Operations Decision

This business makes hand-crafted chairs in New Mexico. The chairs are made for a company that brands them and markets them through a variety of channels. Wood is either local or from Colorado, and the craftspeople have modest woodworking skills to construct the chairs.

The environment is competitive for this product. Chairs are a fairly easy product to make. The more trade agreements the government signs, the more competition there is for this business. Our company, therefore, has very limited bargaining power over the buyers, because the buyer can substitute product from Mexico, China and a number of other low cost sources. Only lower shipping costs and the strong established relationship seem to be in our favor.

The contract of this major buyer is the main determinant of whether or not we will shut down. The buyer in turn is affected by the global furniture market, tariffs and...
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