Two Olympic gold medalists in skiing, married in 2014, Jason andLeAnn Benson opened Adventurers and Explorers (A&E) outdoor sportingstore, which sells gear and clothing. The couple’s concept is differentthan many other sporting goods stores in that they design and selltheir own lines of specialized products. LeAnn’s focus is on the designof products and Jason’s focus is on the financials. As a result, no oneis worrying about the organizational policies or controls.

Jason and LeAnn encourage their employees to continue their favoriteoutdoor sports, from skiing to mountain climbing, white-water rafting,and so on. Employees are given two weeks of paid vacation. However, manyemployees were allowed to take up to two months off at half pay so theycould fulfill their life-long dreams. Samantha just returned from asuccessful climb of Mount Everest. Beth will use her two months off tobackpack around Europe. Around the office, employees joked about the”weekend flu,” taking Friday through Monday off. The office often ranbelow staffing levels depending on the season. In addition, becauseJason and LeAnn were gold medalists, they attract more employees who areinterested in skiing. The skiers want time off during peak season. Thisis also the peak time for A&E orders and service requests.

In the last three years, the company has grown from 30 to 100employees. Jason and LeAnn need advice on controlling daily staffinglevels so A&E meets or exceeds customer expectations forresponsiveness without sacrificing company identity. Choose one of theissues facing A&E and propose a solution and rationale for yourresponse:

• Paid vacation along with the most valuable times for vacation (peak season time off).
• Attendance issue: The “weekend flu” (Friday-Monday).
• A&E needs to know whether customers are satisfied with theirproducts and whether the company is responsive to those customers’ needsas outdoor enthusiasts.