Hershey Theater
Growing up right along the Mason-Dixion line, I have visited Hersheypark more than my fair share of times. I visited on school trips, church summer camps, days with my family, senior trips, and a million and a half other times that I just don't want to list out. However, this was my first time visiting Hershey Theater. I was blown away by the experience and truly astonished by the legacy of Milton S. Hershey. In the seventh grade, I had to given an oral presentation on a business that we found interesting, and I had remembered much of what I learned in that project about the Hershey Foundation and the community that Milton Hershey created through his business but I don't think I truly understood the magnitude of his efforts.
Nearly 125 years later, his business but more importantly, his town, are still thriving in ways that Mr. Hershey himself probably could not have even imagined. In the Hershey Theater much of what we discussed was Milton Hershey's ability to combine the aspects of entrepreneurship and philanthropy. This created a sense of community within his business that is unparalleled to this day. In many ways Mr. Hershey had a very different outlook on business that allowed him to see opportunities that no one else could that helped Hershey to thrive. It is this unique sense of innovation that makes Hershey such a unique case to analyze.
As we learned in our tour, Hershey Theater was built in 1933 as part of Hershey's "Great Building Campaign". While the rest of the country was struggling through The Great Depression, Milton Hershey invested significant sums of money into construction that kept his town from suffering the way everyone else was during the time. Not only did the construction of the buildings create jobs and monetary safety for the town but the buildings themselves were all intended to better the community-- The Theater which served as a community center, the Hotel Hershey, and Hersheypark Stadium and Arena. This was the foundation for what was to come in all of Hershey's success and the philanthropy that would always follow.
One of the other aspects that we discussed while on the tour was the modest up bringing of Milton Hershey himself. When Hershey came into great wealth and success he reacted much differently than other successful businessmen since he had a deep understanding of what it was like to come from so little. Because of this he poured a significant amount of his money into the development of a school for children who were underprivileged. This school is still in existence today and serves the same purposes of providing education to those who are not as well off. The Hershey School is noteworthy for producing tremendous caliber students with great ambition and drive despite the challenging home dynamic that many of the children have.
The Theater which once served as a community center for these local children is a prime example of Hershey's innovation that set him apart from any other entrepreneur of his time. For Hershey it was about creating something more than just a company but a sense of community that made his students and employees committed to the same goals as the company. It can be difficult to put tremendous effort into something that you are not passionate about. However Milton Hershey was able to recognize this and combine the passions of himself and his employees with the goals of his company to create loyalty and passion within the company as a whole.
Nearly 125 years later, his business but more importantly, his town, are still thriving in ways that Mr. Hershey himself probably could not have even imagined. In the Hershey Theater much of what we discussed was Milton Hershey's ability to combine the aspects of entrepreneurship and philanthropy. This created a sense of community within his business that is unparalleled to this day. In many ways Mr. Hershey had a very different outlook on business that allowed him to see opportunities that no one else could that helped Hershey to thrive. It is this unique sense of innovation that makes Hershey such a unique case to analyze.
As we learned in our tour, Hershey Theater was built in 1933 as part of Hershey's "Great Building Campaign". While the rest of the country was struggling through The Great Depression, Milton Hershey invested significant sums of money into construction that kept his town from suffering the way everyone else was during the time. Not only did the construction of the buildings create jobs and monetary safety for the town but the buildings themselves were all intended to better the community-- The Theater which served as a community center, the Hotel Hershey, and Hersheypark Stadium and Arena. This was the foundation for what was to come in all of Hershey's success and the philanthropy that would always follow.
One of the other aspects that we discussed while on the tour was the modest up bringing of Milton Hershey himself. When Hershey came into great wealth and success he reacted much differently than other successful businessmen since he had a deep understanding of what it was like to come from so little. Because of this he poured a significant amount of his money into the development of a school for children who were underprivileged. This school is still in existence today and serves the same purposes of providing education to those who are not as well off. The Hershey School is noteworthy for producing tremendous caliber students with great ambition and drive despite the challenging home dynamic that many of the children have.
The Theater which once served as a community center for these local children is a prime example of Hershey's innovation that set him apart from any other entrepreneur of his time. For Hershey it was about creating something more than just a company but a sense of community that made his students and employees committed to the same goals as the company. It can be difficult to put tremendous effort into something that you are not passionate about. However Milton Hershey was able to recognize this and combine the passions of himself and his employees with the goals of his company to create loyalty and passion within the company as a whole.
Hershey Story
While at the Hershey Story location we were able to see two unique things-- the museum itself and guest speaker, Jeff King. Jeff serves as the Senior Director of Sustainability and Social Innovation at the Hershey Company and came to talk to us about some of Hershey's current social innovation initiatives. Just as I had mentioned previously something of great importance to the Hershey Company as a whole is their philanthropy which is currently seen through their social innovation particularly through their involvement with the countries.
One of the big projects that Jeff talked to us about was their work in education of farmers of their cocoa beans and education of women in these same areas. Jeff talked about the benefit that this provides to the company as a whole through serving these local communities in nontraditional ways. Instead of replacing the current farmers with experienced ones, the focus on education and providing long term success. One aspect that they chose to focus on in regards to the education in these underdeveloped areas is malnutrition and the effects that that has on education. Jeff explained that children who are malnourished are focused on where there next meal will come from and therefore cannot devote their attention to learning. This results in a cannibalistic cycle as the lack of education will force them to stay in poverty and continue to be malnourished over time. Hershey has taken steps to send food over to help students maintain full stomachs on protein rich supplements that will allow them to thrive in the long run.
As Hershey continues to focus on these global social problems, the continue to reinforce the standard set by their founder that was built on philanthropy and caring for others. In my opinion this social innovation is also extremely beneficial to the company in two ways. The first being the branding of the company and the positive reputation of the company that comes with the social innovation. The second is the overall standard within the company to come up with creative and innovative solutions to all problems within the company.
While at the museum we also had the opportunity to explore and develop a deeper understanding of the story behind Milton S. Hershey and the failures that ultimately lead up to his success. What many people are unaware of is the fact that Hershey Company was not Milton Hershey's first attempt to break into the candy business and he had several other companies that failed prior to the Hershey that we all know today. It wasn't until Hershey reevaluated his outlook on the company culture that he was better able to create a successful business model.
One of the big projects that Jeff talked to us about was their work in education of farmers of their cocoa beans and education of women in these same areas. Jeff talked about the benefit that this provides to the company as a whole through serving these local communities in nontraditional ways. Instead of replacing the current farmers with experienced ones, the focus on education and providing long term success. One aspect that they chose to focus on in regards to the education in these underdeveloped areas is malnutrition and the effects that that has on education. Jeff explained that children who are malnourished are focused on where there next meal will come from and therefore cannot devote their attention to learning. This results in a cannibalistic cycle as the lack of education will force them to stay in poverty and continue to be malnourished over time. Hershey has taken steps to send food over to help students maintain full stomachs on protein rich supplements that will allow them to thrive in the long run.
As Hershey continues to focus on these global social problems, the continue to reinforce the standard set by their founder that was built on philanthropy and caring for others. In my opinion this social innovation is also extremely beneficial to the company in two ways. The first being the branding of the company and the positive reputation of the company that comes with the social innovation. The second is the overall standard within the company to come up with creative and innovative solutions to all problems within the company.
While at the museum we also had the opportunity to explore and develop a deeper understanding of the story behind Milton S. Hershey and the failures that ultimately lead up to his success. What many people are unaware of is the fact that Hershey Company was not Milton Hershey's first attempt to break into the candy business and he had several other companies that failed prior to the Hershey that we all know today. It wasn't until Hershey reevaluated his outlook on the company culture that he was better able to create a successful business model.
Relation to CLass Topics
Overall I felt that the trip to Hershey was extremely beneficial and truly strengthened my learning within the classroom. Hershey is an extremely unique company that is able to do what very few other companies or people in general have been able to do. I saw direct connections between Hershey and the blue ocean strategy concept and creating a culture of innovation. In addition to all of that, like I stated earlier, the Hershey trip also exposed me to an entirely new type of innovation-- social innovation.
Although Hershey does not exactly follow the model of a blue ocean strategy, I saw many connections between the concept and the company. Where I saw Hershey's blue ocean strategy was more in the business side of the company and not as much in their relationship to their customers. Hershey created an educational environment that fostered the need for knowledge and innovation at a very young age. They raised the work environment standards in a way that cared for their employees in ways that no other company had before. Hershey reduced the need for their employees to spend their time working on things outside of work by meeting all of their needs. They eliminated extreme poverty within their employees by caring for them. This does not quite meet all of the traditional concepts of a blue ocean strategy company but the argument could definitely be made that Hershey is a blue ocean strategy. What is for sure is that Hershey took a new approach to their business strategy that no other company has been able to do to the extent that Hershey has.
Something else that is unique about Hershey is their unique culture that is created within their employees and the town as a whole. Through their unique education system, at a young age Hershey is able to create this environment of innovation and creativity. It is also a major part of the town as a whole since most people who live in Hershey, PA are employees of the Hershey Company and the seven things that Hershey looks for in an employee are: innovation and risk taking, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness, and stability. This creates a very unique work and home environment for all of Hershey's employees that is unparalleled by any other company.
In the future I think we can expect more companies to look towards Hershey as a role model and to follow many of Hershey's theories on caring for its employees and prioritizing education. A prime example that is currently happening is Bill Gates. In many ways the Gates Foundation and the Hershey Foundation are very similar and are both very socially innovative.
Although Hershey does not exactly follow the model of a blue ocean strategy, I saw many connections between the concept and the company. Where I saw Hershey's blue ocean strategy was more in the business side of the company and not as much in their relationship to their customers. Hershey created an educational environment that fostered the need for knowledge and innovation at a very young age. They raised the work environment standards in a way that cared for their employees in ways that no other company had before. Hershey reduced the need for their employees to spend their time working on things outside of work by meeting all of their needs. They eliminated extreme poverty within their employees by caring for them. This does not quite meet all of the traditional concepts of a blue ocean strategy company but the argument could definitely be made that Hershey is a blue ocean strategy. What is for sure is that Hershey took a new approach to their business strategy that no other company has been able to do to the extent that Hershey has.
Something else that is unique about Hershey is their unique culture that is created within their employees and the town as a whole. Through their unique education system, at a young age Hershey is able to create this environment of innovation and creativity. It is also a major part of the town as a whole since most people who live in Hershey, PA are employees of the Hershey Company and the seven things that Hershey looks for in an employee are: innovation and risk taking, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness, and stability. This creates a very unique work and home environment for all of Hershey's employees that is unparalleled by any other company.
In the future I think we can expect more companies to look towards Hershey as a role model and to follow many of Hershey's theories on caring for its employees and prioritizing education. A prime example that is currently happening is Bill Gates. In many ways the Gates Foundation and the Hershey Foundation are very similar and are both very socially innovative.