D459 – Task 1 Applying Systems Thinking Basics Tabitha E. Hendrix
A. Analyze one of the given case studies from the attached “Case
Studies” document by doing the following:
Wilde’s Bramble is an organic food company started by a couple who grew
up in rural Vermont, Alder and Calla Wilde. Living on a small farm created
with tracts of land from both sets of parents, the Wildes decided to grow
and sell organic products. They began by bringing their products to local
farmers’ markets and when word got around of the high-quality and
delicious offerings, local shops and restaurants began to buy and resell their
products too.
The increase in the number of customers led to more pressure to produce,
so the Wildes used some money from savings to lease more farmland and
ramp up production. They also needed additional equipment, more power,
and a new barn.
To keep up with costs, Alder and Calla began to rely on a credit card. As the
credit card payments increased and the finance charges piled up, they took
out a mortgage on the farm, and Calla found a job away from the farm to
help with cash flow. The outlook began to dim as the ever-increasing debt—
which helped the cash flow problem in the moment but added to the overall
crunch—threatened to overwhelm them.
1. Using the Iceberg Tool, write a summary of the analysis
identifying key events, patterns, and the underlying structure that
causes the identified events and patterns to occur.
Following the Iceberg Tool for summary, The Wilde Bramble was an organic
farm that grew and sold produce. Demand for their products increased
rapidly with interest from restaurants and other markets. To grow the farm
and meet all product demands Alder and Calla relied on a credit card to
cover costs, then eventually had to take out a mortgage on the farm. With
the demand and debt increasing the profit from sales was not covering the
payments needed and Calla ended up finding a job off the farm to help pay
off the debt.
The underlying structure that caused the events are the debt dependency
and failure to scale properly. Calla and Alder consistently turn to increasing
debt to meet demand and grow the farm business.
The pattern that the farm is currently following is not viable. The farm was
not ready to meet the demand they were met with, instead of limiting sales
This study source was downloaded by 100000900141495 from CourseHero.com on 07-21-2025 19:36:32 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/249570018/D459-Task-1-Tabitha-E-Hendrixdocx/
A. Analyze one of the given case studies from the attached “Case
Studies” document by doing the following:
Wilde’s Bramble is an organic food company started by a couple who grew
up in rural Vermont, Alder and Calla Wilde. Living on a small farm created
with tracts of land from both sets of parents, the Wildes decided to grow
and sell organic products. They began by bringing their products to local
farmers’ markets and when word got around of the high-quality and
delicious offerings, local shops and restaurants began to buy and resell their
products too.
The increase in the number of customers led to more pressure to produce,
so the Wildes used some money from savings to lease more farmland and
ramp up production. They also needed additional equipment, more power,
and a new barn.
To keep up with costs, Alder and Calla began to rely on a credit card. As the
credit card payments increased and the finance charges piled up, they took
out a mortgage on the farm, and Calla found a job away from the farm to
help with cash flow. The outlook began to dim as the ever-increasing debt—
which helped the cash flow problem in the moment but added to the overall
crunch—threatened to overwhelm them.
1. Using the Iceberg Tool, write a summary of the analysis
identifying key events, patterns, and the underlying structure that
causes the identified events and patterns to occur.
Following the Iceberg Tool for summary, The Wilde Bramble was an organic
farm that grew and sold produce. Demand for their products increased
rapidly with interest from restaurants and other markets. To grow the farm
and meet all product demands Alder and Calla relied on a credit card to
cover costs, then eventually had to take out a mortgage on the farm. With
the demand and debt increasing the profit from sales was not covering the
payments needed and Calla ended up finding a job off the farm to help pay
off the debt.
The underlying structure that caused the events are the debt dependency
and failure to scale properly. Calla and Alder consistently turn to increasing
debt to meet demand and grow the farm business.
The pattern that the farm is currently following is not viable. The farm was
not ready to meet the demand they were met with, instead of limiting sales
This study source was downloaded by 100000900141495 from CourseHero.com on 07-21-2025 19:36:32 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/249570018/D459-Task-1-Tabitha-E-Hendrixdocx/
