Lecture 1: Discussion Post

In Chapter 1 of the textbook, we learned some of the terminology of organizational behaviour

and it provided us with an introduction with topics that we will learn later in the book. In

particular, it focused on the role of the manager in the organization and how management

evolved throughout time. The role of the manager is important in any organization and a capable

manager is invaluable to the success of the organization. In my co-op placement at an accounting

firm, my manager was responsible for training and assigning work to me, which is an example of

his leadership role. As a part of his negotiator role, he also had to contact clients directly and

persuade them to accept the amounts that are to be reported on financial statements. While, the

managing partner of the firm acts in a disseminator role by giving information to all employees

by using meetings and emails. Another topic covered in the textbook is corporate social

responsibility (CSR). CSR is becoming an important tool in which corporations give back to the

community and at times it improves the company’s reputation and image in the eyes of the

public. Many big companies donate money to various initiatives and charities. Some companies

take it a step further and encourage employees to spend time (either on weekends or during the

work day) to volunteer and help causes they care about. Another form of CSR is caring about the

environment. For example, in my co-op placement, the firm is trying to reduce the amount of

paper they use by using good on one side paper to print out rough drafts of tax forms, financial

statements, etc. This reduces the amount of paper being thrown out and saves the company

money from buying more paper. From the first lecture, things discussed include key components

of the course outline and expectations. As well, the lecture and the additional assigned reading

focused on the concept of a ‘flipped classroom’. The use of a flipped classroom can be hard for

students to adapt to due to the burden of learning most of the concepts on their own through
readings and videos. However, I think it would be beneficial to work as a class on activities that

applies course material in various applications in order to develop different skills that would be

essential in the future. Also, in-class group activities aren’t a waste of time, since different

students have different perspectives on topics being discussed and may have different solutions

to the question being asked. The only time group activities are a waste of time is if the members

of the group do not try to have a meaningful discussion and is reluctant to participate. Thus, it is

dependent on group members themselves whether the activity is a waste of time or not.

Article: http://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/tim-hortons-wants-to-give-its-
restaurants-a-700m-makeover-but-some-franchisees-say-its-ill-conceived

Topics covered in Chapter 1 of the textbook includes an introduction to organizational

behaviour and what roles managers play in the organization. Management has the important
role of managing employees and any conflicts they may have. However, when management
does not properly communicate to employees, it may cause conflict within the organization
that will tarnish the reputation of the brand to consumers. Recently, Tim Hortons revealed its
plans for improving its image after declining sales in the past months. However, franchisees are
displeased with the plans, which includes plans to renovate Tim Hortons’ restaurants to include
new features such as charging stations at tables. Renovation costs are to be split between the
head office and franchisees. Franchisees are disagreeing with these plans due to witnessing that
majority of customers use the drive thru rather than enter the store. The corporate office,
Restaurant Brands International (RBI) cannot provide any data to support their plans. The lack
of communication between RBI and franchisees is part of the reason for the growing number of
lawsuits that the franchisees placed against RBI over the past months. RBI needs to explain
reasons for their actions to the franchisees in order for conflicts to be resolved. These conflicts
not only ruin the image of Tim Hortons as a brand, but also drives away great potential
franchisees.