for the idea? What are the
possible trade-offs? Hazel should consider paying the
former student for the idea she is now using, even though
c. Launching a Web site? the student no longer works for her. Doing so would
Advantages demonstrate fairness, protect her ethical reputation, and
encourage future employees to share ideas openly.
• Increased visibility and marketing
However, the trade-offs include the cost of the payment,
• Easier customer communication setting a precedent for compensating former employees,
• Online scheduling possibilities and potentially benefiting a competitor since the student
now works elsewhere.
Disadvantages
6. All managers have to cope with variation.
• Cost to build and maintain
a. What are the major sources of variation that Hazel
• Time investment
has to contend with?
• May attract more demand than she
• Weather conditions
can handle
• Seasonal demand
4. The town is considering an ordinance
that would prohibit putting grass • Customer preferences
clippings at the curb for pickup because • Employee availability
local landfills cannot handle the volume.
• Equipment reliability
What options might Hazel consider if the
ordinance is passed? Name two b. How might these sources of variation impact Hazel’s
advantages and two drawbacks of each ability to match supply and demand?
option. • Rain reduces service capacity
Option 1: Composting clippings • Peak seasons may exceed labor capacity
Advantages • Equipment failure reduces output
• Environmentally friendly • Customer demand may fluctuate unexpectedly
• Can reuse compost for customers’ c. What are some ways she can cope with variation?
lawns
• Flexible scheduling
Drawbacks
• Cross-training workers
• Requires space and time
• Preventive maintenance
• Initial setup cost
• Offering off-peak pricing
Option 2: Mulching clippings into lawns
• Maintaining backup equipment
Advantages
• No disposal needed
7. Hazel is thinking of making some of her operations
• Improves soil nutrients sustainable. What are some ideas she might consider?
Drawbacks Hazel can make her lawn care operations more sustainable
• Not suitable for all lawns by adopting environmentally friendly practices. These may
include using low-emission or electric equipment,
• Customers may dislike the
composting grass clippings, offering organic or chemical-
appearance
free lawn treatments, conserving water, recycling materials,
and educating customers about sustainable lawn care.
5. Hazel decided to offer the students Such initiatives can reduce environmental impact while also
who worked for her a bonus of $25 for enhancing the appeal of her business to environmentally
ideas on how to improve the business, conscious customers.
and they provided several good ideas.
One idea that she initially rejected now
appears to hold great promise. The
student who proposed the idea has left,