Aleen Rea A.

Martinez February 7, 2017 MBA-211A

Recruitment of a Star
Case Analysis Report

1. Statement of the Main Problem

Peter Thompson, semi-conductor analyst announced his receiver an offer from one of RSH’s
competitor. Stephen Connor has a short timeframe to find replacement because of the upcoming Power
Chip deal. Stephen had a critical position to fill and to recruit a suitable replacement of Peter Thompson,
the star analyst.

2. SWOT- based on profiling of the 4 candidates

 Strengths

i. Gerald Baum was born as a Tech Analyst. At an early stage, he demonstrated

progress in both technology and business. Went to Yale after working 2 years in
Sales Department. Gerald seems to be extremely intelligent and good at stock
picking.
ii. David Hughes attended Rutgers for electrical engineering. He knows the
importance of maintaining close relations with clients, providing in-depth
coverage of his industry and writing quality reports. He also learned to work with
large sales and trading divisions and to service large corporate clients. He has the
reputation for a razor-sharp mind, vast industry knowledge and rare interpersonal
skills that generated large client base. He is the 2 nd in rank per analyst ranking in
semi-conductor industry. David is bright, articulate, well-recognized, fantastic
mentor and very enthusiastic.
iii. Seth Horkum went to Harvard and also came from a working-class family. He
graduated Suma Cum Laude in Economics and went to Colombia for MBA. He
likes to work long hours to please his boss. He is a great stock picker and have
strong contacts at Power Chip. He has a strong congeniality personality.
iv. Sonia Meetha grew up in California and majored in Engineering at Cal Tech but
had always wanted a career in business. She spent several years in engineering,
first as a design engineer at a small computer graphics firm and then as a sales
agent at a distributor of semiconductors and electronic components. She received
her MBA in 1991 and she found her calling as a research analyst in technology
stocks. She is ranked 8th on the analyst ranking in semi-conductor industry. By
that, Sonia has a strong background in technical and sales. She is also an
excellent writer and very responsive to clients. She seemingly good at working
an equal balance between work and personal life. Lastly, she is reliable.
v. Rina Shea is loyal, intelligent, and very hardworking. He has worked with Peter
before. She is very particular with her work. She has strong communication
skills. She has an intimate knowledge of how RSH works and its culture.
  Weakness

i. Gerald Baum treats staff terribly. He expresses too much negativity. Lastly, he
seems to be only interested on the compensation.
ii. David Hughes lacks precision. He is also a bit older so he might be old-
fashioned.
iii. Seth Horkum has this attitude to please people. Also, he has weak writing skills
and weak expressive skills.
iv. One disadvantage of Sonia Meetha is that she came from a small firm and
entering to RSH might be too overwhelming for her. Also, she is not keen in
traveling.
v. With regards to the loss of RSH by exit of Peter, the firm lost an asset thru Peter
since he has excellent analytical and research skills, intelligence and good
industry knowledge.
vi. Rina Shea lacks considerable experience in the semi-conductor industry. She also
lacks strong decision making ability thus you see her as not really confident on
what she does. She also admitted to being an introvert and may need to develop
better team skills.

 Opportunities

i. Sonia Meetha has a good connection with other CEOs of major companies. This
could build good partnership with them if RSH hires Sonia.

 Threats

i. Seth Horkum feels like he is not recognized for his work. He feels that by
moving to another platform he can finally get the recognition he deserves.

3. Give your solution/alternative courses of action.

a. After profiling all 5 candidates, I feel that Seth Horkum is the most appropriate candidate for
the position. The company should consider hiring younger talent. RSH platform could push
Seth to star rankings and make him loyal asset to the company. Thus, Seth should be offered
the Senior Analyst position for the semi-conductor industry.

b. Stephen should hire Sonia Meetha. Why Meeta? Because she has good technical and sales
background which is a huge advantage over the other candidates. She is also a good writer
and very responsive to her clients. Her performance rating has grown up over the past three
years. She is a true up and comer and has a potential to become one of the best analysts on
wall street if she has a better platform. She has good connections with CEOs of major
companies. She is also very focused on organizational culture.
 4. State your recommendation based on ACA.

All candidates have a great potential to perform as RSH. And the choices by Stephen needs to be
made effectively. I believe Sonia Meetha is ideal for the job. She might not be keen to traveling but she
knows a lot about global economy. She might be only coming from a small firm and starting at a big one
can be a challenge for her but she has been growing without having her own junior analysts and assistant
like other all candidates have. According to a buy-side research director that Stephen contacted, Meetha
does her homework and they rely on her work. Aside from that, Meetha provides solid, insightful research
while arranges conference calls.

5. Conclusion and detailed action plan to implement recommendation using the guide below:

Stephen and the CEO should keep an open mind during the selection phase. Check the references
thoroughly. Seek many opinions ad feedback. Avoid setting false expectations. Important factors that
shapes the perception of sell-side research includes industry knowledge, integrity/professionalism,
accessibility/responsiveness, useful and timely calls and visits, management access, special services and
written reports.

As a conclusion, Stephen may want to add a supplemental activity to the 2nd round of interviews
such as presenting the candidates with specific obstacles to overcome, set up as a real-life situation. The
way in which the candidates respond under such pressure would, in my opinion, be a strong indicator of
employee potential.

Specific Activity Person Responsible Time Frame Budgetary

Requirements
1. Engage a recruiter and seek Stephen Connor and HR 1-2 weeks $ 500
additional insights from the Department
experts.
2. Initial review of candidates Stephen Connor and HR 1-2 days $ 200
Department
3. Pre-screens and first round Stephen Connor 2-3 days $ 200
of interviews
4. Second round of interviews Stephen Connor 2 days $ 200
5. Decision Time Stephen Connor and 1-2 days $ 300
CEO and Top
Management