You Decide Case Study

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Scenario

Scenario/Summary

Faced with declining attendance (subscription and single ticket), a large deficit and a sluggish economy, you along with three executives of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) ponder the results of an audience survey.

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You Decide

Scenario

Your Role

Key Players

Assignment

Scenario

Faced with declining attendance (subscription and single ticket), a large deficit and a “sluggish” economy, you along with three executives of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) ponder the results of an audience survey. Background information and Survey questionnaire can be found at the end of Chapter 18 CASE III-I The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Additional survey information is in Document Sharing and under the assignment link.

Your Role

You are in charge of preparing a memo for the Board of Directors analyzing how to best build ticket sales for the remaining four months of the season.

Key Players

Ed Oscapella

Board Chair

Jane Corbett

Marketing Chair

E. Douglas Hughes

Co-Chair

Assignment

Given the scenario, your role and the information provided by the key players involved, it is time for you to make a decision. 

If you are finished reviewing this scenario, close this window and return to this week’s You Decide item, in your course window, to complete the activity for this scenario. 

You can return and review this scenario again at any time.

Activity

Activity

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Write a three- to five-page Report to the Board of Directors addressing the following questions.

• What management questions are you hoping to resolve and how did the data help?
• What decisions did you make?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of this market research project?
• What trade-offs have been made?
• Explain any sampling bias?
• What issues would you address in future surveys and studies?

Your Role

You are in charge of preparing a memo for the Board of Directors analyzing how to best build ticket sales for the remaining four months of the season.

Key Players

Ed Oscapella

Board Chair

We’ve got to do something, and do it fast, to get out of this difficult situation. Time is running out for the season. I think we should really stress to the board our most important recommendation based on the results as given. I just don’t know what it is.

                                                            Jane Corbett

Marketing Chair

From my point of view, I’ve got to find out who wants what: Do subscribers want something different than nonsubscribers? If so, what is it? We’ve got all this information that needs analyzing and I’m hoping it will be useful in marketing the rest of the season. Whatever we decide it must specific and actionable.

E. Douglas Hughes

Co-Chair

I’ve got to decide on an appropriate theme or themes to communicate to the segments we go after. We’ve got to give the printers sufficient lead time to get our brochures out, so I need to know what to focus on in the promotion.

Assignment : ignment

Given the scenario, your role and the information provided by the key players involved, it is time for you to make a decision. 

If you are finished reviewing this scenario, close this window and return to this week’s You Decide item, in your course window, to complete the activity for this scenario. 

You can return and review this scenario again at any time.