Business Case Studies | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | Introduction

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Using a range of management styles to lead a business

Introduction

For organisations to develop they require a direction. The people who manage the business provide the direction. Taking responsibility for making decisions and running a business well is a skill. Businesses place considerable emphasis on getting the right people with the right skills into key posts. They need to ensure that these people have the opportunities to develop decision-making skills.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Enterprise) employs more than 75,000 employees and operates a fleet of cars exceeding one million vehicles worldwide.

Jack Taylor founded the company in St Louis in 1957. The owner had a simple belief: ‘Take care of your customers and employees first and profits will follow.’ This belief forms the foundation of Enterprise’s four key business objectives of:

Enterprise has become one of the foremost car-hire companies and is the largest purchaser of cars in the world.

customer satisfaction

fleet growth

employee development

profitability.

These four business objectives link together:

Enterprise does not sell a product. It provides a service – the use of a car. To deliver great service Enterprise needs well-trained and motivated staff. As the company grows, it opens new local offices and creates new opportunities for employees.
Customers expect to be treated in a particular way by a service-orientated business. Enterprise uses its Enterprise Service Quality Index (ESQi) to measure the quality of service it provides. Satisfied customers will come back and give repeat business. They may also recommend the service to others.
This leads to growth of the business and greater profitability.

This case study focuses on leadership within Enterprise. It shows how its managers use a range of management and leadership styles to support Enterprise’s focus on customers.

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