Category: Management

Case 15.2: Conducting Interviews and Technology Stacy Rollins was pensive as she waited for her interview with an investment banking firm. She felt well prepared because she had summarized all her critical information into her resume, which had been reviewed by her business communication professor prior to sending it to the recruiter. She felt well qualified for the position and wanted to make a good impression. She had been through three other interviews for different positions and had developed the ability to respond to questions that ll the recruiters seemed to have in common. Unlike the first three however, this interview was going to be conducted as a teleconference. The recruiter placed the phone call, introduced herself and added that she was placing stacy on speaker phone, although she did not describe who else was in the room listening in. The recruiter began the interview by saying , “ Stacy, we have the resume you emailed yesterday. It looks good. You are familiar with the job requirements, I suppose. We are seeking a candidate with superb analytical skills, demonstrated ability to work in team settings, and the ability to communicate and to manage communication effectively.” “Oh, yes!” Stacy replied. “ I think I am a good match for your criteria.” The recruiter was silent for a moment. “So…” she said finally. A prolonged pause ensued. The recruiter said nothing further, though the phone line was apparently still open. Stacy was perplexed. She had not experienced this in other interviews. She did not know what do.1: Place yourself in Stacy’s shoes; knowing what you do about interviews, what would you do at this point?2: What could the recruiter’s objective be for posing the non question and then saying nothing further?3: What advantages and disadvantages of conducting interviews by teleconference does this case demonstrate?

Expertron Group, founded by Dr Walter Smuts and Gavin Ehlers, is a South African privatelyowned company specialising in the new product development for information and communication systems with a focus on applications utilising technologies at the convergence between mobile (GSM) and conventional data networks (the Internet). We build long-term, trusted relationships with our customers, whether it be through licensing one of our products, developing software according to bespoke requirements or consulting on general IT and Software Engineering matters. Expertron has a total of 12 employees and employs a team of highly trained software development engineers with the capacity to specify design and develop products that provide tangible business solutions. Expertron, the developer of Cell-ID a strong user authentication system was the first major success story of the Maxum Business Incubator of the Innovation Hub. Since joining the Innovation Hub, an entrepreneurship intervention designed to accelerate the growth of innovative knowledge and technology-based enterprises in Gauteng, the company has made notable achievements. In a deal facilitated by the Innovation Hub, Expertron formed a partnership with Grintek, a major player in the local and international defense, electronics and telecommunication industries. An important advantage of being part of the Innovation Hub as the leading knowledge-intensive business cluster in South Africa, is being near other entrepreneurs and being able to share ideas and be assisted to commercialise technological innovations
1.3.
Give three advantages and three disadvantages of the form of business ownership chosen by Walter and Gavin. (6)
1.4.
According to the National Small Business Act of South Africa, what would the business in the case study be classified as? Support your answer with evidence from the case study.

The day is November 19, 2004. You are the Event Director at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, home of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. As the Director of Event Operations at The Palace, I am somewhat your boss. I am on the Events Committee who hired you earlier this year to handle all aspects of any event occurring in The Palace. In essence, you report to me and this committee. We hired you and we can fire you. That being said, on November 19 th of 2004 the Detroit Pistons (who call The Palace home) are hosting the Indianapolis Pacers. Something unprecedented will happen tonight. Do your research and do everything you can to view the incident from all aspects: players, fans, security, etc. This project is designed to take approximately 6-10 weeks to complete. Although I know this could be completed in a significantly shorter time frame, my hope is that you would spend several days researching ALL aspects of what occurred and looking at the entire picture. Keep in mind that the NBA is responsible for the actions and discipline of its players and this falls outside of the scope of your job. Your assignment is to write a 10 (minimum)-20 (maximum) page report using the format below. Keep in mind, your job is on the line. This report will determine if the committee decides to keep you in your current position as Event Director, demotes you to a lower position, or decides to fire you. The paper should follow the guidelines below:
Times New Roman, 12 point font
Double-spaced
APA style for all references;
The paper should roughly use the following format; use the following headings:
Summary of the Incident
Issues That Contributed to the Incident
Changes That Will Be Made to Prevent This Type of Incident From Occurring Again
Estimated Cost of Changes Necessary (from item above)
Brief Summary of How The Changes You Make Will Be Effective, Yet Cost Effective

One of the important lessons about competing in a gobaly compettive marketplace that emerges from participating in The Buchess Strategy Game simulation enercise in thata compary’s managers are pressured by ever-shiting compettive conditions to carefuly study the strategies and moves of rival companies in order to judge what actions they need to take to imonove their company’s competitiveness vis-a-vis rivals and boost its overal performanct-a compaty that ignorst the latest maneuvers of rival companies is flying bilind into competive bartie and ili-prepared to craft a set of competiliely succestal competitive efforts in each region.after 3 or 4 decision rounds (fearsh, it becomes relablvely easy to diagnose what atrategy a rival company is pursuing, to anticipate what moves the rival is liely to make nest, and fo cratt a strategy and an evolving set of competitive efforts in each region that will overpower many, if not most, rival flrms.the best time for a company to overhaul iss strategy and churt a new atrategic course to overpower fival firms is after the first few decision rounds (years) when the strategies of rival firms become apoareet and it is nelatively easy to outwit and outmaneuver themthe company that lumps out to be the industry leader earty on is very lialy going lo be the industry leader at the end of the simulation enercipe-it is extremely difficult for traling companies to ever develop a strategy and combination of competitive efforts in each region that enables them to compete more effectively and overtake the early industry leader.the best strategy for being among the top-performing comparies in the industry is to strongly differentiate a company’s product oftering from the oflerings of rival firms and charpe prices that are close to the lowest of any company in the induatry in all segments of the world market.

Item shrm3066-1Refer to the following scenario for the next 2 questions.In preparation for upcoming performance evaluations, the chief human resources officer (CHRO) sends an email message to all department managers outlining key policies and processes to follow when conducting reviews. A department manager on the email distribution list meets with an HR generalist to discuss several issues, including critical hiring needs, the general decline of the market, the possibility of essential layoffs, and the direct impact of the CEO’s company-wide strategy on the manager’s department. They also talk about the manager’s low ratings of employees’ performance last year when compared to the ratings of other department managers who used an identical scale. They discuss the extent to which this strict process unfairly punished the manager’s department. Because of the latter concern, the manager requests the HR generalist’s guidance on how to establish operational objectivity this year. The HR generalist provides guidance by reviewing the key points in the CHRO’s email message to ensure that the manager understands the requirements, the review process, and how ratings impact bonuses and compensation.How should the HR generalist respond if the department manager asks whether performance appraisal results will justify layoff decisions?
Answers
Performance appraisal results are the primary factor for determining layoffs. However, legal issues and the impact on companywide strategy are also considerations.
Performance appraisal results are the primary factor for determining layoffs. However, market decline is also a consideration.
Salary is the primary factor for determining layoffs. However, performance appraisal results are also a consideration.
Seniority is the primary factor for determining layoffs. However, performance appraisal results are also a consideration.

Midwest Health System is a healthcare organisation operating multiple hospitals and clinics across the Midwest region. The organisation relies heavily on information systems for patient care, administrative functions, and data management. Their IT infrastructure includes electronic health records (EHR), patient management systems, and networked devices. The organisation faces challenges in maintaining system security, data privacy, and operational continuity while complying with healthcare regulations like HIPAA. Under CIO Steve Nelson’s leadership, they’re working to modernise their IT infrastructure. At the same time, managing associated risks in a highly regulated healthcare environment where patient data security and system reliability are critical to their core mission of providing quality healthcare services.CIO Steve Nelson was seeing increased problems with billing mistakes, data fraud, waste, and greater compliance demands. Such worries were especially acute in billing and collection, which influenced the paying ability of the organization and the contentment of the patient. In order to tackle the issues, Nelson met with the information systems and audit teams to evaluate and improve existing controls to mitigate risks and comply with laws such as HIPAA and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The objective was to empower operational efficiency, security of the organizational asset sensitive data, uphold candor, and not compromise financial recap.
The organisation operates in a highly regulated healthcare environment where the security of patient data and the reliability of systems are essential to fulfilling its mission of providing quality healthcare services.
Question 01 Based on case study ,Evaluate the following Internal context: External context: Risk criteria: Stakeholder considerations:

Management at WorkFlight 001 (pronounced “flight one”) is a store that caters to frequent travelers. The business was conceived by international business travelers John Sencion and Brad John. Sencion and John thought it took too long to prepare for trips. They decided to start a travel store that is streamlined and provides frequent fliers with everything they need to travel comfortably. Flight 001’s products include a wide range of carry-on bags, luggage sets, duffels and totes, toiletry bags, document organizers, and gadgets to help travelers use their electronic items wherever they might travel.
When Brad John, one of the owners of Flight001, asks employees what products are selling and what ideas they have, he is increasing .
Suppose you just accepted a job as the manager of a Flight 001 store. Which of the following actions could you take to empower your employees? Check all that apply.
Give employees bonuses when the company achieves annual performance goals.
Let employees decide how they will do their work and accomplish their goals.
Give employees regular updates about the productivity of the company.
Give employees special benefits such as pet care or extra vacation.
Imagine that you conducted a survey to assess employee job satisfaction. The results were encouraging but a substantial percentage of employees explained that the traditional work schedule of 8 hours per day for 5 days per week was not ideal for them. Some employees wanted to be able to pick their children up from school. Others wanted to be able to travel on the weekend. Some employees wanted to work part-time.
Which alternative work schedule should you use if the office space available is insufficient for your growing workforce, but much of the work can be accessed through the corporate website?
Compressed work schedule
Telecommuting
Job sharing
Temporary work schedule

large global organization, with manufacturing plants located in several countries, has approximately 10,000 employees, with 00 employees located at its U.S.-based headquarters. The organization decides to develop an enterprise risk management trategy. Its U.S.-based research and development plant will fully test a new, more efficient welding machine for three months, ind, once complete, four of its international plants will implement the new machine over a period of 12 months. The CEO asks he senior VP of HR to co-lead the enterprise risk management strategy task force for this implementation along with the chief perating officer (COO). The CEO requests that the task force, made up of mid-level managers, identify potential threats to chieving objectives and develop a plan to minimize the risks associated with the implementation. There are also significant uman capital issues to address. First, the new welding machine requires upgraded technical skills. Second, the capital ustification for return on investment requires a reduction of 150 employees at each of the four plants outside the U.S. and 50 mployees in the U.S.-based plant. The senior VP of HR and the COO are relying heavily on the HR manager with regard to the uman capital efforts of the task force.Iow should the HR manager guide the task force response to ensuring compliance with corporate safety procedures for the new quipment in the international plant?
Answers
Remind managers at the international plant of their accountability for safety records and meeting procedural standards.
Provide all plants with research-based plans for overcoming employee cultural resistance to change.
Work with managers at the international plant to identify approaches that encourage application of safety procedures.
Assure managers at the international plant that resistance to new safety procedures will be addressed as it occurs.