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Essential of Management
Case Studies
Case (20 Marks)
Mr.Ranjan Kumar is the Managing
Director of a soaps manufacturing company. To increase sales, the Board of
Directors wanted to start a full-fledged marketing department. Mr. Kumar is
entrusted with the task of finding a suitable, candidate to head the proposed
marketing department. After considering a number of candidates he has narrowed
down his choice to two persons: Vishwanth Dutt and Rajnarain. Mr.Vishwanath
Dutt has an excellent track record in the company. During his fruitful
association with the company, to be precise ten years, he has always shown a
high degree of enthusiasm and initiative in his work. He is still young (35
years) dynamic and aggressive. He is result oriented and is more interested in
ends rather than means. One of the workers, testifying his leadership
qualities, remarked thus;” Though he is harsh at times, you will know it” Mr.
Dutt is willing to shoulder additional responsibilities. He decides things
quickly and when action is required, he is ‘always on his toes’ Contd…… 3During
his 15 years tenure in the company, Mr.Rajnarain has endeared himself to all
his colleagues by his superior workmanship and pleasing manners. He always
believes in the principle of employees participation in the decision making process.
Unlike Mr.Dutt, he encourages his subordinates to come out with innovative
ideas and useful suggestions. Before arriving at a decision he always makes it
a point to consult his subordinates. Not surprisingly, all his subordinates are
very pleased to work under him and praise his leadership qualities. They
readily admit that the participative climate has encouraged them to use their
talents fully in the service of the organization. Company records also bear
evidence for the increase in the production soon after Rajnarain become the
head of his department
Answer the following question.
Q1. Analyze the leadership qualities
and styles of Mr. Dutt and Mr.Rajnarain.
Q2. Between the two people, whom would
you recommend for the position of a marketing manager? And why?
CASE STUDY (20 Marks)
Home Depot was the biggest retailer of
home improvement products in the US in the early 2000s. The company was also
well known for its entrepreneurial and laissez-faire culture, a culture
fostered by cofounders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, who led the company from
1978 to 2000. In late 2000 however, the board appointed Robert Nardelli, a GE
veteran, as CEO. Nardelli was given the task of solving the problems that the
company ran into in the late 1990s. Many cultural changes took place at Home
Depot under the leadership of Nardelli.
He was responsible for changing Home Depot's culture from an entrepreneurial
and informal one, to one that focused on processes. He also introduced a fair
amount of centralization and managed to link the various departments and
regions of the company together.
Answer the following question.
Q1. Explain the evolution of a major
retail organization from a start up like
culture to a mature industry leader
Q2. Analyze the effects of change in
leadership on culture, especially when a company moves from the hands of its
founders to those of an outsider
Q3. Discuss the issues surrounding
cultural transformation and the challenges faced by company outsiders in adapting
to culture and helping change it.
Q4. Explain the importance of cultural
evolution for organizations and to understand that cultural evolution must
occur simultaneously with growth
CASE STUDY (20 Marks)
The case highlights the leadership
development initiatives at Infosys Technologies (Infosys), one of the most
reputed information technology (IT) companies in India. Infosys Leadership
Institute (ILI) established in 2001 was fully dedicated to this initiative and
every year over 100 potential leaders were groomed. There was a systematic
selection process to shortlist candidates for the three year leadership
development program at ILI. The interventions and leadership development
program was based on the 'nine pillar' model and formulated incorporating the
best practices in leadership development followed by successful global
companies. According to a study in 2002, it was estimated that by 2006 most
global organizations would lose 40% of their top executives. The case also
discusses the leadership development initiatives undertaken by many global and
Indian companies. On 20 August 2006, NR Narayana Murthy, the Cofounder of
Infosys, who turned 60, the retirement age at Infosys, stepped down from the
post of
Chairman. How successful would the
leadership development initiatives at Infosys be in grooming future leaders who
could fit into the shoes of its founders?
Answer the following question.
Q1. Give an overview of the case.
Q2. Discuss the leadership development
initiatives taken by Infosys and its long term Consequences.
CASE STUDY (20 Marks)
Rahul worked at the head office of
Sharf Corporation, a medium sized company producing and distributing
motorbikes. His task included processing of warranty claims and advising
service engineers working in the field with distributors. One day, Rahul heard
of an opening for a field engineering the organization. As a first step, he
approached his immediate supervisor Mohan Tondon, and asked to be considered as
a field engineer in Milind’s department. Rahul also pleaded that he is
adequately qualified to be a field engineer. The idea was rejected by Mohan
Tondon with the comment, “let us talk about it later.” In the meantime, the
supervisor (Mohan Tondon) left for a business strip. During the absence of his
boss, Rahul talked to Milind, the service manager who was Mohan Tondan’s
superior and also responsible for the field engineers. Milind listened to Rahul
carefully and recognized that he was well qualified for the position of field
engineer. He also favoured promoting young talent from within the organization.
A week later Mohan Tondon returned from the business trip and joined the
office. One day he called Rahul into his office and opened the
conversation as follows: “I understand
you talked to Mr. Milind while I was out on business trip, about the position
of field engineer. I cannot let you take this position. We have switched to
computerized claimprocessing system and I need you because you have the
broadest experience of any of my ten subordinates.” Rahul was shocked. He was
upset as he was denied the promotion because he was the best person in the
group of ten subordinates. One week later, a field engineer was appointed from
outside the organization. Rahul was in a fix to decide about his next move.
Answer the following question.
Q1. What would you do if you were in
the position of Rahul?
Q2. Comment on the behavior of Mohan
Tondon as a manager.
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Project Report and Thesis contact
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