Friday, May 7, 2010

SCOOBY DOO AND MYSTERY INC, POOR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT




Scooby Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Fred, and Daffney also known as Mystery Inc have been entertaining fans for over 40 years. The gang started small, unmasking criminals wearing pirate and gorilla suits, to squaring off against real ghost and aliens from other planets. Even though, this curious group of teenagers had fun solving mysteries, their organizational structure had a few kinks. They could have solved more crimes and made a profit if they knew how to run a business more effectively. Here are some reasons why I believe Mystery Inc was not a success.


FRED WAS A POOR MANAGER
As a leader it’s beneficial to know your team weaknesses and strengths. Fred always insisted on splitting up the gang and most times leaving Scooby and Shaggy to fend for themselves, even though they were scared of their own shadow. When the hungry duo was offered assistance in finding clues, Fred usually sent Velma to help them out. Velma was very smart and can find clues with the best of them, but her productivity plummeted whenever she lost her glasses. Fred should have had her wear contacts or goggles.

It’s fair to question Fred’s commitment to solving crimes. Did he ever find any clues? If Mystery Inc recorded crime solving stats Fred would be in last place. He seemed to be more concerned with hooking up with Daffney. It’s never really a good idea to mix business with pleasure.


NEVER TOOK ADVANGTAGE OF THEIR RESOURCES
Mystery Inc was primarily a local business, but on occasion they solved crimes out of town with high profile celebrities such as the Harlem Globetrotters, Cher, the Three Stooges, and Batman. Just like any business Scooby Doo’s crew had slow days waiting for their next crime. The gang missed a huge business opportunity to partner with the Harlem Globetrotters, who have a very large fan base and traveled all over the world. Mystery Inc could’ve have promoted their business at halftime during games. The fans would have been amazed to see a talking dog.


NOBODY KNEW WHO THEY WERE. NO PROMOTION“I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids.”
Even after the Gang starting gaining experience in unmasking bad guys they were always referred to as the “meddling kids” and never Mystery Inc. Just like any business starting up you need some publicity, so people know who you are and what you do. Scooby’s crew was lacking in that area. If the gang had a good PR guy, they could have at least got local media coverage and become the popular kids at High School.


EXPENSES OUTWEIGHED REVENUE
Never charging for their services was one of their problems for Mystery Inc. They were never given any reward for doing the police’s job except for a pat on the back. The expenses piled up over the years. Mystery Inc traveled a lot, which resulted in tons of money being spent towards gas and auto repairs for the Mystery Machine. Let’s not forget the biggest expense of all, feeding Shaggy and Scooby. These guys had pretty big appetites and food was their only motivation for solving crimes. Mystery Inc had to make frequent trips to the grocery store to stock up on Scooby Snacks.


Although Mystery Inc displayed phenomenal crime solving skills, they were lousy as businessmen. Scooby Doo and the crew missed numerous opportunities to help their company, they worked for free, failed to use their celebrity connections, solid leadership was non-existent, and add in poor money management skills that’s recipe for failure. But there is a bright side, Mystery Inc is run by teenagers and if they can learn from these mistakes there is a possibility Mystery Inc will be a successful business in the future.

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