Publication records
Keyword(s)
Dual careers, gender negotiation, stereotyping, work-family conflict, diversity, inclusion, equity, family roles, civil engineering
The Dual Career Negotiation is a two-party, multi-issue role-play based on the true story of a real couple. Alma and Pierre (not their real names) are employed by the same company, Rikoff Projects, a French firm specializing in the design and construction of large-scale infrastructure. When Alma is assigned to a major project in Kuala Lumpur, Pierre seeks a position with Rikoff in Malaysia to support her career progression and enable them to live together. Then her project is cancelled. The company no longer has a job for Alma in Kuala Lumpur, only for Pierre. It can offer her a position in Dubai at a higher rank and higher pay – equivalent to their current earnings combined – but can’t offer Pierre a job there. If they stay in Kuala Lumpur, Alma has no job so their income will be halved. If they move to Dubai, Pierre has no job but Alma’s new salary will almost double what they currently make. The couple need to discuss what to do about their respective careers and their future together.
Teaching objectives
The role-play enables students to practice managing interpersonal relationships while simultaneously handling the substance of a negotiation. The teacher should cover the following points when de-briefing the class: • How traditional gender roles and family responsibilities intersect with professional careers • The unequal division of labour – unpaid in the home – within dual-income couples • A gender gap in expectations and perceptions of careers and family responsibilities • The importance of clarifying unstated assumptions regarding career prioritization • Managing the substance, the relationship, and the process of communication in a negotiation. The case comes with PowerPoint slides. The script to accompany the slides and supporting references can be found in the notes underneath each slide.
The role-play enables students to practice managing interpersonal relationships while simultaneously handling the substance of a negotiation. The teacher should cover the following points when de-briefing the class: • How traditional gender roles and family responsibilities intersect with professional careers • The unequal division of labour – unpaid in the home – within dual-income couples • A gender gap in expectations and perceptions of careers and family responsibilities • The importance of clarifying unstated assumptions regarding career prioritization • Managing the substance, the relationship, and the process of communication in a negotiation. The case comes with PowerPoint slides. The script to accompany the slides and supporting references can be found in the notes underneath each slide.
Subject(s)
Entrepreneurship; Ethics and social responsibility; Health and environment
Keyword(s)
Ecosystems, environmental protection, economic development, family businesses, small & medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, entrepreneurs, green marketing, green business, business-to-business, sales strategy, business model innovation, business plans, product change
The case “Wild Herbs Grow Tall – Mastering Structural Change in Lusatia” describes how entrepreneur Christina Grätz carves out a niche in the re-cultivation of landscapes in post-mining areas in her native region of Lusatia in Eastern Germany. After having established a thriving B2B business with wild herbs, she explores the possibility of entering the B2C market with a new business line. After several iterations and pivoting, she and her partners set up an online platform for direct web-based sales of organic herbal salts. However, the new company shows a lackluster performance – potentially due to the lack of experience in the online B2B marketing strategy.
Key teaching/learning objectives:
The case illustrates how it is possible for a new business to emerge against the backdrop of macroeconomic decline and structural changes in the economy. It provides insights on the complex endeavor by a fledgling company to transit from the B2B to the B2C market. The case details up-to-date methodologies for classroom discussions, including Saras Sarawathi's effectuation, Jake Knapp's Google Design Sprint, as well as the basic principles of Eric Ries’ Lean Startup.
The case illustrates how it is possible for a new business to emerge against the backdrop of macroeconomic decline and structural changes in the economy. It provides insights on the complex endeavor by a fledgling company to transit from the B2B to the B2C market. The case details up-to-date methodologies for classroom discussions, including Saras Sarawathi's effectuation, Jake Knapp's Google Design Sprint, as well as the basic principles of Eric Ries’ Lean Startup.
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Subject(s)
Entrepreneurship; Ethics and social responsibility; Health and environment
Keyword(s)
Ecosystems, environmental protection, economic development, family businesses, small & medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, entrepreneurs, green marketing, green business, business-to-business, sales strategy, business model innovation, business plans, product change
The case “Wild Herbs Grow Tall – Mastering Structural Change in Lusatia” describes how entrepreneur Christina Grätz carves out a niche in the re-cultivation of landscapes in post-mining areas in her native region of Lusatia in Eastern Germany. After having established a thriving B2B business with wild herbs, she explores the possibility of entering the B2C market with a new business line. After several iterations and pivoting, she and her partners set up an online platform for direct web-based sales of organic herbal salts. However, the new company shows a lackluster performance – potentially due to the lack of experience in the online B2B marketing strategy.
Key teaching/learning objectives:
The case illustrates how it is possible for a new business to emerge against the backdrop of macroeconomic decline and structural changes in the economy. It provides insights on the complex endeavor by a fledgling company to transit from the B2B to the B2C market. The case details up-to-date methodologies for classroom discussions, including Saras Sarawathi's effectuation, Jake Knapp's Google Design Sprint, as well as the basic principles of Eric Ries’ Lean Startup.
The case illustrates how it is possible for a new business to emerge against the backdrop of macroeconomic decline and structural changes in the economy. It provides insights on the complex endeavor by a fledgling company to transit from the B2B to the B2C market. The case details up-to-date methodologies for classroom discussions, including Saras Sarawathi's effectuation, Jake Knapp's Google Design Sprint, as well as the basic principles of Eric Ries’ Lean Startup.
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Subject(s)
Human resources management/organizational behavior
Keyword(s)
Perception, communication, leadership, digital transformation, change management
This compact case describes an incident between an aspiring manager and an employee, related to an interpretation of expected engagement of the latter in a planned Agile Boot Camp—an event designed to bolster the transfer of the organization towards new ways of working. Alexander, the main case protagonist, overhears Victor, his employee, say that he will take only a passive part in the event since it is classified by Human Resources (HR) as training, and not as a workshop, in terms of how working time for such an activity is accounted for. Alexander, for whom the Boot Camp is very important, feels the urge to engage in the conversation (which he does in part B of the case).
Key teaching/learning objectives
1. Explore the influence of perception, cognitive dissonance, and communication on employee choices
2. Explore students' reactions to situations where their authority and intent are challenged (overtly or covertly)
3. Discuss resistance and reluctance to change
1. Explore the influence of perception, cognitive dissonance, and communication on employee choices
2. Explore students' reactions to situations where their authority and intent are challenged (overtly or covertly)
3. Discuss resistance and reluctance to change
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Subject(s)
Human resources management/organizational behavior
Keyword(s)
Perception, communication, leadership, digital transformation, change management
This compact case describes an incident between an aspiring manager and an employee, related to an interpretation of expected engagement of the latter in a planned Agile Boot Camp—an event designed to bolster the transfer of the organization towards new ways of working. Alexander, the main case protagonist, overhears Victor, his employee, say that he will take only a passive part in the event since it is classified by Human Resources (HR) as training, and not as a workshop, in terms of how working time for such an activity is accounted for. Alexander, for whom the Boot Camp is very important, feels the urge to engage in the conversation (which he does in part B of the case).
Key teaching/learning objectives
1. Explore the influence of perception, cognitive dissonance, and communication on employee choices
2. Explore students' reactions to situations where their authority and intent are challenged (overtly or covertly)
3. Discuss resistance and reluctance to change
1. Explore the influence of perception, cognitive dissonance, and communication on employee choices
2. Explore students' reactions to situations where their authority and intent are challenged (overtly or covertly)
3. Discuss resistance and reluctance to change
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Subject(s)
Strategy and general management
Keyword(s)
Corporate strategy, crisis management (internally), market analysis, performance evaluation of business units, strategic change management, hidden champions
Basler is one of those lesser-known midsize companies (the so-called hidden champions), which, despite their moderate scale of operation, enjoy worldwide leadership in several niche markets. Basler primarily comprises two business segments: one, quality control systems for industrial goods production; and, two, cameras for diverse industries. The 2008/2009 global financial crisis, however, spelled trouble for Basler. With the company’s very survival at stake, Basler’s CEO had to make a strategic decision, namely, cut back on critical resources (human, financial, and material); this would include slashing as many as 50 jobs, which represented a fifth of its workforce. While so doing, some key questions remained unanswered in his mind:
- In which of the company's two business segments should he reduce resources and cut those 50 jobs?
- At the same time, regardless of the financial crisis, in which area, if any, should he consider investing resources in order to drive the company’s growth in the next 5- 10 years?
The case study provides the student with the crucial inputs required to answer the above questions convincingly. To arrive at an optimal solution, the student would need to think through the various options before the CEO during one of the worst financial crises in global history and weigh up their pros and cons.
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Subject(s)
Marketing
Keyword(s)
Analytics, predictive analytics, decision making, lead management, sales, sales management, logistic regression, data science, machine learning
This is part of a case series. ZachSoft is a UK-based provider of software solutions. In its B2B software solutions business, ZachSoft had posted appreciable growth for 10 years in a row, but over the last five years, growth has stagnated. With increased competition and cost pressures on customers, the success rate of pitches had declined. Could a forecasting tool identifying key drivers of pitch success help ZachSoft enter a phase of growth again? Amy, in charge of the unit B2B software solutions at ZachSoft, had hired Phil, a young data analyst to set up a model and decided to implement it. While case A deals with the setup of the model, case B puts the learners in the situation of Fred, trying to apply the model in his pitch situation.
This item is suitable for undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education courses.
Subject(s)
Marketing
Keyword(s)
Analytics, predictive analytics, decision making, lead management, sales, sales management, logistic regression, data science, machine learning
This is part of a case series. ZachSoft is a UK-based provider of software solutions. In its B2B software solutions business, ZachSoft had posted appreciable growth for 10 years in a row, but over the last five years, growth has stagnated. With increased competition and cost pressures on customers, the success rate of pitches had declined. Could a forecasting tool identifying key drivers of pitch success help ZachSoft enter a phase of growth again? Amy, in charge of the unit B2B software solutions at ZachSoft, had hired Phil, a young data analyst to set up a model and decided to implement it. While case A deals with the setup of the model, case B puts the learners in the situation of Fred, trying to apply the model in his pitch situation.
This item is suitable for undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education courses.
Subject(s)
Ethics and social responsibility
Keyword(s)
Organizational behavior, business ethics, leadership, power and influence, values-based leadership, authority, managing uncertainty, contracts
In April 1520, Gaspar de Quesada and other Spanish Captains mutinied against their Portuguese admiral Ferdinand Magellan. After being retired by the Portuguese King, Magellan approached the Spanish King, Charles I, claiming to know a passage through the newly found continent to South-East-Asia. The king promised Magellan significant personal gain and full authority over an armada of five ships. When leaving Spain in 1519, Magellan did not reveal the details of his plans to the mostly Spanish captains of the other ships, but rather ordered them to just follow his boat. A minor signal of disobedience by Magellan’s deputy was met with immediate force and the expedition continued until Magellan ordered to stay in a natural harbor during Winter season and drastically rationed supplies. The case study describes a meeting between the Spanish Captains under the command of Gaspar de Quesada during which they debate their options, namely a mutiny to get control of the largest ship, San Antonio.
Using a historical case and setting, the case allows to discuss multiple issues of contemporary interest in the domains of leadership and (business) ethics, namely loyalty, authority, power, (dis-)obedience, psychological contracts (and their violations), organizational success, and triple bottom line thinking.
Using a historical case and setting, the case allows to discuss multiple issues of contemporary interest in the domains of leadership and (business) ethics, namely loyalty, authority, power, (dis-)obedience, psychological contracts (and their violations), organizational success, and triple bottom line thinking.
- The overall learning objectives include discussing and understanding:
- the role of power and authority for leadership behaviors—including their respective benefits and potential drawbacks,
- the particular leadership challenges and behaviors when acting in VUCA settings, and
- the importance and limitations of loyalty, obedience and followership—including the potential need to demonstrate (or react to) different forms of disobedience (incl. mutiny).
- In particular, the immediate issues that can be addressed by using the case are:
- Mutiny at the workplace:
- As a subordinate: When, why and how to do it?
- As a superior: How to react to it?
- (Dis-)obedience and authority (in professional settings)
- The subsequent case discussion will then also allow addressing the following underlying issues:
- Authority and power
- Achieving follower buy-in
- Leadership in a VUCA world
- Loyalty (esp. from a middle-management perspective)
- Giving voice to values
- Psychological contract violations
- Dependent upon the educational objectives of the instructor, the case can also be used to address the following additional/alternative underlying issues:
- Triple bottom line
- Stakeholder management
- Cross-cultural differences
- Law versus ethics
- Normative ethical theories
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Subject(s)
Human resources management/organizational behavior; Strategy and general management
Keyword(s)
Digital transformation, leadership, change
This field research case presents an account of leading digital transformation in a traditional organization. The case briefly traces more one hundred years of history of Klöckner & Co, an independent global steel and metal distributor, and presents challenges faced by the steel distribution branch. It then describes the thinking process of Gisbert Rühl, the company’s CEO concerned about taking the company into the future in the face of global changes faced by the industry. The case presents Rühl’s view of digital opportunities for the organization and his attempts to prepare the company for the digital age. The case pays particular attention to personal transformation of the leader in the in the process of transforming his company. It is intended for use in the MBA programs and executive education.
Key teaching/learning objectives:
- To demystify digital transformation in a traditional organization
- To explore the role of leaders in digital transformation
- To discuss the personal changes required of leaders working on digital transformation in their companies
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Pages
18
