This article shares the story of the Bassett Furniture Company’s evolution from a sawmill company providing track ties and bridge timbers to the railroad in the 1800s to the internationally known furniture manufacturer today. The reading highlights the importance of decision making and problem solving in growing a family business. Answer the following questions:

In the early 1900s, what led J.D. Bassett to propose to his family that they go into the business of making furniture? During early expansion and reorganization, different furniture businesses “spun off” due to a variety of circumstances. However, in 1931, Bassett Furniture Industries was created. What was the primary reason for this decision? How did William Bassett deal with non-centralized marketing and the threat the companies’ products would be sold through low-rate discount stores? What was the Bassett Furniture Industries primary means of growth form the late 1960s to the late 1990s? During the first decade of the 21st Century, the company, like so many others, struggled due to the dot.com bubble, 9/11, and the Great Recession and was forced to downsize and outsource operations. This type of retrenchment presents difficult challenges for first line supervisors. In your opinion, what would be one of the greatest challenges?