A Study in the Relocation of a Small Business
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Authors
Berkimer, Christopher C.
Issue Date
1994
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
I was given the chance to work at Calkins from January to
June, 1993, during my time allotted for my Career Development. Mr.
Rick Galardi, owner and President of Calkins, has been a friend of my
family for years. He needed some help in solving some management
problems, and also wanted to help in my education process. I am
interested in running my own business in the future, and this was
the perfect opportunity to learn all about running a small business.
This experience was valuable in many ways. Not only did I gain
knowledge about small businesses, but I was also given a great idea
for my S.I.P. Three years ago Calkins began what turned out to be a series of
changes. They relocated from an older, less commercial part of
Lansing to a much more retail oriented strip mall. The new store is
much bigger, has better storage/working conditions, and is better
equipped to handle walk-in customers. It was a big step up from
their previous store as far as exterior matters are concerned, but
there is obviously much more to a successful business. Along with
this nicer, bigger store comes much higher expenses. Calkins was in
its old location for 50 years, and had a solid number of regular
customers. The main topic that I will be focusing on is Calkins'
transition to operate at higher costs, and the manner in which this
transition took place. Many factors must be examined, including
spending trends, managerial changes, and current industry trends, to
determine how successful or unsuccessful a business such as this is.
In general, by the end of this project, I want to know if this
move was in the best interest of the company. I will look at what
was done, and determine what was done right an.d what might have
been better off doing another way. I also want to address industry
trends to see what the next few years will be like for paint stores
in general. Because I have worked previously at Calkins, my
experience and knowledge of the store should be beneficial in many
ways. Not only do I know where to gain the information I need, but
this also gives me the chance to work on something that is of
interest to me.
Description
74 p.
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U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.