- The most demotivating part of Harper’s job is the lack of communication that she has with her new supervisor David. Harper was accustomed to having an open line of communication with her previous supervisor Jose that she no longer has. In the past, Harper was able to express issues and concerns and be afforded assistance and direction by Jose. David does not seem aware of Harper’s workload and I believe the problem starts there.
- I would discuss with David the benefits of having open communication in the work environment. In Harper’s situation David should be aware of the additional workload that Harper has inherited due to Jose leaving. This would not be an issue if Harper trusted David enough to have these conversations with him. David can correct this by having established meetings to go over issues with all of his team members, chances are it’s not just Harper that is having these issues with David. I would also advise David to set some time aside to learn the roles of the members that comprises his teams. This way he would have a better understanding of their roles which would put him in a better position to direct them and also create reasonable expectations for his teams. I would also advise David to come up with goals and employee development plan that details his developmental plan for his teams.
- Harper has been with the company for 4 years, so there are many downsides to losing her as an employee. Harper is an experienced and knowledgable employee. She was able to take on additional work and responsibilities after her supervisor departed without the mention of being trained on those additional tasks. Harper also displayed her loyalty and commitment to Marketable, Inc. Harper is not being recognized for her work and contributions to the company but is still performing at a level where it’s impacting her work/life balance. It also seems like the company is already having a hard time replacing Jose, so if Harper leaves then the problems will just compound and start to impact the other team members.
Author Archives: Jason Ragland
The Founder Assignment
- It seemed like Ray’s drive to succeed was based on failures and the financial predicament that he was in. Ray was desperate, so I believe he would have took on any business that he could make a profit from. The Brothers were not in the same financial situation that Ray was in, they were content with the one store in San Bernardino after unsuccessfully trying to franchise the business. The Brothers saw the risk of trying to franchise company as being greater than the reward. Although Ray faced failure, adversity, and people telling him no daily, he was still motivated to succeed.
- I think the Brothers had no choice but to sell the company to Ray at the end. Ray was financially stable at this point due the revenue he was making from the real estate that he purchased and how that was tied in to the purchase of a new franchise. I believe the Brothers realized they could not afford to battle Ray in court, so they opted to sell. Ray gave them a blank check and they gave Ray a number that they felt was appropriate based on what they knew of the business, so yes it was a fair deal in that aspect. While the Brothers put emphasis on the contract throughout film, they did a deal at the end and the most important part of the deal for them was left out of the contract. It seemed like Ray was always a few steps ahead of the Brothers although they believed that they were smarter than him. Ray already displayed how he conducted business and what he was capable of, so I don’t know why they would think he would give them anything outside of the contract.
- The local stores franchisees made their money based on the overall sales minus the expenses and franchise fees. This was the reason why they were trying to change to a powdered milkshake, so they could cut the cost of the electricity bill. Their profit margins were razor thin.
- Ray at the end had multiple revenue streams which included the revenue generated by the Mc Donald’s that he owned, a percentage of the fees that the franchisees had to pay the corporation, and also from the rent that he received from leasing the land that he owned to the franchisees to build their new stores on.
- The Founder was a well put together film that I would certainly watch again, however the film did not change my view of Mc Donalds. Most of the successful companies that started out as a small business and eventually became a household name has a story similar to this one. I think Ray and the Brothers had a different vision on the direction of where they wanted to take the business from the onset of the deal. Ray was just focused on signing the contract I believe because his back was against the wall, the film did not show any attorney reviewing the contract for him. Ray realized that was a mistake when his new ideas kept getting shot down and his operating cost barely covered his expenses. I think the outcome may have been a little different had the Brothers renegotiated the contract earlier. Ray could have let them keep the name on their San Bernardino store though, but I guess that was the cost of doing business.
Ethics Assignment
The Samsung Group (SG) is a multi-national manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in South Korea whose portfolio includes retail, electronics, securities, textiles, and Everland Resort (The oldest theme park in South Korea). Samsung Electronics (SE), known for producing innovative and top quality products is the flagship company of the Samsung Group which specializes in system integration, digital appliances and media, memory, and semiconductors. For this assignment I’m going to focus on the manufacturing of semiconductors by the SG and their supply chain management strategy which includes economic, social, and environmental responsibilities. Samsung is one of the world’s leading electronics companies and manufacturers of semiconductors. Semiconductors are a major component in many of the products that we use throughout our daily life, they have been integrated into hundreds of popular industries and thousands of products in the last few decades. PC’s have a semiconductor to prevent it from vibrating, they are used in Rice Cookers to control the temperature precisely, and in air conditioners to control the temperature.
Samsung has adopted a philosophy based on fairness, openness, and co-prosperity, their “Supply Chain Management Strategy” focuses on ensuring the materials that are used by the company are sourced ethically and responsibly. Samsung provides support to its suppliers to fulfill its ethical and social responsibilities and to operate in adherence with global laws and standards. Samsung has established a transparent registration system for new suppliers who wish to do business with them which includes requiring the supplier to satisfy criteria in Environment and Safety and Labor Rights. For Environment and Safety, new suppliers are required to satisfy the criteria set in 22 articles which includes occupational safety, fire prevention, environmental facility, and hazards and waste. Labor Rights has a criteria set in 20 articles which includes prohibition of child labor, guarantee minimum wage, and prohibition on inhumane treatment. Samsung has collaborated with Kangbuk Samsung Hospital to offer physical examinations to executives and employees of their partner companies. Samsung promotes its 10 Environment, Safety, and Health Commandments which encourages its employees not to work if it’s not safe to do so.
Although Samsung has invested a lot of money and resources into their Supply Management Strategies, the company is constantly in the news and receiving bad press about known issues that the employees and outside organizations feel that the company is ignoring. Numerous South Korean courts found that factory conditions were responsible for brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, and leukemia due to the hazardous chemicals that are being used. Miscarriages are also very normal among women ages 20 to 39 in their first trimester due to the lack of proper equipment and ventilation.
I think that Samsung is trying to satisfy too many issues at the same time and has lost focus on their core values. They should prioritize their employees and focus on actually implementing the changes that they promote rather than just state what’s not obvious.
Jason Ragland
Hi, My name is Jason Ragland and my major is Small Businesses & Entrepreneurship. I enjoy traveling, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
My BMCC email is: Jason.Ragland001@stu.bmcc.cuny.edu
