Analysis Paper - Case Study Example

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS REPORT Case study analysis paper Amber Jeffiers of Phoenix
ABC Inc. faces several problems and what could be the route cause
How did things go wrong was the question that haunted Carl Robins. He had recruited 15 people in early April from campus for his company but when the time came for inducting these new recruits several things were missing. He had assured Operations Supervisor, Monica Carrolls, to have all the new hires working for her by July. With his head down on the table he's now thinking what went wrong. He wouldn't have recollected what the management and lifestyle book told:
"To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to where you are going so you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction "
(Covey, 2003, P. 98)
It's not very clear from the case whether this was Carl's first job. In any case Carl missed the 2nd Habit that Stephen Covey preaches. He was ill-prepared for the magnitude of work required to follow through his recruitment decision. He never had a plan and practice. When Operations Supervisor contacted him in mid-May he claimed to be in full control of the situation. The enquiries from Monica should have alerted him. Believing in his verbal assurances she proceeded with her own orientation programme.
Businesses are never run on the spoken words. Capabilities and means to asses are primarily important. This is a mistake that Carl Robins and Monica Carrolls must understand. Both are at fault in this case study.
The most important fallout of this crisis would be delayed orientation for these new recruits giving a bad image of the company leading to a early exit of these potential employees in future. One cannot expect this to be a great organization. The application forms have to be verified and corrected now to begin with, this will take time and in business time is money. Lost time means loss of money and an opportunity loss for the company.
Carl should be more principled and be organized. One of the most important disciplines is - to learn, to work and to think. In Covey's own words "First Things First" means Carl follow-up through his recruitment drive to its logical conclusion and ensure all dependant items were booked and in order. Priority list was missing in his life. Here in this company, Carl postponed the job till Memorial Day and later 'in time' realizes that things are messed up. This usually happens in the company when the employees are not trained to think and act accordingly. It's very easy to bask in the glory of short term achievements which is what Carl probably was in, after recruiting 15 students from campus
Success never stops. It leads way further to more success or failure. This is something every employee must understand from this case. Monica has more to learn than Carl. Placing trust on Carl was a risk for which she would have paid a price. One should know the extent of trust to place on another. Monica by not sensing that Carl was not organized or in control of the situation had allowed his inefficiency to affect her. Carl is now a big drain on Monica's energy & time. There wasn't a clear cut process in place at the company. Employees through these processes must be thought to prioritize jobs. Doing faster or learning faster does not count; efficiency is the key factor here. If Carl and Monica are willing to learn from the issue the company will go well else will run out of business very easily
There is nothing like a final conclusion to a company issue just as it is in an essay, story or poem. One problem leads to the other and usually issues are inter- dependant. And many managers, especially CEOs view a case from all the different angles. For a successful analysis of a case the viewer should view all the necessary angles to solve it. For example, Carl Robin's reaction to receiving Joe's scheduling log is an important part of the whole case. It is at this point that Carl identifies how deep the issue is. Carl's hurt mind doesn't know what to do. Normally this is the point where he must be courageous to solve the problem rather than loosing heart.
This could easily be a nightmare for Carl and all he had to do was wake up from his sleep. Real or not, in a sense this is the time for Carl to wake up and take stock of the situation.
Works consulted:
1. Covey, Stephen R. (1989), The Seven Habits of Highly Effective people, Great Britain, Pocket Books.
2. Covey, Stephen R. (2003), First Things First, NY, Free Press.
3. Sharma, Robin,(2003), The Monk who Sold His Ferrari ,Mumbai, Jaico Books
4. Sharma, Robin (2006), The Greatness Guide, Mumbai, Jaico Books
5. Subroto Bagchi (2006), The High Performance Entrepreneur, New Delhi, Penguin Books. Read More