Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology

University, Gopalganj. Solve

Strategic Management-Case
February 20, 2023

Case Study On
Case Study (1): Are Our Customer Liaisons Helping or Hurting?

Case Study (2): Can a Strong Culture Be Too Strong?

Course Title: Strategic Management

Course code: MGT455

Submitted To Submitted By
Dr. Md. Bashir Uddin Sharif Mohiminul Jahid Tonoy

Associate Professor Student ID: 17MGT032

Department of Management Studies. Session: 2017-18

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Department of Management Studies.

Science and Technology University. BSMRSTU.

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Both parties need to take a long view and refrain from burning bridges. For
BABA, constraining
Sameer and having an unhappy employee seems much less appealing than
benefiting from an
alumnus with great potential for a stellar career.
Let’s put this in perspective: We’re not talking about a marriage. It’s a
market contract of sorts,
and as with everything in the market, conditions change and people have to
adapt. If BABA were
to get into trouble, how long would it be before it laid Sameer off, pointing to
the unexpected
change in fortunes? As long as Sameer honors the contract and repays his
tuition, why should he
be expected to take a different approach?
To be sure, BABA made a major goodwill gesture, which it saw as setting a
precedent. So
Sameer has a moral obligation to his former bosses and colleagues to be very
open and honest.
He needs to make Anil and Ioana—and eventually Patrick—understand what
a big opportunity
the CloudSkim job is and how much more he stands to gain in terms of
personal development
than from what BABA can offer him.
Sameer should also try to engage Anil and Ioana in a discussion about how his
presence at
CloudSkim could benefit BABA in the long term. They might explore how he
could maintain
ties with the company and perhaps find new market opportunities for it. He
should think about
people in his new networks who might work for BABA or how he could serve
as an adviser. It’s
certainly in Sameer’s interests to stay on good terms with BABA. He has spent
several years
working hard to build his reputation there.
For their part, Anil and Ioana need to adapt to the changed circumstances. In
fact, the situation is
as much a leadership test for Anil as it is a moral test for Sameer. Does Anil
really want to deny a

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promising young manager such an attractive opportunity? That would give

Sameer an even
stronger justification for leaving, because the potential for growth at a
company run by such a
patriarchal leader would be limited. Anil and Ioana should accept that
Sameer will leave them
and should work with him to find ways to maintain a rewarding long-term
relationship.
If Sameer was feeling trapped in his job, perhaps Patrick and other bright
young managers there
are feeling the same way. Sponsoring MBA degrees for promising employees
is a smart way to
invest in their goodwill and commitment, and as Ioana pointed out, it can
bring skills into the
company that are more expensive to obtain otherwise. The fact that
CloudSkim made Sameer an
offer he can’t refuse doesn’t make the decision to support him a bad one. Anil
and Ioana might
need to think about their value proposition to talent.
Sameer should take the job with CloudSkim. His intellectual opportunities
there will be far better
than with BABA. But he has an obligation to respect his agreement with his
previous employer.
So he must manage the emotional and moral side of things with BABA—and I
believe he could
make a very good argument that the decision to support him wasn’t a bad one
even if he departs
the company
Case Study 46: Is It Ever OK to Break a Promise?
Question: Should Sameer return to BABA or take the WeDiggIt offer?

Answer: Sameer should take the job with CloudSkim. His academic opportunities there will be
far better than with BABA. But he must respect his contract with his previous employer. So he
must handle the emotional and moral side of things with BABA—and I believe he could make a
very good statement that the decision to support him wasn’t a bad one even if he leaves the
company.Both partakers need to take a long view and forgo from burning bridges. For BABA,
denying Sameer and having an unhappy employee seems much less appealing than profiting
from an alumnus with significant prospect for a stellar career.

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We’re not speaking about marriage. It’s a market agreement of sorts, and as with everything in
the market, necessities change and people have to adjust. If BABA were to get into hazard, how
long would it be before it applied Sameer off, pointing to the unpredictable change in luck? As
long as Sameer keeps the contract and refunds his tuition, why should he be expected to take a
separate path? To be sure, BABA made a major cordiality gesture.

So Sameer has a ethical obligation to his former bosses and colleagues to be very sincere and
genuine. He needs to make Anil and Ioana and eventually Patrick understand what a big
possibility the CloudSkim job is and how much more he stands to achieve in terms of personal
growth than what BABA can deliver him.

Sameer should also try to employ Anil and Ioana in a talk about how his existence at CloudSkim
could help BABA in the long term. They might study how he could maintain relations with the
company and perhaps find new market chances for it. He should think about individuals in his
new networks who might perform for BABA or how he could fit as an adviser. It’s definitely in
Sameer’s interests to stay on good spans with BABA.

He has spent several years performing hard to build his prestige there. For their part, Anil and
Ioana need to adjust to the changed events. In fact, the condition is as much a leadership test for
Anil as it is a ethical test for Sameer. Does Anil really want to deny a favorable young manager
such an attractive chance? That would give Sameer an even stronger reason for leaving because
the evolution at a company run by such a leader would be narrow.

Anil and Ioana should assume that Sameer will leave them and should work with him to find
ways to keep a rewarding long-term connection.

If Sameer was feeling tangled in his job, perhaps Patrick and other young managers there are
judging the same way. Sponsoring MBA degrees for favorable employees is a smart way to
support in their goodwill and loyalty, and as Ioana pointed out, it can carry skills into the
company that are more costly to acquire otherwise.

The truth that CloudSkim made Sameer an offer he can’t deny doesn’t decide to support him a
bad one. Anil and Ioana might need to consider about their value proposition to talent.

Case 2: When tragedy strikes supply chain.

Background of the study:

Laura Cronenberg, the CEO of Tots & Teens, sipped her black tea in the lounge of Shahjalal
International Airport and took some time to collect herself before her flight departed.

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The first few days had been a whirlwind, and she was still trying to make sense of how her work
life had transitioned so abruptly from celebration to crisis. On Monday she’d been at the New
Jersey headquarters, feting T&T’s employees in acknowledgement of the company’s strong
fiscal-year performance. The children’s clothing retailer had increased its profits by 5%, and
Laura had gathered everyone for a champagne toast. But then T&T’s chief operating officer, Jim
Zappa, had pulled her aside to tell her the shocking news: A garment factory in Bangladesh that
produced and packaged merchandise for T&T and other retailers had collapsed in the middle of a
workday. She and Jim booked flights right away, landed in Dhaka in the following morning, and
took a car to the disaster site. It was a horrible scene.

Bulldozers were clearing large piles of debris, rescue workers were searching for survivors, and
a group of mothers sobbed and held up pictures of their missing sons and daughters. The area
looked like the aftermath of an earthquake. According to news reports, the building had been
constructed quickly and cheaply with substandard materials on a filled-in pond. More than 2,000
workers had perished, and many others were injured. Surveying the wreckage, Laura felt queasy.
The human loss was devastating, and as a mother herself, she didn't want to imagine what the
parents of the dead and injured workers were going through. But she had to stay strong; she had
a job to do.

The company would have to find a way to support the victims and their families and to tighten
up oversight of its supply chain. Even more pressing, it needed to find a replacement facility.
The fall line, which typically accounted for 80% of T&T's revenue, was scheduled to go into
production in two weeks. Laura had to quickly decide if another Bangladesh contractor could do
the work or if she should shift to a factory T&T was already using in China.

Should T&T relocate its production from Bangladesh to china?

Tots and Teens should stay in Bangladesh and needs to operate their business activities and
support victims and their families.

By staying in Bangladesh they should remain ethical, socially responsible and managing ethical
supply chain. They should build up a new plant and start afresh and rebuild the supply chain and
also need to develop competitive advantages. Being with workers ensure their decent wages and
rise standard living. They are getting various benefits of staying in Bangladesh such as labor and
transportation are cheap, good quantity of manufacture, factories are clustered in one single area
duty free access. They have another option to transfer their business to China. China already
manufactures 36% of T&T production but there has been some problem too. Laura is in doubt
that with an increased production load, will they be able to handle quick turnaround.

However, if the operation has to be moved to china it still faces some valid problems such as
labor cost in china is increasing day by day and due to competition from other retailers. It is very
common to have restyling done in 4 weeks in Dhaka factory but in china it generally took more
than 6 months for the company to design a piece of clothing, send it into production, and get it
into stores. So, this was a big issue for T&T. on the other hand they are already have an 80%
revenue before the building collapsed.

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If they discussed with Bangladesh government try to solve this types of disaster that harm the
worker safety issues the situation could be changed. To stay in the competitive market T&T
needs to reduce its cost which is only possible by staying in Bangladesh. Because, Bangladesh
has a duty free access in European country and they also want to expand their market is Europe.
They can also form an alliance with other companies to pull together an industry coalition for
worker safety.

The company need to ensure moral responsibility to support factory workers, give them safer
workplace and contribute to the community. It would be unethical to pull out in the wake of the
building collapse. It is always important to keep business ethics while competing in the modern
would for the sake of employer branding and keeping the trust of the customers. That’s why we
think T&T should recommit to Bangladesh is the ethical thing.

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