Solved Case Study: 'That's not my job' - Learning delegation at Cin-made

When Robert Frey purchased Cin – Made in 1984, the company was near ruin.   The Cincinnati, Ohi-based manufacturer of paper packaging had not altered its product line in 20 years.  Labor costs had hit the ceiling, while profits were falling through the floor.   A solid quarter of the company's shipments were late and absenteeism was high.  Management and workers were at each other's throats. 

            Ten years later, Cin – Made is producing a new assortment of highly differentiated composite cans, and pre-tax profits have increased more than five times.   The Cin – Made

Solved Case Study of Disney's Design

The Walt Disney Company is heralded as the world's largest entertainment company.   It has earned this astounding reputation through tight control over the entire operation: control over the open – ended brainstorming that takes place 24 hours a day; control over the engineers who construct the fabulous theme – park rides; control over the animators who create and design beloved characters and adventurous scenarios; and control over the talent that brings the many concepts and characters to life. Although control pervades the company, it is not too strong a grip.   Employees in each department are well aware of their objectives and the parameters established to meet those objectives.  But in conjunction with the pre-determined responsibilities, managers at Disney encourage independent and innovative thinking.

Solved Case Study: Rise and Fall

Jagannath (Jaggu to his friends) is an over ambitious young man.  For him ends justify means.  

With a diploma in engineering. Jaggu joined, in 1977, a Bangalore-based company as a Technical Assistant.  He got himself enrolled as a student in an evening college and obtained his degree in engineering in 1982.  Recognizing as Engineer-Sales in 1984.

Jaggu excelled himself in the new role and became the blue-eyed boy of the management.  Promotions came to him in quick succession.  He was made Manager-Sales in 1986 and Senior Manager-Marketing in 1988.

Solved Case Study: 'Mechanist’s indiscipline behavior'

Dinesh, a machine operator, worked as a mechanist for Ganesh, the supervisor.  Ganesh told Dinesh to pick up some trash that had fallen from Dinesh’s work area, and Dinesh replied, “I won’t do the janitor’s work.”

Ganesh replied, “When you drop it, you pick it up”.  Dinesh became angry and abusive, calling Ganesh a number of names in a loud voice and refusing to pick up the trash.  All employees in the department heard Dinesh’s comments. 

Solved Case Study: Prejudices in workplaces: Real or Perceived?

Manjula Srivastav had been head of marketing for the last four years at Blue Chips, a computer products firm.  The company’s turnover had increased by two – and a half times during the period and its market share in a number of precuts had also moved up marginally.  What was creditable was that all this had happened in an environment in which computer prices had been crashing. 

Although she had a talent for striking an instant report with people – particularly with the company’s dealers – Srivastav often found herself battling against odds, as she perceived it, as far as her relationships with her subordinates and peers  in the company were concerned.  Srivastav had to fight male prejudice all the way.  She found it unfair that she had to prove herself regularly at work and she used to make her displeasure on that score quite obvious to everyone. 

Solved Case Study: Promoting the protege

The die was cast. Prem Nath Divan, executive chairman of Vertigo, the country’s largest engineering project organization, decided to switch tracks for a career in academics.  Divan was still six years short of the company’s retirement age of 65.  His premature exit was bound to create a flutter at the Vertigo board.  Having joined Vertigo as a management trainee soon after college, he had gradually risen through the hierarchy to take a board position as the marketing director of the firm at 32.  He had become the president five years later and the youngest chairman of the company at 45.  But, by the time he was 50, the whizkid had acquired a larger than life image of a role model for younger managers and a statesman who symbolized the best and brightest face of Indian management. 

Transforming Reuters: Question & Answers

Question and Answers for Transforming Reuters:

1. What technological paradigm shift did Reuters face in the 1990s? How did that paradigm shift change the competitive playing field?

2. Why Reuters was slow to adopt internet-based technology?

3. Why do you think Tom Glocer was picked as CEO? What assets did he bring to the leadership job?

4. What do you think of Glocer’s attempts to change the strategy and organizational culture at Reuters? Was he on the right track? Would you do things differently?

Boom and Bust in Telecommunications: Solved Answers

Question and Answers:

1. Why did the strategic plans adopted by companies like level 3, Global crossing, and 360 Network fail?

2. The managers who ran these companies were smart, successful individuals, as were many of the investors who put money into their businesses. How could so many smart people have been so wrong?

3. What specific decision-making biases do you think were at work in this industry during the late 1990s and early 2000s?

4. What could the managers running these companies done differently that might have led to a different outcome?

Solved Case Study of George David

Questions & Answers:

1. What makes George David such a highly regarded manager?

2. How does David get things done through people?

3. What evidence can you see of David’s planning and strategizing, organizing, controlling, leading and developing?

4. Which managerial competencies does David seem to posses? Does he seem to lack any?