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Principles and Practice of Management
Case Studies
Case (20 Marks)
The president of Simplex Mills sat at
his desk in the hushed atmosphere, so typical of business offices, after the
close of working hours. He was thinking about Rehman, the manager in charge of
purchasing, and his ability to work with George, the production manager, and
Vipulabh, the marketing and sales manager in the firm. When the purchasing
department was established two years ago, both George and Vipulabh agreed with
the need to centralise this function and place a specialist in charge. George
was of the
view that this would free his
supervisors from detailed ordering activities. Vipulabh opined that the flow of
materials into the firm was important enough to warrant a specialised
management assignment. Yet since the purchasing department began operating it
has been precisely these two managers who have had a number of confrontations
with the new purchase manager, and occasionally with one another, in regard to
the way the purchasing function in being carried out. From George point of
view, instead of simplifying his job as production manager by taking care of
purchasing for him, the purchasing department has developed a formal set of
procedures that has resulted in as much time commitment on his part as he had
previously spent in placing his orders directly with vendors. Further, he is
specially irritated by the fact that his need for particular items or
particular specification is constantly being questioned by the purchasing
department. When the department was established, George assumed that the
purchasing manager was there to fill his needs, not to question them. As
Vipulabh sees it, the purchasing function is an integral part of marketing
function, and the two therefore need to be jointly managed as a unified process.
Purchasing function cannot be separated from a firm’s overall marketing strategy.
However, Rehman has attempted to carry out the purchasing function without
regard for this obvious relationship between his responsibilities and those of
Vipulabh, thus making a unified marketing strategy impossible. In his previous
position, Rehman had worked in the purchasing department of a firm considerably
larger than Simplex. Before being hired, he was interviewed by all the top
managers, including George and Vipulabh, but it was the president himself who
negotiated the details of the job offer. As Rehman sees it, he was hired as a
professional to do a professional job. Both George and Vipulabh have been
distracting him from
this goal by presuming that he is somehow
subordinate to them, which he believes is not the case. The people in the
production department, who use the purchasing function most, have complained
about the detail that he requires on their requisitions. But he has documented
proof that materials are now being purchased much more economically than they
were under the former decentralized system. He finds Vipulabhs interests more
difficult to understand, since he sees no particular relationship between his
responsibilities for efficient procurement, and Vipulabh’s responsibilities to
market the firm’s products. The president has been aware of the continuing
conflict among three managers for some time, but on the theory that a little
rivalry is healthy and stimulating, he has felt that it was nothing to be
unduly concerned about. But now that much of his time is being taken up by much
of what he considers to be petty bickering, the time has come to take some
positive action.
Answer
the following question.
Q1.
Is Georges view of the situation realistic?
Q2.
How do you evaluate Vipulabh’s position?
Q3.
How might this conflict be associated with factors in the formal organization?
Q4.
What should the president of Simplex Mills do now?
Case (20 Marks)
This case is about Ambedkar, who is
considered as one of the greatest leaders of modern India. Ambedkar played an
important role in the drafting of Indian constitution. He also strived hard for
the upliftment of backward sections in India. The reservation policy introduced
by him in the Indian constitution opened a number of opportunities for the
backward sections in the country. His life offers a number of lessons for
modern managers. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Ambedkar), considered one of the
greatest leaders of India, brought about many changes in the country. He fought
against the caste system and played a key role in the drafting of the
Indian constitution. Ambedkar was born
on April 14, 1891, in Mhow (now called Dr Ambedkar Nagar) in the state of
Madhya Pradesh, India. He was the last son of an army officer, Ramji Maloji
Sakpal. Ambedkar’s family belonged to the Mahar caste, which ranked low in the
Hindu caste hierarchy.
Answer
the following question.
Q1.
Discuss how entrepreneurs can lead their followers in reaching the collective
goals of the organization.
Q2.
Explain how leaders face the impediments in their growth path and can motivate
their followers.
Case (20 Marks)
After surviving from an attack on her
life from Taliban, Malala intensified her efforts to fight for the Children’s
rights and girls’ education. In her endeavor to achieve the objectives, she had
been awarded the Nobel peace prize award for the year 2014. This case therefore
focuses on the life and work of Malala and provides a discussion point on the
management concepts of motivation and leadership. On December 10, 2014, Malala
Yousafzai (Malala) became the youngest person and the first Pakistani to
receive the Nobel Peace Award. She received the award along with Indian child
rights activist Kailash Satyarthi . Speaking at the event, Malala described
herself as a committed and stubborn person aiming to look at a world where
every child would have access to quality education, every woman would have
equal rights, and where there would be peace in every corner of the world. She
also spoke about the passion young girls had for education in her region. She
said in a simple yet strong message: “We had a thirst for education, because
our future was right there in that class room, we would sit and learn and read
together.” Malala had a lot of dedication and motivation towards education and
believed it was a boon to all human beings, especially children.
Answer
the following question.
Q1.
Explain the leadership qualities in Malala.
Q2.
Discuss the life and work of Malala.
Q3.
Explain the motivation behind Malala’s activities.
Q4.
Discuss the reasons for awarding the Nobel peace prize to Malala.
Case (20 Marks)
Mr Venu Gopal was the section officer
in charge of a large administration section. There were 10 typists above 50
years of age and one zerox machine operator. Though the type writers had been
discarded and personal computers purchased, the typists were not in a position
to use computers and were manually entering the incoming and outgoing letters
in inwards and outwards registers. The staff had become redundant. Though there
was not much work load of photocopying of letters, the photocopier machine
remained out of order and there was no work for operator. There was a rate
contract for the repairs and maintenance of photo copier machine but the
mechanic was hardly visiting the office
for repair work. Mr. Gopal and his section were under fire because of
inefficiencies in maintaining the records and pending typing works. He was not
able to keep his staff engaged and all were indulged in other unproductive
activities. Because of ban in recruitment, other operational sections were
starving for additional staff.
Answer
the following question.
Q1.
As a boss of Mr Venu Gopal, what steps should have been taken by you to
streamline the activities?
Q2.
Discuss how and where the administration has failed to keep the staff engaged?
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