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The Curious Case of the Disputed Rabbits: A Visual Case
Weiss, Elliott N.; Dell, Richard; Maiden, Stephen E. Case OM-1675 / Published January 16, 2020 / 10 pages. Collection: Darden School of Business
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Product Overview

This visual case presents a comic version of "The Curious Case of the Disputed Rabbits" (UVA-OM-1618). A day-shift manager at a pet store, Martin Fesmire, thinks nothing of selling two rabbits to his best customer. But when the rabbits have a litter of bunnies overnight, Fesmire's professional world is thrown into turmoil that will grow to involve his boss, the corporate legal department, the CEO, the highest court in America, and an ever-increasing number of disputed rabbits. Service systems are inherently subject to variability, whether through customers, service providers, suppliers, or unexpected events. Yet customers demand excellence and consistency regardless of this variability. In general, there are two ways to handle this variability—through people or through processes. We use the concept of robustness to describe these two approaches. This tongue-in-cheek case gives students the opportunity to explore the implications of lack of robustness when people face unexpected variability. It allows for a discussion of the strategic tradeoffs between investing in robust people versus investing in robust processes.



Learning Objectives

Understand the service design dilemma of unexpected variability when investing in robust processes and robust people Develop skill at identifying qualities of people and processes when designing a robust service system Explore the concept of robustness in a service system


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  • Overview

    This visual case presents a comic version of "The Curious Case of the Disputed Rabbits" (UVA-OM-1618). A day-shift manager at a pet store, Martin Fesmire, thinks nothing of selling two rabbits to his best customer. But when the rabbits have a litter of bunnies overnight, Fesmire's professional world is thrown into turmoil that will grow to involve his boss, the corporate legal department, the CEO, the highest court in America, and an ever-increasing number of disputed rabbits. Service systems are inherently subject to variability, whether through customers, service providers, suppliers, or unexpected events. Yet customers demand excellence and consistency regardless of this variability. In general, there are two ways to handle this variability—through people or through processes. We use the concept of robustness to describe these two approaches. This tongue-in-cheek case gives students the opportunity to explore the implications of lack of robustness when people face unexpected variability. It allows for a discussion of the strategic tradeoffs between investing in robust people versus investing in robust processes.

  • Learning Objectives

    Learning Objectives

    Understand the service design dilemma of unexpected variability when investing in robust processes and robust people Develop skill at identifying qualities of people and processes when designing a robust service system Explore the concept of robustness in a service system