Problem:
Applebaum Trucking was founded after World War II in Akron, Ohio. The growth of the company in the early days was the result of an increased demand for carrier services from factories in the Midwest to ports on the East Coast for shipments to Europe. Over the years, Applebaum Trucking has been steadily forging relationships with the federal government. As a result of this successful growth, Applebaum has been able to acquire four regional carriers: in Sacramento, California; in Jacksonville, Florida; in Wichita Falls, Texas; and in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Applebaum owns two thousand five hundred trailers and employs one thousand five hundred people, including nine hundred drivers. Randolph Applebaum, the CEO and youngest son of the founder, "Chuck" Applebaum, wants to keep the company private despite many overtures from larger national companies to buy it out.
Q1. What environmental factors do you believe would impact Applebaum Trucking in the next five years? How would you rank them and why?
Q2. How do you think these factors (the first three) will impact Applebaum Trucking's business? What will be the consequences (positive and negative) of these impacts?
Q3. What steps do you think Applebaum Trucking's management should take to mitigate the negative consequences?