Read the following Case Study and answer the Questions to follow: The think-tank Bolden Pharmaceutical, employing over 2,000 workers of all grades, welcomed its new chief executive Tim Hodges. Hodges had spent years working for petroleum companies anxiously exploring new avenues to extend their product-market scope. Hodges felt that Bolden needed the same kind of treatment and that in addition to looking for new product-market opportunities it needed to review its current operations and look for increased efciency and savings which would help to cover the cost of new ventures. As a rst step Tim decided to set up a think tank. The works was located close to open moorland on the YorkshireLancashire border close to one of the many small towns that nestle in the valley bottoms. As part of the complex, but at a distance of roughly 400 yards from the main works, the rm owned an old house at one time a rectory which possessed fair-sized gardens and an open aspect over the nearby moors. Tim thought that the building would provide an admirable place to locate the think-tank. The building was quickly refurbished to provide ample accommodation for a think-tank team. The building allowed for the creation of a well tted out conference room with overhead projector facilities, ip charts, and an on-line desktop computer. In an open-plan ofce, created by knocking down the wall between two adjacent first-floor rooms, there was desk space for four people. A telephone which could take both internal and external calls was placed on each desk, along with an up-to-date PC and the basic office-type software which goes with such equipment. Tim Hodges also agreed to nance any additional special-purpose software that the team might require up to a cost not exceeding 10,000 per annum. Secretarial support was provided by two part-time secretaries who between them covered the week 95 each day, Monday to Friday. Four members of the middle-management staff were seconded to the think-tank for a twelvemonth period initially. It was agreed that at the end of this period the situation would be reviewed and anyone wishing to return to their previous job would be able to do so. Temporary appointments were made to cover the work of the seconded executives during the year-long trial period. It was made clear that the seconded executives would not be available for their usual duties during this period but that they could be consulted from time to time by the temporary staff covering their work. The team of four who made up the think-tank comprised one person with a background in the marketing operations of the company, one person from the finance and accounting area, one person from the R&D/operations area and a member of the personnel team. The job of co-ordinating the team was to be rotated on a three-monthly basis, with each person taking his or her turn at the helm. The team were given no specic instructions as to how they should proceed with the task they had been given. Tim Hodges made it clear, however, through an internal memorandum to all members of staff workers and managers that the team would expect to receive full co-operation from staff at all levels in the organization and that requests for help or information should be treated in the same way as if he himself had requested it. Questions: [6 Marks] (a) What kind of blocks or hindrances do you think the team would be likely to encounter? (b) Given that think-tanks were at one time discarded as an outmoded way of thinking up new ideas, do you think that the team has any real chance of success? Explain. (c) To give itself the maximum chance of coming up with ideas, how do you think the team should dene its mission? How should it operationalize its mission? How can it try to minimize being subsequently branded as a scapegoat for unsuccessful ventures?