Canadian Blood Services
Autor: Antonio • December 10, 2013 • Research Paper • 3,397 Words (14 Pages) • 1,806 Views
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CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES
Ron Mulholland wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective
or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to
protect confidentiality.
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Copyright © 2011, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation Version: 2011-11-23
On a June 13 2011, Stan Doolby, director of market knowledge and donor insight at Canadian Blood
Services (CBS), sat in his office reviewing donor statistics for the latest year of operation. Overall
statistics were satisfactory and there was some growth in donor numbers and units of blood collected.
However, demand for blood products — specifically red blood cells — was increasing at a rate of two per
cent per year, twice as fast as population growth. Improvements in recruiting and processes had resulted
in a collection of more than one million units of blood over the last two years. The main concern was
whether the supply could keep up with growing demand.
Increased demand was driven by an aging population that potentially reduced donations while increasing
the need for blood products created by emergency and elective surgeries. Another increase in demand
sprang from hospitals trying to decrease wait times. Doolby knew CBS had to increase the number of
donors and the donor retention statistics. These were two different challenges.
As he finished scanning the statistics, Doolby could see a line-up for the day's donor clinic outside. Since
he had recently hired a firm to develop a marketing/media
...