Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America PDF

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Answers to study questions and prepare for the class discussion for the Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America case study....

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Case Summary Taran Swan was the GM of Nickelodeon Latin America, a new cable channel for kids in Latin America. She had written the business plan, pulled together a team to launch the channel in December 1996, and led the start-up through its first 18 months on air. (We will not have time to discuss what happens after she decides to leave for New York City.) Study Questions 1. Why did Taran Swan believe the time was right to enter Latin America? What were the risks? a. In Latin America, direct broadcast satellite service was emerging AND the multichannel market was starting to grow b. ENTER THE MARKET BEFORE IT BECOMES OVERSATURATED: Cartoon Network and Fox Kids Network had already entered Latin America c. MTV (Viacom’s other network) had already launched in Latin America and wasn’t doing well, so Viacom was hesitant to spend money on Nikelodeon. Thus, Swan had to worry they could “pull the plug”/end the project at any time. 2. How did the “decision-making conditions” (see Business Essentials) evolve during the 16 months it took her to write and present her plan? a. Swan took appropriate risks and managed her team well (balanced being an empathetic and serious leader) i. Big bets strategy b. Manager Y style 3. Once the channel was launched, how rational was her decision-making? a. He continued to have greatest decision-making b. She made McCarty and Friedman co-vice presidents of marketing (they complimented each other) c. She approached the advertising sales problem well (reorganized the sales team) i. When there was an issue with her solution (Nehaus and Byrne couldn’t work well together), Swan did her best to handle it and eventually began looking for a replacement. 4. How would you describe the corporate culture at Nickelodeon Latin America? a. Big bets strategy b. Initiatives that broke Nikelodean Latin America from the competitive pack (ex: Ayuda a Tu Mundo). c. “Nickelodeon knows kids" i. The whole culture is about kids. The decisions are based on whether kids would like or dislike it. d. “Grow Downs” (workshops for advertising executives): teach the Nickelodeon

philosophy e. Kid-focused environment: people dressed casually, brought their kids to work, passed out candy at meetings 5. How did she manage and lead? a. Swan was very on top of her team, asked a ton of questions. But she could also delegate work very well and step back once her employees gained her trust. b. She is very good at hearing feedback from her employees and giving good solutions i. When Herring (senior director of Affiliate Sales) was feeling attacked by the team (while negotiating a deal with the largest service provider in Argentina), Swan understood was Herring was saying. The team using Swan’s questioning style which made things more heated. Swan explained they weren’t directly attacking her and that she should give more regular status reports. c. Detail-oriented and still remained focused on the overall business strategy d. Swan hired very good people e. Decisions based on research and numbers f. PROBLEMS: i. She had inexperience leading a larger organization (“ongoing profit and loss”) BUT she worked hard and learned as she went ii. Managing in too many ways (managing up and down, had control over many aspects of the team) g. TRANSACTIONAL LEADER: guide/motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying the roles and tasks required i. Swan always enforces things and keeps her employees focused and constantly thinking long-term about the strategy for Nickelodeon in Latin America h. CHARISMATIC LEADER: envision likely future trends and patterns, set high expectations for themselves and for others, and behave in ways that meet or exceed those expectations. i. What Swan should do while pregnant: - Don’t hire someone to replace her - Get someone she trusts to report to her back in New York and she can give advice on plans and decisions - She also really emphasized building a multi-dimensional team, which now works well for her situation. The teams know different aspects of the company and with all the meetings, have great communication. The teams can pick-up the slack for one another.

Marketing: McCarty and Donna Freidman...