Fluent Essays

Module 2 - Collaborative Work - Medisys General Theme:  Collaborative Work (Groups & Teams) Case Name:  Medisys Corp.: The IntensCare Product Development Team Please see attached Case Brief Checklist for assignment details. Must be professionally written per attached Grading Rubric. MUST include supporting evidence. I have attached all documents needed to prepare the Case Brief. This is also a group assignment.  Paper MUST BE WRITTEN in as an applied report on a consulting project. Do not write as an academic research paper.  In order to receive FULL CREDIT, you must follow the grading rubric.MGT 600 – Written Rubric Professional (100\%) Adequate (80\%) Amateur (60\%) Poor (40\%) Content (25\%) The documents purpose is clearly stated at the beginning. Sections are thematically coherent and accomplish the intended function; clear relationship between ideas; organization fits readers’ needs. The documents purpose is reasonably clear. Organization is evident, but weak transitions undermine the structure; occasional digressions may leave readers with questions. Readers may be puzzled at times regarding document’s purpose. There are illogical sections or the organization is confusing; readers left with numerous questions. The documents purpose is not evident. There is no discernible organization; thoughts are random and lack connection; readers have several, substantial questions. Evidence/Analysis (25\%) Arguments clearly supported by accurate evidence considered credible by the audience; sufficient detail supports points. Many details support the argument, but some are not fully developed or sufficiently specific; may be missing relevant evidence or contain irrelevant evidence. Some evidence provided, but data is neither fully explained or is irrelevant; important evidence missing; contains inaccuracies. Little or no data support main ideas of argument; contains mostly inaccurate data. Coherence (15\%) Paragraphs internally consistent; transitions between paragraphs and sections allow seamless integration of argument(s); variations (e.g., bullet points) are used appropriately and effectively. A few paragraphs lack internal consistency; some transitions are weak and/or missing; variations are mostly appropriate but sometimes interfere with flow. Many paragraphs lack internal consistency; transitions are weak or nonexistent; variations do not fit well with text. Main idea in paragraph cannot be identified; minimal discernible relationships among paragraphs. Variations are unnecessary and detract from flow and understanding. Language (15\%) Sentences flow smoothly, are structurally correct, and convey intended meaning; phrasings are succinct and use meaningful vocabulary. No clear grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. A few sentences are awkward, incorrectly structured, or wordy. A few grammar, punctuation, and/or spelling errors are present. A significant number of sentences are awkward, incorrectly structured, or excessively wordy. Several grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors are noticeable. Many sentences are awkward, incorrectly structured, or wordy. Many grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors are apparent. Visual Aids (10\%) Visual aids are appropriately positioned, referenced, and formatted so as to appear integrated seamlessly with text; enhances document’s purpose. Visual aids are, in general, positioned, referenced, and formatted so as to not detract fromCASE BRIEFS CHECKLIST Read “Guide to Case Analysis” before reading this document to get an idea of the goals of case analysis. The descriptions of the sections in that document are more informative while the details in this document are complementary to that discussion and more technical (i.e., specific tips to support your learning curve). My strongest recommendation is that this document be used as a checklist. When your team has finished creating a particular brief, go through each item, especially those that are noted under specific sections (e.g., situation overview, etc.) and ensure each aspect has been met. General Comments: 1. Approach briefs as though you are part of a team of consultants who have been contracted to investigate an organizational problem. In doing this, you will want to provide your client a discussion where they can see you have thoroughly investigated the issues and that your recommendations are objectively supported, logically sound, and consistent with the client’s organizational objectives. 2. Do not use contractions. 3. Third-person speech should be your default. 4. Insert page numbers. 5. Double-spacing between lines within the same paragraph is not necessary. You are writing reports instead of research papers. 6. A reference or works cited list is not usually needed. However, should you use information from a source other than your head(s), the case, or the material posted on Bb, cite and reference those materials. 7. A Table of Contents and/or Table of Tables is not usually necessary unless your document is very long (and it probably will not be). 8. Work with your classmates, colleagues, family, etc. in generating alternatives and refining ideas. Real life problems are not solved in isolation, so there is no need to take that approach here. Teams are responsible for their own work but discussing ideas across teams and options is a robust practice. 9. You are engaged in a scientific exercise, so the importance of details and precision can never be understated. Make them count. 10. Realize each section must be built on the foundation of previous sections and subsequent sections are only as strong as those that precede them. I recommend writing each section in sequence and integrating them using similar language. 11. Expect to revise each brief several times. Professional documents are never complete with only a rough draft – revise until the job is finished. 12. Compare and contrast when appropriate; many aspects of organizational issues are relative, so providing a referent point (e.g., context, other issues, mission/vision, strategic objectives, etc.) can greatly support your points, and, as a result, reader understanding. 13. Writing matters, and I commit to reading every word that you write. Therefore, given that you are graduate students working in teams with other graduate students, I expect a pristinely perfect document in this regard. Any 1                             “Sonoco Products Company (A): Building a World-Class HR Organization”                                   2     I. Executive Summary   Sonoco Products Company, an international packaging company, began operations in 1899. Originally called Southern Novelty Company when founded by Major James Coker in Hartsville, South Carolina with $6,000 of initial capital. Around 2000, Sonoco became one of the largest packaging companies and was achieving revenues around $2.6 billion. Sonoco amasses a workforce including over 17,300 employees spread across 32 countries and services various customers in nearly 85 countries with consumer and industrial packaging solutions. When Sonoco restructured itself in the late 1980’s into a more divisional organization with a decentralized human resources department it put Sonoco’s HR department in a tactical role versus a strategic one within the company. Sonoco’s HR departments aligned well with their respective divisions. However, company-wide initiatives and strategic plans were hard to implement with unaligned HR departments.   The senior vice president of human resources, Cindy Hartley, was tasked with devising a new HR organization that would be more financially responsible, create corporate-wide consistency, increase the accountability of corporate managers, and provide strategic support to the business. Hartley and her task force are torn between two options, either a hybrid or centralized HR organization. With the implementation of the hybrid HR organization Sonoco will be able to reduce costs by $2.7 million, allow for more flexibility in responses to changes in the market and with competition, become more aligned with both individual divisions and the company as a whole, and address the accountability of managers by clearly identifying division’s needs in terms of employee development. By following the multi-step plan of implementation, Hartley and her task force will be able to successfully navigate the restructuring of Sonoco’s HR department and in turn achieve all of the benefits that will be provided by the hybrid organization.                           3     II. Situation Overview     The packaging industry employed over 5 million people in 100,000 companies worldwide in the late 1990’s. The United States accounted for over 28\% of the total sales of the industry. The packaging business experienced growth during the early 1970’s due to the introduction of aluminum cans, and a decade later, the industry benefited by the increasing popularity of plastics. This material was becoming more and more popular and replacing others such as glass and metal, and it was considered beneficial due to their durability, being cost- effective, and its environmental advaA Guide to Case Analysis I keep six honest serving men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When; And How and Where and Who. — Rudyard Kipling A Guide to Case Analysis2 In most courses in strategic management, students use cases about actual companies to practice strategic analysis and to gain some experience in the tasks of crafting and implementing strategy. A case sets forth, in a factual manner, the events and organizational circumstances surrounding a particular managerial situation. It puts readers at the scene of the action and familiarizes them with all the relevant circumstances. A case on strategic management can concern a whole industry, a single organization, or some part of an organization; the organization involved can be either profi t seeking or not-for-profi t. The essence of the student’s role in case analysis is to diagnose and size up the situation described in the case and then to recommend appropriate action steps. Why Use Cases to Practice Strategic Management? A student of business with tact Absorbed many answers he lacked. But acquiring a job, He said with a sob, “How does one fi t answer to fact?” The foregoing limerick was used some years ago by Professor Charles Gragg to characterize the plight of business students who had no exposure to cases.1 The facts are that the mere act of listening to lectures and sound advice about managing does little for anyone’s management skills and that the accumulated managerial wisdom cannot effectively be passed on by lectures and assigned readings alone. If anything had been learned about the practice of management, it is that a storehouse of ready-made textbook answers does not exist. Each managerial situation has unique aspects, requiring its own diagnosis, judgment, and tailor- made actions. Cases provide would-be managers with a valuable way to practice wrestling with the actual problems of actual managers in actual companies. The case approach to strategic analysis is, fi rst and foremost, an exercise in learning by doing. Because cases provide you with detailed information about conditions and problems of different industries and companies, your task of analyzing company after company and situation after situation has the twin benefi t of boosting your analytical skills and exposing you to the ways companies and mana gers actually do things. Most college students have limited managerial backgrounds and only frag mented knowledge about companies and real-life strategic situations. Cases help substitute for on-the-job experience by (1) giving you broader exposure to a variety of industries, organizations, and strategic problems; (2) forcing you to assume a managerial role (as opposed to that of just an onlooker); (3) providing a test of how to apply the tools and techniques of strategic management; and (4) asking you to come up with pragmatic managerial action plans to deal with the issues at hand. Objectives of CaseCase Brief Two Videos 1. Narrated Slides for Collaborative Work 2. TED - Why Work Doesnt Happen At Work - Jason Fried 3. TEDx - Cultivating Collaboration - Jim Tamm 4. TED - Marshmallow Challenge - Tom Wujec This report is the most densely-packed, tightly written submission I have ever had in this class, and I mean that in the most positive sense. Everything reads and looks very professional - its impressive work. However, it also reads more like an academic research paper instead of an applied report on a consulting project. Also, you must - absolutely 100\% - include an Analysis and Evaluation section, including the table showing the ratings for alternatives (more details in the comments). Beyond that, strive to make this less dense and less researchy - Im reluctant to even say this but modify it so its more likely to be understood by a broader base of people. If this is unclear, Im happy to chat about it. But dont be discouraged - this took a long time and a great deal of energy to create, and I see that. And Im certain you can meet these modifications going forward.