1. (20 Points) You are hired as an Operations Manager, the manager that you are replacing focused on the right/correct treatment of people to obtain performance.
However the Operations Director noticed that performance throughout the past year has
been decreasing and you have a reputation for being able to effectively manage with a
focus towards administrative and scientific skills, that is why you got the job! Describe
the major similarities and differences between the manager you are replacing and
yourself? Make your comparison focusing on what you learned from classical and
behavioral theorists with respect to their approach to management. 2. (15 Points) Juan Rodriguez works for a multinational corporation that manufactures liquid mouthwash & antiseptic products, he developed and launched a new
line of business by creating a mouth antiseptic that is a dry film of about quarter of an
inch and is portable, he did this while working for the company. Is Juan Rodriguez an
entrepreneur or intrapreneur? What is the main difference between and entrepreneur and
intrapreneur? What is Juan risking as part of this effort? 3. (10 Points) List and explain the four (4) management functions. 1 4. (25 Points) You have been promoted from being an effective manager in one department (finance) to be the manager in another department (manufacturing).
Production is low, and has declined in recent months. That is why you got the job! The
manager you are replacing did not work with his group to do much work with respect to
production rates, he focused on placing systems, for doing things right with respect to
avoiding human errors, but he was not focusing on doing the right things when it related
to maintaining high production rates which was the critical outcome from a
manufacturing standpoint. Your supervisors are not performing as required, overtime
costs are increasing, you have equipments that are down with mechanical problems, and
your metric system is not giving the right visibility for you to have the right information
for decision making. Answer the following:
i. Was the manager that you replaced efficient or effective? ii. Do you foresee any issues with your change from finance to manufacturing, could you
be as effective in your new role, is your management ability universal? iii. Based on the presented case study, evaluate your resources as a manager, list the 4
manager’s resources and recommend how to improve each based on the issues
presented. iv. Which of the management skills will you apply to turn around the current situation as a
manufacturing manager, also based on your previous financial background what
management skill will you need to improve or further develop? 2 5. (10 Points) Indicate the main differences between Strategic and Operational Planning, include and list examples based on your experience or hypothetical case study.
Also include the main components/elements of each. 6. (10 Points) You have been appointed to a Manufacturing/Operations Manager position. Your group consist of 120 operators, and 3 supervisors. The workforce is
divided in 3 shifts (i.e. 6AM-2PM; 2PM-10PM; 10PM-6AM with 1 supervisor and 40
operators per shift. You have been appointed to the position to replace a Manager that
was active when a Regulatory Agency found multiple Human Errors, Lack of
Training/Cross-training and Inappropriate supervisor to operator ratio that resulted in
Regulatory critical observations. You have been given the authority and responsibility by
the Manufacturing Department to re-structure the department in order to improve
performance and reduce Human Errors. (A) Indicate what type of organization you are
dealing with, Tall vs. Flat. (B) Present a Before and After Scenario that represents the
organizational structure that is currently in place and the one that you will recommend.
(C) Analyze the Job Functions and structure that will provide an appropriate supervisor to
operator ratio, enhanced supervision and reduction in Human Errors. (D) To support your
new organizational structure, will you include cross-training, will you hire new
supervisors, team leaders? Please explain and support your answers. 7. (10 Points) Evaluate the following scenarios and decide the delegation process that you will follow. Indicate if you will work the issue, if you will delegate and what
would be your delegation plan, as applicable. Use the questions and guidelines presented
in class to acknowledge if the task will be delegated and explain your rationale. 3 A Regulatory Agency just arrived at the facility for an audit. You are a Departmental
Director and you have been contacted by the General Manager and QA Director. The
issue is that you are currently in a Seminar off-site and it will take you one hour to
arrive at the Manufacturing site. Would you get to the facility immediately or would you delegate the task to your functional Manager?
You are a Manufacturing Director and there is a meeting conflict on Fridays. There are
2 meetings at the same time and you were invited to both. One meeting is for
manufacturing investigations; the other meeting is related to financial plans, facility
performance and back-order evaluations/reports. You need to delegate one meeting and
participate in one meeting, please indicate which meeting you will delegate and which
meeting you will attend, explain your rationale. 4
