Case Study 7-1 Scotts Miracle-Gros Intranet: The Garden Scotts Miracle-Gro is a major provider of lawn, garden, and outdoor-living products and services. Its headquarters is in Marysville, Ohio, and it has over 8,000 employees.* In 2012, the companys internal network, called The Garden, was chosen by the Nielsen Norman Group as one of the Ten Best Intranets of 2012. Since its launch in 2011, The Garden has served as an effective internal communication tool for Scotts employees. On any given day, some 2,250 employees visit the site in order to get the latest news about the company, among other things. In fact, the system was developed based on employee needs and through close communication between the employees and the IT department.* According to Tyler Kerr, Manager of Electronic Communications at Scotts, the company conducted surveys, engaging its stakeholders in discussions about their needs and opinions. As a result, The Garden is very user friendly, and employees are constantly asked about features they would like to be added. The Garden gives Scotts employees fast access to important and frequently used documents, such as travel expense and HR forms. Employees can also organize their important links into My Favorites lists. In October 2011, Scotts further enhanced The Garden by designing The Vine, an internal social media site. Using The Vine, employees are able to communicate with one another through their profile categories, such as job title, location, years of experience, and other relevant information.*

Answer the following questions:

1. When was The Garden launched?

2. What are some key features of The Garden?

3. Why has The Garden been so successful?

4. What is the purpose of The Vine?