CONFIDENTIAL

UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA

FINAL EXAMINATION
SEMESTER II
SESSION 2021/2022

COURSE NAME : LSHRM

COURSE CODE : MPA 10403
EXAMINATION DATE : MAY 2022
DURATION : 3 HOURS
INSTRUCTION : ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS

NAME : ZULAIHA BINTI KADERI

MATRIX No : GP210080

CONFID
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Format

12 Font Size
Times New Roman
1.5 Spacing
Justify

Your answer starts here

1) Describe the action that Zuckerberg need to do during this challenging time

The scandal on Cambridge Analytica and Facebook data mining on Facebook User without
their consent was happened in 2018. Since then, there are articles published by well-known
publisher such as The Guardian and The New York Times about the scandal, it totally
impacted the market capitalization of Facebook when they are loss more than $100 million in
days. There are many politicians requested for explanations from the CEO and the situation
become worsen when the public started to have negative response and widely media coverage
on the issue.
Finally, Mark Zuckerberg agreed to testify in front of the US Congress about the issue
and in July 2019, Facebook was fined $5 billion because of the violence of privacy and data
mining without consent activity. Facebook also has been claimed to breach the legal
obligations of the firm under Data Protection Act 1998.
There is some action that Zuckerberg need to do during this challenging time which
are first to analyse carefully on the situation. Leader should bear in mind that sometimes, there
are thing that they can and cannot control. After 5 days, Mark Zuckerberg made statement that
Facebook has officially apologized on the data mining issue and release remarkable statement
of “We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to
serve you”. His action shows that he acknowledges the error happened by failing to prevent
manipulation happened using their platform and take responsibility by making press to
Congress.
He learned the lesson on this issue by conducted the thorough review and try to
embraced the difficult situation and challenges in business environment into opportunities and
innovate future plan. He first makes a promise to investigate all the applications that has
access to large information and do the audit forensic of Cambridge Analytica and all parties
involved in the data misuse, ban developer who misused personally identifiable information
and also inform the individuals affected when the situation ever happens again.

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Facebook takes the serious action by announced the suspension of several application
such as AggregateIQ (AIQ) which are data mining firm that used by pro-Brexit campaign and
Cubeyou, US based data analysis firm that harvested data from psychological apps for
commercial purposes. Zuckerberg had announced that Facebook will take necessary action in
tackling election meddling. He strives to prevent social networking sites being used for online
information warfare.
He said that Facebook will put effort on something they can control and direct their
full effort and resources towards it. Zuckerberg also said that social network would be
launching an independent research commission responsible to look into social media effects
on democracy and elections process especially during campaign and voting days. Zuckerberg
also recommend that the committee would work together with the US Foundation, academic
expert to develop research problem and topics and proceed with the study.
Zuckerberg also makes a proposal for legislation on disclosure of political ad
campaign buyer who use social networking sites as medium to collect data and implement the
verification process of people purchasing “issues” ad which can protect the social networking
provider from misuse and exploitation. All these ideas and proposal is the action of
transformative leader’s effort to first protect the company’s interest and second to serve back
to the community. The effort also to prevent any interference of election campaign worldwide.
To face the challenges, Zuckerberg has developed the ideas and commitment for more
strategic, purposeful and focused on the future. He also become the transformative leader but
not only admitted their failure to protect user data but he also shows responsibility and
commitment to adapt to unfolding circumstances and find appropriate solutions. All these
efforts not only precaution action of the company but also to gain back trust of the user on
data protection aspects.
Actually, there are some companies that happened to have crisis and issues like what
happened to Facebook. For example, is Federick Hutson, founder of Pigeonly, being hacked
and put the company into crisis. At first Hutson try to shut down the crisis by terminate all the
bad actors and discontinue international services. However, he quickly realizes that the
problem is rooted from their weaknesses and open the opportunity of the hacker to attack their
security system. He quickly response by asking the help from the expert to analyse and fix the
situation. He always prioritizes the purpose and the vision of the company as he become more
focus and stronger to overcome the crisis. Facebook itself can learn a lesson from the other
company and not too confident and comfortable with the current records their company have.
Throughout the business cycle, there are up and down, quick response to situation, always

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prepare and learn from other helping the company to always be prepare in whatever situation
they may face.
There are many business critique and analyser said that Facebook does not have clear
purpose for the company’s future. In early establishment, Zuckerberg stated that he creates
Facebook to connect people and build community but after years of operation, Facebook
seems to lost it identity and now eager to make profit and collecting revenue. As leader,
Zuckerberg should influence and organized the subordinates especially the senior leader to
prioritize the mission of the company and practices business ethics at all time. The case study
and model company can be reference for the company to strengthen the basis on risk
management and also business strategies. As founder, he should work together with the
subordinates when facing challenges and crisis. Openness and action orientation can be basis
to reduce the crisis and issues from happening.
It is good start and brilliant strategies for the Facebook to promote and strengthen user
awareness on data privacy and data protection. With around 2.1 billion users, Facebook still
be the giant of social networking sites and the effort to fund the educational program can
bring back the trust among the user and gain recognition as trusted social media platform that
really taking care of data protection of the user. Actively engagement with the company
stakeholder and shareholder can bring the new ideas on what the problem facing by the
company, what are the challenges in future and what can be the good strategy to overcome the
challenge and stay relevant in the industry.
In conclusion, Zuckerberg’s action in facing the challenges throughout the crisis is
first acknowledge and identify the root problems. Then, try to accept mistakes and try to do
corrective action such as apologizing to parties affected and come out with solution. He also
needs to remind the goal set for the company, making clear for the subordinates in order to
accomplished the mission of the company. He can learn the lesson from other company’s
failure to set the strategy. Then after have the clear goal and strategy, he can develop several
program in order not to repeat the same mistakes and try very hard to make the strategy
happen in order to build back the trust and continue the successful journey of the company.

ii) Examine the focused of leadership styles strategy that Zuckerberg should execute
to overcome the problem.

As we know, Mark Zuckerberg is the example of transformational leader. He is the

types who has learned from the mistake. He always will to take risk and very visionary type of
person. He really embodies the transformational leadership characteristics. Zuckerberg always

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believes in the set of goals and direction helps the people to work efficiently. When the goal
has been set, the leader should be passionate about the targeted objective.
First of all, the company or Facebook has many criticisms on the goal or vision. In
early establishment, strive to connect the people and build community. But Facebook seems to
become platform for business advertisement and loose it touches in setting the clear
company’s goal. The company seems to be misalignments on the stated goal and revenue of
the company tells the opposite. Zuckerberg’s passion makes it easier to empower and guide
the subordinates. Zuckerberg embraced the concept of lifelong learning. The worker can
choose the project based on what they like and once they start, they should give 100% on
what project they are working with.
Zuckerberg should seek mentor to help him create and sets clear vision of the
company. He can be very demanding and aggressive but it is good traits since it is good to
encourage the subordinates in build-up self-motivation and willingness to accept the
challenges among the subordinate. When the leader always passionate on the vision and
objectives targeted, it significantly influences the subordinate. Leader are the frontline of the
company or team, Zuckerberg can develop powerful system that can empower the subordinate
and also guide them in term of company culture, business ethics.
The leadership itself involves the interaction between the leader, follower and the
situation. Zuckerberg well known as strong communicators. This strategy of communication
can be advantages for him since he is not only the good communicator but also good listener.
He always communicates and interact with the subordinates on the issues while encouraging
them to build up competencies and support the goals of the company. It is making the
relationship between the leader and subordinates more effective. With the communication
skills, Zuckerberg should be able to explain the situation calmly. Since he is also known as
listeners, he can listen to the problems facing by the company, strategy and ideas even from
the subordinates. This practice is very good practices and also drive the performances of the
company. He try to listen and communicate more with the teams on the solution and strategy
they have to overcome the situation. They also brainstorm together, share the value and
commitment on what they can do to correct the mistakes and overcome the downturn of the
company.
In order to overcome the problem, the leader, subordinates and all people should have
a sense of purpose. It is easier for the leader to formulate and develop new strategies on not
only useful to overcome the crisis but also strengthen the company foundation. Other
leadership style possessed by him is aggressiveness. Zuckerberg always mentoring the staff to

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improve the targeted products and develop new competencies. He always takes challenges to
perform set of duties and roles. He always supports good ideas and innovation. He should also
from time to time use autocratic leadership strategy to achieve positive outcomes. He
sometimes does not tolerate inadequacy and make sure that the staff can complete all the task
in timely manner. This autocratic style is important to set up the clear goal for the
organization and take the situation in very serious manner. If they can realize on how serious
the issue of data mining from social media platform, the subordinates will work together and
fix the situation without leaving the company alone.
At the first place, Zuckerberg has developing the right company culture in Facebook
office environment. They do no have any strict hierarchy and rules that makes the worker feel
pressure. Employee are welcome to have creativity and brilliant innovation are highly
rewarded. He surrounded by the right person to help him having ideas and develop the
company which are different from other company. He has faith in Sheryl when everyone is
against it. It is proven that he made the right decision when Sheryl are one of the biggest
contributors who work with him and build Facebook together. When the scandal hits the
company, he willingly faced the criticism and took it in positive manner. He believes that the
problem, issues and criticism are part on life and bring a lot of good lesson that he can learn.
He takes responsibility to face the issues bravely and gain the trust of Facebook back and
successfully overcome the crisis with bring down Facebook to an end.
Leadership style possessed by him is more towards transformational leadership.
Actually, he doesn’t have specific leadership because he is the combination between strict
leader while at the same time very encouraging. But he tried very hard to create and prepare
the very friendly and comfortable workplace for his staff. He uses combination leadership
style of being autocratic, laissez-fair and democratic all at once.
In time of crisis and scandal, he should practice 2 different leadership style which are
being autocratic and democratic. He should be ruthless whenever needs to be. Since there are
a lot of criticism because they said Facebook doesn’t have clear company goal and only strive
for profit. Many senior leaders of the company should learn from other company to gain back
people trust. He should reinforce back the real purposed of him making Facebook at the first
place which to connect people and builds community.
In order to regain people, trust, he must direct the company to increase transparency
and data protection as the main priority now. He should explore the main and root cause of the
scandal. If it due to lose attention on the other party data mining activity, company should try
the best to prevent any activities and restrict the activities of data collection and increase the

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security of the application. He is known to be someone that making many bold decisions but
he never taking risk without proper analysis. He will do discussion with the team, open for
any ideas and after the through calculation and exploration, he will select the best options and
highest return probabilities to go for the next step.
When he become democratic, he always focusses with the good relationship among
the staff and allows the staff to choose whatever they like for project. He not directive
assigned the task to the staff because he believes in staff motivation. He believes that, when
the staff choose whatever they like, they can work productively, and have more job
satisfaction. He allows freedom and risk explorer and full reinforcement of commitment into
his company.
By adapting transformational leadership style, he must believe that the crisis can be
the turning point for him to strengthen the people awareness on privacy protection and to
serve more on community and towards educating the people. He launched several program
and action to block any kind of activity of misuse personal data for political purposes, the try
to think the right medium and mechanism by conducting the study and research on the use of
social media to serve political purposes. He also mentioned that Facebook are willing to take
necessary steps to ensure that the data would never being misuse without the consent of the
individual. His commitment to investigate, make up the company decision to restrict the
developer access on the application may impact the interest of the client but it is the
commitment of the company towards data protection.
He faced the situation with thoughtful attention, #Deletefacebook began trending and
he taken the steps to address user’s anger. He promised to take full responsibility and
commitment to handle the situation and resigned the annoyance of the angry user on how the
tech giant company exploited their personal data and make them the products of the internet.
He also accepts the consensus of the failure by paying $5 billion fine and open for some legal
regulations. He also promises the commitment to audit and strengthen their privacy program.
This stand up and stand tall for the team with stakeholder are the quality that Zuckerberg
possesses as a good leader.
Now the world is watching whether Zuckerberg really working on the promise he
made. He must walk the talk or people just see him as empty promiser and try to cover up the
mistake without action. He also needs to overcome any fear for failure. The crisis seems to be
a big obstacle for company’s success and steal the focus and limit the ability to act decisively
and take action. In the crisis also, the follower moral and motivation might decrease so the

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leader should attentively on the needs and motives of the followers and raising the
consciousness about the value and importance of specific and idealized goals.
He can communicate high expectation of the follower by stimulate followers to be
creative and innovative. When he professionally take the step by making press in congress and
gave the promise to strengthen the awareness of data protection, he actually needs support
from the followers to try new approaches and develop innovative ways in dealing with
organizational issues. He already creates the vision and next steps for the company, and
stimulate the change by giving examples and stimulate the positive change. By promise the
commitment to change the business nature and strengthen the protection on privacy of the
user, he realizes that remodelling his business is the right thing to do in facing the crisis. By
making commitment to have social contribution not only the way he handles the crisis but also
to ensure the people trust and political support regain and support back the business.
In conclusion, Zuckerberg already practice the transformational leadership especially
in time the crisis hit the company, from more autocratic and sometimes democratic, he tries
his best to fix the mistakes and problem within the company. He first creates the vision by
setting overall direction and product strategy of the company. He leads design, services and
development also prioritize the emotional intelligence. Since it is his nature to demands for
constant innovation and growth, he has no doubt to change the system and command for the
change of business nature by do the audit, block the activities that can lead to data protection
leaking and also ask the feedback from his team on the decision he made. He realizes that
sometimes he does not consult with the subordinates on certain issues but he always confident
with whatever decision he takes and put the company interest as priority. He always believes
that his company serve big responsibilities to the world, so he tries the big leap in business
direction to be more accountable and trusted by blocking the third-party apps ability to access
the data and sell the information for other purposes. He also should take precaution steps by
having the strategy, not let loose and always learn from the mistakes either it happened within
the company or other business.

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