Catfish Creek Canoe Company Steve Davidson's "problems" include the production (manufacturing) of the canoes the marketing of the canoes the pricing strategy

Production Problem- Davidson projects that he will make 30 canoes a year. Each canoe takes 10 days to make so Davidson would be working 300 days a year with 65 buffer days. This buffer time is for any delays in the production process. Davidson needs to make sure that he has proper equipment, raw materials and time to keep on track.

Marketing - Davidson will create a website, advertise in canoeing magazines and press releases to industry and recreational associations. Davidson has to make sure that he is targeting the right market and that people who would be interested in his canoe are targeted and aware of his products.

Pricing- Davidson would like to price his canoes at a premium because they are handmade. The price must be enough to cover his expenses and take into account his ability to only make a limited number of canoes. Davidson can not over price his canoes because potential buyers may go elsewhere to buy a canoe, or may decide not to purchase the product at all.

Justification for Problem Definition

Davidson needs to be sure that he can meet his production demands. Davidson must be dedicated to working over 300 days a year. If he...

Perhaps an agreement with another small canoe company or some form of insurance. Is he sure that he can reduce production time from 12 days to ten days. What are the exact processes that will become more efficient as he becomes more experienced? Will all the equipment that he needs be necessary and are his projected prices accurate? Davidson may want to rent or borrow equipment to save on costs. Variable costs may change for different seasons or if there are shortages in cedar or any other materials.
The market for canoes seems to follow the business cycle. Does Davidson have conclusive data on this assertion? Can there be other factors that effect the sale of canoes such as weather? The data that he has may still effect his operation because it is much smaller and capacity is already a bottleneck. Canoe shoppers may not use the web as much since they are more likey to be outdoorsman (assumption). Davidson may want to find other small manmade canoe operations and find out how they reach their customers. Do people who read canoe magazines use them as a shoppers gudie as well?

Davidson must determine the premium he can charge to receive maximum profits. He probably is planning on selling all his canoes (assumption). Therefore he wants to charge a price that will be at the…