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Terracycle: Case Study - Worm Boy Essay

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Assignment # 1
Case Study – Worm Boy

The Future of Business – Page 196
February 15, 2011

Collin Nair
TerraCycle was founded in 2001 and is the brainchild of both Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer. At the time both were freshman students at Princeton University. The two envisioned a company that was financially profitable yet ecologically and socially responsible.

TerraCycle does business in Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (NAICS)
Their primary business function is manufacturing and selling organic plant food or fertilizer. Incorporated into their main business is an overall corporate strategy of managing waste effectively and meeting financial, social and environmental goals, namely a triple bottom line. TerraCycles’s business …show more content…

They supplement TerraCycle’s work force during the summer. His friends are his managers and are attracted by the environmental mission, the dynamism and charisma of Tom Szaky as well as the financial reward should the company succeed.
A host of issues have given rise to stress and much angst as Szaky attempts to develop a viable business. His mangers, his friends, do not possess the essential business skills in Sales, Marketing and HR to propel the company forward. Further his student volunteers are difficult to motivate over a longer period of time, sloppy work and the lack of attention to detail is commonplace. On the plus side these volunteers are a source of cheap labour for a start-up and may easily align with the values and mission of the business. However inappropriate behaviour, inadequate skills and poor quality of work will definitely not be good for business.
Expenses are mounting, an injection of additional capital is required, cash flow is non-existent and sales are desperately needed. Amidst the stress Szaky remains focussed and true to his values and goal, namely to eliminate waste.

Szaky as key decision maker knows that a sales breakthrough needs to happen soon or else everything will be lost.

At this stage Szaky has a few alternatives to consider, namely * Surround himself with very strong talent who have similar corporate values, are

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