1、案例分析参考答案第 7 章 案例分析 Underwater Chaos1. Whats 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 weath
2、er) 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. T
3、he 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 pl
4、anning 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 break
5、down 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 pr
6、oblems 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
7、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
8、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
9、 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 whats important. Ask students if they have experienced a similar situation. Students
10、 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 Signal1. 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. Nok
11、ias 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
12、 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 victim
13、s of their own success. A good example of this phenomenon is Fords model T. Having designed a great car, Ford didnt 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 op
14、tions and features that customers wanted.3. What strategies is Nokia using to revitalize its North American business?Nokia is using its partnerships with ATb. Attention to detail refers to the degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision, analysis, and attention to detail;c. Outcome o
15、rientation 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
16、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.Sugges
17、ted 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 pr
18、oven to be powerful in explaining individual behavior in organizations. Page382-383a. 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
19、 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 th
20、eir 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 ba
21、rgaining 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, its difficult to predict the performance of high Machs.c. Self-esteem. People differ in the degree to which they like or
22、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
23、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 individuals abil
24、ity to adjust his or her behavior to external, situational factors. Individuals high in self-monitoring show considerable adaptability in adjusting their behavior. Theyre highly sensitive to external cues and can behave differently in different situations. High self-monitors are capable of presentin
25、g 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 theres high behavioral consistency between who they are and what they do.e. Risk taking.
26、 People differ in their willingness to take chances. Differences in the propensity to assume or to avoid risk have been shown to affect how long it takes managers to make a decision and how much information they require before making their choice. To maximize organizational effectiveness, managers s
27、hould try to align employee risk-taking propensity with specific job demands. For instance, high risk-taking propensity may lead to effective performance for a commodities trader in a brokerage firm because this type of job demands rapid decision making. On the other hand, high risk-taking propensit
28、y might prove a major obstacle to accountants auditing financial statements.问题 5： Explain Herzbergs two-factor theory and tell what steps can managers take to maximize motivation according to the theory.Key Points:As manager of a large team of engineers, we notice that a team is falling short of its
29、 goals primarily because several team members are either not motivated to put in their best or are downright dissatisfied with their jobs. Herzbergs two-factor theory helps maximizing motivation in the following way.The theory proposes that intrinsic factors are related to job satisfaction, while ex
30、trinsic factors are associated with job dissatisfaction. Further, the theory argues that data suggested that the opposite of satisfaction was not dissatisfaction, as traditionally had been believed. Removing dissatisfying characteristics from a job would not necessarily make that job more satisfying
31、 (or motivating). Herzberg proposed that a dual continuum existed: The opposite of “satisfaction” is “no satisfaction,” and the opposite “dissatisfaction” is “no dissatisfaction.” Thus, managers can motivate employees who show no dissatisfaction by emphasizing motivator, the intrinsic factors having
32、 to do with the job itself. These factors include achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement, and growth. However, to motivate dissatisfied employees, the extrinsic factors associated with job dissatisfaction must first be addressed. These factors can include supervision, com
33、pany policy, relationship with supervisor, working conditions, salary, relationship with peers, personal life, relationship with subordinates, status, and security. Once the dissatisfaction has been removed, managers can maximize motivation by emphasizing the intrinsic factors.问题 6： Compare the SWOT
34、 and BCG Matrix by defining the two tools and their marks of “opportunities, threats, strengths, weaknesses” and “stars, question marks, cash cows and dogs” and then discuss what tools they arefor what purposes they usedKey points:Definitions: OmittedSWOT: Strategic toolAnalysis of the external envi
35、ronment for opportunities and threats;Analysis of the internal environment for strengths and weaknesses;For the purpose or developing corporate strategies and competitive strategiesBCG Matrix: strategic toolAnalysis of the SBUS businesses in relation to their independent attractiveness for deploying
36、 resources and retaining core competencies for their products and services.问题 7： List and discuss the barriers to effective communication that managers face. Include a specific example of each barrier to support your answer. P409-410a. Filtering This is the deliberate manipulation of information to
37、make it appear more favorable to the receiver. For example, when a person tells his or her manager what the manager wants to hear, that individual is filtering information. The extent of filtering tends to be a function of the number of vertical levels in the organization and the organizational cult
38、ure. The more vertical levels there are in an organization, the more opportunities there are for filtering.b. Emotions How a receiver feels when a message is received influences how he or she interprets it. Extreme emotions are most likely to hinder effective communication. In such instances, people
39、 often disregard rational and objective thinking processes and substitute emotional judgments.c. Information overload This occurs when the amount of information a person is required to work with exceeds that individuals processing capacity. What happens when individuals have more information than th
40、ey can sort or use? They tend to select out, ignore, pass over, or forget information. Or, they may put off further processing until the overload situation is over.d. Defensiveness When people feel that theyre being threatened, they tend to react in ways that reduce their ability to achieve mutual u
41、nderstanding. That is, they become defensiveengaging in behaviors such as verbally attacking others, making sarcastic remarks, being overly judgmental, and questioning others motives.e. Language Words mean different things to different people. Age, education, and cultural background are three of the
42、 more obvious variables that influence the language a person uses and the definitions he or she gives to words. People may speak the same language, but use of that language is far from uniform. Senders tend to assume that the words and phrases they use mean the same to the receiver as they do to the
43、m. This is incorrect and creates communication barriers.f. National culture Interpersonal communication isnt conducted in the same way around the world. In the United States, communication patterns tend to be individual oriented and clearly spelled out. U.S. managers rely heavily on memoranda, annou
44、ncements, position papers, and other formal forms of communication to state their positions on issues. In collectivist countries, such as Japan, theres more interaction for its own sake and a more informal manner of interpersonal contact.问题 8： List the seven elements of the communication process and
45、 explain the process of interpersonal communication. Page 406The seven elements of the communication process are: (1) the communication source, (2) the message, (3) encoding, (4) the channel, (5) decoding, (6) the receiver, and (7) feedback. Before communication can take place, a purpose, expressed
46、as a message to be conveyed, must exist. It passes between a source (the sender) and a receiver. The message is converted to a symbolic form (called encoding) and passed by way of some medium (channel) to the receiver, who retranslates the senders message (called decoding). The result is the transfe
47、r of meaning from one person to another. The entire process is susceptible to noise disturbances that interfere with the transmission, receipt, or feedback of a message. Anything that interferes with understanding can be noise, and noise can create distortion at any point in the communication process.
