Week 1-7 Module Case Studies

Overview

This course will have 4 Discussions, each including a thread and a reply. Please follow the steps and instructions below to receive full credit for each thread.

Instructions

Reserve A Question

Before beginning your thread, you will need to reserve a question from one of the appropriate Module: Week’s Case Studies.  The questions related to each Case Study are found below in this document. The number of students who may choose the same question to research is limited to 3 students for each question. Reserve a question as early as Monday of the odd-numbered Module: Weeks by adding a thread to the appropriate Module: Weeks’ Discussion in which the subject line contains only the title of the Case Study and the question number (e.g., Google, Inc., Question 2). This will enable everyone to sort by subject line to easily determine which questions have already been reserved. If you select a question that has already been chosen by 3 other students, a score of zero will be recorded for that Module: Week’s Discussion.  

Canvas has a “Post-First” feature, so you will not be able to see the postings of others until you post first. So, if you have selected and posted a question that was already reserved by 3 other students, you will be able to see their selections and repost a different question.

Threads

For each Discussion, headers must include the following:

Question:

Write out the Case Study name and question which you have chosen to answer.

Answer:

You are required to conduct research using the Liberty University Online Library to respond to each question.  By using the resources available on the Liberty University Online Library site, you will find 3 scholarly articles by 3 different authors to answer the question chosen. All of the articles must have been published within the past 5 years. An answer to the question must be based upon a full analysis of the research and must be fully grounded in the research. Compare and contrast the 3 articles you researched, all of which must be utilized in your answer.

Your submission should follow APA-7 format, written in third person, and include only primary research from academic/peer-reviewed journals. Refer to the APA-7 Manual for formatting guidelines. Please note that some formatting (e.g., line spacing, indentation, margins) in your original document may be compromised when you copy and paste your text into the Discussions. You will not be penalized for these changes. You will, however, be graded your grammar, capitalization, punctuation, citations, and references will be included in grading.

Suggestions of online journals are the Harvard Business Review, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, etc.

This section of the posting should be 350–450 words.

Biblical integration:

Provide integration of a biblical concept that supports the answer to the Case Study question.

References:

Using current APA-7 format, list all references used in the response.

Replies

You are required to reply to the Case Study responses of two classmates. The classmates you choose to respond to should not have researched the same question as you. Each reply will include at least 2 original references, i.e. 2 scholarly articles by 2 different authors, and should be at least 250 words. The response should not be an agreement or disagreement with the initial post, but an evaluation of the author’s analysis. All assertions must be supported by research and should not be based upon one’s “feeling” or “opinion.”

For each reply, the following headings should include:

Response to:

Classmate’s Name, Case Study Name, Question Number

Response:

An evaluation written in current APA-7 format, using third person.

References:

Refer to the APA-7 Manual for proper formatting.

Biblical integration:

Just as you did for the thread, provide integration of a biblical concept that supports your reply.

Module 1: Week 1 – Week 2: Module 2 Case Studies’ Questions

Google, Inc.

1. How does the changing environment for business affect Google’s ability to communicate in this situation?
2. Where is the company most vulnerable, from a communications standpoint?
3. What are the key problems Google faces in this situation?
4. What advice would you give Brin, Page, and Schmidt?

Source: Copyright ©2006. Eugene D. Fanning Center for Business Communication, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame. This case was prepared by Research Assistants Brynn Harris and Allison Ogilvy under the direction of James S. O’Rourke, Professor of Management. Information was gathered from corporate as well as public sources. Reprinted by permission

Bose Corporation

1. What would be the most effective way to develop and communicate the appeal of Bose brand?  Why?
2. Would you continue to invest in advertising or shift your support to research and development to improve product quality? Why?
3. What role should the company’s website play in marketing? Why?
4. What communication strategies would you recommend to Bose’s leadership to gain their desired market share?

Source: Professor Robert J. Dolan prepared this case. This case was developed from published sources. Funding for the development of this case was provided by Harvard Business School and not by the company. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright © 2017, 2018 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to www.hbsp.harvard.edu. This publication may not be digitized, photocopied, or otherwise reproduced, posted, or transmitted, without the permission of Harvard Business School.

Module 3: Week 3 – Week 4: Module 4 Case Studies’ Questions

Earls Restaurants Ltd

1. How did Earls’ lack of an effective communication plan impact the company’s relationship with community ranchers?
2. Do you believe that communication between Earls and their customer base was imbalanced? Why or why not?
3. What would you advise to Earls’ marketing team in regard to sourcing outside of Canada?
4. What strategies to remedy the communication breakdown would you recommend to Earl’s leadership? Why?

Source: R. Chandrasekhar wrote this case under the supervision of Professor Mary Weil solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. This publication may not be transmitted, photocopied, digitized or otherwise reproduced in any form or by any means without the permission of the copyright holder. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Ivey Business School, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 0N1; (t) 519.661.3208; (e) cases@ivey.ca; www.iveycases.com. Copyright © 2017, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation Version: 2017-01-06

Emojis in Business

1. Discuss, whether the use of emojis can increase consumer engagement.
2. Discuss any negative impact from the use of emojis.
3. Discuss professional and unprofessional use of emojis.
4. What advice would you give to a startup company regarding the use of informal language and emojis?

Source: This case was written by Sushree Das and reviewed by K. Bhagyalakshmi, Amity Research Centers Headquarter, Bangalore. It is intended to be used as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. The case was compiled from published sources. © 2017, Amity Research Centers Headquarter, Bangalore. Website: www.amity.edu/casestudies/ No part of this publication may be copied, stored, transmitted, reproduced or distributed in any form or medium whatsoever without the permission of the copyright owner.

Employer Branding and CSR

1. Do companies engaged in CSR communicate their practices effectively in online recruitment advertising?
2. What CSR information should companies include in online job advertisements to improve their employer attractiveness to prospective candidates?
3. Discuss how CSR practices can impact employee retention and turnover.

Source: Petya Puncheva-Michelotti, Sarah Hudson, Gewen Jin. Rennes School of Business, Rue Robert d’Arbrissel, 35065 Rennes Cedex, France b Capgemini (China) Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200025, China. Copyright 2018 by Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. For reprints, call HBS Publishing at (800) 545-7685.

Module 5: Week 5 – Week 6: Module 6 Case Studies’ Questions

Charter Communications

1. What media relations strategies would you recommend to Charter’s leadership to evoke a positive response from the public toward Charter’s merger with TWC? Why?
2. What advertising and marketing strategies should Charter have utilized for a successful merger? Why?
3. What media approach should Charter use to reinforce the competitive threat caused by a potential merger between Comcast and TWC? Why?
4. What press release should Charter issue when announcing its intention to merge with TWC? Why?

Source: Radha Chaganti, Mayank Jaiswal, and Rajeswararao Chaganti wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. Authors acknowledge the help of Greg Bates in writing this case. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. This publication may not be transmitted, photocopied, digitized, or otherwise reproduced in any form or by any means without the permission of the copyright holder. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Ivey Business School, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 0N1; (t) 519.661.3208; (e) cases@ivey.ca; www.iveycases.com. Our goal is to publish materials of the highest quality; submit any errata to publishcases@ivey.ca. Copyright © 2019, Ivey Business School Foundation Version: 2019-07-22

Intra-team Conflict Communication

1. What strategies would you recommend for successful conflict management within and among teams?
2. What advise could you offer to help the team communicate when they encounter conflict?
3. What are the critical issues and processes that this team is facing?
4. Does the cultural way of communication and personality of each member affect the problems they face? How?
5. What are the dysfunctional and functional conflicts that each member causes?
6. What task, structural and emotional conflicts did team members encounter in this case?

Source: This case was written by Chavi Fletcher-Chen under the direction of IESEG School of Management. It is intended to be used as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. © 2017, Chavi Fletcher-Chen, IESEG School of Management. This case study is based on the fieldwork (anonymous/disguised). Some of the names have been altered to protect their privacy. No part of this publication may be copied, stored, transmitted, reproduced or distributed in any form or medium whatsoever without the permission of the copyright owner

Steelecase, Inc.

1. As part of creating the full-time IR position, Steelcase had to decide where to place Grueber in the company hierarchy. Given the issues facing Steelcase when Grueber arrived, what are the strengths and weaknesses of placing Grueber under the CFO versus the corporate communications department?
2. What resources should Grueber ask for? How should he organize the function (reporting lines, internal staff versus agencies, etc.)?
3. What investor constituencies should Steelcase try to interest in the company’s stock? What channels should Grueber use to attract them? What message would Steelcase deliver to them?
4. What mistakes did Steelcase make in its past IR efforts?
5. What are the biggest challenges facing Steelcase in mid-2000 and beyond? How would you position the IR function to handle those challenges?
6. What can you learn about Steelcase today through an online search of its website?

Source: This case was prepared by Thomas Darling under the supervision of Professor Paul A. Argenti at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Information was gathered from public and corporate sources, including interviews with Perry Grueber at Steelcase in May 2002. © 2008 Trustees of Dartmouth College. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact the Tuck School of Business at 603-646-3176.

Module 7: Week 7 – Week 8: Module 8 Case Studies’ Questions

Google and Project Maven

1. Discuss Google’s original position regarding their involvement with military projects and how it developed into a partnership with the DoD.
2. Discuss strategies for successful partnership between private companies and the government.
3. What advice would you give Google’s leadership regarding their partnership with the government? Explain your position.
4. Do you see any contradiction between Google’s motto “Don’t Do Evil” and their involvement with government projects, whether domestic or foreign? Explain your position.

Source: This case was written by Jaimie Stettin, Research Associate, and Gianpiero Petriglieri, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD, exclusively from public sources. It is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Additional material about INSEAD case studies (e.g., videos, spreadsheets, links) can be accessed at cases.insead.edu. Copyright © 2018 INSEAD.

Managing Communication Crisis the ‘Under Armour’ Way

1. Discuss the way UA handled crisis communication.
2. Discuss the role of transparency and openness in UA’s culture and its impact on crisis management.
3. Discuss UA’s approach to the 2014 speedskating incident.
4. What advice would you give Mr. Plank in managing a communication crisis.

Source: This case was written by K B S Kumar and Indu Perepu, IBS Hyderabad. It was compiled from published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. Ó 2017, IBS Center for Management Research.