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Xaviers Institute
of Business Management Studies
MARKS: 80 ( Each case study for 20 Marks)
Subject – Principles and
Practice of Management
Communicating in
a Crisis
The crisis the school had just reopened
after this two week break. The same morning, a fire suddenly broke out on the
third floor and spread to other floors, blocking the stairways. There was
widespread panic, as the children started jumping off the balconies, injuring
themselves in the process. The Principal and staff had a tough time trying to
calm down the children and take control of the situation. Fire engines were
called and several of them arrived and began their fire fighting operations. In
the meanwhile, many parents also arrived and tried to enter the building to
speak to the Principal. The phones were ringing continuously. There was total
chaos.
Question 1 :- How communication crises
arise?
Question 2 :- What Principal should do to
calm down the angry parents?
Question 3 :- How school will regain its
reputation? What services school should provide in order to maintain its
reputation?
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Case
Study 2
Case Study on
The power of Non-Verbal Communication
The Power of Nonverbal Communication Soon
after I graduated from engineering college, I accepted a position with the
Sundaram Foundry, a medium-sized firm located in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It
was a good position, since I was the assistant to Mr. Vishwanath, the General
Manager and president of this family owned company, although there were many
technical problems, the work was extremely interesting and I soon learnt all
about the foundry business. The foundry workers were mostly older men and were
a closely knit team. Many of them were related and had been in the foundry for
several years. Therefore, they felt that they knew the business in and out and
that a technical education had no value. In fact, Mr. Vishwanath had mentioned
to me even at the time of my joining, that I was the only engineer ever to be
employed in the foundry. He also let me know that the foundry workers, although
a good group, were very clannish, since they had been working together for
several years. Therefore, it would probably take them some time to accept me. I
introduced myself to the group of foundry workers, a few days after my joining.
As I went around in turn, I felt them eyeing me coldly. As I went down the main
aisle of the foundry, I heard them talking to each other in low voices and
laughing. I found their behavior to be very childish and felt that it was best
to ignore these signs of hostility. I thought that if I ignored them, they
would automatically stop these antics. A few weeks after this incident, I
happened to visit the enamel shop. As I entered, I noticed a worker cleaning
the floor with a hose, from which water flowed at high pressure. I was aware
that it was the practice to clean the shop at least once a week. I turned my
back on the worker and was busy near a dipping tank, when I suddenly felt the
force of a stream of water hitting me. I was almost knocked down by the
pressure and slipped on the wet floor. When I turned around, the worker looked
away in the other direction, as if he had not noticed this happening. However,
I was pretty sure that he had intentionally turned the hose on me.
Question 1 - What message did the foundry
workers and the new engineer convey to each other through their non-verbal
behavior?
Question 2 - Mr. Vishwanath, the General
Manager and President, was not often present at the foundry. What could this
non-verbal behavior mean to the workers and the new engineer?
Question 3. How could the engineer, the
foundry workers and Mr. Vishwanath be more effective, both verbally and nonverbally?
Question 4. What do you suggest that the
engineer should do, after the hosing incident?
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Case Study 3
BS GETS A D-PLUS ON DIVERSITY FROM MULTIETHNIC
COALITOIN
On February 3,
2000, President and CEO of CBS Leslie Moonves signed a pact with Kweisi Mfume,
president and CEO of the national association for advancement of colored people
(NAACP), who had joined forces with the Hispanic media coalition, and the
American Indians in film and television to request the CBS help to increase
Indians in film and television to request that CBS help to increase ethnic
presence in the television industry. The agreement stipulated the CBS would
increase minority participation both on and off screen by June 30.
In April 2000,
CBS announced the appointment of Josie Thomas to the newly created position of
senior vice president of Diversity at CBS Television. Her job was to improve outreach
and recruitment, hiring, promotion, and monitoring practices in all divisions
of CBS. That fall Moonves announced that 16 of the 21 CBS shows, including news
magazines, would prominently feature minorities. “We think we are a leader in
this area,” Moonves said “We think we are ahead of the curves”
Despite Mooves’s
Statement that as “broadcasters, we believe strongly that it is our duty to
reflect the public that makes up our viewing audience,” there were many who did
not feel the company was sincere in its efforts to improve hiring practices.
The national Hispanic Foundation for the Arts criticized CBS for not scheduling
“American Family,” A pilot drama about middle – class Hispanic family. Moonves
said “American Family” simply did not fit in CBS’s schedule, since there were
already too many strong dramas planned. He said he took the unusual step of
allowing the show’s producer to pitch the CBS-developed networks but no one
picked it up. Meanwhile, the June 30 deadline had come and gone without much
outward sign of change at CBS television.
Josie Thomas is
committed to CBS’s new mandate for multicultural diversity. Twelve of CBS’
prime time series will have minorities in permanent roles and other series will
have minority in recurring role. Fore of the network’s shows- C.S.I., the
district, the fugitive and welcome to
Since signing
the agreement, CBS has established a strong working relationship with national
minority supplier council in order to help minority supplier council and
women’s businesses. The company has bolstered its internship program to include
paid internships on the west coast, pairing up interns with their areas of
interest, Such as finance or entertainment. There are 10 minority interns in
the program. Moreover, CBS has now made diversity a factor in employee job
performance evaluation. “Each area of the network has developed a detailed plan
for diversity,” said Thomas. “Manager will be reviewed with respect to their
diversity efforts and that will be a factor in compensation decisions.” Ms.
Thomas noted that Ghen Maynard, an Asian American Pacific Islander, had just
been promoted form director to vice president of alternative programming for
the entertainment division.
“Will all
believe there is a long way to go,” Thomas said. “What I have found is there
are some things that already exist that are positive, such as news magazines
having minority anchors. We think ‘city
of angels’ renewal was an important step. The ratings were mediocre to low,
and we did feel the program was a risk. It says a lot about our commitment”
In June 2001,
the coalition gave the Big 4 Broadcast Networks (all of whom had signed an
agreement) a report card for their efforts to diversity shows on – air and
behind the scenes. CBS got a D-plus.
Mr. Nogales, of
the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said he was disappointed “We expect
progress; we signed for progress” “The numbers in comparison to last year
actually look better”
The pressure
being put on the networks- including threats of “boycott” and legal action – is having results. At CBS the number of
minority writers and producer has more than tripled, from four to fourteen,
including six executive or co executive producer however, obstacles to a fully
integrated future remain serious-particularly because of misconceptions about
the nature of the television audience and about the way pop culture works.
Network executive worry that “ghetto shows” might promote stereotypes. They
wonder if shows like The cosby show are
“black” enough. Then again, they think that casting too many minorities may
drive white viewers away. Some network executives are afraid to cast minority
actors in “negative” roles because they may be criticized for it minority
writers, who have been getting more work lately, wonder if they are not just
“tokens”; and despite some progress it is still almost impossible for Hispanic
actor to get non- Hispanic roles.
Both the NAACP
and the coalition have been battling discrimination for years. CBS is just
finding out that a profound change toward pluralism can take place only with
true insight on the part of management. CBS spokesperson Chris Ender says “We
have made tremendous strides to increase diversity on screen, behind the camera
and in the executive suites. However we certainly recognize that more can be
done and more will be done.”
As far as
Questions
Question 1:-
What advantages would accrue to CBS if it becomes a more diverse workplace?
Question 2:- Where
would you have placed CBS on the organizational diversity continuum and where
would you place CBS now? Why?
Question 3:-
Which approach (es) to pluralism best sums up the diversity policy that is
being developed at CBS? Explain
Question 4:- How
do the attitudes of management at CBS as depicted in your case study affect the
company’s progress toward forming a more diverse workforce? Explain.
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Case Study 4
McDonald’s
Listening Campaign
At the end of
2002, the world's largest quick service retailer made its first ever quarterly
loss and faced a number of challenges. It responded by launching its Plan to
Win program, part of a global strategy to modernize the business, followed by
the Listening Campaign in the UK. Here, Ali Carruthers explains how the two
initiatives were linked in the
In 2003, things were looking bleak for
McDonald's. Its share price was the lowest it had been in a decade and it faced
a series of seemingly insurmountable problems: It was demonized by the UK media
in the fierce debate raging over obesity; it faced huge competition on the high
street; and it was suffering under a wave of Anti-Americanism in the wake of
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Added to this was
the fact that the restaurants themselves were beginning to look dated and
Speaking earlier
this year to the BBC, the
The Plan to Win
The senior
management put their heads together and devised the Plan to Win program, which
went public in the last quarter of 2003. A key part of its focus was a shift to
more choice and variety foods, with salads appearing permanently on the menu
for the first time in the organization's history. Key restaurants began to
receive make over and a supporting advertising campaign with international
stars was planned, all of which were intended to turn the food chain's image
around.
But just as things
were beginning to look up for the organization, trouble raised its head again
in the shape of the documentary film "Supersize me," which in turn
re-ignited the obesity debate in the media. It was then discovered that one of
the salads McDonald's was marketing contained more calories than one of its hamburgers.
The
The Listening
Campaign. The company responded promptly. Working with agency Blue Rubicon, the
in-house communication and media relations team devised the Listening Campaign.
It made the most of the arrival of new
The key ingredient
was listening to customers and staff and then showing the results of this.
"Part of the reason [for doing it] was that we had to introduce Peter very
quickly to employees, customers and stakeholders," says head of internal
communications AIi Carruthers. "It was also signaling that he'd continue
to work to change our culture and lead the drive for a real transparency of approach.
We've been building on that work ever since."
Focus groups for
stakeholders
The communication
team made the most of Beresford's time by booking ahead so that local
franchisees could meet him when he travelled to regional centers for customer
focus groups. Next, Listening Groups were created for the company's regional
offices with corporate rather than restaurant-based employees taking part.
Initial meetings were centered around three classic focus group questions:
* What works?
* What would you
change?
* How would you
change it?
In each session,
six to 10 employees took part and the sessions lasted around two hours. After
the first session, an action plan was drawn up and fed back to the employees in
a second round of focus groups. Then the agreed proposed changes were put in
place by the organization.
Proposed changes
put in place
A range of short,
medium and long term actions have been instigated as a result of the focus
groups. These include a firm commitment to hold monthly town-hall sessions to
regularly address key issues within the organization. "We've agreed to use
these sessions to feature various departmental heads," says Carruthers.
"That's so
people can put names to faces, understand the organizational structure better
and get an understanding of what goes on outside their own departments."
The company has also committed itself to involving a new group of employees
every six months, and to being more transparent about its promotion process and
how people are assessed for promotion. It now holds regular Plan to Win
meetings, which are related to the global strategy. "We're using the
town-hall sessions to communicate the global strategy to thebroader office
group rather than just senior management so there's a wider understanding of what
we're doing," says Carruthers.
The company has
also committed to a peer-nominated quarterly recognition scheme for the
regional and head offices. It's planned that the town halls will also be used
in the recognition scheme. "People need to say well done to each other and
be acknowledged by the senior team," says Carruthers.
A change in
company culture
According to
Carruthers, the strategy has been recognized globally - a drive for greater
face-to-face communication, more transparency, a growth in leadership behavior
and accountability. "Basically we've been trying to make people feel
they're able to ask questions," she says. "There's nothing wrong with
challenging the status quo as long as it's done in a constructive and
respectful way. If we can use some of those ideas we can probably make it a
more enjoyable place for everyone to work."
There's no doubt
that the Listening Campaign has had an impact on the senior team and general
employees alike. Carruthers has had feedback from both groups and believes the
exercise has been an eye-opener for the senior team: "They frequently
mention experiences they've had in those groups. There's nothing quite like
hearing issues for yourself; the good ones and the more awkward ones."
The feedback from
focus-group participants has been very good; employees say they feel listened
to and think their feedback is being taken on board. "They feel confident
to ask questions or send e-mails directly to people they thought wouldn't have
listened to their suggestions previously. It's changing the culture. Anything
that builds trust and transparency is good. Now it's about delivering on the
changes that we said we'd make."
A hotline to the
CEO
A hotline to the
CEO has made the company's drive for transparency and commitment to employees
even more credible. The "Ask Peter" e-mail address was established
when Beresford took up his post and has seen a fair amount of traffic.
"It's word of mouth - people see that it's well responded to," says
Carruthers. She sees it as important to be straight with employees about how
e-mails are dealt with and who sees them. "We're very up-front about the
fact that I see all e-mails as well as Peter, but if we forward them to other
departments, they'll be anonymous."
A combination of
high and low technology adds to the feeling of personal contact: Beresford will
often answer e-mails with a hand-written reply. In one famous instance he
replied to nearly 100 in one week. "It doesn't always happen that way, but
it's these things that make a difference. People see it's coming from him and
it's quite a personal touch."
Committing to
communication, A new round of Listening focus groups with fresh employees is
due to kick off in October. The whole cycle of questions, action-planning and
feedback will be replayed. "We're working with a new group of employees
because we want to keep changing and avoid having a formalized council of
volunteers," says Carruthers. "They'll look at what they think has
happened so far, whether anything could have been done differently and then
we'll hold a review of the proposals."
It's a genuine
commitment to keep the focus groups running on an ongoing basis. Carruthers is
also expecting that the flexibility and fresh new faces will ensure that new
topics arise: "They're things that inevitably come up along the way and
get added to the agenda for change. We just need to follow them through and
then tell people the results."
The results
Since Beresford's
Listening Tour there's been a turnaround in the media coverage of McDonald's,
which has been much more positive. The Listening Campaign is changing the
internal culture of the company and its focus group cycles are becoming
permanent two-way communication channels.
Results back in
August this year from the last employee survey showed that internal
communication is now ranked by employees as number four out of 25 departments.
"The communications strategy has helped people become aware of who we are
and what we do," says Carruthers. The Listening Campaign has also helped
McDonald's raise its profile externally, as it was nominated in this year's UK
Chartered Institute of Public Relations Excellence Awards and short-listed for
Best Use of Media Relations in the PR Week Awards.
Questions
Question1. Based
on this case, develop guidelines for improving communication with each of
different stakeholders, through better listening.
Question 2:-
What are the essentials for the effective communication?
Question 3:-
Write about McDonald marketing plan
which they have implemented for the success?
Question 4:- Do the SWOT analysis of
following:-
- McDonald
- Food
Industry
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