Galaxy Toys, Inc. Company Profile Welcome to Galaxy Toys, Inc.! The assessment projects for this course will examine different facets of the management of Galaxy Toys and students will be exploring various scenarios and providing analysis and recommendations from the perspective of a management consultant. Each project has been carefully designed to provide students with opportunities to demonstrate mastery of various management concepts that students have been developing through various learning activities presented in the classroom (both in the face-to-face discussions and online discussions). · In Project 1, students will demonstrate their understanding of the broad role of managers within an organization and how various organizational theories (historical and current) affect these roles. · In Project 2, students are expected to apply course concepts and materials to provide real-world recommendations for managers that relate to the planning process · In Project 3, students will present their analysis and recommendations that demonstrate their ability to organize, lead, and control employees in ways that ultimately support the organization’s vision and strategy for business success. COMPANY PROFILE History Galaxy was founded in 1956 by George Jepson and his wife, Nan after their son Rusty became consumed with the idea of traveling to the moon. Jepson who had worked previously in manufacturing, selling, and advertising of games for a company in Toledo, Ohio, crafted a new spacecraft that delighted his son and his friends. Nan, who had worked in retail toy sales in the local Toledo department store, suggested the idea of producing and selling the toys as a side business. At that time, Nan persuaded her boss, Jack Mercury, to allow her to produce and sell the toys. After approval was given it did not take long before the orders exceeded the Jepson’s ability to produce the product. Seeing the success of the product, Mercury approached the Jepson’s and proposed a partnership to manufacture the spacecraft and other related toy ideas. Galaxy’s fundamental toy-making principles were centered on strong construction, ingenuity, intrinsic playability and action. Early adopted toys were made of heavy steel parts and ponderosa pine, which resisted splintering and held up well to heavy use. The details and charm were added with colorful lithograph labels. Nan Jepson, who had attended art school, was the Art Director and designed push-pull space toys for the opening line of toys for very young children. In 1956, the founders took 8 of their toys to the American International Toy Fair in New York City, and they quickly became a success. The first Galaxy toy ever sold nationally was "Space-IX." in 1957 (The same toy, in excellent condition, would be worth a considerable amount of money in today's collectibles market.) In the early 1960s, Galaxy identified plastic as a material that could help the company incorporate longer-lasting decoratio ...

1. Galaxy Toys, Inc. Company Profile
Welcome to Galaxy Toys, Inc.! The assessment projects for this
course will examine different facets of the management of
Galaxy Toys and students will be exploring various scenarios
and providing analysis and recommendations from the
perspective of a management consultant. Each project has been
carefully designed to provide students with opportunities to
demonstrate mastery of various management concepts that
students have been developing through various learning
activities presented in the classroom (both in the face-to-face
discussions and online discussions).
· In Project 1, students will demonstrate their understanding of
the broad role of managers within an organization and how
various organizational theories (historical and current) affect
these roles.
· In Project 2, students are expected to apply course concepts
and materials to provide real-world recommendations for
managers that relate to the planning process
· In Project 3, students will present their analysis and
recommendations that demonstrate their ability to organize,
lead, and control employees in ways that ultimately support the
organization’s vision and strategy for business success.
COMPANY PROFILE
History
Galaxy was founded in 1956 by George Jepson and his wife,
Nan after their son Rusty became consumed with the idea of
traveling to the moon. Jepson who had worked previously in
manufacturing, selling, and advertising of games for a company
in Toledo, Ohio, crafted a new spacecraft that delighted his son
and his friends. Nan, who had worked in retail toy sales in the
local Toledo department store, suggested the idea of producing
and selling the toys as a side business. At that time, Nan

2. persuaded her boss, Jack Mercury, to allow her to produce and
sell the toys. After approval was given it did not take long
before the orders exceeded the Jepson’s ability to produce the
product. Seeing the success of the product, Mercury
approached the Jepson’s and proposed a partnership to
manufacture the spacecraft and other related toy ideas. Galaxy’s
fundamental toy-making principles were centered on strong
construction, ingenuity, intrinsic playability and action. Early
adopted toys were made of heavy steel parts and ponderosa
pine, which resisted splintering and held up well to heavy use.
The details and charm were added with colorful lithograph
labels. Nan Jepson, who had attended art school, was the Art
Director and designed push-pull space toys for the opening line
of toys for very young children.
In 1956, the founders took 8 of their toys to the American
International Toy Fair in New York City, and they quickly
became a success. The first Galaxy toy ever sold nationally was
"Space-IX." in 1957 (The same toy, in excellent condition,
would be worth a considerable amount of money in today's
collectibles market.) In the early 1960s, Galaxy identified
plastic as a material that could help the company incorporate
longer-lasting decorations and brighter colors into its toys. By
the end of the 1960s, Galaxy manufactured 39 toys
incorporating plastics. During the 1960s, with America’s
entering the Space Race the “Space Rocket” product line was
introduced and soon overtook popularity of the earlier toys.
The Jepson and Mercury children took over the running of the
company in 1970, when George, Nan and Jack retired. The
children hold the company shares equally and now occupy both
Board and functional positions, making Galaxy Toys the largest
privately owned toy company in the USA. The headquarters for
the company is still located in Toledo, Ohio with factories in
Daytona, Florida, Huntsville, Alabama and White Plains, and
Juarez, Mexico.
Company vision:
To create toys that inspire children all over the globe to dream

3. of space exploration and provide a yearning to achieve that
dream
Mission:
We create both classic and contemporary space-related toys for
all ages. All products will be safe. We are committed to using
sustainable processes and materials in making our products.
Galaxy’s fundamental toy-making principles center on strong
and durable construction, ingenuity, intrinsic playability, and
action while providing toys that are affordable for all.
Products:
Galaxy Toys has created approximately 2500 different toys
since the early 1950s. One of the best-known product lines is
the Apollo Space Rocket line that includes launchable rockets
of various sizes and NASA vehicles that are replicas of the
earlier ones used at Cape Canaveral.
In addition to the Apollo product line, some of the toys and toy
brands that have remained popular for many years include the
Canaveral building set, Create a Moon Surface Kit, Astronaut
Training Center, and the Curious George in Space book and
character set.
In 2000 Galaxy Toys joined forces with NASA to sponsor the
First Annual International Rocket Launch Meet to encourage
children’s interests in space exploration.
In 2009, Galaxy landed the exclusive right to manufacture and
sell all NASA toys sold in the United States and in 2012, this
exclusive right extended to all NASA toys manufactured and
sold overseas.
Current Business Status
Current Business Philosophy:
In desiring to remain on the cutting edge of space exploration
and toy design, the owners of Galaxy Toys have decided that
“long term” planning is limited to the span of a two-year
timeframe, which will allow for them to remain agile in the
current business environment. The needs for innovation and
implementation of cutting-edge ideas are the main focus for the
next two years. The owners acknowledge that incorporating

4. state-of-the-art technology in both toy design and production is
crucial in meeting its two-year goals. The use of 3D printing as
a means of production, reducing material and labor costs while
shortening production time is the innovative competitive-edge
technique. Sustainability is also a concern because current
sales are slowing. Technology “action” in the toys must
augment the current proprietary toy designs to increase sales
and surpass the NASA sales making the company less dependent
on that sector for sales. Growth is achieved through innovation.
The use of “green-friendly” shipping materials and toy
recycling programs are under consideration. Integration of
these two ideas, sustainability and innovation, in new product
line development is the current business driver.
Since the change, Galaxy Toys treats its employees like family.
Employees are valued for their input in the business and
measures are taken to assure their success. The result is the
current small business clan culture atmosphere. The expansion
of the business to Mexico and the possibility for more global
expansion has caused the company to adapt a new hybrid flat
functional structure. This change has pushed the clan culture to
a mixture with a collaborative culture. This new structure and
culture is bringing the company’s decision making closer to
those who have to implement the decisions, thus empowering
more workers and motivating others.
Galaxy Toys, Inc. 2015 Sales Figures:
·
· Gross Toy Sales Per Branch:
· Toledo- $400 million
· Daytona- $225 million
· Huntsville- $200 million
· White Plains- $175 million
· Juarez- $125 million
· Anticipated Sales for 2017 are estimated at 15% over 2016
sales due to a new product line roll out.

5. Organizational Structure
CEO and President
George Jepson, Jr.
Bart Aldrin
Shipping Manager
Daytona
Millicent Marsden Shipping Manager
White Plains
Justin Winter Production Manager
Dayton
Julio Rodriquez, Production Manager
Juarez
Jordan Yaffe
Production Manager
White Plains
Itza Yu
Production Manager
Toledo
Maris Baker
Manager
White Plains
Jordan Miles

6. Production Manager
Huntsville
Mark Willis
Manager
Juarez
Ann Southern Shipping Manager
Huntsville
Kelly McConnell
Manager
Dayton
Samuel Studebaker Manager
Huntsville
Jessica Hare
Manager
Toledo
Juan Valdez
Manager
Juarez
Martin Martinelli Manager
Huntsville
Henrick Huber Manager
White Plains
Board of Directors
Carol Gallay
Manager
Administration
Vice President
Shared Services
Rusty Jepson
CFO
Edward Mercury
Vice President Marketing
Nan Jepson
Vice President Sales
Jose Fuentes
Vice President Quality Control

7. Terry Mercury
Vice President Production and Shipping
Keith Wisternick
Atsushi Hashmi Manager
Dayton
Alex Beaumont Manager
Toledo
Marilyn Moos Manager
Human Resources
Leroy Jethro Disney
Manager
Design & Engineering
Chris Leibowitz
Manager
Finance
Sheldon Cooper
Manager
IT
Alonso Quijano
Manager
Juarez
Randy Eberhart Manager
Huntsville
Allison McKinsey Manager
Dayton
Jillian Michaels Manager
Toledo
George Washington, Jr.
Manager
White Plains
Hernando Gonzalez Shipping Manager
Juarez
Ursula Andress Shipping Manager
Toledo

8. Sales
Percentage of Sales Nasa Rocket Classic 55 25 15
A case study analysis must not merely summarize the case. It
should identify key issues and problems, outline and assess
alternative courses of action, and draw appropriate conclusions.
The case study analysis can be broken down into the following
steps:
1.Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.
2.Identify the key issue or issues.
3.Specify alternative courses of action.
4.Evaluate each course of action.
5.Recommend the best course of action.

9. · In Project 1, demonstrate an understanding of the broad role of
managers within an organization and how various organizational
theories (historical and current) affect these roles.
Assignment 1 Role of The Manager and The Impact of
Organizational Theories on Managers
Purpose:
In the first assignment, students are given a scenario in which
the shipping manager who has worked for Galaxy Toys, Inc.
since 1969. The scenario serves to set the stage for students to
demonstrate how management theories have changed over time.
For example, management 30 years ago is different than
management in the 21st century.
Instructions:
-In Part One of this analysis, students are to use the facts from
the case scenario to determine the two different organizational
theories that are demonstrated.
-In Part Two, students will compare the 21st century manager to
that of the main character in the case scenario and discuss using
the course readings the implications of change in being a
21st century manager.
In selecting a School of Thought and an organizational theory
that best describes the current shipping manager, students will
use the timeline, the information provided in the course
schedule, the course readings.
In Part Two, students are going to take what they have learned
and compare the management skills of the 21st century shipping
manager to the skills of the current shipping manager.

10. Paper Requirements:
· Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is
double-spaced, 12-point font. The final product will be between
5-7 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page
and appendix. You may not exceed seven (7) pages so it is
important to write clearly and concisely.
· Third person writing is required.
· Contractions are not used in business writing, so you are
expected NOT to use contraction in writing this assignment.
· You are expected to paraphrase and are NOT to use direct
quotes.
· You are expected to use the facts from the case scenario and
management theory knowledge develop the analysis and support
the reasoning.
· No more than three (3) external resources can be used in
completing the assignment. If any material is used from a
source document, it must be cited and referenced. A reference
within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text
citation and vice versa.
· Background on the Galaxy Inc. scenario - one to two
paragraph that is paraphrased (approximately 150 words);
· Introduction: Within this paragraph, provide a brief overview
of the scenario. Then, provide a thesis statement and tell the
reader the main topics covered in the paper.

11. · Part One:
Read critically and analyze the following scenario:
The shipping manager for Galaxy Toys Toledo, Ohio branch,
Bart Aldrin, has been in his job since 1969. Prior to coming to
Galaxy, Bart worked as shipping clerk for International
Shipping, a large container company. Bart quickly rose to
supervisor at International Shipping because of his ability to
plan daily work, provide detailed instructions to workers that
helped optimize the way tasks were performed and his knack of
implementing processes so workers could be trained to perform
their specialized sequence of motion in the most efficient way.
He brought this management style to Galaxy, which helped to
improve the methodology of toy assembly as well as the
shipping processes.
Employees often criticized Bart, who was heard to say (on many
occasions), "It's my way or the highway" or "Just do your
individual task the way you were trained and don't worry

12. about what others are doing." In fact, it was clear that Bart was
focused on efficiency and to that end, he had a keen
understanding of all of the tasks that needed to be completed
and was focused on hiring and training workers that could
perform their individual task in the most efficient way
possible. In his early days, one could find Bart on the shipping
floor taking copious notes as to each individual task completed
and figuring out ways to turn the employees into
robots...programming them to perform their one task in the
single-most efficient way possible (at least from his
perspective).
A major shift in management occurred in the late 1980’s and
early 90’s that caused Bart (and other managers) to reconsider
their management approach. For example, heightened
competition, advances in technology, the workers threat to
unionize, a greater demand for employee management
participation, work-life balance and a general shift in employee
workplace values caused management to change the culture of
Galaxy. A greater focus on employees led to a new approach to
management at Galaxy: people focus within a learning
environment. The owners of Galaxy embraced diversity and
were willing to hear the ideas of employees and this change in
attitude and culture was evident in Bart, who embraced these
changes wholeheartedly. These internal changes enabled the
company to adapt to uncertainty and to respond to its
competitors more quickly.
· Part 1 Steps: Identify and discuss the School of Thought that
best describes Bart’s management style when he first joined
Galaxy. Remember to explain the facts that you have relied
upon in your selection. Note that there is one best answer so
not doing a thorough analysis will yield partial credit for this
element.
· Part 1 Steps: Discuss the theorist (only one) under the
identified School of Thought that best depicts Bart’s

13. management style when he joined Galaxy. What contribution
did this theorist make to management and why was his or her
contribution important to the field of management? Remember
to explain the facts that you’ve relied upon in your selection.
Note that there is one best answer so not doing a thorough
analysis will yield partial credit.
· Part 1 Steps: Identify and discuss the School of Thought that
best describes the management style Bart used once the shift
took place. Why is this School of Thought the best choice?
Remember to demonstrate that the facts given in the scenario
align with your choice. Note that there is one best answer, so
doing a thorough analysis will yield partial credit for this
element.
· Part 1 Steps: Identify and discuss the theorist who best
supports this School of Thought. Address the principles of the
theory and how these principles affected the new approach to
management as exhibited Bart and his fellow managers. How
does what the theorist propose support the facts in the case
study? Remember to demonstrate that the facts given in the
scenario align with your choice. Note that there is one best
answer, which is not related to the P-O-L-C, so doing a
thorough analysis will yield partial credit for this element.
· Part 1 Steps: Compare and contrast the two Schools of
Thought that were identified above. The expectation is that this
element is covered in detail, which is more than 2-3 sentences.
· Part Two:
Read critically and analyze the following scenario:
Recently, Bart announced his plans to retire. His replacement is
Joyce Barnhart. Joyce is confident as a 21st century manager
that she is capable of handling the new position as manager.
· Part 2 Steps: As a 21st century manager, how will Joyce’s

14. understanding of the role of a manager be
manifested/demonstrated in how she approaches her job?
Remember that in responding to this question, students are
expected to demonstrate an understanding of the 21st century
management concepts discussed early in this course.
· Part 2 Steps: How will the new approach to the job likely
change the production and shipping department at Galaxy
headquarters?