Roll no: 425

MMS- 1

(1) The objective of the GM to call for a meeting was to sort out the mess
and to see that production was resumed by 9 o clock so that the delivery
commitment of an export order was met. After hearing the detailed
report of the incident that led to a tool down strike, the GM was
confident that she would be able to communicate effectively the entire
episode and clear the mess. It was very important for the GM to sort out
the trouble immediately as she had to meet the delivery commitment of
an export order. Therefore she called for a meeting with the union
leader, the shop manager, the supervisor as well as the maintenance
engineer at 7:00 am following day, in her office, so that she could
communicate and clarify all facts that were misconceived and caused
industrial unrest resulting in loss of production.
(2) The GM should plan her strategy to be followed in the meeting with an
objective of settling the dispute in an amicable manner so that the
industrial relations are not strained and at the same time the
production is resumed immediately without any further loss of time. She
should plan the proceedings of the meeting to flow in a friendly manner
so that she could present her case with ease. It should not appear that
she was trying to convince, but was genuinely putting forward the facts
of the case so that the misunderstanding is removed and a better
understanding and trust is established. For achieving this objective,
firstly she should give each of them present there an opportunity to
narrate the entire incident as to why there was such a chaos in the
factory, starting with the union leader and his point of view of the entire
episode. This would help to bring about some clarity as to what actually
happened from each ones perspective and where there was
miscommunication. Next she should explain the facts. She should
narrate the entire episode as it happened which goes to prove that the
engineer was falsely implicated. She should make it clear that the
engineer who was accused of striking the woman was in fact the
 Roll no: 425
MMS- 1

woman’s husband. The woman was not attached to the shop floor but
was working in the accounts department as cashier. She had been to
her husband for some personal matter and that there was some
argument between them. The husband was in fact trying to calm her
down and in the bargain the woman stumbled upon her own saree and
was about to fall. This scene was totally misconceived by the bystander
workman who raised an alarm as if the engineer had struck her. This
created commotion and the union leader was made to believe whatever
the bystander workman had said. This created an atmosphere of bigotry
among the workmen and the engineer. The workmen therefore resorted
to tool down strike. She could even offer to call the woman for an
explanation in the presence of union leader.
(3) She should prepare a conducive environment that allows all participants
to come forward and participate with an open mind (The Orchestra
principle). There is a serious misunderstanding of facts that led to all
confusion and chaos. Therefore her role will be to clear the minds and to
make them see the light of the day. She has to make them feel
comfortable as it may offend them when they realize their silly mistakes.
It calls for a professional approach and an effective communication skill
to make them understand their folly and accept the facts. It is a well
established fact that once a person comes to know about his own
mistakes and concedes them, then it becomes easier for putting across
the desired agenda and achieve the expected results (The Three
Characters principle on announcing, deciding, and discussing). The
manner in which the meeting has to be conducted, the communication
skill of the GM and the mutual trust that is created in the course of the
meeting are crucial indicators for a negotiated settlement of the
industrial unrest and will go a long way for establishing a healthy
industrial relation. It is therefore imperative on the part of the GM to
adopt these principles and achieve the desired objective.
 Roll no: 425
MMS- 1

(4) The communication style of the US president depicts arrogance whereas

the British prime minister is well composed and well mannered. The non
verbal communication between the two depicts the prime ministers
disapproval of the behavior of the president and the president’s
indifference towards it. When the prime minister returns to the room, he
happens to see the president in a compromising posture with Natalie.
The prime minister is upset looking at it but as a well mannered
dignitary and diplomat he does not reveal his feelings in his facial
expressions even though he could not conceal it entirely. However the
president on the other hand is not at all perturbed by whatever
happened there but is conducting himself nonchalantly with a ray of
arrogance. The president is trying to impress the press with a remark on
the special relationship between the UK and the US. The prime minister
is reacting to this by saying that by using the word special relationship
the president is trying to cover all sins. The president could not conceal
his displeasure on this remark of the prime minister as it is evident from
his facial expressions. The prime minister further expresses his
displeasure on the attitude of the US towards the smaller nations like
the UK by using bullying tactics. The prime minister further reiterates
his standpoint that the US being a bully would respond only to a strong
and therefore the UK shall use its strength as a response to the US
dispensations.
(5) Although it was expected that the prime minister would not oppose the
US policy, in the press conference it appeared that the prime minister
was not supporting it either. This may be due to the US attitudes
towards the smaller nations like the UK .The US always uses its might
and thus bullies the smaller nations. The Prime minister expresses that
the UK maybe small in size but nevertheless is a great nation that
produced many great personalities like Shakespeare, Churchill, the
Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter, David Beckham etc..
 Roll no: 425
MMS- 1

(6) Placed in a similar situation, a professional manager would act

differently than what the President and the PM did in the given
excerpt of the film. The president was more arrogant. A professional
manager would not be arrogant. He would be more careful while talking
and conducting himself in front of the PM of another nation as well as
before the press. He would be matured and behave responsibly.
Similarly, the PM although he was right in his speech and conduct
before the president and press in the given situation, he should have
been more careful in expressing his views, particularly while he was
expressing his dislikes such as the US attitudes towards the smaller
nations like the UK. Since the PM was representing the entire nation, he
should have restricted himself while expressing the displeasure of
bulling attitude of the US in a more diplomatic and subtle words than
with the outburst of words that contain anger and hatred. No doubt he
had every right to dissent himself from what the president or the US
believes in. But this could have been communicated in a more tactful
and diplomatic manner than what we find in the given excerpt. The
professional manager would definitely handle the situation differently,
with all maturity and niceties that is called for from a leader of a nation.
(7) The thrust of the PM’s reply to the press was about the nations pride
and independence. The PM was stressing the point of the US dominance
over policy making and pushing it on the other smaller nations. He
wanted to impress upon the press that although the UK is a smaller
nation as compared to the US, it has its own legacy and greatness in as
much as it had produced the great personalities like Shakespeare,
Churchill etc... He also expressed that a bully like the US responds only
to a strong and therefore he would like to be strong from now onwards.
(8) –
(9) Done on next page.
 Roll no: 425
MMS- 1

EXCEL INDUSTRIES PRIVATE LIMITED

153 Father Enright Avenue
New Delhi 110 001

April 26th, 2010

Rev. Fr. Paul Vaz
Director General
Xavier Institute of Management and Research

Subject: Corpus Fund

Dear Sir,
We are in receipt of your letter, requesting for contribution from our company towards the
corpus fund of XIMR.

While it has been our policy to help and contribute to noble causes such as education, we are at
present going through a very difficult period due to recent developments in the global business
scenario which has left us in a grave situation of financial instability and business losses. We are
putting all our efforts to improve the situation and hope to come out of it very soon.

In view of the difficult situation, I am afraid our company is not in a position to contribute to the
corpus fund of XIMR at present. However I assure you that as and when the situation improves,
it shall be my pleasure to do my bit in this regard in the near future.

Hope you will kindly bear with us.

With regards,

P. Dutta
Managing Director
 Roll no: 425
MMS- 1

(10) No news is good news, the old saying goes. But sometimes bad
news is unavoidable. Rather than blurting it out in the first
paragraph, which is likely to anger the reader and prevent an objective
reading of the rest of the letter, it is better to break up the bad news into
chunks. I have used to following guidelines to make the draft.
 Begin with a positive or at least a neutral opening, emphasizing past
good relations.
 Provide background details about the nature of the bad news. This
provides helpful information that will allow the reader to have a more
complete picture of the situation and respond appropriately.
 In the final paragraph, close on an upbeat note with a positive look to
the future, suggesting confidence in the ability to restore good relations.