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[email protected] www.mbacasestudyanswers.com ARAVIND – 09901366442 – 09902787224 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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