CASE-STuDY question

Question

Mr. Vu was the director of BB Water. He started his business with capital borrowed from members of his family. Thereafter, however, Mr Vu's family had very limited involvement in the business. Mr Vu emerged as the most individualistic of the family. He seemed to have sole control of his business. For example, after describing how be set up the bottling plant and negotiated with government officials to get the necessary papers, he said: "I also had to do almost everything myself. At the beginning I bought the land, designed the buildings and supervised the construction.

I had to interview and train each person. Also I had to discipline people. "He explained that he could not delegate discipline because workers would 'react' if they were admonished by "anyone but the boss, the owner of the company"

Discuss the difference in behavior, attitude, perception and business culture between Mr. Vu, his family and employees.

Answer 1

From the case, it’s clear that Mr. Vu’s behavior and mindset were quite different from both his family’s and his employees’.

1. Behavior

1. Mr. Vu: Highly hands-on and involved in every aspect of the business — from land purchase to construction to staffing and discipline.
2. Family: After lending him the startup capital, they stepped back and played little to no active role in the business.
3. Employees: Their behavior seems shaped by Mr. Vu’s direct leadership style; they followed his guidance but may not have been empowered to take initiative, especially in disciplinary matters.

2. Attitude

1. Mr. Vu: Independent, self-reliant, and perhaps a bit controlling — he believed success depended on his direct involvement in everything.
2. Family: More passive in their role; perhaps they saw their contribution as financial support rather than active participation.
3. Employees: Likely deferential and possibly hesitant to challenge authority, given that discipline was handled exclusively by Mr. Vu.

3. Perception

1. Mr. Vu: Saw himself as the sole driver of the company’s success — the one who needed to “do almost everything” to ensure things were done right.
2. Family: May have perceived the business as Mr. Vu’s personal venture rather than a family enterprise.
3. Employees: Viewed Mr. Vu as “the boss” in the truest sense — the ultimate authority figure whose personal approval or disapproval mattered most.

4. Business Culture

1. Under Mr. Vu: Centralized decision-making with little delegation. The culture likely revolved around respect for (and perhaps fear of) the owner’s authority.
2. From the Family’s Side: A more distant, investment-oriented view — the culture for them was about supporting from afar rather than influencing operations.
3. Among Employees: A culture of following direct instructions from the top, with limited empowerment or autonomy, especially in sensitive areas like discipline.

Overall, Mr. Vu’s approach created a business culture centered heavily on him as the sole leader, which may have built strong personal loyalty but also limited the growth of shared leadership and initiative within the company.