Student ID ________________

Semester / Year: Semester 1 2019

Faculty / Dept: Management and Marketing

Subject Code: MGMT90140

Subject Name: Management Competencies

Writing Time: 2 hrs

Reading Time: 15 minutes

Open Book Status: Yes

Number of Pages (including this page): 4

Authorised Materials:
Non-electronic English-other language translation dictionaries and all hard copy materials and
notes

Instructions to Students:
This examination contributes 40% to the final subject mark.
This examination paper includes 2 sections (you must complete both).

Section 1: Contains 3 mini cases. You are required to analyse and answer 2 mini-cases. This
section accounts for 60 marks.

Section 2: Contains 2 essay questions. You are required to answer 1 essay question. This
section accounts for 40 marks.

Instructions to Invigilators:
Student may keep the paper: No
Student may annotate the paper during reading time: Yes

Extra Materials Required:

None

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SECTION 1

In this section, you will select TWO of the THREE mini cases presented below and write a separate
short case analysis response for each of the two cases you selected. You must clearly indicate the
case number (1, 2, or 3) at the beginning of your analyses.

You will take the perspective of Chris Perillo, a newly hired team leader in the Melbourne office of
Alpha International. The company designs and develops customized software for businesses. It
operates nationally and internationally, and has a diverse workforce. The mini cases present a
variety of issues and problems for which your new colleagues at Alpha International want your
input.

Your 2 responses to these mini cases should follow the general guidelines for case analyses. That
means, in your responses you will:
• Clearly identify what you think the main problems or issues are that need to be solved
• Articulate a solution for these problems or issues
• Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of your proposed solution

You are expected to utilise theories, concepts, and frameworks from the course (i.e. the lectures
and the required readings) to support your problem identification, solution, and solution
evaluation.

This section accounts for 60 marks. Each case analysis response is worth 30 marks.

Case 1:

Voicemail
“Hi Chris. It’s Lucinda from HR. I hope you are settling in well and had a chance to get to know
your team. I’m not sure if you’ve been told, but we’ve lost an unusually high number of junior
sales analysts on your team before your arrival. From the exit interviews we’ve conducted with
some of the talented young people we lost, it seems that some of your best account executives,
Jeremy and Melissa in particular, are setting performance expectations that are too high, while
not providing enough support. They also tend not to hide their disappointment when the analysts
are not meeting their exacting standards. The constant message the junior analysts are receiving
is that they are a burden. They feel uncomfortable approaching their managers with questions. As
Jeremy and Melissa’s new supervisor, I thought you might be able to nudge them to change their
ways. Their staff are visibly suffering and I’m surprised they are not picking up on that. Can you
please see what you can do? Thanks. Let’s catch up in two weeks. Take care. [End of message.]”

Case 2:

Email
To: Chris Perillo
From: Aishwarya Khan, Group 6 Assistant Marketing Manager
Date: June 24 - CONFIDENTIAL

Hi Chris,

2
I need to discuss the Excelsior project with you. I’m getting very nervous that we might not make
the August 2nd deadline despite all the hard work we are putting in. I hesitated to write this email
but everyone is so stressed and the team seems to be falling apart and so I really felt reaching out
was the only option. I believe the main issue is that Karl, the lead manager from Design, keeps
making adjustments to the design specifications without considering the implications for our
ability to keep to the budget or the timeframes on the project which is causing the rest of the
team a lot of stress. In fact, two of the team members Rajesh and Kim, who have both worked
very hard on the project, have got to the stage where they don't want to work with Karl at all
anymore. They are all the more upset that our project manager Samantha does not call Karl out
on his lack of concern for our collective interests; she always seems to side with him for whatever
reasons. I’ve tried to bring it up with Samantha but was not terribly successful I’m afraid. So now
everybody is extremely irritable and assume the worst of each other. Whenever we meet, there is
a lot of stonewalling with no one making an effort to listen and hear out each other’s concerns.
Do you have any recommendations for me as to what we should do to help bring the team back
on track?

Thanks,
Aishwarya

Case 3:

Voicemail

“Hi Chris. It’s Lusheng from Business Development. I hope you’re settling in well. As you are
aware, we have recently made the decision to invest in the Blockbuster project. Mark, one of our
best product managers, is very vocal that we have made the wrong decision and it’s not helping
with getting the project off the ground. I understand why he may be angry as his project idea was
not the one that we ended up supporting, but why can’t he do what’s good for the company?
Everybody else seem to believe in the superior potential of the Blockbuster project. The support
was so overwhelming that we ended up making the decision in a record time. Mark has always
been very level-headed, driven by facts. His recent emotional bursts are really out of character.
His resentful approach to the decision is damaging his reputation and chances for advancement.
He is an incredible asset; I don’t want to risk losing him over this. Do you have any
recommendations for me as to how I should approach Mark? I look forward to hearing your
thoughts when you have a moment. Thanks. [End of voice message.]”

END OF SECTION

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SECTION 2
This section contains TWO essay questions. You are required to answer ONE question. This
section accounts for 40 marks.

1. Explain Shulz van Thun’s 4 dimensional framework of communication. What poor

communication habits may explain why a manager’s appeals to his/her subordinates are
not as effective as they could be? What can a manager do to enhance the likelihood that
his subordinates will accept and comply with his/her requests? Provide examples to
support your answer.

2. Why is it important for managers to develop their political awareness and to reflect on and
boost their own sources of power? What tool(s) can they use to develop a better
appreciation of the political landscape and power dynamics in their work context? What
can they do to remedy critical power deficits? Provide examples to support your answer.

END OF SECTION

END OF EXAMINATION PAPER