Case Name :      THE WOODVILLE REPUBLICAN: FAMILY FIRM OR COMMUNITY ASSET?

Authors :           Roland E. Kidwell, John Cater

Source :             North American Case Research Association (NACRA)

Case ID :            NA0253

Discipline :        Entrepreneurship

Case Length :    12 pages

Solution sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

Andy Lewis was the fourth-generation publisher and editor of a small family- owned newspaper in rural Mississippi. Lewis faced the challenges of operating a weekly newspaper in a changing industry amid concerns that members of the next generation of the Lewis family did not want to take on operation of either the 133-year-old newspaper or the family-owned insurance agency. The family firm leader is conflicted because he sees himself as both a steward of a family business as well as a steward of an important community asset. Although Andy had successfully managed the paper and the insurance agency and earned a good living for himself and provided for the needs of his family, he believed that he had paid a high price in the sacrifice of his time to achieve these results. The case examines alternative successors to Andy Lewis as editor and publisher of the newspaper; the economic, organizational, and logistical challenges associated with operating a rural weekly newspaper; and the role that an ancillary business played in generating revenue.