Though it might be a challenge, employing individuals with autism is beneficial. According to Britain’s National Autistic Society, only 15 percent of adults with autism have fulltime employment, while 9 percent work part-time, despite 79 percent actually wanting to work.93 While people with autism do have the necessary skills and drive, employers don’t understand the empirical benefits of employing such candidates—benefits that go beyond corporate social responsibility or charity. While the attitude of employers toward the young workforce with autism is changing, there is still a considerable amount of ground to be covered. The UK government set up a working group that brings employees and charities together, who look for the best ways to harness this pool of untapped talent. One of the findings was a need for an autism-friendly work environment. A few minoradjustments, such as ensuring that the workplace is not too bright or too loud, could make a quite a difference.94 12-9. Research and describe the steps taken in your country to create an autism-friendly work environment? What about employees who face other challenges? 12-10. Should ethical and diverse recruitment be considered when profit is an organization’s primary goal? 12-11. Workplace inclusivity is arguably one of the most notable HR issues of this decade. How do you think managers should tackle an offensive or hostile work environment?
> In how many ways can managers create a competitive advantage so that they can compete against their industry rivals?
> Explain how managers can use a BCG Matrix to manage strategies by analyzing a corporate portfolio.
> There are three different types of corporate strategies. Do you think all corporate strategies revolve around growth? Why?
> Distinguish between an organization’s external opportunities and its threats.
> Why is strategic management important to managers?
> Hyundai’s Global Command and Control Center (GCCC) have cameras strategically placed across its centres to monitor assembly lines. This helps identify problems and respond quickly. What drives Hyundai to plan this way?
> Setting organizational goals is an important step in planning. What are the approaches to setting organizational goals? Which do you consider the best?
> What is the fastest-growing area of environmental scanning? What does it provide to an organization?
> Outline the five steps required for setting goals in an organization. Explain how they work.
> What are the different types of organizational plans? Are they independent of each other?
> Technological developments deskill the global workforce. For example, factory-built, flat-pack furniture cut out the role of experienced carpenters. Similarly, with some vehicles having on-board software to diagnose problems, the future of skilled mechan
> Define the term goal and explain how planning fits into an organization’s goal.
> Planning takes a lot of effort. Why do you think people should engage in it?
> Explain what studies have shown about the relationship between planning and performance.
> Discuss whether it is possible for managers to spot the warning signs of stress among their employees.
> Job stress is a major problem for employees working in many organizations today. Discuss some of the job stressors. What can a manager do to reduce stressors for employees?
> Why do people resist change, even though they may carry the potential for a better tomorrow?
> While changes must continually occur in every industry, one of the most baffling problems thatbusiness executives face is employee resistance to change. What are the common techniques to minimize resistance to change within an organization?
> Why do people in organizations resist change? Provide examples an organization can take to reduce resistance to change.
> What is organizational development? How do organizational development techniques support organizational change?
> Selina Lo loves her job as the manager of a toy store in San Francisco. She loves the chaos and the excitement of kids as they wander around the store searching for their favorite toys. Teddy bears pulled off the shelves and toy trucks left on the floor
> Manchester City Football Club follows a different locker room pep-talk ritual: The players spend time with the performance analyst team, discussing what they had done well or wrong in previous matches. This includes tactical assessment, movement analysis
> What comes to mind when you think of IKEA? You might have memories of following your parents through an IKEA maze-like store with the promise of Swedish meatballs at the end of the trip. The Swedish-based company is known for its flat-packed furniture, m
> How would you feel as a new employee if your boss asked you to do something and you had to admit that you didn’t know how to do it? Most of us would probably feel pretty inadequate and incompetent. Now imagine how strange and uncomfortable it would be if
> Management theory suggests that compared to an individual, a diverse group of people will be more creative because team members will bring a variety of ideas, perspectives, and approaches to the group. For an organization like Alphabet’s Google, innovati
> Alan Naiman was a frugal social worker who used duct tape to repair his shoes, looked for deals at the supermarket, and chose fast-food restaurants when it was his turn to treat friends to lunch. When he died in 2018, Naiman left $11 million to child-rel
> One of the biggest fears of a food service company manager has to be the hepatitis A virus, a highly contagious virus transmitted by sharing food, utensils, cigarettes, or drug paraphernalia with an infected person. Food service workers aren’t any more s
> It is not surprising that employers are keen on knowing what their employees are up to. In some cases, they can be a little too keen. In 2015, British Airways was accused of illegally monitoring the phones and emails of its cabin crew during a dispute in
> When General Motors (GM) decided to start a bug bounty program—paying hackers to find computer bugs in the company’s information systems—they purposely tried to avoid other companies’ mistakes with such programs. Uber ended up paying hackers more than te
> Cyber Monday falls on the first Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday. During Cyber Monday, employers find that a significant number of employees are surfing the web for holiday deals. A recent survey revealed that 64 percent of professionals planned
> When Steve Kerr first became the coach of the Golden State Warriors basketball team, he saw the need for some changes. He wanted to steer away from the tendency for new leaders to announce that they want to change the culture, since that can be insulting
> PepsiCo, Inc., is regarded as the second largest food and beverage business in the world, and a large part of its success can be attributed to its leader. Indra Nooyi, who served as the chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, is an inspiring and visionary leader
> Card Connection is one of the UK’s largest card publishers and a market leader in the franchise distribution of greeting cards in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (ROI). Established in 1992, it is regarded as one of the Britain’s best-run franchise ope
> Have you ever watched the show Undercover Boss? It features a company’s “boss” working undercover in his or her own company to find out how the organization really works. Typically, the executive works undercover for a week, and then the employees the le
> Flexible working schemes have been around for many years, and are generally expected to be found in any organization that wants to retain its staff. The standard 9-to-5 business hours structure is an old concept. Employees being able to work from home or
> Is having a caring employer important to you when looking for a new job? Today, many organizations consider well-being initiatives as a way of keeping employees happy and motivated. Research has demonstrated that asking questions about whether employees
> Advocates of open-book management point to the advantages of getting employees to think like owners and to be motivated to make better decisions about how they do their work once they see how their decisions impact financial results. However, is there su
> Employees first” is the most important cultural value that former HCL Technologies’ CEO Vineet Nayar believed would help the company to grow. While most managers think a customer’s satisfaction should come first, Nayar’s philosophy is that employee satis
> In the same league as Amazon Inc., Microsoft, and Alphabet Inc., the Chinese multinational investment holding Tencent is considered one of the world’s biggest companies in the gaming industry. Founded in 1998, the company is based in Shenzhen, China. Wha
> A new business analyst needs to be hired to work at the corporate headquarters of a retail firm. Jared and Amanda are managers in charge of the hiring decision. The candidates have been narrowed down to three possible hires: 1) Sheri, who was in the same
> On January 13, 2012, 32 people died after the Costa Concordia, the lead ship of Concordia-class cruise ships, ran aground with more than 4,000 passengers and crew a few hours after leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia. As the ship steered close to t
> Founded in 1972, the German software business SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) is known as one of the world leaders in enterprise resource planning software, employing over 98,000 staff. Usually SAP managers meet employees on
> Forty-six percent of employees worry about being judged by coworkers for something they have posted on social media.38 Social networking websites can be fun. Staying in touch with old friends or family is one of the pleasures of joining. However, it can
> The UK’s National Health Service employs 1.7 million people.45 It is the world’s largest publicly funded health service. There are cases when employees have found themselves “victimized” by management for one reason or another. A prime example is that of
> With greater global expansion, more organizations are collaborating on projects with teams consisting of people who are based in dispersed geographical locations, having different cultural backgrounds and value systems. These are virtual teams that have
> In India, only about 20 cities out of 87 have organized transport and fewer can lay claim to a mass rapid transit system. A collaboration between India’s Tata Motors and Brazil’s Marcopolo, it specializes in coach and bus manufacturing, combining Marcopo
> When coworkers work closely on a team project, is there such a thing as becoming too close? Not everyone thinks so. A recent survey revealed that 51 percent of employees said they have had an office romance.45 And another survey found that workers in the
> Despite being a world-renowned business, BAE Systems Naval Ships has hardly changed its working arrangement over the past years at its Glasgow sites on the River Clyde, explains Chris Westcott, who is the Head of Employee Relations. Employees are expecte
> One of the world’s biggest shipping companies, Danish company Maersk is concerned about the future of its presence in the Chinese market. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Søren Skou, the head of the company’s container-shipping division in m
> Imagine being at all-company meetings where trays of hors d’oeuvres and drinks are being served, but you and the others who aren’t wearing white badges are asked to return to your desks. That has been the experience of some contractors at Google. There a
> If you get a job at Punchkick Interactive—a digital agency that designs and builds software in Chicago—you won’t have a boss. You’ll not be shown an organizational chart of who reports to whom because such a chart doesn’t exist. You also will be asked to
> Thomas Lopez, a lifeguard in the Miami area, was fired for leaving his assigned area to save a drowning man. His employer, Jeff Ellis and Associates, which has a contract with the Florida city of Hallandale, said that by leaving his assigned patrol area
> In 2002, British restaurateur and television celebrity-chef, James Trevor “Jamie” Oliver opened Fifteen, a nonprofit restaurant and bar in London. As a social enterprise, this restaurant would later operate as part of a charity called Foundation Fifteen
> It’s one thing to ensure that customers feel that their concerns are resolved quickly. It’s something else to revamp how a company reaches customers. That’s what Nike has been up to lately. This approach seems to be paying off with sales growth as well a
> Many college students pull all-nighters to study for midterms and finals. What Andrew Kozlovski noticed when he was a freshman at the University of Southern California was how many students were using Adderall to allow them to stay awake and concentrate.
> Everyone can make mistakes, but sometimes these can have severe consequences. The employees of the insurance company Aviva Investor’s asset management division simultaneously received an email from the company’s HR department, which stated that they had
> What began as a humble suburban-neighborhood grocery store in Essen, Germany, is today one of the most successful discount supermarket chains in the world. Aldi has been operating with the motto “the best quality at the lowest prices” since Anna Albrecht
> When Will Shu, a former investment banker, spent long hours working in London’s Canary Wharf offices, he was forced to live off grocery store sandwiches for lack of an equally convenient option, he was struck with an idea. He saw that London had an abund
> The luxury goods market is incredibly lucrative. Most studies on counterfeiting have tended to focus on the supply side. In recent years, however, there has been greater interest in studies pertaining to the demand side of the counterfeit business. There
> Tesla Inc. has generated a lot of excitement about producing its Model 3 sedan, its electric car “for the masses.” The Model 3 begins at $35,000, while other luxury models Tesla produces cost $80,000-plus. Production on the Model 3 only started in mid-20
> Hermes, not to be confused with Hermes the French luxury goods manufacturer, is a pan-European courier company with over 40 years’ experience in the parcel delivery and courier business. It operates primarily in the UK, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Russi
> It is sometimes said that management is a tough and thankless job. Do you think this is true?
> Do you think management is a relevant course for study today? Explain using examples.
> Mintzberg suggested that specific actions or behaviors expected of and exhibited by a manager comprise of three specific roles. Briefly explain them.
> Why are managers important to organizations? What are their key responsibilities in an organization?
> What are the three main roles performed by a manager?
> Contrast the calm waters and white-water rapids metaphors of change.
> Why is a change agent needed for organizational change? Can a low-level employee be a change agent? Explain your answer.
> What can an organization do to encourage ethical behavior?
> Ethical leaders are honest, share their values, stress important shared values, and use the reward system appropriately.” Observe your college professors. Would you consider them to be ethical leaders? Discuss.
> What kind of protection can be afforded to whistleblowers? Are these protective steps sufficient to encourage such actions in future?
> While important, rules may sometimes create more problems than they resolve. Websites like TripAdvisor are valuable for tourism, providing businesses with greater exposure. The problem is not all reviews are positive. A hotel in Blackpool, England, fined
> In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused the largest oil spill in history. BP (British Petroleum) and the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) ignored subsequent independent reports of continued oil le
> How can internal and external locus of control influence work behaviors?
> How might the moral development of an employee affect their ethical stance?
> Many organizations around the world claim they are green. What criteria would you consider if you had to evaluate their green credentials objectively?
> Why do you think an organization might not value social responsibility?
> Who is responsible for doing more to break the glass ceiling barrier for women and minorities?
> Are laws, federal or otherwise, necessary for supporting diversity initiatives? Use an example from your country to illustrate.
> Different ethnicities cause problems associated with diversity management. Discuss.
> Look around you and summarize the different forms of diversity you can find at your university or workplace.
> Do you think religion can affect work behaviors?
> Scott Emmons was working for Neiman Marcus, the luxury retailer, as an enterprise architect when he realized a big gap in how their stores were handling technology. “Customers were showing up with smartphones and outgunning our own associates’ capability
> In developing countries like Africa, Asia, and Latin America, birth rates are likely to remain high. Are there any benefits of this and is it sustainable?
> What are the benefits and challenges of having workforce diversity in an organization?
> How has workforce diversity changed since the 1960s, particularly in the West?
> Describe how an organization can become a global entity. Why would it choose to do so?
> What makes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) different from the European Union (EU) as a trade alliance? Can those differences impair ASEAN’s effectiveness as a trade alliance compared to the EU?
> What clarity of perspective would the GLOBE framework, as presented in this chapter, offer to local managers to help them understand their employees better?
> What are the benefits of managers knowing foreign languages?
> What are the characteristics of a multi-domestic corporation?
> Discuss the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
> The European Union (EU) is an economic and political partnership of countries. What are the practical implications of this union?
> In October 2018, the media reported that technology giant Google responded to what were deemed credible sexual assault claims against a former executive by paying him $90 million and praising him as he left the company.60 Google employees have been pushi
> For most people, artificial intelligence brings to mind replacing jobs with robots. However, 1,500 companies studied by the management consulting firm Accenture found that the largest performance gains were when humans and machines worked together.33 Wha
> A monolingual, parochial, and ethnocentric organization is bound to fail. Discuss.
> What are the four ways an organization communicates its culture to employees?
> Why is strong culture likely to have a greater influence on employees compared to weak culture?
> Distinguish between people and team orientation as dimensions of organizational culture
> How is a shareholder different from a stakeholder? If a stakeholder can hold no shares or any ownership inthe organization, why then would the managers care about stakeholder relationships?
