Group-8

Sheeza mazari 27658

Unzaila Nadeem 27718

Hadia Hasan 27695

Kur Aatul Aaine 27722

ASTIN BLAIR, INC. Case Study.

Q1: Why were the company’s sales and profits declining?

Aston Blair experienced a significant decline in sales during the first quarter of 2004 and
anticipated even more substantial losses in the second quarter, marking the first time since
1975 that they faced such losses. This decline in sales extended across all of Aston Blair's
product lines, including Children's Books, music, educational computer software, and films. The
following factors and their analysis contributed to this decline:

1. Inaccurate Forecasting: A key underlying factor in Aston Blair's poor performance was
inadequate forecasting. Their overly optimistic sales predictions, combined with
declining demand, resulted in excessive inventories and significant financial losses.

2. Children's Books: Aston Blair's Children's Books sales suffered due to the retirement of
their premier author, who had written over 100 successful titles. This retirement left a
void in revenue generation, as they couldn't find a suitable replacement to produce
new, well-received books. Consequently, Children's Books sales remained stagnant with
little growth.

3. Children's Music: After the booming 1990s, Children's Music sales at Aston Blair became
highly volatile over the past five years, leading to situations of either excess inventory or
product shortages.

4. Educational Software: The software market was fiercely competitive, and Aston Blair
had failed to create a blockbuster product for years. This failure to keep up with the
evolving competitive landscape resulted in declining sales in this product line.

5. Films: In the highly competitive film market, Aston Blair faced a decline in sales of its hit
language educational series, "Round the World," for the first time since its introduction.
Success in this product line often depended on the timing and popularity of new
releases by competitors, making accurate sales forecasts challenging. Additionally, the
 company attempted to boost sales by introducing entirely new titles and reducing
reliance on sequels of past hits, further complicating sales forecasts.

Q2) Do you agree with the formation process of the task force? Please explain.

The formation of a task force was a necessary step given the urgency and seriousness of the
company's problems. The task force was made to address the pressing issue of declining sales
and sales forecasts, requiring a swift identification of the problem and proposed solutions to
save the company.

However, the effectiveness of the task force, the composition of the team, and the decision-
making process are separate matters. While studying the marketing division, which was
responsible for the final forecasts, was the right focus, the omission of marketing managers
from the task force due to their resistance to past procedural changes may have been
questionable.

We believe that more input and consensus should have been sought when forming the task
force, if that had been done the managers would have felt included and probably would have
been supportive of the task force. Trot and Casey's decision seemed influenced by personal
biases and experiences, and they did not consult with others. While time constraints limits
extensive input, at least some feedback should have been considered. For example, Dr.
Cornelius expressed his discontent at not being consulted by Aston to address the forecasting
problem or head the task force. It was crucial to appoint the most capable individuals.

Furthermore, the appointment of the task force's leader, Bacon, was made without his input,
which may have caused issues, given the existing tensions between Bacon and Myers. It would
have been wise to resolve their differences through an initial meeting that fostered a sense of
unity and motivation despite their disagreements.

In our view, teamwork requires a sense of belonging and alignment. Typically, teams go
through stages of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. In this case, the
premature decision to work in sub-groups was made too quickly & hindered this natural
process. The storming stage was evident when team members struggled to reach a consensus
on approaches and objectives.

Additionally, the division resulting from the formation of sub-groups undermined team
cohesion, making it challenging to achieve the group's objectives efficiently. Effective teamwork
within a cross-functional team like this one, involving different departments, relies on qualities
such as active listening, responsiveness, mutual support, and respect for diverse viewpoints.
Q3) Do you think the forecasting was the major issue for the firm? Please Explain if you
agree/ disagree.

No, forecasting was one of the issues but not the major one.

The company was lacking in other departments as well for e.g., they were not upgrading their
product line. They still had not found a replacement for their ex-premier writer and as a result
the sales were suffering. Also, after the booming 1990s, Children's Music sales at Aston Blair
became highly volatile over the past five years, leading to situations of either excess inventory
or product shortages which the company still has not managed to crack.

Educational Software: In the software market, they faced tough competition and couldn't
create a hugely popular product for a long time. This resulted in fewer sales of their software.

Films: In the competitive film market, Aston Blair had a drop in sales of their popular language
education series, "Round the World," for the first time since they started it. Success in this area
depended on when competitors released new movies, making it hard to predict sales. They also
tried to boost sales with new titles instead of just making sequels to their old hits, which made
it even more challenging to predict sales.

Educational Software: The software market was fiercely competitive, and Aston Blair had failed
to create a blockbuster product for years. This failure to keep up with the evolving competitive
landscape resulted in declining sales in this product line.

Collaboration between teams: There was no respect between inter departments as the
marketing manager even said this in the meeting ‘you guys Cornelius, can’t even forecast what
economy is going to do..’, this shows that there was no unity in the company.

Q4) Do you think the selection of the Michael Bacon as the leader of task force was correct?
Please explain your answer.

No, we don’t think Bacon was the right choice of making the leader of task force for the reasons
mentioned below:

1. Lack of Seniority and Respect: Bacon wasn't senior enough to be respected by his
colleagues. In a leadership role, especially in a team setting, it's crucial for the leader to
command respect from their team members. If Bacon didn't have the necessary
experience or credibility to earn respect, it could have led to challenges in team
dynamics and cooperation. The decision to make bacon the leader of the task force was
not good. Casey and trot did trust him more that his capability and he was given a very
important responsibility, it had been only 2 years since he had joined the organisation
 and there were many seniors to him who had more experience and had a better
understanding of the organisation.

2. Handling Conflicts: Bacon wasn't professional and mature enough to resolve conflicts
within the team, particularly in the case of his problems with Mier. Effective leadership
involves addressing and resolving conflicts constructively to maintain a positive working
environment. If Bacon failed to do so, it could have contributed to tension within the
team.

3. Failure to Support Team Members: Bacon didn't stand up for Mier during a crucial
meeting where taking sides was essential. A good leader should support and advocate
for their team members when necessary, and not doing so can lead to feelings of
abandonment or lack of support among team members.

4. Lack of Team Building: Bacon didn't make efforts to foster camaraderie among team
members, which resulted in a lack of communication and the group being divided into
subgroups. Effective teamwork and collaboration often require team-building efforts
and clear communication channels. If Bacon neglected this aspect, it could have
hindered the team's overall performance.

5. Communication Issues: In the team, nobody knew what the other person was doing,
indicating a lack of communication within the team. Effective communication is a
fundamental aspect of successful team collaboration. Leaders should ensure that
information flows freely within the team to promote transparency and prevent
misunderstandings.

6. Failure to Address Concerns: Mier expressed stress and concerns about the regional
sales manager hiding things from him, but Bacon didn't take any action or share
information. A good leader should address their team members' concerns and take
steps to resolve issues affecting the team's performance.

Q5. What is your analysis of Michael Bacon’s leadership and management skills?

1. Lacked Managerial Experience:

Bacon lack of managerial experience suggests that he may not have had prior exposure to the
responsibilities and challenges of leading a team. This could have resulted in uncertainties and
difficulties in making important decisions, handling conflicts, and setting clear goals and
expectations for the team.

2. Task Allocation Issues:

 Bacon’s inability to allocate tasks effectively indicates a potential problem in assessing
individual team members' strengths, weaknesses, and skillsets. Without this understanding, he
might have assigned tasks randomly or inefficiently, leading to productivity issues and
dissatisfaction among team members who might have felt overburdened or underutilized.

3. Team Bonding and Unity:

Bacon’s struggle to create team bonding and unity points to a lack of leadership in fostering a
positive and collaborative team culture. Team bonding is crucial for creating a cohesive and
motivated group. Without it, team members might not have felt connected or motivated to
work together, which can impact overall team performance and morale.

4. Limited Knowledge of Departments:

His lack of knowledge about all departments within the organization means he might not have
had a comprehensive understanding of the company's operations. This deficiency could have
hindered his ability to provide guidance, set priorities, and make informed decisions. Without a
clear understanding of the tasks and responsibilities in each department, he may not have been
able to effectively lead the team toward achieving the company's objectives.

Q6. What should Michael Bacon do now?

Bacon needs to improve his leadership skills and set clear rules. If he had talked to his team
earlier, they might not have leaked information. Bacon should also involve the marketing
managers in the task force to avoid conflicts. This will make the team feel supported and
improve their understanding.
Bacon should include the corporate planning and marketing vice presidents in the task force to
boost its reputation and credibility. He needs to support Meir's ideas and treat everyone
equally. Bacon should establish team norms and keep everyone informed.
Bacon left important information on his desk, leading to problems. Reiss, who felt betrayed,
needs to overcome negative emotions for better problem-solving. Building trust among team
members through regular meetings will improve teamwork and make them more accepting of
Bacon's decisions.
To enhance the task force's effectiveness, they should negotiate with marketing managers using
integrative bargaining, aiming for a win-win solution. Bacon should support this approach to
help the team succeed.

ANALYSIS FROM EACH MEMBERS PERSPECTIVE:

1)Michael Bacon: as soon as the task force Bacon was very friendly with others, but he has
negative vibes with Mier because he thinks that Mier lacks experience and also working in the
past was not a pleasant experience. From Bacon’s perspective, he thinks that Holt was very
competitive which is why he was agreeing to suggestions given by Holt.

2) Product Managers (Peter, Charles and David): They were afraid of how their will react
consequently they were being very uneasy and were not contributing enough in the meetings
and in group work. They were in personal conflict because they had to give out the true findings
for a temporary taskforce which were against their permanent bosses.

3) Emile Bordan: This taskforce and the existing problem in the company was very essential to
her which can be interpreted with the fact that she shared the confidential sales data even
though she was afraid of her boss. This shows that she was very focused on her work as she
also expressed her point of views in the meeting. She thought that Bacon was trustworthy
hence shared the data.

4) Mier: He was working very hard as he was travelling from one city to another to collect data
despite the fact that regional managers were hiding the data from him which made him
frustrated. Bacon was making him feel isolated. He didn’t even wait for Mier to come back from
NewYork for meeting yet Mier let go everything and stay focused. He was also angry that
nobody supported him in the meeting.

5) Holt: He was taking responsibility and taking the lead yet the manager called him out and
insulted which is why he was feeling angry.

6) Reiss: She didn’t feel heard in the initial meeting and was quite angry as she thought that
Bacon did wrong by sharing the confidential information provided to him by Bordan.