AMBM/Breda 2010-

2011
Propedeuse P4
Engels Spreek-, Schrijf-
en Luistervaardigheid

‘DISCUSSIONS’

Onderwerp: Per week vindt er een groepsdiscussie plaats onder leiding van twee voorzitters naar aanleiding van een casus die
door iedereen wordt voorbereid. Elk groepslid levert tijdens de training (dus NIET achteraf) individueel een half A4 in met zijn
mening over de casus (It goes without saying that this should be done in the English language). De voorzitters hoeven dit niet te
doen, maar zij leveren bij de aanvang van de training hun plan van aanpak (‘de agenda’) met structuur van de te houden discussie
in bij de docent. Bij de laatste training leveren alle studenten op 1 A4 hun uitwerking in van een van de casussen, door de student
zelf te kiezen.

Beoordeling: Via een Continuous Assessment, dus de beoordeling ELKE WEEK van de bijdrage aan de discussie, gekoppeld aan
de kwaliteit van het ingeleverde schriftelijke werk. Good luck!
 MILLARS BANK LTD.

BACKGROUND

Mr. P. D. Smothers, manager of Millars Bank Ltd. in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, paced the floor
of his stately office. Looking out the large window across the busy modern city, he contemplated his next
move regarding his newly arrived corporate loan officer, J. L. Marsh.
Ms. Marsh had come highly recommended. She had been in corporate banking for twelve years, the last ten
years in Beirut and Cairo, spoke Arabic fluently, and had been credited with arranging a number of highly
complex, yet extremely successful loans in her former position. But last week she had been assigned to his
office, and in the United Arab Emirates women did not hold such positions. Smothers had at first been
delighted. The head office in England had telexed the news that it had found a suitable replacement for the
former loan officer and had included a brief account of Ms. Marsh, an account that surpassed his
expectations. But, in typical telex fashion, the head office had only used initials: J. L. Marsh.
The last thing he expected was that J. L. would turn out to be Janet Louise.

DIALOGUE: THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB?

CAST: P. D. Smothers, bank manager, Millars Bank, Abu Dhabi

Janet Marsh, new loan officer, Millars Bank, Abu Dhabi

Mr. Smothers and Ms. Marsh are meeting in Mr. Smothers' office in Abu Dhabi.

Smothers: Miss Marsh, I frankly don't know what to say. I would have thought, with your obvious
knowledge of the Middle East, that you would have disqualified yourself from this position.
Marsh: Mr. Smothers, I understand what you're trying to tell me, but I really don't see that we have a
problem. Believe it or not, when I was first transferred to Cairo five years ago, John Phillips,
the manager there, had very much the same reservations you have today.
Smothers: I know John. Know him very well.
Marsh: Well, it worked out beautifully.

1
Smothers: But, Egypt is not Abu Dhabi. Egypt is progressive, very liberal, women are acknowledged as
professionals. But in the Emirates ...
Marsh: You don't want me to stay.

Smothers: It's not me. Please understand that I would be delighted to have you stay. But, I can't
imagine, Miss Marsh, how you could do your job. Our clients are conservative, traditional.
They expect their principal loan officer to be a man. They won't do business with us. They
won't take us seriously. (The business relations they have at the moment won’t accept a
female officer, this will be bad for the future of the Millars Bank Company. )
Marsh: Why not?
Smothers: They just won't. It's simply not done. Unheard of, even. (The business relations,spoken in
sentence above, will always reject a female officer, don’t matter what they do.)
Marsh: With all due respect, I think you're vastly mistaken.
Smothers: What?
Marsh: That's right. Mistaken. Our clients come to our bank to borrow pounds in order to finance
projects that must be paid in pounds. Nothing more, nothing less. What they are looking for is a
loan officer who can place their loan at a competitive interest rate and quickly. Isn't that
correct? ( Ms.Marsh, says that hey are looking for ANY loan officer who is right for the job, so
what’s the problem.)
Smothers: Yes. And no.
Marsh: Why no?
Smothers: Miss Marsh, you've been in corporate banking long enough to realise that personal relations
between a client and a lending institution are vitally important. I can't see how our clients could,
would relate to you. And we're not the only bank in town either. Why, just in Abu Dhabi alone
there are at least two dozen foreign banks with whom we are in direct competition, not to
mention the other two dozen Emirate owned banks plus all the other foreign banks with
representatives on restricted licenses who also can occasionally take business away from us.
( The customers will go to any other lending institution, who won’t have a female officer.)
Marsh: Mr. Smothers, I am well aware of competition and the role of the loan officer. I am so well
aware, in fact, that I feel that I can be as effective or more effective than I was in Beirut and
Cairo. I understand the Middle East. I've lived here for many years. I speak, read, and write
Arabic. I know the customs, the religion, the history, and, most importantly, the business. How
many other loan officers are fluent in Arabic? ( Ms.Marsh shows mr Smothers she has a unique
talent, she can speak/write the Arabic language fluently.)
Smothers: Not many. I'm not even myself. But that has not been a disadvantage.
Marsh: Has it been an advantage?
Smothers: No, I can't say that either.
Marsh: Besides, Mr. Smothers, let me remind you that this is a British bank, not an Arab bank and …

Smothers: But a British bank in an Arab country.

2
EXHIBITS AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS

Exhibit 1 : Telex from W. T. K Duncan, Vice-President, International Banking, Millars Bank,

London, to Smothers

LND BUS 18 Jul 2001

TO: P. SMOTHERS
FM: W. DUNCAN
RE: REPLACEMENT OFFICER

J. L. MARSH, REPLACEMENT FOR MATHERS, ARRIVING 1 AUG FOR ASSIGNMENT 15 AUG. MARSH FORMERLY
CORPORATE LOAN OFFICER, BEIRUT AND CAIRO. FLUENT ARABIC. HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL IN FORMER
POSITIONS. CREDITED WITH EXPANDING CAIRO LOAN OPERATIONS BY 30%. SHOULD BE ABLE TO ASSUME
EXTENSIVE DUTIES IN MIN. TIME. PLS REPLY UPON MARSH ARRIVAL.
CORDIALLY,
DUNCAN

Exhibit 2 : Résumé of Janet Marsh

Janet Louise Marsh Health: Excellent

c/o Millars Bank Citizenship: United Kingdom
14 Talaat Harb St. Cairo, Egypt Marital Status: Single
Date of Birth: 4 Jan. , 1978

Employment History:

11/97 to present
Millars Bank (Cairo) Ltd. 14 Talaat Harb St. , Cairo, Egypt
Position: Corporate Loan Officer
Duties: Liaison with clients; Processing of acceptances and transit items; financial
investigations; Eurodollar financing; project evaluations. Supervisor: John R. Phillips

6/93 to 11/97
Millars Bank (Beirut) Ltd. POB 1028, Beirut, Lebanon Position: Assistant Corporate Loan Officer
Duties: Processing of acceptances and transit items; financial investigations; liaison with
clients.

9/89 to 6/93
Millars Bank, International Division 58 Lombard St. , London EC3, England
Position: Assistant, International Finance

3
Duties: Processing of letters of credit, acceptances, and transit items; Eurodollar loan financing;
Middle East finance specialist. Translator and interpreter: Arabic-English, English-
Arabic.

Education: London School of Economics Houghton St. , London WC2A 2PE, England
B.Sc. (Econ) June 1989 Programme: Monetary Economics
Major Studies: Monetary Economics, Finance, Accounting, Arabic, International Finance
Publications: The Changing Character of International Finance in Egypt.
Languages: Arabic, French (fluent) German (reading knowledge)
Leisure Activities: Tennis, Swimming, Photography

( She always have been worked for the Millars Bank, in different kind of states and countries, She has a lot of
experience in different economic aspects

Exhibit 3: Texts of a Series of Telexes Sent Back and Forth from Smothers to Duncan

 Telex from Smothers to Duncan:

JANET MARSH ARRIVED YESTERDAY. HAVE SERIOUS DOUBTS AS TO HER ABILITY TO PERFORM
DUTIES ADEQUATELY GIVEN STRONG TRAD ARAB CULTURE HERE. PLEASE ADVISE ASAP.

 Telex from Duncan to Smothers:

PLEASE, CLARIFY MESSAGE REGARDING MARSH.

 Telex from Smothers to Duncan:

CLARIFICATION REGARDING JANET MARSH: FEEL ARABS WILL NOT DEAL WITH WOMAN LOAN
OFFICER. EMIRATES VERY TRADITIONAL, NOT ACCUSTOMED TO FEMALES IN BUS. COULD
SERIOUSLY JEOPARDIZE OPERATIONS. PLS ADVISE.

Exhibit 4: Letter from Marsh to Smothers (August 2)

Dear Mr. Smothers:

In relation to our conversation of yesterday, I feel some further clarification of my position is
desirable.
Let me assure you, first, that I did not apply for this position in order to create a ‘testcase’
regarding the employment of women in executive positions in the Arab world. It is simply that
the qualifications posted for the position were ideally suited to my talents.

Let me also assure you that I gave considerable thought to the possible complications involved,
but felt, and still feel, that my own administrative skills are sufficient to overcome objections that
might arise initially from our predominantly Arab clientele. My positions in both Beirut and
Cairo have taught me much about how to proceed in the Middle East, and I trust I can draw on
those lessons to ensure a smooth and speedy transition from Cairo to Abu Dhabi.

( She has a lot of experience of how to proceed in the Middle East. +)

In Cairo I worked with a number of Saudi clients and, in general, had friendly and excellent
relationships with them. Although they were certainly traditional in their social views, I found
them to be extremely progressive in their business outlook. This progressive viewpoint extended
to our client/banker relationship, where I was simply seen as 'a banker'.
Their attitude was quite clearly one of financial pragmatism, i. e. , if Millars employed me in such
a position, I must be qualified.

4
 ( In her past she worked in cairo also with some Saudi clients, they saw her as a Banker
and not as woman, on the contrary they thought it was very progressive. If she was a
Arab woman things would have been different, but she isn’t)

Additional anecdotes abound; however, in most of them 'financial pragmatism' was more
important than 'cultural tradition' . Had I been an Arab woman, things might have been different,
but as an Englishwoman working for an English bank, I have been allowed to stand outside the
'cultural tradition'.

In conclusion, Mr. Smothers, I simply urge you to grant me the opportunity to serve Millars Bank
in Abu Dhabi. If my performance is not satisfactory, I promise to step down from the position
within ninety days.

I thank you in advance for your consideration.

Very truly yours,

Janet Louise Marsh

Bestudeer de casus.

Opdracht 1 (individueel):
Iedere student bereidt een verklaring voor van maximaal/minimaal 1 minuut waarin hij aangeeft wat zijn
standpunt is. Dit standpunt moet uiteraard beargumenteerd worden.

Opdracht 2 (groep)
Groepsdiscussie onder leiding van 2/3 studenten.
Stel je voor dat je in het managementteam van Millars Bank zit. Het doel van de discussie is om knopen door
te hakken: krijgt J.L. Marsh de functie waarnaar ze heeft gesolliciteerd, of is het verstandiger iemand anders te
benoemen? De belangen van J.L. Marsh en die van de bank moeten zorgvuldig worden afgewogen, er moet
ook een besluit worden genomen.

5
What to do with J.L. Marsh, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates ( Beer van Haagen & Frederique Hasselt as chairman):

As the Management team of the great Millars Bank we decided after a long discussion about the fact that our business
relations, probably won’t accept J.L. Marsh as loan officer. The reason: The religion inside the country of the United
Arab Emirates, is that the woman has a lower influence in this community than the man.

But after all the Millars Bank decided, as a British company in an other country, that we will give J.L.Marsh a trial
period of 3 months. To show is she’s the right one for the job as loan officer, Abu Dhabi.
In this period she will have a lot of contact with all kinds of clients. We, as the management of Millars Bank will ask
the customers if they had any problems during the conversations and appointments with the appearance of J.L. Marsh.
After those three months we will have a look at all the results of J.L.Marsh.
After this we will make a final decision. So for the next three months J.L.Marsh will be hired for the job as loan
officer. During the trial period we will treat Ms.Marsh as a full employee of the British Millars bank.

We believe Ms.Marsh is suited for the job as loan officer because she has a lot of good qualities one of them is that
she speaks the Arabic language fluently which is very unique for a British loan officer, she also has a lot of
experiences inside the Millars Bank Company, she’s well trained and after all her gender hasn’t caused any problem in
the past cities inside the United Arab Emirates, besides, they thought it was progressive from our Bank.

So good luck Ms.Marsh.

6
 THE EURODISNEY THEME PARK

Before the EuroDisney theme park opened, east of Paris, it received strong criticism from anti-American
elements of the French media. They accused the park's management of behaving in an undemocratic,
authoritarian manner. The management of EuroDisney was strongly criticised for its policy concerning the
way employees should be dressed. The company had announced a strict dress code. The dress code clearly
specified the ‘Disney look’ and it required all of the 12,000 workers to dress decently. Ninety-five % of those
workers were French. Female staff had to wear 'appropriate underwear'. Fishnet stockings and suspenders
were not allowed. Any female staff who ‘were found wearing a flashy coloured bra underneath a transparent
blouse’ would be dismissed on the spot. Nor were female staff allowed to use dark lipstick, wear leather
trousers, miniskirts, or false eyelashes. Highlighted hair and very high heels would lead to ‘serious warnings
from the Disney management.’

Male staff had to observe certain rules too. Hair should not be too long; beards and moustaches were
absolutely banned, as were visible tattoos and earrings. Piercings, visible to vistors, were absolutely forbidden.
Clean shaven heads could not be tolerated either. Wearing sport shoes during opening hours was strongly
disadvised. Finally, both sexes had to have a 'balance between height and weight'. The management claimed
that it worried about EuroDisney’s image: a family-friendly theme park, where the young and the old can
enjoy a day of fantasy and illusion. It argued that this image would ‘seriously suffer from exaggerated,
indecent and uncontrolled expressions of individual tastes.’ It also announced that a special committee of
‘wise men’ would be authorised to perform random and unannounced checks on all personnel present on the
premises before, during and after opening hours. In addition, the management had decided ‘that those
employees who could not accept the new guidelines would be granted an exit bonus of $250.’ The
management admitted that the dress code was strict, but that it had been instituted ‘in the interest of the park
and its paying visitors.’

The dress code caused quite a commotion. Inside and outside the park. A government inspector supported the
media critics, saying the Disney dress code violated personal liberty. A Frenchman who applied for the job of
servicemanager was told that he would have to shave off his moustache. He commented, 'I wasn't interested in
the job offer after I learned of the dress code. These kinds of attitude have no place in France or anywhere else
7
in the modern world. There is nothing wrong with safeguarding your company image. However, when it takes
away your individuality, it is sick. As is the management of such a company.’

Bestudeer de casus

Opdracht 1 (individueel)
Iedere student bereidt een verklaring voor van maximaal/minimaal 1 minuut waarin hij aangeeft wat zijn
standpunt is. Dit standpunt moet uiteraard beargumenteerd worden.

Opdracht 2 (groep)
 ‘Lagerhuis’ opzet, d.w.z. standpunten kunnen vrijelijk worden gegeven en er moet op elkaars
standpunten gereageerd worden.
 Discussion leaders: 2 students.

N.B. Tijdens de groepsdiscussie bepalen de discussieleiders wie het woord heeft. Als je spreekt, ga je
staan.

8
Disney.

I think it is quitte sick what disney is doing here. The dress code is fine but don’t ask your employees to change
there looks. If one of the employees has to shave his beard every day otherwise he will be “fired”is kind of sick.
And I think you will take the human out of the people, and make them sort of bots. Because every human being has
his own good and bad qualities, you can improve the bad things but don’t change this things completly, otherwise
Disney must make some robots to serve all the customers. Let the human be human.

And about the the clothes. I think this is fine because when this future-employees accept the job they will know the
concequenses the job will bring with it. Futermore I think the french media is taking about all these things way to
serious. The only thing Disney tries to do is activating the fantasie world inside the human brain. They want to give
the customers a day which they will never forget. And the over-the-top clothes makes this day (or days) a lot easier
to remember. So, Disney and there clothes are fine, because if you put everyone in a jeans,the customers won’t
know wich are employees and whom are customers.

After all, Disney had to change some things in there great bussines. Don’t ask the employees to be a bot and let
them be the human part of the great Disney-world. The clothes are fine the way they are now but don’t get to
excited.

9
 WHAT A STAR,
WHAT A JERK
Sometimes an employee
can be nasty, bullying,
or simply hard-hearted.
What should you do, though,
when that person also
happens to be
a top performer?
From: Jane Epstein
To: Rick Lazarus
Sent: 5/14/01
Subject: settling in
Hi Rick. I'm starting to get settled in at
TechniCo. I miss you and the rest of the gang,
and the adrenaline of working with my ex-
clients. But I am happy not to be living in
airports anymore.
I hope Mary and the kids are well.
I've inherited a good team here. They're all
strong performers, and most of them are nice,
too. I'm sure they are still wondering about me
-but so far, so good. My team? Caroline's been
here longest; she seems pragmatic, very good
with people. Juggling work-family issues and a
recent divorce -but she pulls her weight and
then some. She's generally trusted (I think).
Tom is the joker. A natural sales guy- great
talker but a worker with real drive, know what
I mean? You never really get inside his mind,
but I have not discovered any deep thinking in
him, anyway. Jack is intense, maybe he is
something like an intellectual; I haven't quite
figured him out. I think he may be shy (?).
Anyhow, then there's Andy Zimmerman, who's
got me slightly worried - maybe because he
intimidates me just a bit. He's very bright, but
he's aggressive - doesn't tolerate fools. He will
need my watching him, I guess
I had better run now. By the way, I love being
back in Amsterdam. And, glory to my
hometown team. Ajax are doing O.K., aren’t
they? See you.
Jane.
10

From: Rick Lazarus
To: Jane Epstein
Sent: 5/14/01
Subject: Hey stranger
Good to hear from you, Jane. Sure, your Ajax are
bashing the competition. What is it that makes you
so nervous about this chap Zimmerman?
Rick
Sent 5/15/01
Subject: re: Hey stranger
Nothing I can really put my finger on. Here's a little
incident. My assistant, Maureen, arranged a meeting
and scheduled over something else. Zimmerman
really got at her like a mad dog. Not the end of the
world -she had made a mistake, and he had to
rearrange an appointment he had made- but he could
have got the point across more tactfully. And she is
‘my’ assistant. (And I am ‘his’ boss, and he did it in
front of me.) That’s what makes me nervous, as you
put it.
Jane
Sent 5/15/01
Subject: don't be a softie
Hi Jane.
The Zimmerman guy doesn't necessarily sound like a
problem to me. 1 hate it when people screw up
scheduling, and you've always been too patient with
that kind of thing. Clearly you have to establish your
own authority with him, though, or he'll step all over
you.
What's the place like in general? Do the people in
your new office tolerate incompetence? Even the
incompetence of ‘your’ assistant?
By the way, Mary sends her love to you.
Rick
Sent: 5/16/01
Subject: tougher than you think
It is funny you should ask. The atmosphere is pleasant.
In fact, it's probably a little too nicey~nice. The
Support staff are not up to the same standards (not
paid as well, either) as in your office. And there's a
little more coasting among professional staff here.
Senior managers talk a lot about the lack of hierarchy
and authority around here. The lack of hierarcy seems
to translate into tolerating hardly average performance
if the people are well liked
(Then again, my impressions could be all wrong: I'm
describing a place that I have only been part of for a
few weeks.)
Jane
Sent 5/22/01
Subject:ha!
Here is another anecdote in the the continuing
"Who is Andy Zimmerman" story. Yesterday we
had a discussion about our strategy. (We need to be
more aggressive about growth). It was a pretty
open-ended meeting and not more than a
brainstorming session to get our thinking clear
about new markets. Jack (-the intense, possibly shy
one that I haven't figured out yet-) was going on a
bit too long about a favourite idea of his. I was on
the point of redirecting the conversation when
Andy cut him off. "What you are proposing makes
absolutely no sense, and let me tell you why."
Then Zimmerman made a list all the weak points in
poor Jack's thinking, one by one. It really made
Jack him squirm. The thing is, that Zimmerman
was right. On the other hand, it was a
brainstorming meeting, so his tirade stopped the
free flow of ideas. The whole meeting fell flat after
that. People felt terribly frustrated.
Later, 1 heard him yelling against the group's
other assistant Danielle: "This is an important
customer, Girl He has called three times - WHY
CAN'T YOU GET IT RIGHT! Goddammit" Once
again, Zimmerman was right. But this kind of
tongue-lashing and bad-mannered directness causes
people to make mistakes.
Jane
Sent: 5/22/01
Subject: bottom line?
Sent:
Let me just ignore his 5/23/01
niceness score for a moment,
and let me ask Subject:
you: re: how’s
re: re: bottom
Zimmerman’s
line?
performance?
Rick
Sent: 5/22/012
Subject: re: bottom line?
If he had not permormed so excellently, I guess he
would have been thrown out a long time ago. A
colleague said to me that A.Z. will never win
personality contests, but he brings in big business.
She said that she admires his achievements, but
certainly not the man.
Jane
Sent: 5/22/01
Subject: re: re: bottom line?
Well, then, I don't see the problem. 1 think you are
overreacting, Honey!
Rick
Sent: 5/23/01
Subject: re: re: re: bottom line?
That's what I like about you, Rick. You never make
me doubt what you mean.
Jane
11
Sent: 5/30/01
Subject: Holy jelly, Batman ... we're in a jam!
Hi there, Rick.
Can I bore you again with Andy Z., my low-likability,
high-performance guy? Until now, I had thought that
he was just nasty to lower-level people (I told him
quietly to tone down when speaking with them, after
the incidents with the assistants). I also told him that
he at least try to be civil to colleagues. But
Zimmerman doesn’t seem to take the point and
terribly upset Caroline, the one who’s going through
the divorce. Background: Caroline has enormous
social capital built up here; she is respected and she is
the one everyone turns to with their problems, either
professional or personal. She's a good egg, but she is
not at her best right now (she right in the middle of a
divorce lawsuit and her mother is terribly sick). She
probably should have taken some time off, but it's a
bad and busy time of year. That’s why I asked her to
keep on working. Okay, so here she is, this
sympathetic and valuable person who is hanging on by
a thread, and Andy got under her skin way too deep.
She forwarded me this e-maiI he had sent her, and
when I went to talk to her about it, she cried. It was a,
horrible scene. Anyhow, take a look:
Caroline, you screwed up! You screwed up badly.
We had planned a meeting with people whom I had
been trying to convince to do business with us for
eight months. The meeting was set up up well in
advance, and you blew it off at the last minute. The
whole thing embarrassed me greatly and endangered
the business. I can just hear you whining, "Things are
a mess at home right now"- but you know what?
Everybody's got personal problems sometimes, and if
that is the case these people should stay out of the
office. If I don't land this business, it will be because
of your incompetence, and you can bet that Epstein
and everyone else who is important in the company
will hear about how you messed up.
After she had stopped crying she said she was terribly
sorry for making the mistake. Then we talked and she
explained to me how she had ‘handled’ Zimmerman
until recently (which is why she felt betrayed by his
accusations). Evidently, he had often let off steam to
her about what he saw as all-around stupidity. Caroline
would listen to Zimmerman, calm him down, and
occasionally tell him in her extremely gentle way that
he was out of line and his kindness would have more
effect.
And other people would come to her and complain
when he had said something nasty, and she would calm
them down (explaining the pressure Zimmerman was
under, whatever).
(continued)
. (Continued)
As he had never said a nasty word to her, she was
absolutely shocked when he suddenly turned on her.
Anyhow, she was not trying to blow the whistle on
him - not really -but I could see that she was just fed
up with the smoothing-over role. (I gather that my
predecessor completely ignored the whole situation -
in part because Caroline kept it under control. Surely
wish I could do that.)
Obviously, I have to have a chat with the big bad wolf.
You know, when I left BCP to take a job with this
company, I imagined focusing on numbers, products,
customers -on building something up. Instead, I feel as
if people-issues (stupid little blowups like this) take up
most of my time. These are all highly paid people,
mostly with advanced degrees.... Why do I feel like a
kindergarten teacher?
Jane
Sent: 5/30/01
Subject could be worse...
Hello Jane, in many ways, he sounds like your bad
police officer: the Zimmerman bastard keeps the
laggards in your office in line, and makes you become
the nice guy at the same time. Understand what I am
saying? Really, I could imagine worse scenarios.
By the way, I am surprised that your Caroline showed
you that memo, since it makes her look bad. I know
you are going to tell me that the memo is abusive, but
…… is it, really so? Makes me wonder.
Rick
Sent. 5/30/01
Subject: re: could be worse...
Abusive? 1 don’t know about that, Rick. It may not be
abusive, but it is definitely threatening, is not it? And
it makes someone (Caroline) who is good, and who
defended him in the past, feel like shit.... Oh, I don't
know what to think of this.
Jane
12
Sent: 5/31/01
Subject. whew
Okay, so Andy Z. and I had a long talk. I think it went
reasonably well. With Caroline's permission, I told him
about the leave she should be on. And he said he had to
admit that he'd never seen anything like that from her
before. Looked very slightly ashamed (but maybe I just
imagined that I saw it ).
I wanted to make him think about of his nastiness, and I
also wanted to get to the issue of his inappropriate
behavior. So I got him talking about his own role in the
group and how he sees the work developing over the next
several months. And- surprise, surprise - we had a good
conversation. He's got great insights, energy, and the man
is really surprisingly smart. We talked for quite some
time, in a way that was, to be honest, more productive and
visionary. At the same time it was more down-to-earth
than would have happened had the whole group been
present. He created energy in me, and the other way
around. I had to admit that it was just fun talking business
with A.Z.
Of course, I went back to the question of how he acts in
the group. I said, basically, "Look, you're talented and
quick and impatient, and you just have to slow down and
bite your tongue and be a little nicer to people!' (Since we
had been having a really good conversation, it was easy to
say.) He was somewhat dismissive, but when I pushed it,
he agreed to try to listen better in meetings and stop
talking nasty to the assistants as he had done before.
Jane
Sent 5/13/101
Subject: wise words
I always said that you make a great kindergarten teacher.
So Problem Boy is tamed? Looks like he is, is not he? I
hope so. But just remember what a particular famous
somebody once said: ‘It ain’t always the way you hope it
is.’
Rick.
Sent: 6/12/01
Subject: too good to be true
Hey Rick, how was Italy? I bet the kids loved the
beaches - I'm jealous. I could use a little time off
myself.
Of course it was too good to be true Problem Boy
being definitely tamed and reformed (sigh!).
Yesterday I came into a meeting I had asked him to
chair until I could get there. I slipped in quietly - not
wanting to disturb things -and the way the room was
set up, he didn't see me at first. Every person in that
room looked cowed: eyes down, hunched over. And
it's a good group, really! He was responding to
something Tom had said, and his ugly side was out
in full force. He sneered, used foul language - even
rolled his eyes when Tom tried to break in with a
counterargument. He did not even stop after he had
noticed that I had been in the room for some time.
Yes, it suddenly became clear to me: This guy is a
bully.
Afterwards, I saw Caroline and Tom talking -about
Andy-, I'm sure. Meanwhile, when I walked into
Andy's office a few minutes after the meeting -and
looked at him, stone cold - he just shrugged his
shoulders and shook his head.
Damn. He is not changing. Not the slightest bit. And
this isn't kindergarten --it's a business. I feel like I am
between a rock (the negative effect he has on my
team) and a hard place (his excellent performance).
Jane
………..

Sent: 6/01/01
Subject: re: wise words
OK, let’s conclude that Problem Boy is tamed, and forget
about the whole thing.
Jane
Inherit: erven land business: een zaak/werk binnenhalen
Juggle: goochelen smoothing-over: sussen
Bash: afranselen laggards: luiaards
Schedule over: dubbel plannen abusive: beledigend
Screw up: verknallen down-to-earth: nuchter, beide benen op de grond
Incompetence: onbekwaamheid dismissive: afwerend
Coast: freewheelen cowed: geintimideerd
Lack of: gebrek aan hunched over: voorover gebogen
Redirect: weer in rechte spoor krijgen
Cut off: ruw onderbreken
Squirm: ‘van pijn kronkelen’
Tirade: scheldpartij
Contest: wedstrijd
Achievements: prestaties
Likability: geliefdheid
Civil: wellevend, beleefd
Upset: van streek zijn 13
A good egg: goede ziel
Under her skin: haar van binnen raken
Whine: janken
Bestudeer de casus

Opdracht 1
Iedere student bereidt een verklaring voor van maximaal/minimaal 1 minuut waarin hij aangeeft wat zijn
standpunt is. Dit standpunt moet uiteraard beargumenteerd worden.

Opdracht 2
Groepsdiscussie onder leiding van 2/3 studenten.
Stel je voor dat je als consultant het probleem zoals hierboven is beschreven in de schoot geworpen krijgt.
En stel je ook eens voor dat je er niet helemaal uitkomt en dat je daarom met een aantal collega’s van
gedachten wilt wisselen voordat je aan het management van TechniCo advies uitbrengt. Immers, de vraag
is of Jane op een zwakke manier leiding geeft, óf is het dat Zimmerman gewoon aan iedereen lak heeft en
dus moet vertrekken, óf ……….?

14
 Everybody at ClarityBase seemed to understand when one accountmanager, a
working mother, got a special deal: Fridays off, limited travel, easy clients.
But when other employees -namely, nonparents- started asking for
similar treatment, the company found itself on the brink of
an organizational firestorm.

‘PLEASE DON’T TELL ME that I need to have a
baby to have this time off.’ Those words were still
ringing in the ears of Jessica Gonon an hour after a
tense1 meeting with one of her key managers. As she
sat in her office trying to make sense of a recent
customer survey, Jessica, the vice president of sales
and customer support at ClarityBase, was having
trouble concentrating on the bar graphs and pie charts
in front of her. Bits and pieces from her earlier
conversation kept interrupting her thoughts.
The issue seemed simple enough. Jana Rowe, an
account manager in the sales support department, had
requested a lighter workload: she wanted a four-day
workweek, and for that she was willing to take a
corresponding 20% cut in pay. Those were the simple
facts, but the situation at ClarityBase was anything but
straightforward.
1 2
gespannen
Just last week, Davis Bermett, another account
manager, had made a similar request. He wanted a
lighter workload so that he could train for the Ironman
Triathlon World Championship held each October in
Hawaii. He was a world-class athlete, and his ultimate
goal was a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in 2004.
Davis had said he didn’t need to begin full training
until mid-spring, so Jessica had asked him for a couple
of weeks to figure out how ClarityBase might best
accommodate2 his training schedule.
A complicating factor was that both Davis and Jana
were well aware that Megan Flood, another account
manager, had been working a reduced schedule for
nearly two years. When she was hired, Megan had
requested Fridays off to spend time with her two
young boys, and Jessica had agreed.
In her meeting with Jessica, Jana had declined to
explain why she wanted the reduced hours, giving
een regeling (proberen te) vinden
15
‘personal reasons’. When Jessica had paused,
wondering what those reasons might be, Jana added,
‘All I’m asking for is the same deal that Megan has.
Please don’t tell me that I need to have a baby to have
this time off.’ Jana was married and had no children.
Davis was single and also without children.
There were other subtle issues. A reduced workweek
for Jana and Davis meant much more than just that.
From Jessica’s conversations with them, she inferred 3
that any official reduction in hours -having a day off
every week in Jana's case- would also mean they
wouldn't have to work the occasional nights and
weekends that the other account managers did, all
except Megan.
ClarityBase sold large database applications that
helped companies run their operations, including
human resources, manufacturing, and order fulfilment.
The eight account managers -Jana, Davis, and Megan
among them- were in charge of helping the company's
largest customers install and maintain the software,
which required no special or extra effort. Because
Megan had an abbreviated4 workweek, the other
account managers were assigned the more demanding 5
clients.
Davis, in particular, seemed to have the toughest
customers, most notably St. Elizabeth's Hospital in
Philadelphia, which required him to be available
around-the-clock. Once, when its system failed on
Christmas Day, Davis took the train to Philadelphia to
help get the hospital's crucial patient database up and
running. lf Jessica agreed to a shorter workweek for
Jana and Davis, who would take over clients like St.
Elizabeth's? And what would happen if the other
account managers began asking for similar deals?
It was Monday morning -what a way to start the
week, thought Jessica. She had promised Jana that
she'd get back to her by Friday, so at least she had the
whole week to sort things out. That was plenty of time,
or so she hoped.
Trading Places
Jessica had had second thoughts 6 before hiring Megan
-she had made so many demands in the interview. Her
children, said Megan, were paramount 7 to her, and she
wanted a very flexible schedule. Not only did she want
the freedom to come in late and leave early
occasionally, she also wanted the Fridays off. She was
not prepared to do business travels, and she would not
be able to attend after-hours meetings except when her
personal schedule allowed.
But Megan had come highly recommended. Her
three-year experience at Dawson Software,
ClarityBase’s main competitor, would be a huge asset 8;
3 10
concluded
4 11
verkorte
5 12
veeleisend
6 13
had zo haar bedenkingen
7 14
het belangrijkste in haar leven
8 15
aanwinst
her technical skills were superb; and her professional
and friendly demeanor9 would surely impress
customers. And, last but certainly not least, Jessica had
looked for months to hire someone of Megan’s caliber.
None of the other candidates had come remotely close.
So after thinking about it over a weekend, Jessica
decided to offer her the job.
Still, Megan’s demands had left Jessica feeling
uneasy. Part of the reason, Jessica realized later after
much introspection, was because she had had it much
tougher when she was starting her career in the early
1970s - a different era10 before flexible work hours,
and on-site day care centers. At that time, women like
Jessica, who held a bachelor's degree in computer
programming from Penn State University, simply
couldn't have it all, both career and children. So Jessica
and her husband, who was one of the partners in an
architectural firm, had decided that she would quit her
job as a supervisor in Capital Insurance when they had
their first child.
Nine years later, after their youngest child had
started kindergarten, Jessica reentered the workforce as
a sales assistant at ClarityBase. She took classes at
night to get up to speed on the computer industry and
slowly rose to become a sales rep 11, then account
manager, and then head of the Northeast sales region.
At the age of 52, she was promoted to her current
position of vice president of sales and customer
support. The road had been long, and having children
had been a substantial detour. But just because Jessica
had had to make trade-offs12 between career and
family, should Megan have to as well?
Hidden Tensions
It was nearly 7 PM when Jessica finally crammed the
customer survey reports into her briefcase and started
to head home. As she walked through the sales support
group, she was reminded of a conversation she
happened to overhear in this corridor last week: ‘I
honestly don't know if I can force myself to smile
through yet another precious baby shower,’ said a
woman’s voice from the other side of a thin wall. At
the time, Jessica paid little attention to the comment,
but now, those words made her stop and think.
ClarityBase prided itself on its progressive work-life
policies. The company offered all employees family
medical insurance, adoption assistance13, and paid
maternity and paternity leave14. But perhaps the thing
that ClarityBase was most proud of was the on-site
child care center that the company subsidized. Bill
Welensky, vice president of human resources, liked to
brag that such perks15 helped ClarityBase keep
9
houding, voorkomen
tijd(perk)
salesrepresentative
keuzen
kinderopvang
ouderschapsverlof
secondaire arbeidsvoorwaarden
16
employee turnover to less than 5% annually, unheard
of in the software industry. But had the company
become too pro-parent at the expense of other
employees?
A year and a half ago, as Labor Day approached,
tension between the two groups surfaced. Ed
Fernandez -whom Jessica had just hired to supervise
ClarityBase's call center- had drawn up the schedule
for the holiday weekend in what he thought was the
fairest way: people who hadn’t worked over a holiday
for the longest time would be the first to be called to
duty. Many mothers were on the short list because the
previous supervisor had never scheduled them to work
on holidays. When the assignments were posted, the
mothers were peeved16, and their reaction irritated
other employees.
Fortunately, Ed was able to strike a compromise. The
assignments for Labor Day would be done as they had
been in the past, with special consideration given to
mothers. From that point on, though, every employee
would have to work his or her fair share of holidays,
regardless of past status or history. The only
consideration would be for seniority 17: newer
employees, whether they were parents or not were first
to serve.
That solution seemed to prevent a fracture 18 in the
workplace between parents and nonparents. But could
it be that a dangerous rift19 did exist, with only a fragile
veneer of social decorum20 to conceal it? Jessica
headed back to her office to reboot her computer. She
composed two e-mails, one to Jana and the other to
Davis, requesting that she meet with each of them as
soon as possible to discuss their requests further.
Gathering information
At lunch the next day, Jessica waited until she and
Jana had comfortably settled into their booth 21 and
ordered their meals before asking the delicate question.
‘I want to understand your sitation, why you've
requested a shorter workweek,' she started. ‘Yesterday,
you cited 'personal reasons! The last thing I want to do
is pry into22 your personal life, but is there anything
else you would feel comfortable telling me?’
Jessica watched as Jana swallowed her food and
collected her thoughts. ‘I don’t mean to be
disrespectful,’ Jana began. ‘Honestly, I don’t. Nor do I
mean to be mysterious. But I really don’t think I
should have to explain why I want time off. Suffice 23 it
to say that it's very important to me!'
‘I see,’ replied Jessica. 'I am sorry I have asked. I just
wanted to understand your situation better.’
16
‘waren over de rooie’
17
leeftijd
18
breuk
19
scheuring, scheidingslijn
20
een dun laagje vernis van goede manieren
21
plaatsje
22
neus steken in
23
laat het volstaan
The two women ate in silence for a few minutes.
Then Jana put her fork down and looked at Jessica
intently. ‘The thing that gets me,' Jana said ‘is that
somehow all the family stuff is considered more
important -the soccer games, the school plays, the
graduations. Well, I have important things going on in
my life, too. They just don’t involve children.’
‘Do you think that parents are treated with favoritism
at Clarity?’ Jessica asked.
'I don’t think so,' Jana replied. ‘But is it so hard to
believe that my reasons for wanting a lighter workload
might be just as important to me as Megan’s children
are to her?’ Before Jessica could say anything, Jana
added ‘Don't get me wrong. I think Megan is great.
She's one of our best account managers, so I have no
problem about the deal she has. I am just saying that I
think I deserve the same deal!'
Value Judgements
On her drive home that night, Jessica thought more
about what Jana had said. She had heard of companies
with a no-explanation policy for time off, but that
blanket24 policy seemed unfair to her. Some people
might need more consideration at a specific time -for
example the birth of a child- whereas others could
postpone their plans -for instance, a college course
could be taken in the autumn instead of in the spring.
On the hand, a blanket no-explanation policy would
certainly make her job easier, she wouldn’t have to
make value judgements about whose reasons were
important or not.
Breakfast the next morning with Davis went more
smoothly. When Jessica asked him whether he felt that
parents at ClarityBase were treated with favoritism 25,
he replied, 'I have never felt like a second-class citizen,
if that’s you are asking. I really don’t mind helping out
someone who’s having some kind of family
emergency, because working parents have it tough. I
have no idea how they juggle 26 everything. I would be
a nut case.’
‘Thanks for your great attitude,’ said Jessica. 'Well,
we're all on the same team! I guess what I need to
know from you,’ Jessica continued, ‘is how much
flexibility you might have. Excuse my ignorance, but I
know very little about triathletes, and I am not sure
how much time off you'll need to train!'
‘It varies; everyone seems to have a different training
schedule,’ said Davis. ‘But here's what I think would
work best for me: for the summer, I would like to
leave work at 3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then,
during the fall, I would want to leave early maybe
four days a week. But on the days I left early, 1 could
definitely come in at 6 AM to make up some of that
time, or I could stay later on the other days!'
‘I appreciate that,’ said Jessica, ‘and I have always
been grateful for your willingness to go the extra mile.
24
rechtlijnig en voor iedereen geldend
25
speciale voorrang, ‘vriendjespolitiek’
26
het voor elkaar krijgen
17
But with this new schedule, do you think you could else's personal achievement goals. And I don’t feel
keep up with the needs of your clients?’ comfortable doing that!'
'I have thought about that a lot and, to be honest Bill looked at Jessica. ‘Have you tried taking a
with you, I don’t know,’ Davis admitted. I realize that different perspective?’ he asked. ‘Think of it as two
the customer comes first, but I also like to think that employees who both want raises but your budget will
most of them would be willing to make adjustments allow just one. What would you do?’
-and I think they'd be minor ones- to accommodate27 Without hesitation, Jessica replied, 'I would make a
my new hours. Of course, I have no idea if everything judgement about just how valuable and irreplaceable
would work out as smoothly as I'm hoping.’ each employee was. But my situation is so much more
‘This particular triathlon is really important to complicated than that. With salary requests, I could
you?’Jessica asked, almost rhetorically. 'Well, I have compare apples with apples. With work-life issues, I
won a few local ones, but nothing big,’ said Davis. feel like I have to compare an apple with a hammer.’
‘And the Ironman is big. My goal is a place in the top ‘Then let me to speak to you as a friend and not as
20. And, yes, it's very important to me. In fact, I the HR director,’ Bill said. ‘And let me be frank with
suppose I've never wanted anything as badly in my you: the reason you were promoted to vice president is
entire life!' precisely because of your ability to compare apples
Jessica thought back to when she had hired Davis with hammers. You run a large department and, yes,
more than five years ago. What impressed her most it's not always easy to meet the needs of your staff
about him was his passion. Davis was clearly the type while also making your quarterly numbers 28. So, no,
of person who threw himself into everything he did, you can’t go out and hire two more account managers
and it was evident in his work. So it was hardly to cover for the people who want flex time. There is no
surprising that he would want extra training time to simple, tidy solution here!'
prepare for the Ironman. As Jessica left BilI's office, she tried to reassure herself
that it was just Wednesday, she still had until Friday to
Decision Time figure out what to do. The problem, though, was that
As Jessica arrived at ClarityBase's parking lot, she with each day she was becoming increasingly
noticed a Honda with a bumper sticker that proudly confused.
declared ‘Childfree (not child-less) ... and loving every
minute of it.’ Could that car belong to the woman she
had overheard the other night?
Before heading to her office, Jessica decided to stop
by the HR department to talk with Bill Welensky.
‘Bill, do you have a few free minutes?’ she asked. Bill,
who was Jessica’s mentor and one of her biggest
supporters at ClarityBase, listened carefully as she told
him about Jana, Davis, and her earlier arrangement
with Megan. ‘I know that we don't have any official
policy that specifically addresses these issues’ she said,
‘but I was hoping for some advice!’
'I’m not sure exactly what to say,’ said Bill. ‘As you
know, ClarityBase prides itself on its progressive
views on worklife issues, and we try to accommodate
people as much as possible. But we do not have any
policies at all regarding flex time.’
When Jessica told Bill about what Jana had said -that
she felt parents got special consideration at
ClarityBase- he paused before speaking. ‘That's not
the first time that sentiment has been expressed,' he
said. ‘But as far as flex time or shorter workweeks are
concerned, we certainly don't have any guidelines with
regard to parents versus nonparents. Supervisors just
have to make those kinds of decisions on a case by
case basis!'
Jessica thought about that for a few seconds. ‘The
problem,' she started, ‘is that I feel like I somehow
have to make value judgments about what's more
important, someone's parenting needs versus someone

27 28
sporen met, inpassen kwartaalcijfers behalen
18
Bestudeer de casus

Opdracht 1 (individueel)
Iedere student bereidt een verklaring voor van maximaal/minimaal 1 minuut waarin hij aangeeft wat
zijn standpunt is. Dit standpunt moet uiteraard beargumenteerd worden.

Opdracht 2 (groep)
Groepsdiscussie onder leiding van 2/3 studenten.
Op de agenda staat de vraag of er iets mis is bij ClarityBase. En als er iets mis is, wat dat dan eigenlijk
is. In feite ben je als groep bezig met het maken van een analyse van de situatie zoals die is onstaan.
Probeer dus het probleem (als dat er is) in kaart te brengen en probeer hoofd- en bijzaken van elkaar te
scheiden.
ClarityBase.

If I were Jessica, and I’m glad I’m not, I think I will have the same problems with deciding. It is very difficult
to make decisions like this. My point of view is that there should be no difference in treatment if they have a
child or not. If I was Jessica, I think the most reasonable decision, is to see spending time with your child as
spare time and not as a “part time job”. So if Davis Bermett wants some extra time to do something he likes
to do, training for the ironman contest, he should have the same rights as Megan Flood, who likes to take care
of her children at her extra day-off.

But what makes this decision so difficult? Well, when Jessica agreed the request of Megan Flood, account
manager in the sales support department and has some children to take care for, I think she didn’t knew there
were more people who have the same needs. But Davis Bermett, who always worked hard, and also wants a
different schedule, but none of his wishes where fulfilled, yet. Because he has no children to take care for. I
think this is a lame excuse to still reach the target they’ve been aiming for. If Davis get his days off, they
won’t have the warranty they reach this. But all the employees should have the same advantages. And there
shouldn’t be any favoritism.

There was one more person involved in this story named, Jana Rowe. I think employees have the right to have
some private things. But if they want some extra’s they had to give some more information then only:
“personal reasons”. If they don’t want to give this extra information, the boss may ask for additional
information. As employer, Jessica has the right to ask for more knowledge then, Jana Rowe has given.

So, Jessica will do the following. The things she has decided according to Megan Flood will stay the same.
These things were decided in the past with a reason and they will be the same in the future. When we talk
about Davis Bernett, he has given a valid reason for his different schedule. He always worked the best he can,
and has a heart for the “ClarityBase Company”. According to Jane Rowe, and her bad comment for accepting
on the request, I think her boss, Jessica, Has the right to ask for more additional information. Because they still
have that target to achieve. So if she don’t want to tell the reason behind the request, I think it would be
reasonable if she ignore the request.
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the spring of 1999. For Max Bierman, the American construction
manager of his company's partially completed Fitzburg Tire Company plant in Cuernavaca, Mexico, though, it
was a bad day. He had spent the afternoon reviewing the project and was clearly upset. Construction was
already three months behind schedule, costs were in excess of those projected, and his chief engineer, Leopoldo
Sanchez Garcia, had reported on Friday that most of the work completed in the last three weeks had to be
redone because it failed to meet specification. It seemed to Bierman that never before had he had so many
problems at one time.
This was not the first plant that Bierman had built for Fitzburg, but it was the first one he had supervised outside
the U.S. At first Bierman had been delighted with Mexico. Cuernavaca was a beautiful city in the mountains,
the people seemed friendly, and his accommodations-a huge house with servants and swimming pool-were
superior to his home in the United States.
The problems with the plant, however, had begun to change his attitudes. In uncharacteristic fashion, he began
to blame Mexican workers, Mexican supervisors, Mexican bureaucracy, in short, everything Mexican, for the
difficulties. Even his "right-hand man," Sanchez Garcia, seemed to have failed him. To compound matters,
Bierman's monthly progress report was due in a few days at the head office in Philadelphia. It appeared that
once again he would have to file a "nonprogress" report, which justifiably would concern his superiors. After
one hour of deliberating what to do, he picked up the telephone called Sanchez Garcia at home.

FITZBURG TIRE COMPANY

A situation in Mexico
DIALOGUE: A PLANNING SESSION

Present: Max Bierman, Construction Manager, Fitzburg Tire Co., Cuernavaca

Leopoldo Sanchez Garcia, Chief Engineer, Fitzburg Tire Cuernavaca
 EXHIBITS AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Bierman: Sorry to drag you out on a Sunday afternoon, Leopoldo, we've got some problems that have to get
EXHIBIT 1. settled, and
Memo from
settled Sanchez Garcia to Max Bierman
quickly.
Sanchez: You're referring to the mixing pit walls that have to be taken down and done again.
Bierman: Well, we might as well start with that.
Sanchez: Okay. As I toldInteroffice
you on Memorandum
Friday, the problem is with the H-E reinforcements. There should be
twice as many pylons for the pit to be structurally sound.
Bierman: So whose fault was it?
Sanchez:
TO: Max Bierman It'sFM:
notLeopoldo
a question of fault
Sanchez or blame. I suppose I'm to blamed for going on vacation. The maestro,
Garcia
DT: April 29, 1999Munoz, is to be blamed for not following directions; John is to be blamed for not keeping a close
eye on the operation. But in the end doesn't matter, it has to be redone.
RE: Procedural changes
Bierman: What's wrong with Munoz anyway? This isn't the first time he's made a mistake.
Sanchez: Max, what you need to understand is that these workers need a lot of supervision. You can't
manage this kind of construction from the office.
In response to our conversation of yesterday afternoon, I have initiated the following changes:
Bierman: Can he read?
Sanchez: Who?
1.
Bierman: I warnedMunoz.
MaestroJohnMigueltoldMunoz
me hethat
can'tanother
read. mistake would result in his immediate termination for breach of
Sanchez: contract. He can read,
(I doubt if this and he'sbut
is legal, notI think
stupid. But he is aprovoked
it sufficiently subcontractor
a more and he thought
responsive he )could
attitude. cut a of
Demolition corner
the
and save some expense by only using half the amount of steel.
retaining wall was begun at the expense of Maestro Munoz. A new wall should be in place by May 3rd.
Bierman: So let's get rid of him
Sanchez: It's not that simple. Munoz is good
2. I spoke with
Bierman: ThereJuanare
Carillo
a lot in
ofpersonnel
people out about hiring
there whothirty more
can do theunskilled
job. workers. They would be used to supplement
Sanchez: I told
the existing workhim on Friday
crews. He saidhe'll haveprobably
he could to rip uphavethe concrete andjobdowithin
them on the the job right.This
a week. would greatly speed
Bierman: But the delays! We're already so far behind schedule.
up initial construction.
Sanchez: I know, but it's better to do it right.
Bierman:
3.
I'm not saying not to do it right. What I'm saying is that the situation is out of control. John
Abolishing the 90-minute siesta break is impossible. It simply flies in the face of tradition. Since the workers put
agrees.
Sanchez: in eight-hour
NeitherdaysJohn
anyway,norI you
don' thave
see that it matters much
experience whetherIthey
in Mexico. toldwork
youfrom 8:00-4:30
at the beginningor from
that8:00-6:
your 00.
time
schedule was not realistic. Things are not as bad as they seem.
4.
Bierman: An obviousOh problem
yeah? What existsam
withI the use to
going of tell
too many subcontractors.
Philadelphia Because of-that
on Wednesday legalthis
entanglements,
is the land weof are stuck
manhana,
with themwhere time Aschedules
at present. don't matter?
logical solution, though, is to hire three or four young engineers to supervise them closely.
Sanchez: Yes, to some extent you'll have to tell them that. But you'll also have to show them that when this
This would alleviate the problem to a very great extent.
plant is done, it will be a model for Fitzburg plants everywhere. Max, it is being built right.
Bierman: How can you say that? Leopoldo, I'm going to have to make some changes. Up to now I've
listened to you, trusted your judgment, believed that you knew how to handle your people. But
it's not working. And besides, we're not running a charity organization. We've got jobs that
people need, and I want you to make sure that the people who have jobs deserve them. I also want
EXHIBIT 2. you to tighten Memo up from Max Bierman
operations. This whole to Sanchez Garcia
siesta business is ridiculous. Orders aren't delivered on
time, crews don't show up. Leopoldo, you've got to get this under control.
Sanchez: Max, I understand your frustration and agree things can be improved. But at the same time,
having a hostile attitude toward the workers isn't going to do anything for anyone.
Bierman: I'm not hostile From the Desk
toward of Max Bierman
the workers. I just want to see some visible progress made without hitches,
without delays, without cost overruns. I want you to make the changes as you see fit, but I want
changes. I want people working, not standing around leaning on the machinery. I want things
done right the first time, not the second or third time. I want to increase the work tempo, I want
changes, and I want results.
Sanchez: I'll see what I can do, but, Max, you have to remember that in Mexico things are done differently.
I've been building plants in this country and in Latin America for thirty years. You've been here
less than a year.
Bierman: I know. I trust you. I recognize that there will be differences. But you see the spot I'm in, don't
you? Philadelphia could not care less about our problems. They just want a plant built and
running within a reasonable time period. And that's our job. Nothing less, nothing more.
Leopoldo,
you haven't got the message. Your so-called ' changes’ amount to nothing at all. The answer is not to hire more workers,
either unskilled or engineers. The answer is to get people who are on the job working! And about the siesta break -the
workers begin to slow down an hour before siesta and take at least an hour to get back in full swing. We're losing two hours a
day of full-work productivity. Whether traditional or not, it's got to go. Work tempo has to be increased, and costs have to
remain the same.
Max
EXHIBIT 3. Bierman's Progress Report to the Head Office

Fitzburg Tire Co., S.A. de C.V.

Apartado Postal 96
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
 Exhibit 4: Memo from Sanchez to Bierman

TO: Max
May 1, FROM:
1999 Leopoldo
SUBJECT: Progress Report
TO: DATE: May V.
Ann Block, 2, 1999
P. , Overseas Operations
FROM: Max Bierman, General Construction Manager, Cuernavaca
SUBJECT: April Progress Report
Your proposed changes won't work. You won’t gain a thing from doing away with the siesta. In fact, all you'll gain
fromcovers
This report this is athe
lotperiod
of dissatisfaction
from April 1from the workers.
to April 30, 1999,Cooperation withconstruction
regarding the the workers of
is the
needed, notPlant
F. Tire hostility.
in Cuernavaca,
Mexico.John, while a good engineer, is not the person to be in charge of overseeing efficiency. His inability to communicate
Summary of Work Previously Completed
in Spanish is a major handicap and can result only in mutual misunderstanding. As it is, he is not particularly liked
by beginning
From the the workers, being perceived
of construction as a young,
in August 1983,inexperienced "Americano’
the foundations for the mainwith no sense
assembly of actual
facility, construction.
curing If he
room, and storage
is putbeen
rooms have in the role
laid ofthe
and watchdog, we will
basic frame be facilities
for all in real trouble.
erected.
Max, this is Mexico, not the United States. You can't run a project the same way here as you can in the U.S. Just the
Work Completed- April 1- April 30
differences in equipment, materials, and methods are alone sufficient reason to adopt different tactics. I shall do
Major tasks during this time period have been confined to continued work on the erection of the structural frames, on
what I can to improve efficiency and reduce costs, but you can't impose efficiency on anyone. The workers and
reinforcement (with H-shape steel covered with concrete) of the internal mixing pits, and on preparation for installation of the
subcontractors have to be educated in new methods of building, not given ultimatums.
tire-building machines and milling machines. Some delays were experienced because of procurement problems (the steel
Please reconsider your changes. Let me handle it, my way. Let us talk when you get back from Mexico City .
arrived one week late), which were compounded by construction errors on the part of the subcontractor building the mixing
Leopoldo
pits. The latter problem has been corrected, and the pits are nearing completion,

Work scheduled –May 1 –May 31

Continued work on the external frames, completion of the mixing pits, reinforcement of the platforms for machinery
installation (extruders, tire-building drums, molds) , and completion of the storage rooms.

Proposed Changes

In order to combat cost overruns and the slow construction progress, a number of changes will be instituted this month:

1. Tighter fiscal and supervisory control will be placed over the subcontractors. Accountability for meeting deadlines and for
the quality of workmanship will be increased.
2. Work tempo will be increased by abolishing siesta break (a 90-minute interlude in the middle of the day). In its place, all
workers, including subcontractors and their crews, will be placed on an eight-hour day with a thirty-minute lunch break.
3. John Perkins, my assistant, will be put in charge of ensuring that these changes are efficiently implemented. He will work
with the project's chief engineer/construction supervisor, Leopoldo Sanchez Garcia.
It is firmly believed that these changes will help put the Cuernavaca construction project back on line, both in terms of costs
and schedule. The outlook for the future is considerably brighter.

cc: J. Perkins
L. Sanchez Garcia
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/culxcomp.html

Bestudeer de casus

Opdracht 1
Iedere student bereidt een verklaring voor van maximaal/minimaal 1 minuut waarin hij aangeeft wat zijn
standpunt is. Dit standpunt moet uiteraard beargumenteerd worden.

Opdracht 2
Groepsdiscussie onder leiding van 2/3/ studenten
Gesteld dat de directie van Fitzburg Tire Company aan jullie (als gehele groep) de opdracht heeft gegeven aan
de zorgelijke situatie in Mexico een eind te maken en daartoe een aantal duidelijke voorstellen te doen: wat
moet er dan (volgens jullie) gebeuren?
Bedenk daarbij dat er géén kostbare tijd mag worden verloren en niet veel geld kan worden uitgegeven. De
toestand in Mexico heeft al genoeg geld en tijd gekost!
My opinion is that Mr.Bierman is totally right. All the workers should work harder if they don’t work the
best they can. Mr.Bierman has to make some changes, but he need the trust of Sanchez. Sanchez need to
kick all the under experienced workers out of the Company. And he should hire some people who will work
harder than the average Mexican. Because the plant needs to be built without making too much costs.

According to Maestro Miguel Munoz, he should have discuss his opinion, on reducing the costs, with his
supervisor, and let him decide. Sanchez, the supervisor of Maestro Miguel Munoz, should pay the damage
and not Mr.Biermans.

The siesta is something