Boyd's Barber Shop and Covid-19: To Cut or Not to Cut, that is the Question

Name: Boyd's Barber Shop and Covid-19: To Cut or Not to Cut, that is the Question (English version)
SKU: IN-1911

Soberman, David A.; Nandur, Vivek

Product #:IN-1911

Supplier:INSEAD

Discipline:Marketing

Setting:North America

Details:Case (PDF) • 11 pages • 2023-04-23 (Rev: 2023-06-01)

Subjects:

Marketing Contracts Crisis management Managing uncertainty Risk management

Geography:

North America

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$9.71

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The case recounts the dilemma faced by Donnie Boyd, the owner of a small barber shop in downtown Toronto in the second quarter of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic had spread throughout the world but its consequences were only partially known in mid-2020. The first wave of the virus had almost run its course in Canada but people feared (correctly so, as it happens) that subsequent waves would strike, further devastating the economy and specifically small businesses such as Boyd's Barber Shop.

Learning Objectives

In assessing alternative strategies for Boyd's Barber Shop, the case is designed to facilitate discussion and learning in three key areas: crisis management, decision making under uncertainty, and risk management in a principal-agent context.