Case Studies

For Students of GDMM / PGDMM Programmes:

We propose to post Interesting Case Studies of your different papers ,  in this link. Here is first instalment.

Paper 1: Management Principles & HR Practices:
 

Case Study :1
A well-known financial house started an Industrial unit using new technology under the name Royal Electronics Company. Their system of Management in general was of the old type where everything was centralized on a personal level. However, in case of new company, due to various factors like distance, time etc., the industry was allowed to develop on autonomous lines and was put in charge of U.K. trained Engineer.

Considering the various aspects, the industry was developing well. But due to the lack of adequate attention to labour and industrial relations, a strike developed. It generated tensions and fears among the executives left jobs including Labour officer who felt insecure due to vacillation and interference from top management.

 Finally the strike was resolved. But some workers were still under charge sheets. Their cases had been conducted by the new Labour Officer who had joined at the height of strike one day the factory manager received a call from the managing Director to dismiss the Labour Officer immediately. He solicited reasons at least to justify his action, but to o avail. In fact the Managing Director came personally, went to the Labour Officer directly and gave him the dismissal letter. The Labour officer was appointed by the Factory Manager and so went to him but the Manager could do nothing now. 

Questions

1. Analyse the factors that led to a break down of industrial relations in the Royal Electronics Company
2. How should the cases of charge sheeted employees be dealt with
3. What course of action will you suggest for the factory manager?
4. As a Labour Officer what would be your steps after receiving the letter of dismissal from the Managing Director.
5. Give a suitable title to the case.

Case Study : 2.
Raman is the Sales Manager of reputed Corporation. He has 25 employees in his Department, and all are paid commission for their sales in their territories. For the past three years, the market for the company’s goods has been steadily growing and the majority of Raman’s staff have met this growth with increased sales. However, one employee in particular, Krishnan has not kept up with the pace.            

Krishnan has been with this Corporation for over 20 years and is now 56 years old. Krishnan is a friendly man and is well liked by his peers and those to whom he sells the company’s products on a regular basis. The company has always considered Krishnan dependable and loyal. Through the years Krishnan has been counted as an asset to the company, but at the age of 56 he has gone into a state of semi-retirement. Krishnan’s sales have not increased as the others have and he does not have the determination to acquire a significant increase in sales.

Raman wishes to change this situation. He wants to motivate Krishnan into increasing his sales to match that of his younger peers. To accomplish this, Krishnan must begin to do put in more of his time, but Raman is not sure how to go about trying to motivate him. Unlike the majority of the new employees Krishnan is an old man, who within a few years will reach the age of retirement.

If you were Raman what would you do?

1. Would you threaten to fire him?
2. Would you increase his commission?
3. Would you increase the retirement benefits for Krishnan rather than offer him the increased commission rate?
4. Would you offer him more status by way of a new title or a new company car or place his table in a better position in the office?
5. Is there some way in terms of appraisal and rewards with what you can motivate Krishnan?

Case Study : 3
In one public sector undertaking with a chequered past, a line manager

Was appointed as the chief of personnel. Within a year after taking up the  assignment, he had to sign a wage agreement with the workers’ union. The union at the time was dominated by non-technical staff. The union’s charter of demands favoured the interest of the dominant member’s groups. It asked for a significant revision in the gardener’s pay, but was not equally vocal in pressing for the increase in the pay scales of the workers in certain technical grades. The management conceded these demands because the union cooperated with them in keeping the burden of the pay revision well with in the guidelines of bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE)

Once the agreement was singed and communicated to the employees/members by the management and the union respectively, there was commotion among the technical employees. They walked out of the union and formed a separate technical staff union. They marched round the company premises holding placards, which read, “Here grass cutters get more than the gas cutters” In the engineering assembly unit till the pay revision occurred, welding was a highly rated job. But not any longer.

1. Was the action of union management justified and why?
2. Forming a separate union was both right and wrong. Explain
3. What are the legal implications of forming a separate union?
4. If you were in the place of management, what factors would you like to consider   before finalizing the wages.