Assignment 2 HOANG DUC DUNG – V202200705

 Total 100 points.

 5 questions.
 20 points per question.
 Rubrics for each question provided in detail.

Because of this class you came up with an amazing idea to develop an AI product that will help farmers
increase crop production, reduce cost and minimize the use of pesticides. You have the following
employees lined up:

 Director of Sales- Phuong Nguyen is 28 years old with an MBA and has worked in sales in the
agriculture market for five years.
 Director of Product Development- Dr. Hai Ho, who is a 52-year-old former AI research professor
you recruited from your college because of his expertise.
 Director of Marketing- Laura Jamison, a 38-year-old Australian national, who worked at
agriculture focused ad agency.

You need to recruit the following positions.

 Director of Customer Service

 Controller
 Director of Human Resources and Recruiting

Venture capitalists love this idea, but before they invest with you, they want to hear your answers to the
following questions:

Question 1: What do you envision your organizational structure to be? (250 words or less) (20 pts)
I will apply divisional business structure to my company.
There are different business units:
Executive Team:
Because I am a CEO, I will take the lead and there are three directors reporting the direct issues to me.
Cross-functional Team:
I will form a project-based team, which include members from all departments Sales, Product
Development and Marketing. For example, due to his experiences and expertise, Dr. Hai Ho would make
more connections and set up many collaborative projects with experienced engineers and talented data
scientists on the AI product. Therefore, the company can make the products adapt to more customers’
satisfaction. Meanwhile, Phuong Nguyen (Sales) might work with Laura Jamison (Marketing) to develop
targeted outreach to farmers.
Customer Service and Finance:
The customer service department will give more valuable feedback for product development. Meanwhile,
Finance department can work with Sales to control and develop more appropriate pricing strategies
because one of the main goals is to reduce cost.
Reasons to be chosen:
Focus and agility: Because of company’s inexperience, this divisional structure can hinder speedy
decision-making and innovation to get updated, which are crucial for AI successes.
Limited product range: Because of the focus on launching a single AI product for agricultural market,
this structure is suitable for the company with diverse product lines that adapt to different customer
segments.
Collaboration boost: Developing and maintaining an AI product requires various disciplines, namely
data science, engineering, sales and this structure can create silos between these, which hinders the AI
product success
Question 2: What will be your leadership style? (250 words or less) (20 pts)
I will apply transformational leadership style to the company.
As a leader of the AI-based product company, I inspire and motivate my team members by creating a
compelling vision and help them align with the common goals. I will lead by example and empower my
team members to develop their full potential by providing them with encouragement, support and
professional training.
Reasons why the transformational style can be chosen:
Clear vision: I will communicate to the members of how to combine AI products with agricultural aspect
that have a positive impact on farmers’ productivity. Not only could I highlight the benefits for those
farmers, including increased crops and reductions on cost but also the environmental impact of less
pesticide use.
Professional training: Because there are directors from different business units, such as sales, marketing
and product development, I will ask them for conducting many informative workshops where the
members can endure effective training to help them broaden their horizon about the applications of AI
into agricultural aspect.
Encouragement: I can highlight the achievements of the teams by celebrating company-wide
announcements or social media recognition. Moreover, when there are any challenges during the work, I
will offer on-going support and encourage open discussions about what went wrong, such as providing
guidance to Phuong Nguyen as he needs more advice on how to develop his sales strategy effectively and
the viable solutions to improve in the future. This can foster a positive environment for experimentation
in Dr. Hai Ho’s product development team.
Question 3: How will you motivate people? (250 words or less) (20pts)
Phuong Nguyen:
Clear communication: I will provide him regular feedback on how to improve his performance, address
the problems and ideal solutions to solve them. Moreover, I also let him voice their concerns and ask
questions.
Create a positive work environment: Phuong can be recognized for his achievements at team meetings
where he can be offered bonuses tied to his exceeding sales targets.
Flexible work arrangements: He can be offered many work schedulea and methods, such as remote
work options to help him become more flexible to cope with the workloads.
Dr. Hai Ho:
Autonomy and empowerment: Dr. Hai Ho takes the ownership of product development because this
allows him to leverage his expertise and achieve mastery in his field.
Provide resources and support: He will be sponsored at conferences focusing on cutting-edge AI
development in agriculture and the internal workshops or brown bad sessions to share his experiences
with the team.
Promote work-life balance: I will encourage him to promote his life in a balanced way, improving his
health. Developing new products needs more creativity and comfort, so a good health is a necessity for
his successes.
Laura Jamison:
Team-building activities: Because Marketing needs collaboration among members for creativity boost,
which increases the trust and teamwork among them.
Provide resources and support: I will allocate budget for Laura to hold marketing workshops regarding
agritech sector.
Flexible work arrangements: Because the marketing sector needs the flexibility, I will offer them
diverse work arrangements to accommodate their personal preferences and needs.
Question 4: How will you get employees to trust you? (250 words or less) (20pts)
Phuong Nguyen
Competence: I can show my experience of both my agritech industry and the AI aspect. This can help
demonstrate my ability to lead the company. Moreover, I also seek Phuong’s insight on sales campaigns
and market trends as a way to value his expertise in the agricultural field.
Transparency: I will clearly communicate the company’s goals and challenges and reach a sense of
shared purpose among members by regularly updating on the progress and performance of the team.
Integrity: I will follow my commitments to Phuong and prioritize ethical standards, fair and honese
business practices.
Dr. Hai Ho
Respect: I will value his work performance and actively listen to his ideas of innocation
Reliability: I will set realistic deadlines and strive to meet them to demonstrate my commitment to
effective project management
Open communication: I will foster the workplace when Dr. Hai can share his challenges and we together
solve this.
Laura Jamison
Care: I will show my care more for her well-being and professional development. I also give assistance
to the resources and support when needed.
Consistency: I will demonstrate consistency in my leadership style and decision-making and also stick to
my goals.
Fairness: I will treat all members fairly and objectively as well as give compliments on their
achievements or contributions to the growth of the company.
Question 5: How will you get talented people to com work for you (250 words or less) (20pts)
1. Showcase my company culture and clear mission:
- Highlight the valuable and meaningful message of revolutionizing agriculture by AI product and the
positive influence on both farmers and the environment.
- Target positions: Director of Customer Service, Controller, Director of HR and Recruiting
=> It will include mission statements and the testimonials of employees on my company’s career page on
social platforms.
2. Leverage my company’s network and industry connection
- I can consult from existing team, which includes Phuong Nguyen and Laura Jamison for connections tô
identify potential candidates.
- Target positions: Director of Customer Service, Director of HR and Recruiting.
=> I can partner with agricultural industry organization from Dr. Hai Ho University.
3. Emphasize opportunity for growth and learning:
- Because talented people often seek the chances to master their skills and develop careers.
- Target positions: All positions
=> Advertise opportunities to work for an AI-based company and offer competitive benefits packages.
4. Give them competitive compensation and benefits
- Appropriate salary and benefits are essential for attracting top talents
- Target position: All positions
=> Conduct market research to find competitive packages within the agritech and technology aspects and
offer them wellness programs.
5. Create a compelling interview process
- It can help determine suitable candidates and showcase our company culture.
- Target positions: All positions
=> Set more incorporate case studies or presentation regarding the role to assess the skills of a candidate
more comprehensively and ensure a smooth and efficient interview process.