To SINK or SWIM: A Case Analysis

Shannon School of Business, Cape Breton University

MGMT. 5601:13 Intro to Business, William Roy

Name Student Id Email Id

Chioma Rosemary Ojimba 0282667 Cbu22cfnz@cbu.ca

Faheem Farhan 0276300 Cbu22bqql@cbu.ca

Nataya Nelson 0272780 Cbu22bjks@cbu.ca

Parminder Singh 0276514 Cbu22bqqz@cbu.ca

Sumaiya Tabssum Mou 0261464 Cbu21rbt@cbu.ca

March 8, 2023
Contents
Introduction 3
Selection of Key information 3
Alternatives (Decision Matrix) 5
Implementation Plan 8
Risk to success 9
References 10
Introduction

Leaders that focus in a structured and systematic manner have to make vital
decisions. The worst-case scenario presented in the form of a SINK or SWIM case
study based on Sloan Women in Management organization at MIT Sloan which has the
director's committee members and three co-presidents of the club Rachel, Lea, and
Tarini who were provided with the task of the third annual business conference. The
conference was expected to be significantly larger than the previous ones and would
allow for conducting crucial networking opportunities as well as engaging with sponsors
and offering popular panelists with their keynote presentations. The conference had
sold 500 tickets with the cost of $25 per student and $50 per professional ticket. They
were also able to accumulate a total sponsorship funds amounting to $38,000 in
exchange of SWIM recognizing these companies in their website and social media
accounts.

However, the overall problem presented in the case study is based upon a
massive storm that will hit Boston on the exact date of the conference which will
potentially cause hindrance in the arrival of panelists of speakers as well as other
guests, possible closure of MIT where the conference will be held that can lead to the
cancellation of the event and burden of multiple factors as well as uncertainty regarding
decision making to save the event.

Selection of Key information

Based upon the identified root problem, it is vital to make a decision that is
prompt in nature while at the same time, its consequences have to be measured as it is
the last year of the co-presidents at MIT, and with its cancellation, the record would also
be impacted negatively, along with the reputation of SWIM. Apart from the damage to
the reputation, significant monetary damages could also be incurred by the
organization; While it is best for the organization to decide before 2 PM on Thursday to
avoid further charges from the vendors, certain factors have to be considered too like
the exact time when the storm will hit and its intensity as well as the finality of MIT’s
closure on the day of the storm and the event. Furthermore, the communication has to
be conducted within the set limited time frame as the majority of the key speakers have
already left for the event with the refund of tickets also being considered and the
possible reimbursement of sponsorship financing. There is also a vast potential that
monetary losses would fall upon the organization and losing future sponsors for its
events is highly probable when the event gets cancelled.

However, as a leader, the primary component is the safety of all the attendees as
the liability increases at a significant rate based upon the event being hosted on school
grounds. This is an essential component as the snow storm can cause dangerous
situations, leading to increased liability and safety of the guests which can lead to the
closure of the university and hinder its future events. Given below is the SWOT analysis
based on the selection of the key information:

Strengths Weaknesses

The strength is based upon the success This is the last event for the co-presidents
of previously held conferences which and its cancellation would significantly
provide a significant experience that is impact the reputation and financial loss to
vital to take crucial decisions in terms of the organization, which hinders the
the safety of the attendees, which would organization from obtaining future
provide the stakeholders with a higher sponsors.
level of safety and security.

Opportunities Threats

The opportunity is that the 15 speakers The threat is based upon the snowstorm
are prepared to attend the conference, no as the weather is unpredictable in nature,
matter if there was a snowstorm. Hence, which can cause an impact even upon the
 if SWIM does decide to push through with alternative plans as the snowstorm can
the conference, they can opt to have the lead to unpredictable events, making the
events happen concurrently if needed decision-making process highly complex
instead of the original plan of doing it in nature.
sequentially (Pittore et al., 2013, p. 10).

SWIM being able to accumulate a total

funding of $38,000 from various
companies in exchange of brand
recognition in SWIM’s website and social
media accounts is a great tool to attract
more sponsorship in the future (Pittore et
al., 2013, pp. 16-17).

Alternatives (Decision Matrix)

Based upon the identified root cause as well as evaluating the internal strength,
and weaknesses along with external opportunities and threats, different alternatives
have been identified which involve going ahead with the event with no changes. The
other alternative is to cut down the session and change the overall event into a half-day
event to ensure minimum monetary damage as well as allowing the speakers the
opportunity to present their work. The last alternative is to reschedule the overall event
or its cancellation to avoid any form of complexity or uncertainty from the overall
situation of the snowstorm. Given below are the three alternatives in an elaborated
format and through the utilization of a decision matrix.
Alternative 1: (No change to the event)

This alternative involves significant risk on behalf of the guests and attendees as
there can be a risk while commuting to the event due to the snowstorm and can lead to
guests not being able to reach the event while also being at greater risk. Although this
alternative would ensure that the overall event does not require any form of changes to
be made, it could have a significant impact on the reputation of the organization and its
management based on the fact that no immediate actions are taken based on the
presented situation. In addition to this, the overall liability will also increase at a
significant rate for the organization based on the safety and security of the attendees. If
no guests and attendees could attend the event, it would lead to the vendors and
sponsors not being able to utilize their perishable goods leading to financial losses and
negative experiences, which would impact their future consideration for sponsoring
events at MIT. This particular alternative requires no changes to be made, but at the
expense of the attendees and vendors to suffer during this situation.

Alternative 2: (Cutting sessions and Half-day event)

The alternative of converting the event into a half-day program by cutting down
sessions will require significant considerations but makes the alternative suitable as if
the overall event is canceled or not held upon schedule. The vendors will still be owed
the money for their perishable goods. However, to overcome this situation, the half-day
approach could help in its rectification as although there will be some financial losses
and the stakeholders being slightly unhappy with the circumstances, it is significantly
better when compared to the other alternatives. Furthermore, a half-day event will help
as the perishable goods and other non-refundable items will be utilized and there would
be a significant time for the guests and attendees to reach and leave the location in a
safely manner. In order to make sure that all events will push through, it is highly
advisable for these to happen concurrently and that could mean that some speakers will
get to speak simultaneously in various areas of the room and it will be up to the
attendees to choose who they want to listen to. While the speakers can utilize the
intended time to present themselves, it could be quite upsetting to some of them as they
expected a full audience and the attendees might feel the same way as some of them
anticipated to listen to all of the speakers, too. and which would reduce the chances of
upsetting them as well as the other guests. In addition to this, the main sponsors that
are assured of a dedicated table with students interested in their company at networking
lunch will have half the time that they were provided, leading to disappointment and
stress requiring last-minute changes to be considered. This could lead to a slight
increase in the overall cost and expenses but would ensure that the overall event is
conducted.

Alternative 3: (Rescheduling of the event or cancellation)

The rescheduling and cancellation of the event can be considered to be the least
wanted alternative as it will have a great negative impact on not only the organization's
financial situation but also its reputation of not being able to organize an event in a
structured and systematic manner. Even though this is not a suitable alternative, this too
can be considered due to the circumstances. If there are no effective viable options
which are available, it is significantly difficult and complex to handle the external aspects
of the overall situation. As this alternative would significantly impact the organization's
capability of attracting future sponsorship for its events, it makes the least suitable
alternative to consider.

How easy is Impact on the Impact on the Cost to Likelihoo Total

this to Stakeholders Organization Implement d of score
implement Failure

Alternative 1 3/3 1/3 1/3 3/3 1/3 9/15

Alternative 2 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 10/15

Alternative 3 2/3 1/3 1/3 1/3 3/3 8/15

Implementation Plan

One of the alternatives would be the best option to save the event however,
cancellation and rescheduling cannot be considered based on their impact on the
reputation of the organization as well as the credibility of the three co-president who
have worked almost for one year in the planning of the event, along with the significant
amount of finances utilizes. Therefore, the alternative of cutting off sessions and making
the overall event half is highly suitable with the SWIM leadership team focusing on
communicating with all the vital stakeholders such as the keynote speakers, vendors as
well as sponsors will be contacted via the phone to conduct direct communication and
obtain their crucial feedback. Furthermore, the attendees will be sent a mass email
through the school network to update the overall schedule regarding their tickets
purchased with the overall email including the justification for the necessary steps that
have been taken highlighting the crucial aspect of their security and safety during the
daylight before the storm is predicted to begin. The implementation of this alternative
will also allow the participant vendors a significant amount of time to ensure they can
safely obtain their equipment before the storm arrives. The alternative option will involve
two speakers presenting at the same time in different rooms to achieve the established
objectives and offer the highest level of satisfaction to each speaker while the attendees
will also be able to experience all the presentations based on their preferences.
Moreover, each session will also be recorded and offered to the attendees to watch
which would allow them to learn from each speaker effectively.

Moreover, it is also important to understand vital marketing techniques such as

offering a ticket refund to the guest that is unable to reach the event. The event should
also be included in the email as it would impact the reputation of the organization in a
positive manner as it will show concern for the attendees and also help in decreasing
the number of individuals attending the event to consider a refund based upon the
structured email that will be sent.
Gantt Chart

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6

Informing
speakers

Informing
guest

Contacting
vendors
and
sponsors

Establishing
recording
equipment

Offering
refund

Risk to success

The primary risk involved in this alternative consists of two specific aspects which
are our money as well as the reputation of the organization as the decision to a half-day
event may cause significant financial loss to the organization. However, all of it would be
wasted if the cancellation was considered. In addition to this, the overall down payment
of the venue as well as all the parties involved would also be utilized and not be lost
completely. Furthermore, this risk will also be avoided by early communication with the
vital stakeholders leading to the reduced number of tickets being refunded and ensuring
that the reputation from a marketing perspective of the event is still maintained.
However, the mentioned risk in context to its impact can be reduced based upon the
offering of recordings of each speaker, which would allow the guest to obtain a similar
level of satisfaction based upon the event, if it was conducted accordingly.
 References:

Pittore, R., Ankeles, L., Graham, M., & Ramamurthy, P. (2013). Sink or swim.

MIT Sloan's LearningEdge.

https://www.thecasecentre.org/courses?id=1494844&pdid=126480&opid=934301