管理学案例分析答案.doc

Unit 8Higher and Higher1.What competitive advantage(s) do you think the Haier Group has? What competitive strategy does the company appear to be following? Explain your choices.The Haier Group enjoys the benefits of having several competitive advantages, including continuous innovation. As CEO Zhang Ruimin says, “Continuous innovation is the soul of Haiers corporate culture.” Additional competitive advantages include strong brand name recognition in China (the countrys third most popular brand); manufacturing facilities in 13 countries and 18 R&D centers around the globe; worldwide recognition of its quality products; and visionary leadership. The company is implementing a differentiation strategy as it competes in the global marketplace, offering quality products that are widely valued by its customers around the world.1. What strategic goals does Zhang have for Haier? Do the companys strategies appear to be helping it reach these goals?Zhang is striving to build on the competitive advantages of Haier in order to meet his strategic goals of worldwide leadership in his industry. His actions as CEO support his strategic goal of leading the Haier Group to become a truly global brand. Given the rapid growth and success of Haier since its inception, the companys strategies appear to be helping Zhang and his employees to reach their strategic goals.3. How might SWOT analysis be useful to Zhang Ruimin?In order to compete effectively in a global market, Zhang Ruimin must be alert to changes in opportunities and threats in the external environment; be equipped to take advantage of internal strengths; and be cognizant and realistic about Haiers internal weaknesses. Conducting a SWOT analysis is a valuable tool in achieving these objectives.4.What other strategic management concepts might Zhang use to help him continue managing the Haier Group for successful performance? Since competition in his industry is keen, Zhang might use Michael Porters models and studies of competitive strategies to help in growing the Haier Group in a global arena. As his company continues to grow over time, the BCG matrix might be used by Zhang to assess the viability of its product lines and businesses within the corporation.5.What strategic leadership characteristics does Zhang Ruimin exhibit? Explain. Zhang Ruimin demonstrates a number of characteristics of an effective strategic leader, including the possession of a strong vision and sense of mission for the company and the ability to communicate them to his followers and stakeholders. In addition, he exploits and maintains the core competencies of Haier and upholds a strong corporate culture of innovation.Unit 7Building for the Future1.What role do you think goals might play in a companys planning for any potential bird flu outbreak? List some goals that you think might be important. Goals play a substantial role in an organizations planning for emergency situations. The goals of maintaining the viability of a company and making provisions for a safe and healthy workplace require both short-range and long-range planning. As Deutsche Bank has realized, additional goals might include ensuring that employees in infected zones do not carry the disease to their co-workers, communicating medical news updates to company employees in all of the companys locations, and preparing for economic slowdowns.2.What types of plans might companies need for this situation? (For instance, short term, long term, or both?) Explain why you think these plans would be important.Planning involves defining the organizations goals, establishing an overall strategy for achieving those goals, and developing a comprehensive set of plans to integrate and coordinate organizational work. Preparing for a possible catastrophic pandemic requires both short-term and long-term planning. First and foremost, managers must be aware of and alert to such possibilities and proactively make the necessary plans, including contingency plans. You may want to direct your students to the article “If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail,” by Representative Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.). This article strikingly communicates the urgency of the need for organizational planning under the threat of avian influenza and is an example of the type of information every manager should know. The article can be found in the July 14, 2006, issue of The Hill at /thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/111505/lowy.html.3.How does this scenario reflect planning in a dynamic environment? What would managers need to do to make their planning effective in such an environment? HBSC has already made arrangements for its employees to work from their homes in case of a pandemic and is planning to divide work among the companys different locations. In order to have timely contingency plans, managers must keep abreast of medical developments and adjust their plans accordingly. They will need to remain alert to changes in the environment and establish mechanisms to examine their plans regularly. 4.What could other businesses learn from Deutsche Banks and HSBCs experiences? Other businesses can learn from the proactive approach these two organizations are using in planning for the future. Deutsche Bank and HSBC could serve as a model for other companies in the way they have faced a frightening possibility straightforwardly, rather than simply hoping that it will not occur. Both organizations have used creative thinking and innovation in making plans and have carefully considered the welfare of their employees in the planning process.5.Pick a company (any size, any kind, or any location) and describe how an influenza pandemic might affect it. Now, develop plans for this company to deal with such an outbreak.You may want to divide your class into several teams and use this activity as a group exercise. Encourage your students to think creatively in developing their companys plans to combat the effects of an influenza outbreak. Remind students that they will want to make both short-term and long-term plans in this situation.Unit 6 Fast Company1.How do you think good decision making has contributed to the success of NASCAR?The decisions made by the management of NASCAR have been carefully considered since the founding of the company in 1948 by “Big Bill” France Sr. His grandson Brian carries on the legacy today as chairman and CEO of NASCAR. As the companys top manager, Brian France uses the steps in the decision-making process to adapt to a changing environment while preserving strengths that have contributed to the phenomenal growth and success of NASCAR.In identifying problems, for example, Brian gathers information from a variety of sources and secures the resources necessary for taking action. Since NASCAR remains a privately held company, the number of its stockholders is much smaller than would be the case if it were a publicly held firm, but Brian is still clearly mindful of the interests of all of the stakeholders of the company when he contemplates alternatives to use in making corporate decisions.2.A decision to go after a new market as Brian is doing is a major decision. How could he have used the decision-making process to help make this decision?It is clear that Brian is using the eight-step decision-making process in reaching the decision to expand his target market. He faces a two-fold problem: holding the loyalty of the companys current fans and, at the same time, building a more diverse customer base. After identifying the companys problem, Brian must apply decision criteria that are consistent with the companys philosophy and goals. Once the decision alternative has been selected and implemented, it must be followed through and monitored through customer feedback. Much of NASCARs historical success can be attributed to managements responsiveness to its loyal customers, and one can expect that the companys leadership will actively seek this customer feedback for its decisions now and in the future.3.What criteria do you think would be most important to Brian as he makes decisions about the companys future?These criteria would include maintaining the viability of the firm; retaining the brand loyalty of NASCAR devotees; ensuring responsible corporate behavior, including car and driver safety; maintaining high quality products and services; and remaining true to the companys philosophy of origin. 4.Would you characterize the conditions surrounding NASCAR as conditions of certainty, risk, or uncertainty? Explain your choice.Elements of all three conditions can be found. Conditions of certainty exist in the importance of adapting to changing times and changing demographics and being a socially responsible company. The element of risk can be seen as Brian considers changes that threaten to erode his customer base and the support of NASCARs sponsors and advertisers, while attracting new markets. The NASCAR organization must make decisions under the condition of uncertainty when it considers factors in the external environment of the future over which it has little control, including the national economy, government regulations, and competing entertainment industries. 5.What could Brian learn from the concept of highly reliable organizations to help him be a better decision maker?Brian is learning several important concepts associated with HROs. As he prepares the NASCAR organization to adapt to changing times, he is leading proactively and is not being “tricked by . . . success.” He remains alert to potential problems and acts quickly and early to prevent them. He recognizes and studies the complexity of the changing business environment in which his company operates and is open to consideration of a variety of alternatives. NASCARs leadership anticipates, but also anticipates its limits, as top management thinks by acting and uses decisiveness after careful consideration of the steps in the decision-making process.Unit 5Youve Got Questions. . .1.Evaluate this situation from the viewpoint of David Edmondsons ethical leadership. What could Radio Shack have done differently?As students learn in their study of Chapter Five, managers can do a number of things to promote an ethical environment in the workplace. The most effective component of an ethical culture is the example enacted by the manager as he/she leads by example. Edmondsons failure to lead ethically and his violation of Radio Shacks written code of ethics conveys leaderships lack of respect for the ethical standards espoused by the company. Radio Shack could have missed a crucial opportunity to communicate the companys sincerity in upholding ethical standards on the day when Edmondson admitted having lied about his educational background in a conference call with investors. Radio Shack could have announced his dismissal immediately. 2.What stakeholders might be impacted by this situation? What concerns might each stakeholder have had? Were any of the stakeholders concerns in conflict with each other? Explain. What impact might this have had on employees?Virtually all stakeholders of Radio Shack were impacted by this situation, including customers, employees, shareholders, and suppliers. Internal stakeholders would certainly be concerned with organizational economic factors such as profits and returns on investments, job security, and corporate image and reputation. The confidence of the companys suppliers in the integrity and dependability of Radio Shack might be diminished and could affect suppliers willingness to conduct business with the corporation. Shareholders concerns about the uncertainty caused by changes in leadership could conflict with their desire for a stability that might improve corporate profits. Ultimately, the impact that this situation had on employees is one of the most destructive elements of the situation, since the trust in leadership that is vital to a strong ethical environment was severely damaged.3.Do you think the boards decision to fire Edmondson was “tough,” as Len Roberts suggested? Why or why not? Why do you think Mr. Roberts would have described this decision as such?In announcing that the resignation was mutual and was a “tough decision,” Roberts may have attempted to ameliorate the negativity of the situation and make Edmondsons actions appear to be a milder breach of ethics than they were. In giving Edmondson the severance package that he received, the companys action could hardly be viewed as “tough” by most stakeholders.4.What impact do you think the companys severance package to Mr. Edmondson might have?The components of the severance package that were revealed by Radio Shack, including the cash payout worth at least $1.03 million, payments for accrued and unpaid vacation and salary, four months of insurance coverage, and stock option rights, contradict the actions that an ethical organization should take when ethical standards are breached. Radio Shacks severance package to Edmondson communicates the companys unwillingness to punish ethical offenders, regardless of their position, and weakens the force of their code of ethics for all employees.5.Could an organization ever prevent a situation like this from happening? Why or why not? What could they do? How could the companys Code of Ethics play a role? (Go to the companys Web site and take a look at its Code.)To reduce the likelihood of the occurrence of such situations, an organization can follow the guidelines students are learning in their study of this chapter. As pointed out by the text authors, a combination of practices, including leading by example, communicating and reinforcing a written code of ethics, and publicly reprimanding rule breakers on a consistent basis contributes to ethical business conduct. Employees on every level of the company should be encouraged to give input during the composition of the organizations code of ethics. When employees are empowered to participate in this process, they may be more likely to follow the standards in the companys ethics code.6. In the March 2004 issue of Wired magazine, it reported that 44 percent of Americans lie about their work history. Whats your reaction to this statistic? What problems can lying on a resume create for an organization?Encourage your students to voice their reactions to this statistic. You might ask students who have already studied resume writing in their business communication classes to share what they have learned about the importance of truthfulness throughout the job search process, including job interviews. Have your students research articles addressing this issue. (For example, see article written by Carol Kleiman at /daily/03-05/03-01-05/l02ca950.htm.) During a later class meeting, you may want to ask your students to share their findings and their opinions with classmates.Unit 4When Yes Doesnt Always Mean Yes, and No Doesnt Always Mean No1.What global attitude do you think would most support, promote, and encourage cultural awareness? Explain. As students learn in their study of Chapter Four, a geocentric attitude is vital to the success of business organizations in the global marketplace. According to this geocentric perspective, major issues and decisions are viewed globally by looking for the best approaches and people regardless of the country of their origin. Managers and their employees must acquire a geocentric, world-oriented view to enable their organization to survive in todays competitive environment. Scottish employers described in this case demonstrate a geocentric attitude as they find ways to help their foreign employees become comfortable and successful in the hotels and restaurants located in the Scottish highlands.2.Would legal-political and economic differences play a role as companies design appropriate cultural awareness training for employees? Explain.Both legal-political and economic differences should be included in a cultural awareness training program for employees because these differences will likely be major considerations as companies conduct business abroad. For example, legal-political differences could have a significant impact on contractual terms and conditions. Barriers to trade can present an important challenge to international business, and fluctuating currency exchange rates are an important factor as well. The economic stability of nations involved in potential business transactions should be considered carefully when companies are going international.3.Pick one of the countries mentioned in the case and do some cultural research on it. What did you find out about the culture of that country? How might this information affect the way a manager in that country plans, organizes, leads, and controls?Students answers and insights will vary, depending partly on the country they choose to explore. You may want to suggest the following Web sites as a starting point for their research: Scotland:http:/www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/scotland.html Finland:/w5/index.nsf/(pages)/index China:/english/index.htm India:/htm/homepage.htm1. The U.K.-based company Kwintessential has several cultural knowledge “quizzes” on its Web site http:/www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/culture-tests.html. Go to the companys Web site and try two or three of these. Were you surprised at your score? What does your score tell you about your cultural awareness?Taking these quizzes will likely impress upon students the importance of learning about the cultures of countries whe