Case Review Presentation

- summarize the key OB issues highlighted in the case-study,

- undertake some research (minimum 3 sources) in regard to the problem presented and provide your critical analysis on those issues/ problems as per your understanding of the course material by applying the principles/ concepts learned in the class, (for example, Amazon as a company is making remarkable financial success but as per the research it has been portrayed as a soul crushing employer. So how far the people management practices at Amazon are sustainable for its employer brand?)

- provide some industry comparisons (compare the issues highlighted with the best practices of another company in the similar industry with comparable business strategy, size and operations) and

- suggest suitable recommendations (4-5) with examples and illustrations from your understanding of the course acting as an organisational behaviour consultant. (for example, in continuation of the example provided above, provide recommendations on how Amazon can continue to sustain its employer brand by introducing some robust employee friendly policies and practices?)

• Executive Summary/ Abstract
  • Executive Summary or Abstract Executed in Superior Fashion
• Problem Identification & Scope
  • Shows superior knowledge of the issues, key problems, and the companys present situation and strategic issues.
• Case Analysis
  • Analysis of case shows superior levels of analysis of underlying issues that are not necessarily readily apparent, uses appropriate levels of supporting detail
• Recommendation and Conclusions
  • Specific recommendations and/or plans of action provided that go beyond the expected scope of the case fully supported by data, alternate viewpoints fully considered
• Demonstration of thought process and analysis of problem and resolution using own thoughts and ideas (Organization & Critical Thinking)
  • Introduction provides superior level of background of presentation Structure of presentation is very clear and easy to follow train of thought process Conclusion follows logically from body of presentation Critical Thinking is present through logical argumentation & reasoning, concrete examples & valid inferences
• Application of the requirements of the 7th APA manual to create a standardized formatted presentation7th Ed. APA Manual is followed with no errors including properly formatted title page, properly formatted references pages, in-text citations are correctly used, paraphrasing and direct quotes are properly used in the correct context

Getting Started (A) Chris Holland had just finished his associates' degree at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. He was eager to start working a full-time job because his wife, Marie, had been working full time for the past several years while he went to school, and now it was her turn to pursue an associate's degree while he worked full time. Initially, he had planned to apply to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as a third-year transfer student in the business school, but he was considering the possibility of postponing those plans for anywhere from two to five years, so his wife could attend school and the two of them could save some money and possibly even get ahead. The Hollands also had a toddler, Henri, who had been in the care of a relative during the day. Over the past few years, Chris had worked a part-time job at a sunglasses kiosk in one of the local malls. For two years running, he had been not only the top salesperson on his sales team, but also the highest- grossing salesperson in the region. He had chosen to focus on marketing classes while in school, which complemented his work experience and interest in sales. He enjoyed being in front of customers, learning about their needs and their lives, and guiding them toward making a flattering purchase. Chris's friend from high school, Devon Price, had founded a small optical boutique in Georgetown, Washington, DC, a year prior. The store sold high-end glasses and sunglasses frames in an exclusive area of the city with plenty of pedestrian foot traffic. Unfortunately, although Price was a licensed optician and had invested a significant sum of his own money in the store's lease, renovations, signage, and equipment, he lacked Chris's sales skills. As a result, sales were floundering. After Chris graduated, Price asked him to manage his store and help him make it more profitable. With Chris's cheerful, outgoing personality and proven sales skills, Price was certain that together they could turn the store around. Chris wasn't afraid of hard work and expected to put in late nights and even Saturdays at first reviving the store and improving sales. Of course, he had Henri at home, and his wife would be working all hours as well as a student and at her part-time job. So a few Saturdays or early evenings spent at home with the family would be much appreciated. When Price had first called him with the idea of coming to Georgetown, he had mentioned to Chris that he was running out of money to keep the store afloat. To make sure that he could keep the store open for another 18 months, Price's idea was to guarantee Chris a low monthly salary he had mentioned $1,800 as a ballpark figure and then to provide Chris with a percentage of the additional sales that Chris was able to capture. By this, he meant that he would pay Chris a guaranteed base salary of $1,800, plus a percentage of any new sales over-and-above his current monthly average sales. Chris borrowed a car from a friend and drove up to see Price's store so he could make his own assessment of what that potential increase in sales might be. He thought Price had made a great initial selection of frames to carry, but there was room for improvement in the frames for glasses and sunglasses that walk-in customers were able to try on. He loved the location and the decor, and he trusted his friend. Chris figured that with a few more flashy products and his own sales and marketing expertise, he could increase sales by anywhere from 30% to 50%. To him, it seemed like the perfect opportunity, and certainly something he needed to explore. Chris had a meeting set with his friend for the following day. He thought Price's proposed payment structure of a lower base salary with additional pay for performance was reasonable, but he was concerned that the base salary was too low for him and his wife to qualify for an apartment lease. Apartment-lease qualification was typically based on what you knew you would have available to pay your rent, and not what you thought might be available to pay your rent. He also thought that Price's initial ballpark figure of 10% to | 15% of the increase in sales was a little low. He figured that amount needed to be closer to 20% to 25%, or, if it remained in the 10% to 15% range, should apply to all sales and not just some loosely defined increase in sales. Other significant considerations included his wife's future plans, housing, and transportation. Chris had completed his associate's degree while he worked part time and Marie worked full time. Now that he had received his degree, Marie wanted to reverse the arrangement: she would attend a similar Virginia community college to earn her associate's degree while she worked part time and Chris worked full time The cost of living anywhere near the Georgetown-based sunglasses boutique was quite high. It was clear that Chris would need to find a place for his family to live that was far enough away to be affordable and would still give Marie an opportunity to both find a part-time job and attend a community college. Without a car, Chris also needed to consider the cost of commuting to his job. Together, the combined cost of housing and transportation needed to make sense. There were a couple of other considerations, as well. First, it would cost Chris up-front cash to move his family into a new apartment, and he wondered if Price would be able to cover that bill. Another consideration was health insurance. While he was a student, they had been covered by his student health insurance. If Price was unable to offer him similar insurance, Chris would need to purchase a COBRA plan for his family at a cost of $450 a month between now and when Marie was able to enroll. At that point, the three of them would qualify to be covered under Marie's student health insurance. Lastly, Chris had never been able to afford a laptop of his own. While in school, he had made frequent use of the school's library computers. Chris wanted to keep track of his sales, and put into place some of the many marketing ideas he had learned in school. Doing so would require access to a computer, and he wondered if Price would be able to provide him with a company laptop. Of course, the couple had alternatives. Chris could always apply to VCU and continue his part-time job at the mall. Marie could attend J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and work part time, and they could struggle along with the reduced income resulting from two part-time jobs. Within two years, Chris would have a four-year degree and perhaps be qualified for a greater number of higher-paying positions. The prospect of going into business with a trusted friend, howeverespecially in a situation with tremendous future and potential financial upsidewas not something he could easily dismiss. Chris also felt extreme pressure to make the right long-term decision for his familyand he would prefer not to continue with his four-year degree right away if he could find a way to create a more reasonable standard of living for his family in the short term. There were so many competing factors to his decision-making process, so Chris decided to create a chart that listed each of his items of importance, so he could be more prepared in his upcoming discussion with Price. Page 3 Directions Step into the role of Chris and familiarize yourself with the point matrix in Exhibit 1. During your negotiations with Price, you will earn points that correspond to the outcomes of each of these considerations. You must resolve all issues to earn any points. Once all issues are resolved, circle the number of points you earn on each issue, and total them at the bottom of the page. Your goal is to maximize the number of points that you are able to achieve. You only receive points for those items where you are able to come to an agreement. Getting Started (A) Chris Holland had just finished his associates' degree at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. He was eager to start working a full-time job because his wife, Marie, had been working full time for the past several years while he went to school, and now it was her turn to pursue an associate's degree while he worked full time. Initially, he had planned to apply to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as a third-year transfer student in the business school, but he was considering the possibility of postponing those plans for anywhere from two to five years, so his wife could attend school and the two of them could save some money and possibly even get ahead. The Hollands also had a toddler, Henri, who had been in the care of a relative during the day. Over the past few years, Chris had worked a part-time job at a sunglasses kiosk in one of the local malls. For two years running, he had been not only the top salesperson on his sales team, but also the highest- grossing salesperson in the region. He had chosen to focus on marketing classes while in school, which complemented his work experience and interest in sales. He enjoyed being in front of customers, learning about their needs and their lives, and guiding them toward making a flattering purchase. Chris's friend from high school, Devon Price, had founded a small optical boutique in Georgetown, Washington, DC, a year prior. The store sold high-end glasses and sunglasses frames in an exclusive area of the city with plenty of pedestrian foot traffic. Unfortunately, although Price was a licensed optician and had invested a significant sum of his own money in the store's lease, renovations, signage, and equipment, he lacked Chris's sales skills. As a result, sales were floundering. After Chris graduated, Price asked him to manage his store and help him make it more profitable. With Chris's cheerful, outgoing personality and proven sales skills, Price was certain that together they could turn the store around. Chris wasn't afraid of hard work and expected to put in late nights and even Saturdays at first reviving the store and improving sales. Of course, he had Henri at home, and his wife would be working all hours as well as a student and at her part-time job. So a few Saturdays or early evenings spent at home with the family would be much appreciated. When Price had first called him with the idea of coming to Georgetown, he had mentioned to Chris that he was running out of money to keep the store afloat. To make sure that he could keep the store open for another 18 months, Price's idea was to guarantee Chris a low monthly salary he had mentioned $1,800 as a ballpark figure and then to provide Chris with a percentage of the additional sales that Chris was able to capture. By this, he meant that he would pay Chris a guaranteed base salary of $1,800, plus a percentage of any new sales over-and-above his current monthly average sales. Chris borrowed a car from a friend and drove up to see Price's store so he could make his own assessment of what that potential increase in sales might be. He thought Price had made a great initial selection of frames to carry, but there was room for improvement in the frames for glasses and sunglasses that walk-in customers were able to try on. He loved the location and the decor, and he trusted his friend. Chris figured that with a few more flashy products and his own sales and marketing expertise, he could increase sales by anywhere from 30% to 50%. To him, it seemed like the perfect opportunity, and certainly something he needed to explore. Chris had a meeting set with his friend for the following day. He thought Price's proposed payment structure of a lower base salary with additional pay for performance was reasonable, but he was concerned that the base salary was too low for him and his wife to qualify for an apartment lease. Apartment-lease qualification was typically based on what you knew you would have available to pay your rent, and not what you thought might be available to pay your rent. He also thought that Price's initial ballpark figure of 10% to | 15% of the increase in sales was a little low. He figured that amount needed to be closer to 20% to 25%, or, if it remained in the 10% to 15% range, should apply to all sales and not just some loosely defined increase in sales. Other significant considerations included his wife's future plans, housing, and transportation. Chris had completed his associate's degree while he worked part time and Marie worked full time. Now that he had received his degree, Marie wanted to reverse the arrangement: she would attend a similar Virginia community college to earn her associate's degree while she worked part time and Chris worked full time The cost of living anywhere near the Georgetown-based sunglasses boutique was quite high. It was clear that Chris would need to find a place for his family to live that was far enough away to be affordable and would still give Marie an opportunity to both find a part-time job and attend a community college. Without a car, Chris also needed to consider the cost of commuting to his job. Together, the combined cost of housing and transportation needed to make sense. There were a couple of other considerations, as well. First, it would cost Chris up-front cash to move his family into a new apartment, and he wondered if Price would be able to cover that bill. Another consideration was health insurance. While he was a student, they had been covered by his student health insurance. If Price was unable to offer him similar insurance, Chris would need to purchase a COBRA plan for his family at a cost of $450 a month between now and when Marie was able to enroll. At that point, the three of them would qualify to be covered under Marie's student health insurance. Lastly, Chris had never been able to afford a laptop of his own. While in school, he had made frequent use of the school's library computers. Chris wanted to keep track of his sales, and put into place some of the many marketing ideas he had learned in school. Doing so would require access to a computer, and he wondered if Price would be able to provide him with a company laptop. Of course, the couple had alternatives. Chris could always apply to VCU and continue his part-time job at the mall. Marie could attend J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and work part time, and they could struggle along with the reduced income resulting from two part-time jobs. Within two years, Chris would have a four-year degree and perhaps be qualified for a greater number of higher-paying positions. The prospect of going into business with a trusted friend, howeverespecially in a situation with tremendous future and potential financial upsidewas not something he could easily dismiss. Chris also felt extreme pressure to make the right long-term decision for his familyand he would prefer not to continue with his four-year degree right away if he could find a way to create a more reasonable standard of living for his family in the short term. There were so many competing factors to his decision-making process, so Chris decided to create a chart that listed each of his items of importance, so he could be more prepared in his upcoming discussion with Price. Page 3 Directions Step into the role of Chris and familiarize yourself with the point matrix in Exhibit 1. During your negotiations with Price, you will earn points that correspond to the outcomes of each of these considerations. You must resolve all issues to earn any points. Once all issues are resolved, circle the number of points you earn on each issue, and total them at the bottom of the page. Your goal is to maximize the number of points that you are able to achieve. You only receive points for those items where you are able to come to an agreement