Clarence opened a farm supply store in Montana during the early 1900s. His neighbors in the county were also his customers. Every person who walked into his store felt comfortable. In fact, they would often sit, sip a cup of coffee or shell some peanuts, and solve the world’s problems before loading up their purchases. Clarence prided himself on knowing what his customers needed to be successful farmers, and he freely gave them advice about which brand of flea dip would work best on their cattle and which tonic would help a colicky horse. By the time he retired and his son, Seth, took over, the company had expanded to three stores in three towns and had 14 full-time employees. As a youth, Seth had been to the state college and had earned a degree in agricultural business. He had studied and absorbed the principles of accounting, management, marketing, and finance. He eagerly applied what he had learned to the family business. He was convinced that technology was the key to success, not personal relationships. Over the years, he struggled to convert all his father’s old, handwritten records to electronic files. Eventually he installed a completely computerized information system that tracked inventory, personnel, and accounts. He sometimes boasted about being an “entrepreneur,” but Clarence snorted at that term. “Just do what’s right for your customers and you’ll be doing what’s right for yourself,” he would retort. When Seth retired, his daughter, Kathy, took over the company that now has 23 stores with 228 employees in three states and one wholly owned subsidiary of 18 gas stations. Kathy’s vision involves offering a broader range of products than farm supplies. She wants to sell the “image” of the family farm. Her stores stock western clothing, boots, hats, and jewelry, home furnishings, even CDs featuring country and western music. Kathy finds herself traveling extensively from the corporate office to the various stores. Finding time to manage everything is a problem, but she has a staff of 12 professionals in the corporate office to assist her. An intranet, e-mail, and fax machines help tremendously

1. How have the communication requirements differed for Clarence in the early 1900s and Kathy in the early 2000s?

2. How do you think the management behaviors differed for Clarence and Kathy?

3. In what ways do you think Clarence and Kathy were alike as company presidents?