A Case Study Of Microware Ltd

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02 Nov 2017

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Ralph - He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He is accountable for the performance and results o the company. He entrusts the General Manager (Manu) for the day to day management of the company. He is interested in profits and he would like to impress the board of directors for his positive quarterly reports. However, the company is experiencing a crisis but he does not want the news of the current issues to reach them because he worries that they may question how well he is running the company. He is more focused on his own goal of achieving 10% performance based bonus at the end of the quarter year before resolving the conflict immediately.

Jeff- is the young ambitious marketing graduate who has big ideas for the company and interested in two new large budget clients recently. The CEO is quite impressed by Jeff and sees him as a potential star in the software company.

He took over Manu’s role as a General Manager of Micro-ware Ltd and he wants to change the guidelines of the organization database to make it meet better marketing standards. However, this has caused stress and tension among the staff who feel they should be focused on completing the project rather than being distracted by irrelevant marketing stuff and the performance levels have dropped.

Sally- She is the head of marketing department. She feels undervalued despite her heavy workload in the company and she is secretly searching for another job.

b) Outline the business demographics of the three (3) key teams and the three (3) individuals; Jeff, Ralph and Sally in the software company.

The three key teams are the following:

Marketing Team

Jeff leads the marketing team.

His people are sociable and they are very familiar with electronic communication and social networking

They communicate with their respective groups using different networks.

Production Team

They are led by a well-respected general manager Manu, who has been with the company since it started.

Its team comprises of young technologists who work together with a loose team with significant autonomy to complete their own particular aspects of the current project/s.

They prefer to use technology as means of com

Administrative team

It is led by Sally

Her team consists of a number of older women and one man who is near retirement age.

Most team members have been with the company for over 8 years.

Their team prefers conventional communication method such as face to face or over the phone.

The business demographics of the following individuals:

Ralph- He is the CEO of Micro-ware Ltd .He is in his early 40’s and having a good reputation over the 10 years he has been with the company.

Jeff- A young ambitious marketing graduate who took over Manu’s role as a General Manager. He has big ideas for the company and would like to change the company’s system to improve marketing standards. Moreover, the CEO is quite impressed and sees his capabilities to develop as a leader .

Sally- She is in her late 30’s and leads the small administration team. Also, she has been with company for some years. Ralph (CEO) relies on her for maintaining the communication lines in the company. She communicates daily with the various team leaders and their senior staff using numerous channels of communication methods according to the preferences of each individual.

c) The meeting Ralph called was not very successful. . Outline a structured four (4) part procedure for organising and managing meetings that Micro-ware Ltd can adopt.

The four (4) structured part procedure for organizing and managing meetings

that micro-Ware Ltd can adopt are the following:

Purpose of the meeting should be identified- There are two purposes that they should focus. For one, conducting informational meetings, this should be shared information and coordinating action. Another purpose is that to come up with decision-making meetings which involve persuasion, analysis and problem-solving. Brainstorming and debating are essential to come up with a favorable outcome. Regardless of the purpose, it should have clarity and communicated clearly.

Establish the size of the group and select the participants- A clear purpose helps in identifying the participants. If it is a decision making or problem solving meeting, it is advisable to have only one those who are in a direct position to help the meeting reach its objective as well as not to disrupt the work of other members.

Writing the notice of the meeting- It should be an advance notice in order for the staff to be prepared. Details of the meeting should be announced. Notice will be sent through e-mail, internal website and post it in notice boards.

Set the agenda- Ensure that participants are prepared so they can contribute in the meeting. Distributing a carefully prepared agenda in advance is highly advisable in order to have a successful meeting.

d) Explain six (6) ways in which the principles of group dynamics could be used to help solve the problems within the software company.

Cohesiveness- The three teams do not have shared goals and they have different communication methods. It is not necessarily that they should come up with similar goals. However, it is important that everyone must know what the colleagues needs are and must communicate what their own needs as well. Creating and sustaining cohesive teams requires a strong hands-on leadership.

Norms- The group should establish a clear set of rules that are constructive and make every member of the staff to agree on the rules.

Roles- Each member should determine his/her functions in the group. Each role comes with certain expectations about behavior in the group.

Conformity- The employees should adhere to workplace rules. Setting rules and having an agreement with ideas may help the company’s production to improve.

Advocacy- controversial issue should be discussed and accept the views of each member. They will welcome all the possibilities and would take all the hurdles as a challenge.

Conflict- the Company can learn about its shortcomings by monitoring employee interpersonal conflict. By correcting the issues, the company improves interdepartmental communication and boosts productivity.

e) Outline three (3) ways a comprehensive intranet could improve internal communications at the software company.

Intranet improves teamwork through which teamwork is enabled and all certified users can get access to information.

Intranets offering workforce productivity which can help user to find and observe information very fast. User may also use applications according to their roles and tasks. Intranet also increase the ability of employee’s by performing their job confidently very fast, and accurately.

Recognizing the effect that good internal communication has on the success of businesses, many software companies have come out with their versions of intranet software or document sharing software. Some software is even specifically designed for certain industries. Intranets are like internal bulletin boards that employees or members can use to access all of the current company information, news, events, celebrations, reports, etc. without paper copies and internal happenings away from the public eye. Intranet postings replace paper memos and company-wide emails. Instead of printing out copies of documents that get lost in the "In-Box", unfinished documents and reports are shared via the intranet. As well, group discussions can happen in a fraction of the time it would take to have a lengthy phone conference. Employees can make more informed decisions and make more time-effective choices when checking an organization’s intranet.

Organisational goals and policies

Identify six (6) ways in which any company can be deflected from its goals by communication problems.

Physical barriers- such as impairment/disability can block proper communication.

Technical barriers- electronic devices are always open to disturbances, faults, and failure.

Emotional barriers- One person should be aware of their professional boundaries.

Semantic barriers- Improper usage of grammar, vocabulary and tone can lead to misunderstanding or misinterpret the message.

Cultural- it affects the way they communicate through the verbal and non-verbal communication which may misinterpret by one person from different culture.

Gender- men and women communicate in different ways. It is important not to make assumptions and recognize the strengths apparent in each way of communication.

Outline two (2) ways in which Jeff may be deflecting Micro-ware from its goals through his choice of communication methods and mediums

He focuses too much on marketing side

He prefers only one communication method that he likes such as team meetings. He is taking up a lot of employees’ valuable time with regular staff meetings, which they find it irrelevant marketing stuff.

Explain two (2) things he could do to refocus and get everyone working on achieving the key goals.

Jeff should be a good team player. He needs to have an ability to manage and delegate to others and take on responsibility. It's about building positive working relationships that help everyone to achieve positive goals and business objectives.

He should have a good leadership. He should motivate teams and other colleagues that may work for him. It's about assigning and delegating tasks well, setting deadlines and leading by being a good example.

Organisational culture and ethics

From the case study outline how any three (3) different aspects of Micro-ware Ltd’s organisational culture(s) and ethical behaviours (e.g. range of cultures within the company, rituals and routine, power structures, stories) impact on effective communication and its management?

Marketing Department- They are social people and they are very familiar with electronic communication as well as social networking. They communicate with their respective groups using different networks.

Administrative Department- They are not comfortable using technology as means of communication. They prefer traditional style such as face to face or over the phone.

Production Department- They are the technologists who prefer to use electronic communication like e-mail and also social networking. In addition, they communicate with their respective groups using different networks.

There are two (2) breaches of privacy determined in this case study.

Soma had a personal conflict with Margaret. She sent email to everyone with the message "Margaret’s New Affair". The photograph was taken by Soma without the permission of Margaret.

Rob downloaded a copy of sally’s report regarding the staff notes with complete names onto his flash drive. He sent the draft anonymously to the board of directors and he printed a copy of the draft on company letterhead and posted it through snail mail to the chairman of the board.

Beyond the case study , there are two (2) other possible ways in which privacy can be breached in a business environment:

Giving out personal details to the press

Giving information to competitors

What copyright infringements can you determine from the information in the case study?

The copyright infringement in this case study is that Jeff made detailed information to be used in an exciting new promotion specifically aimed at some really big companies. The information he sent to Ralph was copyrighted to a powerful USA company and he had the intention to use it without seeking permission because he thinks that it was very unlikely they would ever find out.

Jennifer downloaded x-rated images using the internet and the internet security found some stolen software downloads stored in her computer.

What are the possible implications of these infringements for the company?

Micro-ware Ltd will lose its reputation as well as loyalty from their clients. Moreover, the company will face some legal issues.

When an employee engages in illegal file sharing or downloading while using their employer’s internet connection, the employer could be issued with a copyright infringement notice from its internet service provider. Jennifer will be reprimanded and face some legal issues.

Current and emerging communication technology

a) The five (5) types of mediated and /or face-to-face organisation communication strategies used in this case study are the following:

Face-to-face meeting

Phone

Lecture/ Report

Electronic communication

Snail mail

b) The following are the purpose of each strategy:

Face-to-face meeting - The best way to communicate between people because the verbal and non-verbal communication can be seen. Also, The reactions can be recorded

and collection of feedback is faster.

Phone- It is fastest way for clarification because you can talk to the person to have clarity.

Electronic communication- It engages audiences in active, two-way communications. It is fastest way to communicate with the other party. It has the ability to transmit and receive large amounts of information quickly to and from individuals and workgroups around the world

Snail-mail- It is a valuable system. It is more formal way to convey a message.

Text Message- cheapest way of communication, you can leave a short message and may receive a reply right away if the person is available.

Examples of how each type strategy is used

Face-to-face –Jeff always call for regular staff meetings.

Phone- Ralph receives an urgent call and learns he has to be in Wellington in 2 hours. Another example, Sally received a call from internet security officer who informed her that Jennifer has been downloading X rated images from the internet and her computer contains stolen software downloads.

Electronic Communication- Ralph checked his email on his laptop whilst he awaits his boarding call at the airport. He received an email regarding Jeff’s report.

Snail mail- Rob printed a copy of the draft on company letterhead and posted it to the chairman of the board.

Text message- This strategy is used when Sally was arranging a staff meeting of the company. Sally asked to staff to confirm their availability for the meeting through text messaging.

d.) Four (4) examples of emerging communication technologies the software company could use to improve their internal and external communication are the following:

Video conferencing such as skype- It provides businesses with the ability to meet and to

Work with others over a distance. It can speed up decision making. It also enables top management in to quickly and effectively communicate with employees sitting in multiple locations.

Internal Website- only company employees can have access to the site so the company’s information is more secured.

Microsoft outlook-is the standard task management and communication software found in most business settings. Co-workers can share contacts, calendars and personal messages through the software.

Instant Messenger such as yahoo messenger- It speeds up the communication between the staff in different departments

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) - It is cost-saving because it can decrease communication and infrastructure costs of the company. It permits users to take advantage from complex features that are obtainable on internet-based phone systems such as online call monitoring and online phone system access.



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