Questions and answer of

Case Application 1-More than a good story

Question 1. As the top managers of their company what type of issues might Bert
and John have to deal with? Be as specific as possible, which management
functions might be most important to them? Why?
Answer 1.

The number and type of issues may vary from time to time or may arise

as influenced by many factors, however, few of the issues which they might face is
as tabulated under.
1.

Issues. As the top managers of their company, Bert and John have to

establish the plans and goals and make some big decisions, such as which market
do they want to develop, how much money they want to earn next year, which
partner they want to cooperate and so on. As the top managers of the company Bert
and John might face following issues:a.

Leadership
i.

Defining Leadership Style.

Though leadership may be hard to

define, but as one characteristic remain common i.e. all leaders

must have the ability to make things happen. Thus being the top
mangers they must maintain their will to control events, charting
out of course and implementing with the power to get job done
ii.

using the skills and abilities of employees.

Consistency in making Good Decision. Being at the helms of
affairs they are expected to maintain steadiness in achieving
intended goal.

b.

Egoistic Approach. At some point they may have experience of being

unavoidably entangled in following egoistic approach. This has to
remain in control in order to achieve the desired goals. Few of the
factors indicating problems with an out-of-control ego are:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

Consistently poor morale.

Constant communication breakdowns
Bad hiring decisions
Acquisitions or mergers that go sour.

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v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
ix.
x.
xi.
c.

High employee turnover.

Consistently poor quality
Loss of market share.
Vulnerability to competitors.
Poor sales results.
Decreasing profits from year to year.
Consistently poor decisions.

Motivational issue. No organization, be it formal or casual, will get far if

its workers are not motivated. Workers who lack focus or are
uninterested in the end goal are not usually very productive, and can
often undermine a leaders efforts and authority. Sometimes, the fix is
as easy as clearly communicating the mission. Being top managers
they must work with employees to figure out an effective incentive
structure.

d.

Cultivating Leadership Approach. Being at the top It is a known fact

that the hardest parts of running any sort of organization is ensuring
that those in superior positions are actually capable of leading
effectively.

e.

Communication.

At

may face communication

some
gap

point
between

of
them

time
and

they

subordinate

management. Effective teamwork depends on a culture of open

communication, where superiors and subordinates can freely discuss
progress and problems. Employees who feel that their bosses are
distant or somehow off limits have a tendency to make mistakes that
could have been avoided had parties felt more comfortable talking to
each other.
f.

Creating Team Unity. Being Leaders they are often responsible for
helping build unity between staff members. It can take a bit of time for
workers to develop trusting relationships with one another, and the role
of a supervisor or managers is to set the proper framework to
encourage these relationships to grow.

2.
Most important management function. There are five basic functions tabulated
as under:

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a. Planning.

This function involves mapping out exactly how to

achieve a particular goal.

b. Organizing. After a plan is in place, a manager needs to organize her
team and materials according to her plan. Assigning work and granting
authority are two important elements of organizing.
c. Staffing.

After a manager discerns his area's needs, he may

decide to beef up his staffing by recruiting, selecting, training, and

developing employees.
d. Leading.

A manager needs to do more than just plan, organize,

and staff his team to achieve a goal. He must also lead. Leading
involves motivating, communicating, guiding, and encouraging. It
requires the manager to coach, assist, and problem solve with
employees.
e. Controlling. After the other elements are in place. He needs to
continuously check results against goals and take any corrective
actions necessary to make sure that his area's plans remain on track.
3.

All managers at all levels of every organization perform these functions, but in

this particular case Controlling would be the most important function, which gives the
basic drive to run the business. Because Life is good company is a mature company,
which has mature rules, middle managers and first line managers. It also has mature
markets. As the top managers, the most important function is controlling now.

Question 2. Using descriptions from the case, describe Bert and Jhons managerial
style. Would this approach work for other organizations? Why or why not?
Answer 2.

Bert and Johns managerial style is managing people who take action.

It can work for other organizations as well. For Bert and John, they set up the motto
and enhance the companys culture to let employees feel themselves to be
constructive parts of the company.

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Question 3. How do you think the companys motto Do what you like, Like what
you do might affect how mangers manage? Be specific.
Answer 3.

The motto Do what you like. Like what you do. might affect that which

kind of employees the managers want to hire and how they encourage their
employees to work hard. The motto is a kind of companys culture. And it can help
employees to identify the company. It can be claimed that the motto Do what you
like. Like what you do works as a catalyst in the positive growth of the company.
Question 4. What managerial challenges might there be in having friends work for
your business? How could these challenges be kept inconsequential?
Answer 4. The challenges in having friends work for your business might be hard to
manage. Sometimes they dont think you are the boss, they think you are just their
friend. But it is easy to deal with talk to your friends and make sure they know their
roles. Let them know here is the business, and there are rules in the company.
Everybody should follow the rules, nobody except.
Question 5. Would you want to work for a company like this? Why or why not?
Answer 5.

To answer that would I work for a company like Life is Good? yes

would be my reply. Foremost of the reason would be that the company promotes and
maintain a stress free environment for all employees. This good management style
encourages the employees to learn new things and improve their performance and
thus leading to a positive productivity note.
Question 6. In what ways would the Life is Good managers (corporate and retail
stores) have to deal with the challenges of customer services, innovation and
sustainability? Be specific in your description.
Answer 6. Managers at Life is Good are requires to utilize their skills and bring on
the right amount of motivation to run the company.
1.

Challenges. Mangers might have to deal with following challenges:

a. Achieving Goal.

There are goals associated with objectives, and if

organization is aggressive then those goals require more than the

typical amount of effort. Its going to take some careful planning to

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figure out how to apply organizations people and resources to achieve

an aggressive goal. Managers have to have to motivate people,
remove hurdles, and focus on the things that are most important.
b. Getting the best out of employee.

To take on this challenge the

manager may have to adopt following steps:i.

Treating every employee with respect.

ii.

Help employees align their personal goals with their work goals.

iii.

Provide a work environment that is appropriate for the work and

conducive to employee well-being.

iv.

Encourage employee communication and cooperation

c. Dealing with Underperforming Employees. Right

and

periodic

provision of motivation and counseling by the managers will help the

employees to improve upon their performance.
d. Hiring the Right People. To have the right person for a specific
job

is

one

one

of

the

major

contributor

to

companys

performance. It must be noted that an interviews may not predict a

good work and work habits of interviewee, however its going beyond
the interview which is crucial.
e. Crises Management. Planning is a part of managing, but when a crisis
hits, manager have to be able to deal with it calmly, quietly and without
being overwhelmed by stress.
f. Continuous Improvement. Theres always a room for improvement or
a change in a process, a better working environment, better employee
motivation, more focus on the essentials. A manager must seek out
these improvement through research or periodical overviews of
workplace and respond correctly.
2.

Importance of innovation. Innovation is a critical factor in a growth of a

company, and it means doing things differently, exploring new territory and taking
risks. Innovation can be the application of new ideas to the products, processes, or

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other aspects of the activities of a company that lead to increased value. For a
company like Life is Good managers must be abreast with the latest ideas and global
trends.
3.

Importance of sustainability. Sustainability is the ability to maintain a certain

status or process in existing systems or companys ability to achieve its business

goals and increase long term shareholder value by integrating economic,
environmental, and social opportunities into business strategy. For a company like
Life is Good it becomes important because all the goals they pursue, and all the
actions taken today will affect it in the future. Before sustainability can be fully
integrated into a companys core business, though, top managers have to take
following important actions:

Shaping consumer tastes to build a stronger market for sustainable products.

Training management, employees and the next generation of leaders to deal

with sustainability issues.

Communicating with investors to create a better understanding of the impact

of sustainability.

Measuring performance on sustainability and explaining the value of

business in society.

Working with governments to shape clearer regulation and create a level

playing field.