1: Think about the highly publicized safety problems at General Motors (GM). (Drivers' keys got stuck in the ignition, causing crashes, and many deaths. GM denied that it was their fault for many years, but then they finally admitted it was an engineering problem.)One observer said that a goal of efficiency had taken precedence over a goal of quality within this company. Do you think managers can improve both efficiency and effectiveness simultaneously? Discuss. How do you think GMs leaders should respond to the safety situation?

2: You are a bright, hard-working, entry-level manager who fully intends to rise up through the ranks. Your performance evaluation gives you high marks for your technical skills, but low marks when it comes to people skills. Do you think people skills can be learned, or do you need to rethink your career path? If people skills can be learned, how would you go about doing it?