管理学案例分析和问答题参考答案.docx

案例分析参考答案

第7章 案例分析  Underwater Chaos
1. What’s your reaction to this story? What does it illustrate about decision making?
With the vast sums of money invested into large projects like the Eurotunnel (approximately ￡9.5bn), it amazes observers that important information (i.e. the affect of the cold weather) would not be considered beforehand.  However, this situation is fairly common in projects that use groundbreaking technologies in extreme environments.   These types of projects occur under conditions of uncertainty and great risk.  It is common for these projects to experience unexpected ‘hiccups.’ The best case scenario in these types of projects is to plan as to avoid life threatening catastrophes and to have contingencies plans in case of emergencies.

2. How could the decision-making process have helped in both the response to the crisis situation and in preventing it from happening?
Better planning is always suggested after the fact.  Consideration of the effects of extreme weather could have been made part of the testing of the train and track equipment before it was put into use. While the situation was developing, emergency plans should have been in place to deal with a possible breakdown and better communication equipment made available.  Eurostar should have been clued into possible problems when other forms of transportation broke down during the extreme weather.  It is important to note that Eurostar did take the necessary actions after the incident to correct communication problems and retrofit train equipment.

3. Could procedures, policies, and rules play any role in future crisis situations like this one? If so, how? If not, why not?
Students may not be aware that most companies have plans for dealing with emergencies. Airlines are a good example of firms that practice risk management.   These firms develop contingency plans for minor and worse case scenarios.  Employees are trained in how to handle emergencies and backup/emergency equipment is distributed throughout the organization.  However, unexpected emergencies are by their very nature difficult to plan for.   It is almost impossible to plan for every emergency.  For example, after the first space shuttle disaster, NASA grounded the entire program and put together a small army of engineers and scientists to mitigate risk to the crew.  Unfortunately, the shuttle program by nature is risky and again suffered the loss of another ship and crew.

4. What could other organizations learn from this incident?
As the adage goes, ‘accidents happen.’  Learning from mistakes and the actions that a company takes during an event like this is what’s important.  Ask students if they have experienced a similar situation. Students may be able to relate to being stuck in a plane on a runway or in a hotel when services were down. How did the company respond?

第9章 案例分析 Faded Signal
1. What strategic mistakes did Nokia make in the U.S. market?
While Nokia still does well in other countries, it has recently struggled in the US. Nokia’s biggest mistake in the US was that it thought it knew better what the customer wanted than the customers themselves.  Seeing the buzz created by the iphone, Nokia neglected the growing fondness for apps and touch screens and believed that its products were superior.  Another mistake has to do with the different technologies used by cellphones (GSM vs. CDMA).  Nokia was initially slow to adapt to the technology currently used by a majority of US cell phone users.

2. Why do you think a “smart” company makes “dumb” mistakes?
One of the paradoxes of businesses is that many times they are the victims of their own success.  A good example of this phenomenon is Ford’s model T.  Having designed a great car, Ford didn’t see the need to update the model it believed was superior to its competitors.  While Ford rested on his laurels, other car manufacturers were listening to customers and providing the options and features that customers wanted.

3. What strategies is Nokia using to revitalize its North American business?
Nokia is using its partnerships with AT&T, Qualcomm, and Microsoft to expand their reach in the United States.  On one hand, this could be viewed as a growth strategy.  Take this statement from the case, “Everything you see us doing is to build the broad set of capabilities to take us broader and deeper into the U.S. market.” On the other hand, in light of their resent failures what they are doing could be viewed as a turnaround strategy.

4. How could Nokia have done better at using strategic management? What does this case story tell you about strategic management?
Obviously, Nokia made the mistake of underestimating the competition (i.e. Apple) and not paying attention to the customer. When companies fail to take these considerations into account when determining their strategy, then they are sure to fail.  The principle that they neglected is that strategic management cannot be made in a vacuum.  The external environment and the competitive environment must be considered when planning

第12章 案例分析  Thinking Outside the Box
1. What external factors were affecting UPS’s HR practices? How did UPS respond to these trends?
The main challenge facing UPS has to do with a large number of projected retirements for delivery drivers.  With many of the baby boomers nearing retirement age, UPS has taken steps to insure that they will have drivers ready to meet demand.  Based upon the premise that younger drivers learn best by technology and hands on training, UPS has created several simulations and a videogames designed to aid in driver training

2. Why is efficiency and safety so important to UPS? What role do the company’s industrial engineers play in how employees do their work?
For UPS, it’s all about speed, accuracy, and safety. Because competition is fierce (i.e. the U.S. Postal Service, DHL, and Federal Express), UPS must keep cost low and customer satisfaction high. To increase the productivity of drivers, UPS has used their industrial engineers to design more efficient routes, loading & unloading procedures, and employee policies to help get the most from their employees in the field.

3. What changes did the company make to its driver training program? What do you think of these changes?
In addition to learning the company’s ‘340 Methods,’ applicants play a videogame where they’re in the driver’s seat and must identify obstacles. From computer simulations, they move to “Clarksville,” a mock village with miniature houses and faux businesses. There, they drive a real truck and “must successfully execute five deliveries in 19 minutes.” And, in the interest of safety and efficiency, trainees learn to carefully walk on ice with the slip and fall simulator.

4. What advantages and drawbacks do you see to this training approach for (a) the trainee and (b) the company?
It appears that the use of simulations and the other new programs implemented by UPS would have good transfer to work the drivers would be doing in the field.  This is an advantage for the trainee and the company.  A potential disadvantage would be if the applicant was not familiar with new technology, such as computer games, or other forms of electronic learning.  These applicants may be successful in the job, but may not show proficiency in training due to the technological nature of the training.  For the company, such programs are expensive but that can be balanced by the benefit of having a better trained workforce.

问答题参考答案

问题1： Discuss the three traditional organizational designs and highlight their strengths and weaknesses. Page Ref: 277-278
Answer: The three traditional organizational designs are: the simple structure, functional structure, and divisional structure. These structures tend to be more mechanistic in nature.
a. Simple structure - It is an organizational design with low departmentalization, wide spans of control, authority centralized in a single person, and little formalization. As employees are added, however, most do not remain as simple structures. The structure tends to become more specialized and formalized. Rules and regulations are introduced, work becomes specialized, departments are created, levels of management are added, and the organization becomes increasingly bureaucratic. At this point, managers might choose a functional structure or a divisional structure. These structures are fast, flexible, and inexpensive to maintain. On the negative side, these structures are not appropriate when the organization starts growing. Moreover, the reliance on one person is also very risky.
b. Functional structure - A functional structure is an organizational design that groups similar or related occupational specialties together. This structure enjoys cost-saving advantages from specialization (economies of scale, minimal duplication of people and equipment). It also groups employees who have similar tasks with each other. On the negative side, the constant pursuit of functional goals can cause managers to lose sight of what is best for the overall organization. Moreover, the functional specialists become insulated and have little understanding of what other units are doing.
c. Divisional structure - It is an organizational structure made up of separate business units or divisions. In this structure, each division has limited autonomy, with a division manager who has authority over his or her unit and is responsible for performance. In divisional structures, however, the parent corporation typically acts as an external overseer to coordinate and control the various divisions, and often provides support services such as financial and legal. The major strength of this structure is that it focuses on results by holding division managers responsible for what happens to their products and services. But, the duplication of activities and resources encountered in such structures increases the cost and reduces the efficiency of the organization.

问题2： Zhou San-duo, Robbins and Malik, respectively defines the nature of management in the following, discuss and interpret in the definitions for the clarity of the nature of management in terms of resources, process, efficiency and effectiveness.

1) 管理是指组织中的如下活动或过程：通过信息获取、决策、计划、组织、领导、控制和创新等职能的发挥来分配、协调包括人力资源在内的一切可以调用的资源， 以实现单独的个人无法实现的目标.
(Zhou San-duo)

2) Management refers to coordinating and overseeing the work activities of others so that their activities are completed efficiently and effectively.
（Robbins）

3) Management is the transformation of the resources into values. (Malik)

Key points:
Similarities:
a. Process or activities
b. Efficiency
c. Effectiveness
d. Resources
Differences:
a. Purposes ( abstract or implicit outcome) –Clear orientation
b. Values (explicit or clear outcome)-measurable results

问题3： Identify and define the seven dimensions of an organization’s culture and explain how you understand them.

Definitions:
The seven dimensions of an organization’s culture are innovation and risk taking, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness and stability.
a. Innovation and risk taking refers to the degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and to take risks;
b. Attention to detail refers to the degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision, analysis, and attention to detail;
c. Outcome orientation refers to the degree to which managers focus on results or outcomes rather than on how these outcomes are achieved;
d. People orientation refers to the degree to which management decisions take into account the effects on people in the organization;
e. Team orientation refers to the degree to which work is organized around teams rather than individuals;
f. Aggressiveness refers to the degree to which employees are aggressive and competitive rather than cooperative;
g. Stability refers to the degree to which organizational decisions and actions emphasize maintaining the status quo.
Suggested Interpretations :
a. The provision of measurable traits for building a strong culture for an organization;
b. To formalize OB;
c. To strengthen the competitive edge;
d. To help accomplish the organizational strategic goals;

问题4： In a short essay, list and discuss five personality traits that have proven to be powerful in explaining individual behavior in organizations. Page382-383
a. Locus of control. Some people believe that they control their own fate. Others see themselves as pawns, believing that what happens to them in their lives is due to luck or chance. The locus of control in the first case is internal; these people believe that they control their own destiny. The locus of control in the second case is external; these people believe that their lives are controlled by outside forces. Research evidence indicates that employees who rate high on externality are less satisfied with their jobs, more alienated from the work setting, and less involved in their jobs than are those who rate high on internality.
b. Machiavellianism. An individual who is high in Machiavellianism is pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and believes that ends can justify means. In jobs that require bargaining skills or that have substantial rewards for winning, high Machs are productive. In jobs in which ends do not justify means or that lack absolute measures of performance, it's difficult to predict the performance of high Machs.
c. Self-esteem. People differ in the degree to which they like or dislike themselves. This trait is called self-esteem (SE). The research on self-esteem offers some interesting insight into organizational behavior. For example, self-esteem is directly related to expectations for success. High SEs believe that they possess the ability they need in order to succeed at work. Individuals with high SEs will take more risks in job selection and are more likely to choose unconventional jobs than are people with low SE. A number of studies confirm that high SEs are more satisfied with their jobs than are low SEs.
d. Self-monitoring. This refers to an individual's ability to adjust his or her behavior to external, situational factors. Individuals high in self-monitoring show considerable adaptability in adjusting their behavior. They're highly sensitive to external cues and can behave differently in different situations. High self-monitors are capable of presenting striking contradictions between their public persona and their private selves. Low self-monitors cannot adjust their behavior. They tend to display their true dispositions and attitudes in every situation, and there's high behavioral consistency between who they are and what they do.
e. Risk taking. People differ in their willingness to take chances. Differences in the propensity to assume or to avoid risk have been shown