Study question 7 - One of many mandatory lengthy homework assignments that took a few hours of reading and work to complete. PDF

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One of many mandatory lengthy homework assignments that took a few hours of reading and work to complete. ...

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Study Questions Set 07 - BADM 3103 Fall 2015 1. Problem solving skills are an important part of a manager’s tool kit. Indeed, many organizations, recognizing the importance of problem solving skills, use case interviews to evaluate candidates for jobs. Assume that you are in an interview and have been presented with the following case problem: The firm is a large nationwide pizza chain. The pizza chain has been receiving a considerable amount of bad publicity surrounding car accidents involving delivery drivers. In a marketing survey of customers, they positively identify your brand as the pizza company that delivers pizza “fresh, hot, and fast.” This differentiates the pizza firm from other large firms in the pizza market place. The company just engaged in a multi-million dollar advertisement campaign with the slogan “Fresh Pizza – Hot & Fast.” What would you recommend? Use the PADIL Problem Solving Framework to address this case problem. Be as specific as possible regarding each component of the framework – identifying specific approaches you would take for each component, as well as questions you might also ask the interviewer about this particular scenario. Remember, you already have the technical skills (otherwise you would not have come this far through the recruitment and selection process), but you really want to structure your answer to best demonstrate your problem solving skills. In addition, the goal here is to impress by demonstrating your knowledge of the problem solving process, not so much the actual recommendation. PADIL= Problem, alternatives, decide, implement, learn 1. Define and structure the problem - The problem in this situation is that the pizza company is getting bad publicity due to car accidents involving delivery drivers - What is the problem that less car accidents would address? Safety and reliability of company; showing that the company cares about employees safety/training; reliability of getting the pizza you ordered - Symptoms are much more visible than their underlying systematic structure o Although this reflects on the pizza company, what is the real problem here? Are the employees not sufficient enough drivers? Are the cars they are using not sufficient? Is the motto of having “fast delivery” causing drivers to speed/rush? 2. Potential solutions to the problem; generate as many alternatives as possible - Driver training and development - Do more in depth driving background checks - Change main focus from relying on “fast” delivery - Check and remain updated with all cars - Set high performance standards 3. Decide on a Solution - Collect more info on the alternatives; narrow your choices - Problem: Bad publicity due to car accidents by delivery drivers - Reason: Lack of driver training and instilled focus on company’s goals of delivering pizzas “fast” - Solution: Invest more time and money into driver development; less focus on “fast” - Outcome: possibly slower, but safer delivery because first, drivers will be trained and therefore more aware of the roads and driving expectations from the company 4. Implement - Implement the solution - Before implementing, revisit stakeholder analysis and discuss with key stakeholders the best way to roll out the solution - Doesn’t have to happen all at once; attain small wins 5. Learn & Seek Feedback...