Traditional values in Mexico support high power distance and a low tolerance for uncertainty. What would you predict about a company that opens a division in Mexico and tries to implement global teams characterized by shared power and authority and the lack of for- mal guidelines, rules, and structure?
> Explain the PERT concepts of optimistic time, most probable time, and pessimistic time estimates. How would you estimate these times for a specific activity?
> Explain how to evaluate the effect of uncertainty of activity times on the total project completion time.
> Bennington Products makes four products on three machines. The production schedule for the next six months is as follows: The number of hours (hours/product/machine) each product requires on each machine is as follows: Setup times are roughly 20 percent
> Drew Ebel was contemplating buying an automated car wash franchise as a family business. His wife Caroline, their two kids, Jasmine and Luke, and their dog, Lilly, were a close-knit family that were tired of the bureaucracy of corporate and government jo
> When Walt Disney created the Disney empire in the 1950s, he forbid its star characters such as Mickey Mouse and Pluto to talk. Mr. Disney thought it would be too difficult to control the service encounters between customers and the Disney characters, and
> How does the Salvation Army manage to be “several different kinds of organization at the same time”? Does the Salvation Army’s approach seem workable for a large media company like Comcast or Disney that wants to reduce bureaucracy?
> Government organizations often seem more bureaucratic than for-profit organizations. Could this partly be the result of the type of control used in government organizations? Explain.
> In writing about types of control, William Ouchi said, “The Market is like the trout and the Clan like the salmon, each a beautiful highly specialized species which requires uncommon conditions for its survival. In comparison, the bureaucratic method o
> Look through several recent issues of a business magazine such as Fortune, Businessweek, or Fast Company and find examples of two companies that are using approaches to busting bureaucracy. Discuss the techniques these companies are applying.
> Describe the three bases of authority identified by Weber. Is it possible for each of these types of authority to function at the same time within an organization? Discuss.
> Why do you think organizations feel pressure to grow?
> Apply the concept of life cycle to an organization with which you are familiar, such as a local business. What stage is the organization in now? How did the organization handle or pass through its life-cycle crises?
> Do you think a “no growth” philosophy of management should be taught in business schools? Discuss.
> Why do large organizations tend to have larger ratios of clerical and administrative support staff? Why are they typically more formalized than small organizations?
> Caesars Entertainment centralized its big data analytics function to be more efficient. Can you think of some competitive issues that might lead a company to go from a centralized big data function to a function that decentralizes to various units?
> Bradford Chemicals manufactures high-quality plastics and resins for use in a variety of products, from lawn ornaments and patio furniture to automobiles. The Bradford plant located near Beatty, a town of about 45,000 in a South-eastern state, employs ab
> Why is knowledge management particularly important to a company that wants to learn and change continuously rather than operate at a stable state?
> Describe your use of codified knowledge when you research and write a term paper. Do you also use tacit knowledge regarding this activity? Discuss.
> Discuss some ways a large insurance company such as Allstate, Progressive, or State Farm might use social media tools such as microblogs or social networking. Do you think these tools are more applicable to a service company than to a manufacturing organ
> How might a hospital administrator trying to implement cross-functional teams use social network analysis to improve communication and collaboration among nurses, doctors, technicians, and other staff?
> Is Amazon an exchange platform or maker platform organization? Explain.
> In what ways might artificial intelligence incorporate bias into its decision making? Explain.
> How do the underlying assumptions differ for a traditional “pipe” organization and a new platform-based digital organization?
> Why do you think the application of digital technology typically leads to greater decentralization in an organization? Might it also be used for greater centralization in some organizations? Explain.
> How has the Internet of Things caused an explosion in the data available for analysis in organizations?
> Do you think the characteristics of a high reliability organization could be applied in non-HRO organizations? Explain.
> Vito Brassimo immigrated to the United States six years ago after working as design leader for an Italian company specializing in home sound systems. Armed with a vision and 15 years of experience, he founded his own com- pany, Technomagia, as the suppli
> A top executive claimed that top-level management is a craft technology because the work contains intangibles, such as handling personnel issues, interpreting an ambiguous environment, and coping with unusual situations. Do you agree? What type of
> Why might administrators at a hospital such as Seattle Children’s Hospital, described in this chapter, want to foster relational coordination?
> What is a service technology? Are different types of service technologies likely to be associated with different organization designs? Explain.
> How do smart factories differ from other manufacturing technologies? How might the transformation to a smart factory change how a manufacturing organization hires and trains employees?
> Why does Woodward suggest that span of control needs to decrease as technological complexity increases? Can you think of any circumstances that might change the relationship between the two?
> What is the level of interdependence among departments (finance, marketing) in a business school? What kinds of coordination mechanisms might be used to handle that interdependence?
> What is the difference between “reluctance to simplify” and “sensitivity to operations” in a high reliability organization?
> To what extent does the development of new technologies simplify and routinize the jobs of employees? Can you give an example? Can new technology also lead to jobs with greater variety and complexity? Discuss.
> Where would your university or college department be located on Perrow’s technology framework? Should a department devoted exclusively to teaching be in a different quadrant from a department devoted exclusively to research?
> There is research evidence to suggest that employees are happier working for a company that provides them with opportunities to contribute to environmental sustainability. Why do you think this would be the case?
> Benjamin and William Farrington started a small manufacturing business with their father, Samuel Farrington, who was a professor of biomedical science at a major university. They began the business by making a line of smaller and more precise non-reusabl
> A survey found that 69 percent of MBA students view maximizing shareholder value as the primary responsibility of a company. How would that philosophy fit into a hybrid organization?
> Is it reasonable to expect that managers can measure their social and environmental performance with the same accuracy as they measure financial outcomes when using a triple bottom line approach?
> What do you think would happen if a hybrid organization focused on profit goals to the exclusion of social goals? If vice-versa? Explain.
> Why would a social enterprise be better able to maintain a strong social welfare purpose by choosing other like-minded organizations with which to collaborate?
> Do you personally embrace a commercial logic or a social welfare logic? Why do you think you hold to that perspective?
> How might “mission drift” hurt the performance of a social enterprise?
> Compare and contrast the two major “logics” that organization members might hold in a hybrid organization.
> Explain the concept of conscious capitalism. Do you think managers and companies that espouse this kind of shared value approach are more likely to behave in socially responsible ways?
> What is a hybrid organization? How does it differ from a typical nonprofit or profit-seeking organization?
> Do you believe it is possible for a global company to simultaneously achieve the goals of global efficiency and integration, national responsiveness and flexibility, and the worldwide transfer of knowledge and innovation? Discuss.
> They are the most treasured possessions; they line mantels and living room walls; they are the first items frantically sought by family members following fires or natural disasters. They are family photographs. Considering the popularity and demand for b
> Name some of the elements that contribute to greater complexity for international organizations. How do organizations address this complexity? Do you think these elements apply to a company such as Spotify that wants to expand its music streaming service
> When would an organization consider using a matrix structure? How does the global matrix differ from the domestic matrix structure described in Chapter 3?
> What are some of the primary reasons a company decides to expand internationally? Identify a company in the news that has recently built a new overseas facility. Which of the three motivations for global expansion described in the chapter do you think be
> Do you think it makes sense for a transnational organization to have more than one headquarters? What might be some advantages associated with two head- quarters, each responsible for different things? Can you think of any drawbacks?
> Many American companies enter China through joint ventures with local firms, but China is succeeding in the United States primarily with a strategy of buying companies outright. What are some factors that might account for this difference?
> Why do you think the tension between a desire for global uniformity and local responsiveness is greater today than in the past?
> Compare the description of the transnational model in this chapter to the elements of organic versus mechanistic organization designs described in Chapter 1. Do you think the transnational model seems workable for a huge global firm? Discuss.
> Name some companies that you think could succeed today with a globalization strategy and explain why you selected those companies. How does the globalization strategy differ from a multi-domestic strategy?
> How does the desire for legitimacy result in organizations becoming more similar over time?
> The Aquarius Advertising Agency is a medium-sized firm that offered two basic services to its clients: customized plans for the content of an advertising campaign (e.g., slogans and layouts) and complete plans for media (e.g., radio, TV, newspapers, bill
> Do you believe that perceived legitimacy really motivates a large, powerful organization such as Walmart? Is acceptance by other people a motivation for individuals as well? Explain.
> Discuss how the process of variation, selection, and retention might help explain innovations that take place within an organization.
> The population-ecology perspective argues that it is healthy for society to have new organizations emerging and old organizations dying as the environment changes. Do you agree? Why would European countries pass laws to sustain traditional organizations
> Discuss how the adversarial versus partnership orientations work between you and other students in your course. Is there a sense of competition or collaboration for grades? Is it possible to develop true partnerships if your grade depends on the work of
> Many managers today were trained under assumptions of adversarial relationships with other companies. Do you think operating as adversaries is easier or more difficult than operating as partners with other companies? Discuss.
> Assume you are the manager of a small firm that is dependent on a large manufacturing customer that uses the resource-dependence perspective. Put yourself in the position of the small firm, and describe what actions you would take to survive and succeed.
> How do you feel about the prospect of becoming a manager and having to manage a set of relationships with other companies rather than just managing your own company? Discuss.
> How do mimetic forces differ from normative forces? Give an example of each.
> The concept of business ecosystems implies that organizations are more interdependent than ever before. From personal experience, do you agree? Explain.
> Assume you have been asked to calculate the ratio of staff employees to production employees in two organizations—one in a simple, stable environment and one in a complex, shifting environment. How would you expect these ratios to differ? Why?
> The first Holtzclaw Supermarkets store was started in 1977 by Sam Holtzclaw and his brother Bob. Both were veterans who wanted to run their own business, so they used their savings to start the small grocery store in Charlotte, North Carolina. The store
> Why do organizations become involved in inter-organizational relationships? Do these relationships affect an organization’s dependency? Explain.
> Compare an organic organization to a mechanistic organization. How does the environment influence organic and mechanistic designs?
> Do you think planning becomes more important or less important in a world where everything is changing fast and crises are a regular part of organizational life? Why?
> Describe differentiation and integration. In what type of environmental uncertainty do you think differentiation and integration would be greatest? Least?
> Discuss the importance of the international sector for an organization today compared to domestic sectors. What are some ways in which the international sector affects organizations in your city or community?
> Name some factors causing environmental complex- ity for a local organization of your choice, such as a restaurant or sporting goods store. How might this environmental complexity lead to organizational complexity? Explain.
> Which typically has the greatest impact on organizational uncertainty—environmental complexity or environmental dynamism? Why?
> Is changing the organization’s domain a feasible strategy for coping with a changing environment? Explain, using either Amazon or Walmart as an example.
> How would the task environment of a new Internet- based company compare to that of a large government agency? Discuss.
> Why do companies using a holacracy team structure have cultures that emphasize openness, employee empowerment, and responsibility? What do you think it would be like to work in a company with such a structure?
> Locals referred to it—affectionately or sarcastically—as the “Adding Museum.” Housed in the massive Romanesque-style former mansion of Horace and Margaret Addlington, the 100-year-old Addlington Gallery of Art had, by 2016, reached a tipping point of ins
> The manager of a consumer products firm said, “We use the brand manager position to train future executives.” Why do you think the brand manager position is considered a good training ground? Discuss.
> Why do you think the pressure of scarce resources across product lines causes managers to consider a matrix structure?
> As a manager, how would you create an organization with a high degree of relational coordination?
> When Burton Lee took over as plant manager for the Burlington division of a large manufacturing company, he saw the opportunity to transform the lowest performing unit as a pathway to his promotion into top management. Burton was aware of his reputation
> The Daily Tribune is the only daily newspaper serving a six-county region of eastern Tennessee. Even though its staff is small and it serves a region of mostly small towns and rural areas, the Tribune has won numerous awards for news coverage and photojo
> Hu-go. Hu-go. As Alissa Mason drove up the mountain through the rain, she turned up the volume on the radio to clear her mind. However, even the steady rhythm of the truck’s windshield wipers steered her mind back to the problem—Hu-go, Hu-go. Ten years e
> Harmon Davidson stared dejectedly at the departing figure of his management survey team leader. Their meeting had not gone well. Davidson had relayed to Al Pitcher complaints about his handling of the survey. Pitcher had responded with adamant denial and
> Jim Malesckowski remembered the call of two weeks ago as if he had just put down the telephone receiver: “I just read your analysis and I want you to get down to Mexico right away,” Jack Ripon, his boss and chief executive officer, had blurted in his ear
> Fabulous Footwear produces a line of women’s shoes that sell in the lower-price market for $27.99 to $29.99 per pair. Profits averaged 30 cents to 50 cents per pair 10 years ago, but according to the president and the controller, labor
> NASCAR fans expect their drivers to be smart, crafty, and calculating and, if need be, playing just this side of the rule book—in the garage and on the track. Loyal fans “know” their drivers and can easily picture themselves drinking a beer or spending a
> Larisa Harrison grimaced as she tossed her company’s latest quarterly earnings onto the desk. When sales at Virginia- based Millier Machine Parts & Services surged past the $10 million mark some time back, Larisa was certain the company was well position
> Curtis Simpson sat staring out the window of his office. What would he say to Tom Lawrence when they met this afternoon? Tom had clearly met the challenge Simpson set for him when he hired him as president of Midwest Controls, Inc. a little more than a y
> Bachmeyer Foods is a large distribution company with more than 5,000 employees and gross sales of more than $900 million (2017). The company purchases salty snack foods and liquor and distributes them to independent retail stores throughout the United St
> High-tech within the corporate world was developed, in part, on the notion of mobile strategy and convenience— the ability to communicate, work remotely and accomplish the same results; cutting the corporate and personal car- bon footprint by reducing co
> Hermitage Escalator Company is an independent division of a large international manufacturer that sells and provides maintenance of elevators and escalators. Hermitage was started by an entrepreneur living in Hermitage, Tennessee in 1954, just as the dem
> Fifty-year-old Paul Sandberg glanced up from his CNC (computer numerically controlled) turning machine to the computer control office above him on the 2nd floor of the workshop. A new program had been initiated that morn- ing and, despite earlier tests,
> The acetate department’s product consisted of about twenty different kinds of viscous liquid acetate used by another department to manufacture transparent film to be left clear or coated with photographic emulsion or iron oxide. Before
> Sitting in Maisson’s Restaurant, Janelle Mosley completely lost interest in her chef salad and now sat sipping her Pinot Grigio and watching with a combination of amusement and curiosity her rival, Jonathan Draper, “doing his own thing.” Seated across th
> Jenny Amaraneni is a social entrepreneur determined to build a social enterprise named SOLO Eyewear. Solo produces a line of hand-crafted sunglasses made from bamboo materials, with a portion of the funds from each pair sold donated to providing eye care
