Dick Spencer Case Essay Example for Free

Dick Spencer Case Essay Spencer was a plant manager of Modrow Company, a Canadian Branch of the Tri-American Corporation. Tri-American was a major producer of primary aluminum with integrated operations ranging from mining of bauxite through the processing to fabrication of aluminum into variety of products. The company had also made and sold refractories and industrial chemicals. The parent company had wholly owned subsidiaries in five separate United States locations and had foreign affiliates in fifteen different countries. Tri-American employed approximately 22,000 employees in the total organization. The company was governed by a board of directors. The board set general policy, which was then interpreted and applied by the various plant managers. This decentralization in organizational structure increased the freedom and authority of the plant managers, but increase the pressure for profitability. Spencer started his career in Tri-American Corporation as salesman and he succeeded. After two years of successful work as salesman, he became the symbol of what salesman have to be. In his career in Tri-American, he had worked as salesman, troubleshooter, assistant plant manager in English branch in London UK, plant manager in Birmingham in UK and his last position was plant manager of Modrow company in Canada. It was another challenging position in his career and he had faced few problems regarding to management, organization culture, organization conflict and organization innovation. †¢ Spencer was a plant manager of Modrow Company, a Canadian Branch of the Tri-American Corporation. †¢ Tri-American was a major producer of primary aluminum with integrated operations ranging from the mining of bauxite through the processing to fabrication of aluminum into a variety of products. The company had also made and sold refractories and industrial chemicals. The parent company had wholly owned subsidiaries in five separated US locations and had foreign affiliates in 15 different countries. Tri-American employed approximately 22,000 employees in the total organization. The company was governed by a board of directors, which included chairman, vice chairman, president and 12 vice presidents. Subsidiaries and branches are organized as independent companies and decisions are decentralized. †¢ The Modrow Branch was located in a border town in Canada. The total work force in Modrow was 1,000. This Canadian subsidiary was primarily a fabricating unit. Its main products were foil and building products such as roofing and siding. Problem: 1. Resistance to change by employees, this problem shows when Dick as the plant manager asked the worker why he was using the saw when the material could easily be bent fifted into the barrels, resulting in saving time and equipment. And then the worker said â€Å"We’ve never done it that way, sir. We’ve always cut it†. After all the power saw are removed from the scalp area in order to adjust new method of bending rather than cutting. A few day later Dick find out that workmen using hand shears to cut each strip to cut. 2. Process of Production Problems. In his new position as Plant Manager at Modrow, he found that construction was slower in completion than originally planned; equipment arrived before the building was finished, employees were upset about the extent of change expected in their work routines with the installation of additional machinery, and in general morale was at low ebb. 3. Culture Change Problem; there is the difference between American and British philosophy and performance within the plant. Here, he also found that his power and authority were less than those of his superiors, so he constantly found himself in the position of having to soft pedal or withhold suggestions that he would have liked to make, or innovations that he would have liked to introduce. After a frustrating year and a half, Dick was suddenly made plant manager of an old British company which had just been purchased by Tri-American. He left his first English assignments with mixed and moved from London to Birmingham. In Birmingham, he become a plant manager and operated much as he had in his troubleshooting job for the first couple of years of his change from sales to administration. He did some changes in Birmingham. Training and reduction programs were instituted for all supervisors and managers who survive the initial purge. He tried to focus/ control on relationship between production and the needs from sales by simplifying and redesign in order to increase profit. Later the company showed a small profit for the first time in many years. For this successfulness, then he requested transferred back to United States. 4. Cost Reduction Problem, by the end of his first year at Modrow, the building program had been completed, although behind schedule, the new equipment had been installed, and some revamping of cost procedures had been incorporated. But, the financial picture at this time showed as a loss. Later, all managers of the various divisions had worked closely with their supervisors and accountants in planning the budget for the following year. 5. Human Relations/ Interaction Problems When he worked through his first year as plant manager, Dick developed the habit of strolling around the organization. He was apt to leave his office and appear anywhere on the plant floor, in the design office and at the plant cafeteria rather than in the executive dining room, or wherever there was activity concerned with Modrow. At first his presence disturbed those who noted him coming and going, but later, the workers came to accept his presence and continue their usual activities. Supervisors, managers, and foreman, however, did not feel as comfortable when they saw him in the area. 6. Different corporate culture in Canada, even though Canada is located in same geopolitical areas, geographically and nationally Canada is different country and corporate culture is bit different from USA. And Dick Spencer is American manager who started his career in USA. As we can see from the case, Dick Spencer is basically very stunning to adapt different corporate culture in different countries such as UK and Canada plant career. We can see it from this sentence: ‘†¦ In recalling his first year at Modrow, Dick had felt constantly pressured and badgered. He always sensed that the Canadians he worked with resented his presence since he has brought in over the heads of the operating staff’. At the same time he felt this subtle resistance from his Canadian work force†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. 7. Organization conflict in Modrow plant, there was an obvious conflict between workers and Dick Spencer. We can see it from this sentence: ‘†¦ In recalling his first year at Modrow, Dick had felt constantly pressured and badgered. He always sensed that the Canadians he worked with resented his presence since he has brought in over the heads of the operating staff †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. In the other words, other workers couldn’t live up with Dick’s arrival in the company. 8. Corporate innovation management, at the time of Dick Spencer’s arrival in the Modrow Branch, there was a lack of good corporate innovation management. We can see it from this sentence: ‘†¦ Prior to Dick’s appointment as plant manager at Modrow, extensive plans for plant expansion and improvement had been approved and started. Altough he had not been in on the original discussions and plans, he inherited all the problems that accompany large-scale changes in any organization. Construction was slower in completion than originally planned, equipment arrived before the building was finished, employees were upset about the extent of change expected in their work routines with installation of additional machinery, and, in general, morale was a low ebb†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 9. Decentralization, basically this is American organization type and American one is more formalistic than European. Decentralization is basically increase the pressure from parent company management. We can see it from this sentence: ‘†¦ This decentralization in organizational structure increased the freedom and authority of the plant managers, but increased the pressure for profitability†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 10. Lack of leadership for Dick Spencer, in terms of organization leader Dick Spencer shouldn’t include the all the works in the organization. He tried to do it by himself every single things and he aimed to attend every action. In terms of HRM, this is not good character for the good Leader. We can see it from this sentence: ‘†¦ As he worked through his first year as plant manager, Dick developed the habit of strolling around the organization†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. This created the conflict between him and workers. Also this creates dis-approvement from workers. We can see it from this sentence: ‘†¦Supervisors, managers and foreman, however didn’t feel as comfortable when they saw him in the area†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 11. Lack of knowledge in Human resource and accounting knowledge, these two courses were disadvantage for Dick Spencer in this study in MBA and these two are very important for any organization. In the other way, he can find and hire someone who can do his unknowledgeable fields such as accounting and HR. 12. Too high expectation from management made pressure, we can see it from this sentence: ‘†¦he believed that the president and his friends in the home office were constantly on the alert, waiting for Dick to prove himself or fail flat on his face†¦

The Internal Action Of Hamlet :: essays research papers

The Internal 'Action'; of Hamlet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people have emotional ups and downs, it is human nature, everybody has to go through a time of depression and happiness at one point or another. In this play, Hamlet is going through a time of depression. Many people can relate to Hamlet because everybody has struggles. In this play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, much of the action is internal. The conflict in this play is fought inside of a young prince named Hamlet. He finds out that his father was murdered and he has to decide within himself whether or not to seek revenge. Hamlet is always putting himself down for not taking action earlier. Many times Hamlet comes out with a soliloquy that puts himself down. Hamlet has many troubles, because he has thought of committing suicide. It shows in the play that many things are bothering him, because of his erratic behaviour. Many times in this play, Hamlet portrays his struggle internally, that prevents him from acting on his tasks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamlet is struggling inside of himself whether the ghost was a good spirit or evil one. Hamlet debates within himself whether or not to kill Claudius and seek revenge. Because of his uncertainty Hamlet had the players put on a play to catch Claudius' reaction. Example of this is when Hamlet says   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamlet: The play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King';. [Act II, Scene ii, line 616-617] Hamlet saw a good opportunity to run Claudius through when he was confessing his sins. Hamlet decides not to because Claudius was repenting. If he killed him Hamlet would send him to heaven and would not be damned like Hamlet's father. That is another internal struggle to delay killing Claudius. Hamlet has thought everything through before he acts. Hamlet makes sure that the things he does will not fail and that he has to do it right the first time through.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamlet struggles with the idea of taking his own life. It is because there are so many things bothering Hamlet. Hamlet has to seek revenge for his dead father, but Hamlet has to think and consider every factor before he follows through, because of this flaw he puts himself down for not killing Claudius earlier. Hamlet compares himself to the young Fortinbras. He says, how come Fortinbras can lead an army in to Poland to retrieve land and he cannot kill his stepfather. Both young princes don't have a father, how come Fortinbras knows what he wants to do and Hamlet does not.

Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave: The Experience of Reality Essay

The Allegory of the Cave In the Allegory of the Cave it is explain how reality is different for everybody. Not all of us have the same view of what reality is, most of us believe in what we see and that is the reality we know and the one we believe in. In this allegory we hear the story of prisoners who are chained in a cave just looking at a wall in front of them, behind them there is a fire and between that fire and them there is way, here is where people pass by and when this happens, the prisoners are able to see their shadows and this, for them is the reality. Then a prisoner is freed, and he is allow to go out of the cave and see the real world, here is where they learn that the shadows are not at all the reality, they learn more things about the world and then he goes again into the cave to tell his friends but they don’t believe this, because they only see him as a shadow and the stories they heard from him they are not even able to hear them. I believe that everybody has a different point of view of what reality is; everybody has their own theory of how they see life and how they experience it. In my opinion I think that most people believe that reality is what they see and that there is nothing else beyond that, but of course there are people that believe there is something beyond than what we see.

Evilness And Selfishness Of Abigail Williams In The...

The Crucible: The Evilness and Selfishness of Abigail Williams In Arthur Millers The Crucible, there is one character who, because of her selfish and evil ways, causes the destruction of many people in the town of Salem. This character is Abigail Williams. In the play, jealousy, and self- interest are the two characteristics that are seen constantly throughout the play. These characteristics pertain particularly to Abigail, and give a graphic description of her life, and how she deals with things in it. Throughout the play she gets worse and worse each time something major happens. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; After her affair and failure with voodoo, she was overcome by love and jealousy, and she was willing to do anything to get†¦show more content†¦This shows that when a person is given something, which they enjoy, and even love, and they are denied it, they feel distraught and they will many times do almost anything to get it back. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;She was very desperate and she felt willing to do anything to get back John for herself. She had been brought up to believe that magic worked, so she turned to Tituba and her voodoo. Abigail begged her for her help in that matter, This is shown when Tituba says, â€Å"You beg me to conjure! She beg me to make charm-† Abigail was so desperate to get back John that she even drank chickens blood to get him back. She drank this blood charm so Elizabeth would die. Abigails progression of evilness and her looking for help from witchcraft shows that love and jealousy in large quantities can cause a person to go to what they hate most for help. Abigail goes from her goodness with internal turmoil, to what she was brought up in Salem to fear, and despise: witchcraft. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;After some thought Abigail realizes that she can use witchcraft to get back John, though not in the way that she had thought before. She believes that the only reason that John is not giving in to her is because of Elizabeth. She realizes that the people of the town are so afraid of the devil, she can use that fear to discredit, and eventually get rid ofShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible: the Evilness and Selfishness of Abigail Williams956 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crucible: The Evilness and Selfishness of Abigail Williams In Arthur Millers The Crucible, there is one character who, because of her selfish and evil ways, causes the destruction of many people in the town of Salem. This character is Abigail Williams. In the play, jealousy, and self- interest are the two characteristics that are seen constantly throughout the play. These characteristics pertain particularly to Abigail, and give a graphic description of her life, and how she dealsRead More Arthur Millers The Crucible Essay2614 Words   |  11 PagesArthur Millers The Crucible Arthur Miller demonstrates the familiarities of the life he lived in the 1950s and of everyday life we live in through his plays. He communicates through his work to the way people are in society. The extreme witch hysteria deteriorated the rational and emotional stability of its citizens. This exploited the populations weakest qualities, and insecurities. The obvious breakdown in social order led to the tragedy that saw innocent souls hang on the accusationRead More The Moral of Arthur Millers The Crucible Essay3017 Words   |  13 PagesThe Moral of Arthur Millers The Crucible In the 17th century a group of Puritans from England immigrated to America to escape persecution for their religious beliefs. The white settlers arrived in New England in 1620, and Salem, Massachusetts had been in existence for about forty years by 1692. Salem developed as a theocracy. This was based on the coexistence of religious prayer and hard work. Entertainment, such as dancing, or any enjoyment at all was perceived as a sin. The isolation