Read the following case study. Then, working in groups of two or three, answer the questions below. Finally, compare your answers with those of the other groups.

The time is almost midnight. Sheldon, Chief Executive of Reprox, a photocopying equipment firm, sits in an armchair, looking shocked. He has just had a phone call from Donald, his Marketing Manager, and what Donald has told him a very worrying. Sheldon pours himself out a stiff whisky and considers the facts.

Apparently, the previous night, Donald had gone to a local restaurant with his wife. There, he had seen the firm’s top salesman. Melvin, having dinner with a woman. Donald has been amazed at Melvin’s choice of a dining companion, for the woman was Lois Markham, an executive from Helix, one of their competitors.

The next day, Donald called Malvin to his office, intending to give the top salesman a quiet warning about mixing with the enemy. However, the conversation did not go as planned.

“Come on now, don’t be so naïve”, Don answered. “Think of the security aspect. We’re in a competitive business – it’s dog eat dog”.

“Ihaven’t done anything wrong. You’ve got no right to interfere in my private life. And if you start doing so, maybe I’ll have to look for another job”.

Sheldon considered the problem. Should he turn a blind eye to what was going on? Or was some sort of action needed on his part?

1. Summarize briefly the problem that Sheldon must solve.

2. What factors should he take into account before taking a decision?

3. How should he deal with the situation?

4. Can firms do anything to avoid this type of problem?

 

 

Тексты для чтения 2 семестр____________________________________________

Менеджмент, ГМУ

What Makes a Good Manager? Here Are 10 Tips.

by Bill Gates

/4 200 ЗНАКОВ/

There isn't a magic formula for good management, of course, but if you're a manager perhaps these tips will help you be more effective.

Choose a field thoughtfully. Make it one you enjoy. It's hard to be productive without

Genuine enthusiasm. This is true whether you're a manager or employee.

2. Hire carefully and be willing to fire. You need a strong team, because a mediocre team gives
mediocre results, no matter how well managed it is.

One common mistake is holding onto somebody who doesn't quite measure up. It's easy to keep this person on the job because he's not terrible at what he does. But a good manager will replace him or move him to a set of responsibilities where he can succeed unambiguously.

3. Create a productive environment. This is a particular challenge because it requires different
approaches depending on the context.

Sometimes you maximize productivity by giving everybody his or own office. Sometimes you achieve it by moving everybody into open space. Sometimes you use financial incentives to stimulate productivity. A combination of approaches is usually required. One element that almost always increases productivity is providing an information system that empowers employees.

When I was building Microsoft, I set out to create an environment where software developers could thrive. I wanted a company where engineers liked to work. I wanted to create a culture that encouraged them to work together, share ideas and remain highly motivated. If I hadn't been a software engineer myself, there's no way I could have achieved my goal.

4. Define success. Make it clear to you employees what constitutes success and how they
should measure their achievements.

Goals must be realistic. Project schedules, for example, must be set by the people who do the work. People will accept a «bottoms-up» deadline they helped set but they'll be cynical about a schedule imposed from the top that doesn't map to reality. Unachievable goals undermine an organization.

At my company, in addition to regular team meetings and one-on-one sessions between managers and employees, we use mass gatherings periodically and e-mail routinely to communicate what we expect from employees.

5. To be a good manager, you have to like people and be good at communicating. This is hard
to fake. If you don't genuinely enjoy interacting with people, it'll be hard to manage them
well.

You must have a wide range of personal contacts within your organization. You need relationships - not necessarily personal friendships - with a fair number of people including your own employees. You must encourage these people to tell you what's going on (good or bad) and give you feedback about what people are thinking about the company and your role in it.

Develop your people to do their jobs better than you can. Transfer your skills to them.

This is an exciting goal but it can be threatening "to a manager who worries that he's training his replacement. If you're concerned, ask your boss: «If I develop somebody who can do my job super well, does the company have some other challenge for me or not?» Many smart managers like to see their employees increase their responsibilities because it frees the managers to tackle new or undone tasks.

7. Build morale. Make it clear there's plenty of good will to go around and that it's not just
you as some hotshot manager who's going to look good if things go well.

Give people a sense of the importance of what they're working on - its importance to

Customers.

When you achieve great results, everybody involved should share in the credit and feel good

About it.

Take on projects yourself. You need to do more than communicate.

The last thing people want is a boss who just doles out stuff. From time to time prove you can be hands-on by taking on one of the less attractive tasks and using it as an example of how your employees should meet challenges.

9. Don't make the same decision twice. Spend the time and thought to make a solid decision
the first time so that you don't revisit the issue unnecessarily. If you're too willing to reopen
issues, it interferes not only with your execution but also with your motivation to make a
decision in the first place.