Manager’s Casebook

Archana Jog
Character Introduction

STUART BLYTH, Managing Director

• Career Profile
• Degree in Economics
• Personal Profile
• Started career in International computer group • 38 years
• Moved up the ladder rapidly
• Youngest area manager at 28 • Happily married, 2 children
• Revived fortunes of 3 ailing companies within • Only sees his family on weekends,
the group.
• Ambitious. as he has not been able to sell his
• Found his challenge in Vulcan when head hunted house
for the post of MD
• His immediate task – • Enjoys golf and squash
• restructure Vulcan
• Redefine objectives
• Implement new marketing strategy.
Character Introduction
CAMPBELL RITCHIE, Production Director
• Career Profile
• Loyal and hardworking
• Has been with the company for 13
years.
• Drives his staff too hard, but he cares
for them too, hence respected.
• Strong leader – old fashioned sense
of values
• Wary about new strategy which
Stuart wants to bring along
• Promised his staff – there wont be
any redundancies – they believe him
• Personal Profile
• 45 years
• He and his wife bought a small
antique shop with proceeds of
legacy
• Stuart is aware of these
contingency plans and feels that
Campbell’s commitment is not too
high.
Character Introduction

BETTY JONES, Marketing Director

• Career Profile • Personal Profile
• Recently returned to Vulcan after a
messy divorce • Enjoying her new found freedom
• Single minded, calculating manager • Hectic social life
• Great fun to work with when things are
well • Beginning to slow down
• Under pressure become aggressive and
rebellious.
• Management style – play things by ear
and disregard well prepared plans – her
staff puts in a lot of time in preparing
plans.
• Has excellent network and can get things
done.
Character Introduction

HELEN DAVIES, Personnel Manager

• Career Profile • Personal Profile
• Holds necessary qualifications for the • 34 years
job and extremely conscientious.
• Married with two children
• Introduced modern methods of
selection and assessment into the • Content but somewhat
company. In the process, overcame • Strongly disapproves of Betty’s life
considerable opposition. • But dislikes confrontations.
• Not a particularly good manager,
regarded as ineffective by her
colleagues
Character Introduction

ALAN DAWSON, Financial Director

• Career Profile • Personal Profile
• With the company since its formation
• Proud of his and company’s • 59 years
achievements. • Looking forward to retirement and
• Always mentioning how much a hard looking after his garden
work it was
• Qualified by going to night school
• Seen as a sound and pragmatic
manager
• Fussy, unwilling to take risks.
• Sceptical of the new change at
Vulcan.
Character Introduction

MATTHEW DAVIES, Chief Accountant

• Career profile • Personal profile
• Newest member at Vulcan • 28 years
• A business school graduate • Lives with his girlfriend in a
• Previously worked with a firm of farmhouse – getting restored by
accountants. them currently.
• Stuart Blyth has thought of him
taking over from Alan Dawson.
The Individuals
Adjusting to a new job – and new people
• Matthew – confident of his own abilities but a bit nervous about who
to trust in the new environment.
• By nature quite sociable but realises that he needs to be cautious at
first with his new colleagues.
Like most people in a new job, he is conscious that:
There are some things about himself which he does not want anybody to
find out.
There are other aspects which he knows must be revealed, but only to a
limited circle of trusted confidants.
He has some characteristics which he can allow to become public
knowledge.
 Matthew Davies
Skeleton in the cupboard
Matthew never graduated from
university. He had a nervous breakdown
in the final year. Stuart Blyth knows
about this already. Does Matthew need
to tell anyone else?
NO. He has been open and honest with
his managing director so he is not
misleading the company
He is good at his job and lack of an
academic qualification is no longer
relevant.
Only danger is if he fell out of favour
with Stuart, who could use this weak
spot as a weapon.
But then he too is a part of this
conspirancy.
Fear of public speaking
This is something Matthew
dreads. Stuart has told him that
he will have to speak at major
occasions.
Whom does he tell?
His secretary. Definitely. She
makes his appointments. She
would limit his public speaking
to minimum.
May be a few colleagues later
on, once he chooses his
confidants. Must check who
enjoys public speaking from his
department – probably
Campbell – give him
opportunities.
Must not drink alcohol
Matthew suffered from jaundice when
he was a child and ought not to drink
alcohol. This can be embarrassing at
some social occasion when he is
expected to drink. Whom does he tell?
His immediate colleagues. He is likely to
mix a lot with them and they need to be
told before the situation arises.
Those who drink might avoid his
company if he withheld this information
But once shared, they will understand.
This needs to become public knowledge
immediately.
If every one understands, it will not
become an issue.
Transition from being managed to managing
needs major re-adjustments
What happened to Matthew
• The fact that he s unable to drink alcohol is soon well known by everyone
at Vulcan. Everyone understands and it ceases to be an issue.
• Matthew eventually tells Campbell about his public speaking phobia.
• He is surprised to learn that Campbell himself suffered from the same
problem.
• He suggest Matthew to go for a two days public speaking course and shares
the contacts for the same.
• As time passed and Matthew became more confident about people around
him, he shared a lot of his likes and hobbies with more people in the
company.
• After about a year, he shared his secret of not being a university graduate
with a few in the department, so if it comes as a tit-bit of gossip… it will be
brushed off – oh it’s not secret !!
Activity
Write 20 points
• Which you think could prevent you from being an effective manager…
• Give the following codes to each

= Clear glass = Open to share with all

= Shutters = To be shared with a few under certain

circumstances

= Blackened Glass = anything behind remains hidden

Thank You