CASE STUDY: Top Buy Electronics, New Market, MN
CASE DETAILS: [Note that the merger of Elko and New Market, Minnesota are real. However, the companies and people people mentioned in this case are entirely fictional.]
Top Buy Electronics sells, rents, and repairs televisions, radios, game machines, etc. for many major brands including Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, and Westinghouse. Located in Elko, MN, and near Minneapolis, Top Buy Electronics serves a wide variety of customers. About 45% of their business is renting (and maintaining) televisions for waiting rooms at places like medical clinics, hospitals, the bus station, bars, and a court house jury pool room. Top Buy is a partnership. The owners are Tony Blair and Doug Houser. Tony started the business in 1982, and Doug became a partner in 1985. Doug started working at Top Buy as a repair person when Tony opened the business. Tony stated, "Doug is a pure artist when it comes to repairing electronics. It's like he gets into their minds and knows where they hurt. I could not lose him, so I made him a partner." Doug has an equally high opinion of Tony. Doug stated, "Tony is a genius at customer relations. Our customers don't want to talk to anyone else because they trust Tony to give them the straight deal." Top Buy Electronics has two problems, one requiring a design solution and the other requiring a report solution.
One problem that needs to be resolved is a new design for the company's printed materials. The small cities of New Market and Elko are going to merge in 2007, and the Top Buy partners must order new paper products with the new city name (Elko New Market) including letterhead; envelopes; business cards; inventory sheets; order forms; and sales, rental, and repair invoices. The logo will also be used in their yellow pages advertisement (a black and white version of the logo). Tony and Doug have decided that since they have to redo all their stationery, they might as well consider a new logo that reflects the wider scope of the electronic products they carry (they started with only televisions and radios). Their printer wants the design soon in order to meet Top Buy's printing deadline. The printer will accept the design in a MS Word file. In the initial R&A interview, Tony stated, "I want a design that is friendly and conveys respect. I don't like too-bright colors that shout at you. And it should not look anything like any of the major brands we carry! We do not want to look like we favor any of them." Doug stated, "Yeah, and the design should be modern looking and professional, and I am sick to death of the colors mauve and teal. It seems like those are the colors of every waiting room in the nation."
Top Buy Electronics' second problem stems from the age of the partners. The shop has been open for 25 years, and both Tony and Doug have health problems. They want to retire, but they are not sure how to go out of business gracefully and take care of their regular customers who depend on their services. They each have three children. Tony has two sons and a daughter; Doug has two daughters and a son. All the children are in their twenties and have college educations. None of the children has shown any talent or desire for electronic repair, selling, or business management. They all have other career commitments: playing drums in a band, teaching, nursing, acting, news reporting, and law. The lawyer has suggested forming a corporation, including all the children as the board of directors, and hiring a manager. Tony and Doug do not feel that the lawyer's suggestion is ideal, and they want to see at least three options that will keep their business going and allow them to retire with confidence that the business will last.
Teacher Options: For a visual design assignment, students can create a logo. For editing assignments, students may be provided with a recommendation report. For writing assignments, students could do the research and write the recommendation report.
Use the drop-down list in the navigation bar to access other case studies.
Top Buy Electronics sells, rents, and repairs televisions, radios, game machines, etc. for many major brands including Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, and Westinghouse. Located in Elko, MN, and near Minneapolis, Top Buy Electronics serves a wide variety of customers. About 45% of their business is renting (and maintaining) televisions for waiting rooms at places like medical clinics, hospitals, the bus station, bars, and a court house jury pool room. Top Buy is a partnership. The owners are Tony Blair and Doug Houser. Tony started the business in 1982, and Doug became a partner in 1985. Doug started working at Top Buy as a repair person when Tony opened the business. Tony stated, "Doug is a pure artist when it comes to repairing electronics. It's like he gets into their minds and knows where they hurt. I could not lose him, so I made him a partner." Doug has an equally high opinion of Tony. Doug stated, "Tony is a genius at customer relations. Our customers don't want to talk to anyone else because they trust Tony to give them the straight deal." Top Buy Electronics has two problems, one requiring a design solution and the other requiring a report solution.
One problem that needs to be resolved is a new design for the company's printed materials. The small cities of New Market and Elko are going to merge in 2007, and the Top Buy partners must order new paper products with the new city name (Elko New Market) including letterhead; envelopes; business cards; inventory sheets; order forms; and sales, rental, and repair invoices. The logo will also be used in their yellow pages advertisement (a black and white version of the logo). Tony and Doug have decided that since they have to redo all their stationery, they might as well consider a new logo that reflects the wider scope of the electronic products they carry (they started with only televisions and radios). Their printer wants the design soon in order to meet Top Buy's printing deadline. The printer will accept the design in a MS Word file. In the initial R&A interview, Tony stated, "I want a design that is friendly and conveys respect. I don't like too-bright colors that shout at you. And it should not look anything like any of the major brands we carry! We do not want to look like we favor any of them." Doug stated, "Yeah, and the design should be modern looking and professional, and I am sick to death of the colors mauve and teal. It seems like those are the colors of every waiting room in the nation."
Top Buy Electronics' second problem stems from the age of the partners. The shop has been open for 25 years, and both Tony and Doug have health problems. They want to retire, but they are not sure how to go out of business gracefully and take care of their regular customers who depend on their services. They each have three children. Tony has two sons and a daughter; Doug has two daughters and a son. All the children are in their twenties and have college educations. None of the children has shown any talent or desire for electronic repair, selling, or business management. They all have other career commitments: playing drums in a band, teaching, nursing, acting, news reporting, and law. The lawyer has suggested forming a corporation, including all the children as the board of directors, and hiring a manager. Tony and Doug do not feel that the lawyer's suggestion is ideal, and they want to see at least three options that will keep their business going and allow them to retire with confidence that the business will last.
Teacher Options: For a visual design assignment, students can create a logo. For editing assignments, students may be provided with a recommendation report. For writing assignments, students could do the research and write the recommendation report.
Use the drop-down list in the navigation bar to access other case studies.
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©Ida L. Rodgers, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Updated January 15, 2012
Updated January 15, 2012
