Write a report analysing the case presented below.
The Controversial Person’s Case
S & Co. Ltd. was a company that produced consumer goods. The corporation employed a sizable number of both blue and white collar workers in its factories and offices. The plant has a number of technical supervisors. The technical supervisors of the factory also had a route or outlet for promotion to the management cadre at the corporate office, provided the corporate office had a distinct wing dealing with any unique element of a specific shop.
While the managers at all levels were at the corporate office. There were various stores that fit into this category, including the completed product department, millright, sample testing sections, etc. Mr. Ram served as the company’s personnel manager and is a human resources development specialist (in the middle management cadre-directly reporting to the top).
Mr. Krishna, who works in a separate area and handles technical issues for the business, is a colleague of Mr. Ram’s. Every time a promotion is requested by the corporation for any position falling under the category of lower level managers, the top brass must review the recommendations of these two before approving the promotion.
One lower level manager position became available in the completed products section at the corporate office. In addition to other tasks, this department of the plant was handling the issues of its employees, and the manager was in charge of this job. There were to be recommendations made.
For the position, Mr. Prasad and Mr. Kumar were the qualified candidates. In response, papers claiming that both of them did commendable job were posted. While Mr. Kumar was a non-interfering type who allowed judgments to be made at lower levels, Mr. Prasad was a go-getter who used to make hasty decisions (sometimes incorrectly as well).
Additionally, there were rumours that Mr. Prasad had been targeted for charges on one or two prior times as a result of some very unpopular decisions that were ultimately not carried through. Although some subordinates tagged him as controversial, the job output under his direction was quite excellent and many employees appreciated him for the simple reason that he used to make decisions without delaying them.
Along with being a non-controversial and non-interfering individual, Mr. Kumar also wished for others in the organisation to consult him for advice when needed, but not to mention him anywhere (particularly to the top or whenever his guidance has resulted in something going wrong).
Because Mr. Prasad was a go-getter and a competent decision-maker, Mr. Ram, the personnel manager, wanted to suggest him. But since Mr. Kumar didn’t interfere, Mr. Krishna wanted to endorse him for the position. The personnel manager argued with his colleague in favour of his suggestion, saying that decision-making is crucial in an organisation, especially at the level of manager in a division, whether it be lower, medium, or higher.
He stated that decisions are dependent on a variety of elements, including the circumstances, and that this cannot always be avoided. Mr. Krishna said that Mr. Prasad is a contentious individual because he shown power and assertiveness in the past, which was unwise given the current situation and the fact that he had to manage a significant group of blue-collar workers.
Mr. Ram disagreed with this viewpoint and said that Mr. Kumar may not make a good manager since he tends to play it safe and avoid making decisions whenever the situation allows. Additionally, Mr. Kumar is seen favourably in Krishna’s eyes since he was not interested in enforcing the processes and avoided upsetting anybody, which was ultimately bad for the organisation. No management is immune from contentious individuals, Mr. Ram said.
A BEST WAY TO EARN WHILE YOU STUDY, JOIN THIS APP UPLOAD PHOTOS, SAVE MONEY FROM NOW ON : https://bit.ly/3g7PxAg
Human nature dictates that certain people can’t help but remark on other people and other people’s behaviour, so they have to say something negative or unfavourable about the performances in order to stir up controversy. In fact, a controversial person is always better for the organisation because, without competition, there wouldn’t be higher production.
This is especially true in the Indian context because there is no room for the Japanese style of cooperative leadership and cooperative ego because only individual ego drives results in this nation. Since they couldn’t agree on anything, they submitted in separate recommendations for Mr. Prasad and Mr. Kumar, citing the aforementioned factors among others and left the decision up to the head.
If you were to make the choice as the “head,” who would you choose and why?
Read the case below attentively, then respond to the questions at the conclusion.
Role Reversal
EF Ltd. was one of the affiliates of the AL Group of Firms, which had six sister companies. A general manager ran each business. The other five businesses, including EF Ltd., were providing auxiliary components to the primary company, AL Ltd. The Managing Directors of the many firms in the group got along well with one another. The Managing Director of EF Ltd. was Mr. Swami.
A recognised union affiliated with one specific state-wide governing party was present at EF Ltd. The flagship AL Ltd. and the other five businesses all have unions affiliated with different political parties. The administration, including the one that belonged to EF Ltd., and the unions typically got along well. When Mr. Swami served as the managing director of EF Ltd., the company’s output exceeded its objective by 200%.
As a consequence, AL Ltd. likewise expanded production, with attendant advantages for the workers’ perks. The unions’ contribution to the higher output level was proportionately equal. The managing director of EF Ltd. and the managing director of AL Ltd. had a disagreement on one specific occasion at one of the coordination meetings. Being the central figure of the whole group, the Managing Director of AL Ltd. had more influence. He and the family members had a significant portion of the enterprises.
Mr. Swami, the EF Ltd.’s managing director, as well as other individuals listed on the company’s registers, were in fact compensated managing directors. Because of his outstanding management and engineering credentials as well as the expertise he had acquired through his numerous travels overseas, Mr. Swami was renowned for his integrity, forthrightness, and enormous knowledge.
However, his technical advice was not taken into consideration in one of the sessions, which led to a significant difference of opinion. The other four Managing Directors of the group backed the Managing Director of AL Ltd., and Mr. Swami was flatly informed that his technical advise would not be taken into account. Mr. Swami volunteered to resign after feeling offended.
As a result of ongoing arguments, Mr. Swami departed the company. The Executive Director was coordinating with the organisational work since no new Managing Director had been hired. Even while output remained above the desired level while Mr. Swami was in office, it significantly decreased after he departed, but the desired minimum level was maintained.
A meeting between the Union of EF Ltd. and the Management was scheduled after roughly a month. The Management, including the Managing Director, was taken aback to find Mr. Swami, the Chairman of the Union of EF Ltd., seated on the opposite bench. Mr. Swami promised the management that the relationship would be friendly. However, he gave the Management six requests.
The identical technical advise that Mr. Swami offered as Managing Director was proposed by the Union, and Mr. Swami emphasised that if the proposal was carried out, output would not suffer. The top management disagreed. When the issue of paying bonuses to the workers arose after roughly a month, the management noted that EF Ltd.’s output had decreased by 20%, which was less than the targeted production, which was down by 180% from the prior level.
A BEST WAY TO EARN WHILE YOU STUDY, JOIN THIS APP UPLOAD PHOTOS, SAVE MONEY FROM NOW ON : https://bit.ly/3g7PxAg
It was also said that AL Ltd., the major group, is also suffering as a result of EF Ltd.’s poor output. The Management stated that the Union’s lack of cooperation is the primary cause of the current situation. The Union emphasised that they have not changed at all and that the aim of the Managing Directors of the other organisations, as well as the Executive Director and other Directors of the AL Ltd., is what has caused the output to decrease.
The case study mentioned above raises the following questions:
(A) Do you share the Union’s position?
(a) Examine Mr. Swami’s actions both as the Union’s chairman and as its managing director.
(c) Examine the Managing Director of AL Ltd., the principal corporation, and his actions.
Review the case below, analyse it, and then create a report:
Selection and Recruitment
Tin-plated steel is produced by the Southern Steel Company particularly for the canning industry. It has roughly 5,000 employees. The business uses cutting-edge scientific techniques wherever applicable.
One such scientific approach was used by the personnel department to choose management trainees. The individuals’ hobbies, emotional stability, general intellect, and personalities were evaluated using a battery of tests.
.A company that excels in creating and analysing tests was used to administer the exams. The business obtained the exams from the organisation, distributed them to the candidates, and then handed them back to the organisation for evaluation.
The personnel director examined the information on the application forms in addition to the exams. The candidate who scored the highest on the exams and had a positive application rating was chosen for an interview with the personnel director. Following the interviews, decisions were made.
The business used this strategy to recruit 30 candidates by the end of the first year. The organisation was shocked to discover that 14 of these trainees lacked the credentials deemed essential for senior employees after evaluating them. Approximately Rs. 26,000 was spent on these incompetent trainees in total.
The recruiting and testing process was then put under scrutiny by the personnel department. It was discovered that other steel firms had successfully utilised the testing. Neither the administration nor the testing were determined to be flawed. The director of people wasn’t sure what to do.
A BEST WAY TO EARN WHILE YOU STUDY, JOIN THIS APP UPLOAD PHOTOS, SAVE MONEY FROM NOW ON : https://bit.ly/3g7PxAg
He raised the issue with the executive committee, which consists of the leaders of eight departments. The head of the department in charge of industrial relations advised abandoning the tests and devising a different system for choosing management trainees because they contained errors.
QUESTIONS
1) What are the flaws in the recruiting process at the company?
2) What steps should the business take to address the selection issue in light of the facts provided?
Write a report analysing the case presented below.
In order to meet the growing market demand for colour television sets, Southern Manufacturing Company has begun producing them. When it comes to making deliveries on schedule, the corporation has trouble keeping up with demand. Amirthalingam began working as a General Manager at Southern Manufacturing Company Ltd. two months ago.
He was compelled to take the necessary actions to ensure that the sales delivery timeline was closely adhered to. To determine the reasons for the delay in the delivery of the items, he had to look at the company’s data.
Amirthalingam discovers that the manufacturing division paints a picture of increased expenses, missed delivery deadlines, and an uptick in quality complaints. He immediately dialled Mr. Bhaktavasalam, the works manager, to have a conversation and discuss the facts in order to find a solution to the issue. Bhaktavasalam acknowledged his poor performance but said that the sales department’s excessive promises and disregard for the production schedules were mostly to blame for his inability to achieve the delivery deadline.
The majority of the quality issues, according to him, are caused by the constant stream of engineering modifications that appear without notice and provide little time to iron out the manufacturing issues that are inherent in all new products. Amirthalingam acknowledged that he had given his approval for the most recent round of engineering improvements.
As a further step, Deeran, the engineering manager, was summoned to Amirthalingam’s chamber for discussion. He described to Deeran the difficulty in putting the authorised engineering improvements into practise. Mr. Deeran stated that since the engineering improvements with top management permission arrive to him one at a time, separated by a few days, it is impossible to adopt them all at once.
As a result, Amirthalingam instructed Deeran to implement all the agreed adjustments into production right away in order to boost output and adhere to the sales department’s timeline.
Amirthalingam summoned Mr. Nayar, the sales manager who is in charge of maintaining the sales calendar, during the problem-solving exercise so they could speak. Mr. Nayar acknowledged that he was unable to completely adhere to the sales timeline since he was unaware of the production schedules.
Additionally, he expressed dissatisfaction at the engineering division’s repeated changes to product standards without discussing or telling the sales division. He also complained that the sales department was not notified in advance when the finance department tightened the credit requirements, which delayed the delivery of the goods.
A BEST WAY TO EARN WHILE YOU STUDY, JOIN THIS APP UPLOAD PHOTOS, SAVE MONEY FROM NOW ON : https://bit.ly/3g7PxAg
Amirthalingam acknowledges once again that the identical engineering modification that produced issues for the sales department and rendered the stock of replacement components outdated. Additionally, he discovers that the credit standards were tightened by the finance department at his request because of an exceptionally low cash situation.
QUESTIONS
What led to the issue?
Describe the main coordination issue that Amirthalingam is experiencing.
How can the company’s many divisions continue to coordinate?
A case study must be solved utilising in-depth analytical abilities, the capacity to research the present issue, consider the best solution, and the use of the most persuasive and practical evidence. It is crucial to make notes, highlight important details, and emphasise the key issues at hand.
Nowadays, you may get online case study assistance by contacting professionals via their websites. We use a step-by-step process to make things simpler and more clear. Therefore, to acquire the appropriate and desired outcomes, follow the step-by-step approach before you start writing the case.
First Step: Determine The Case
Making notes, highlighting the important variables that are involved, and introducing the pertinent components that are required are the initial steps.
Second Step: Focus Your Analysis
Identify the main issues. Discover the cause of their existence. How may they impact the business or the client? Determine what is to blame and implement the appropriate remedies.
Third Step: Consider Potential Solutions
Review all of the case study course’s readings, relevant conversations, seek advice from other sources, and draw on your own experience.
Fourth Step: Select the ideal response
Think about the strongest arguments. benefits, disadvantages, and degree of viability. Reread the information that has been obtained, being sure to pay attention to each detail.
Following these well-studied techniques will help you solve a case study step-by-step and quickly come to a conclusion that will benefit your customers. One may also get acquainted with how to write case study assignments by following these procedures, which will also result in less uncertainty.
Advantages and Drawbacks of Case Studies
A case study may offer advantages as well as disadvantages. Here, we list its positive and negative aspects in the form of bullets. We first learn about its advantages.
It enables researchers and investigators to acquire advanced information.
Give them an opportunity to learn useful knowledge from extraordinary and uncommon circumstances.
Allow the study subjects to construct their own hypotheses in order to test them in experiments.
Case studies offer advantages and disadvantages. Let’s go through them in bullet points.
The case study is unable to succinctly explain cause and effect.
In public, it cannot be generalized.
Additionally, prejudice may result.
Conclusion
In general, case studies may be used in a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, political science, psychology, and education. In the article above, we covered the concept of a case study, how to deal with it, and provided examples for you to better understand. I’m hoping that this post will help you become more knowledgeable about case study analysis.
Review the case below, analyze it, and then create a report:
Interpersonal Communication
Ms. Shina oversaw the administrative division of a large company. There were a lot of female typists. They were all proficient at their jobs and completed all of their daily tasks before leaving the workplace. There was no need for typing labour in this portion to be done after hours.
The manager of the administration department, Mr. Mohan, was summoned one day by the company’s managing director, who told him that people in his division had begun to err on the side of laxity when it came to being on time for work.
He said that on one specific day, around 9.40 in the morning, he arrived at work and saw two stenos/typists arriving late. He claimed that this was not the first time he had seen this.
He desired that his managers become knowledgeable in this area. Mr. Mohan committed to maintain timeliness after carefully listening to the Managing Director’s directions.
When the two latecomers event occurred, Mr. Mohan phoned Ms. Shina to inform her of the situation and the Managing Director’s remarks. Additionally, he said that timeliness must always be respected. Ms. Shina said that while she was aware of the circumstances, she did not believe that any action was necessary.
She said that the stenos/typists put in a lot of effort and did not mind staying late for a few hours in the office if there was a lot of work to be done. They were determined to accomplish the day’s work before leaving the workplace, and they normally kept their appointments and did not often arrive late.
She also argued that in the interest of excellent functioning, it should not be taken into account when one or two typists are sometimes ten to fifteen minutes late due to personal reasons.Nevertheless, Mr. Mohan demanded that she follow the Managing Director’s directions.
Ms. Shina became confused. The Managing Director urged them to be at the office on time and is opposed to any relaxation in this regard, so she returned to her area and told her typists the full scenario. She also warned them that the latecomers would face punishment.
This did not make the typists happy. Since they were the typists who arrived later that day, Ms. Sarla and Ms. Rama spoke about this issue at lunch. They believed they had not received sufficient care.
It is extremely odd that things have been gone too far, Ms. Sarla added. I’ve made up my mind to leave the workplace at 5.30 p.m. if I’m requested to stay later than that and leave the job undone.
Just two days later, at 5:15 p.m., the Managing Director’s Private Secretary delivered Ms. Rama some urgent typing work. To type the whole document would take at least two typists an hour.
With these crucial documents, the Managing Director was scheduled to meet with the Chairman in the evening. In any event, he needed the typed document returned by 6.30 p.m.
Ms. Shina gave Ms. Sarla and Ms. Rama the task, but both said they could not do it since it would take an hour to complete and they could only remain in the office for a maximum of fifteen minutes.
At 5.30 p.m., the office shuts. Since “the commanders sometimes urged them to sit late, why such hue and cry should have been created when someone was late by a few minutes and that too on a few occasions,” both typists did not forget to ask.
Ms. Shina had trouble getting the materials typed. She worried that other typists may respond in the same way. She then returned to the Private Secretary and informed the Managing Director that she and the Private Secretary may need to split the job and complete it even though the Private Secretary had other more important tasks to do.
QUESTIONS
(a) What do you think of Ms. Rama, Ms. Sarla, and Ms. Shina’s actions?
(b) Has there been a communication breakdown? If so, how and where?
(c) How can this scenario be made better?
(d) What are your thoughts about the Managing Director’s demeanour?
(e) How do you see Mr. Mohan’s demeanour?
(f) In such a circumstance, how would you respond?
SOLVING THE CASE
Brief Description of the Case
Ms. Shina oversees a team of female typists in a large company, where the workers are efficient and complete their tasks on time. However, the Managing Director observed that some typists, including Ms. Sarla and Ms. Rama, were occasionally arriving late, prompting him to raise concerns about punctuality with Mr. Mohan, the administration manager.
Mr. Mohan, in turn, asked Ms. Shina to address the issue, but she initially dismissed it as unnecessary since the typists always finished their work. This led to frustration among the typists, who felt unfairly criticized.
When asked to stay late to complete urgent work, Ms. Sarla and Ms. Rama refused in protest, citing the inconsistency of management’s approach to lateness versus staying late.
Ms. Shina struggled to resolve the conflict while trying to meet the Managing Director’s expectations. Eventually, she warned the typists that further lateness would lead to consequences, but the overall situation highlighted deeper issues of communication, employee dissatisfaction, and managerial challenges.
Problem Description
The issue revolves around punctuality and communication failures in a large company’s administrative division. The Managing Director observed late arrivals by the typists, raising concerns about their discipline.
Despite the typists’ efficiency and the completion of their tasks, the emphasis was placed on their punctuality. The tension escalated when two typists, Ms. Sarla and Ms. Rama, refused to stay late for urgent work as a form of protest against being called out for minor instances of tardiness. The managers—Ms. Shina and Mr. Mohan—struggled to balance the demands for punctuality and work completion.
Brief Description of the Problems:
Punctuality Issues: The Managing Director noticed that some typists were arriving late to work, which he viewed as a sign of growing laxity, even though their work was consistently completed on time.
Communication Breakdown: There was poor communication between management and employees regarding expectations about punctuality and flexibility in staying late for urgent work. This led to misunderstandings and resentment, particularly among the typists.
Employee Dissatisfaction: The typists, particularly Ms. Sarla and Ms. Rama, felt undervalued and unfairly criticized for minor lateness, despite their hard work and willingness to stay late when needed. Their dissatisfaction escalated into a refusal to cooperate during a critical task.
Managerial Conflict: Ms. Shina struggled to balance the demands of her superior, Mr. Mohan, and the expectations of her team. This created confusion and tension as she was caught between enforcing punctuality and acknowledging the typists’ contributions.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
Efficiency of Typists: All typists, including Ms. Sarla and Ms. Rama, are highly proficient and ensure their daily tasks are completed before leaving.
Strong Team Spirit: The typists are generally willing to stay late when work demands are high.
Leadership Commitment: Both Ms. Shina and Mr. Mohan are focused on maintaining discipline and productivity.
Weaknesses:
Punctuality Issues: Some typists, including Ms. Sarla and Ms. Rama, are arriving late, which the Managing Director finds problematic.
Communication Breakdown: The issue of lateness and after-hours work expectations is poorly communicated, causing resentment among employees.
Poor Handling of Feedback: Ms. Shina’s initial reaction to the punctuality issue did not address the typists’ concerns, making them feel unvalued.
Opportunities:
Enhanced Communication: Implementing better communication channels could improve the relationship between managers and typists.
Policy Clarification: Establishing clear guidelines for punctuality and after-hours work could help set expectations and reduce confusion.
Employee Motivation: Recognizing the efforts of typists when they stay late could enhance morale and promote punctuality.
Threats:
Employee Dissatisfaction: The current frustration with management could lead to decreased motivation and future conflicts.
Work Delays: If typists refuse to stay late for urgent tasks, critical work may be delayed.
Escalation of Conflict: The punitive approach towards tardiness could escalate tension, leading to high employee turnover or strikes.
Answers to the Questions
(A) What do you think of Ms. Rama, Ms. Sarla, and Ms. Shina’s actions?
Ms. Rama and Ms. Sarla: Their protest by refusing to stay late highlights a larger issue of feeling undervalued. They believe the lateness issue is minor compared to the flexibility they usually show, which suggests that they feel unfairly treated.
Ms. Shina: While she is trying to balance discipline and productivity, her initial dismissal of the lateness issue may have contributed to the growing dissatisfaction. Later, she recognized the need to communicate better with her team but was still caught in the middle of conflicting demands.
(a) Has there been a communication breakdown? If so, how and where?
Yes, the communication breakdown occurred:
Between management and employees: The typists were not informed clearly about the company’s strict expectations on punctuality, especially when their work performance was otherwise efficient.
Between Mr. Mohan and Ms. Shina: There seems to be a lack of a cohesive message on how to handle tardiness. Ms. Shina did not emphasize the importance of punctuality to her team, creating confusion.
Between Ms. Shina and the typists: Ms. Shina’s delayed response to the Managing Director’s concerns and the typists’ dissatisfaction resulted in mistrust.
How can this scenario be made better?
Clear Policy on Punctuality: There needs to be an explicit policy regarding arrival times, with a balance of flexibility for personal issues.
Better Communication Channels: A meeting between the typists and management should be organized to discuss expectations and concerns openly, ensuring employees feel heard.
Recognition and Flexibility: Acknowledging the typists’ hard work while setting fair expectations for punctuality would help to improve morale and discipline.
(d) What are your thoughts about the Managing Director’s demeanour?
The Managing Director is focused on discipline and is concerned about lateness, which is understandable from a leadership perspective. However, his approach could be more flexible. Focusing solely on punctuality without considering the team’s productivity might seem rigid. A more balanced approach that recognizes both punctuality and hard work would help foster a positive work environment.
(e) How do you see Mr. Mohan’s demeanour?
Mr. Mohan is caught between following the Managing Director’s orders and supporting his team. He seems to be taking a strict stance on punctuality because he is under pressure from the top, but he does not appear to have offered much flexibility or support to his employees, making him seem somewhat distant from their concerns.
(f) In such a circumstance, how would you respond?
If I were in this situation, I would:
Hold a meeting with the typists to clarify expectations about punctuality and after-hours work, ensuring that employees understand the company’s requirements.
Encourage open communication where employees can express their concerns without fear of punishment.
Develop a fair policy that balances productivity with personal flexibility, recognizing that occasional lateness can be managed if overall performance remains high.
Three Solutions to Solve the Problem
Implement a Flexible Work Policy:
How it works: Introduce a system where employees are allowed occasional flexibility in arrival times, with the understanding that they make up the lost time within the same day or week. Establish a clear framework for when flexibility is allowed, such as for personal reasons, while ensuring that employees consistently meet overall productivity targets.
Why it works: This addresses the typists’ dissatisfaction over strict punctuality rules, while still maintaining a focus on the timely completion of work. It acknowledges that life circumstances sometimes interfere with punctuality but balances this with professional responsibilities.
Improve Communication and Feedback Channels:
How it works: Organize regular meetings between management and the typists where expectations and feedback can be openly discussed. Managers should clearly communicate any new policies, expectations regarding work hours, and their reasons. Employees should also have a space to voice concerns or suggest improvements without fear of backlash.
Why it works: Clear communication helps prevent misunderstandings, like those between Ms. Shina, Mr. Mohan, and the typists. It also promotes a culture of transparency and trust, allowing employees to feel heard and valued.
Introduce a Recognition and Rewards Program:
How it works: Create a system where employees are acknowledged for both their punctuality and their dedication when staying late for urgent work. Rewards can be in the form of time off, bonuses, or public recognition during staff meetings.
Why it works: Positive reinforcement encourages both punctuality and willingness to stay late when necessary. Recognizing the extra effort put in by typists can increase motivation and reduce resentment, as employees will feel appreciated rather than solely critiqued for minor lateness.
Steps to Implement:
Meet with staff to clarify expectations and discuss the new flexible work policy.
Set up regular communication sessions to keep everyone on the same page.
Launch the recognition program to boost morale and motivate staff towards punctuality and dedication.
Ensure fair and consistent enforcement of both punctuality and rewards for extra work, keeping a balanced approach.
