UMUC HRMD650 Case 2-Ben & Jerry’s

HRMD 650 Case 2: Ben & Jerry’s
This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade and addresses Course Objectives 1 through 6.  It gives you an opportunity to apply organizational-level diagnostic processes and organizational development principles to a real-life situation.  You will also assess the appropriateness of the intervention chosen and must propose alternative interventions based on the presenting problems and underlying issues uncovered in the diagnosis. You must complete this assignment individually, without contacting other students, and you may not use a paper or any part of a paper from a previous class or from another person.  If you have questions about this assignment, please post them in the Ask the Professor discussion forum so that everyone can benefit from the answers.
 
 
 
Your task:
 
 
 
Please read the Ben & Jerry’s case, which can be found under eReserves.
 
Using the questions at the end of the case as a guide, solve the case study by analyzing what is presented and stating specific actions that would best resolve major issues.  Incorporate your answers to the questions in your analysis, as outlined in the How to Solve a Case Study guidelines.  These actions must reflect information in the case and the environment facing the firm.
 
 
 
Your paper should be five to seven pages long, excluding cover and reference pages.  Please follow APA guidelines for citations, quotations, and references, and use at least five scholarly resources that are dated within the last five years.  You are strongly encouraged to use the required and recommended readings in this course, as well as peer-reviewed journal articles found through the UMUC library.  Research methodology and problem analysis will be emphasized in the grading of this assignment.
 
 
 
Submit your paper electronically via the Assignment folder on the due date listed in the Assignment Folder instructions.
 
 
 
 
 
Please see the following pages for the grading criteria for this assignment and the How to Solve a Case Study guidelines.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Criteria for Grading Case Study Assignment
 
 
 
A
 
B
 
C
 
F
 
Points Earned
 
Introduction, Analysis, and Evaluation
 
(30 pts)
 
Student demonstrated complete and thorough outline of the facts surrounding the case, identified all key issues, appropriately identified alternative courses of action, and clearly outlined the reasons for the recommendation.
 
 
 
 
 
30 – 27 points
 
Student satisfactorily outlined the facts surrounding the case, identified most key issues, appropriately identified alternative courses of action, and satisfactorily outlined the reasons for the recommendation.
 
 
 
 
 
26 – 24 points
 
Student demonstrated less than satisfactory outline of the facts surrounding the case, identified some key issues, identified some alternative courses of action, and/or less than satisfactorily outlined the reasons for the recommendation.
 
 
 
23 – 21 points
 
Student unsatisfactorily outlined the facts surrounding the case, key issues, alternative courses of action, and the reasons for the recommendation.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20 – 0 points
 
 
 
Comments
 
 
 
Quality of Content
 
(25 pts)
 
Student demonstrated exceptional knowledge of relevant concepts and theories; all statements and opinions were supported by appropriate citations from the literature.
 
 
 
25 – 23 points
 
Student demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of relevant concepts and theories; most statements and opinions were supported by appropriate citations from the literature.
 
 
 
22 – 20 points
 
Student demonstrated less than satisfactory knowledge of relevant concepts and theories; some statements and opinions were not supported by appropriate citations from the literature.
 
 
 
19 – 18 points
 
Student demonstrated unsatisfactory knowledge of relevant concepts and theories; many statements and opinions were not supported by appropriate citations from the literature.
 
 
 
17 – 0 points
 
 
 
Comments
 
 
 
Quality of Research
 
(20 pts)
 
Student did an exceptional job of integrating course readings with additional research.  Student cited more than the required number of references.  Sources listed were all scholarly or practitioner journals from the last ten years.
 
 
 
 
 
20 – 18 points
 
Student did a satisfactory job of integrating course readings with additional research.  Student cited the required number of references.  Sources listed were primarily scholarly or practitioner journals from the last ten years.
 
 
 
 
 
17 – 16 points
 
Student did a less than satisfactory job of integrating course readings with additional research.  Student may not have cited the required number of references.  Some sources listed may not have been scholarly or practitioner journals from the last ten years.
 
 
 
15 – 14 points
 
Student did an inadequate job of integrating course readings with additional research.  Student did not cite the required number of references.  Many of the sources listed were not scholarly or practitioner journals from the last ten years.
 
 
 
13 – 0 points
 
 
 
Comments
 
 
 
Organization and Mechanics
 
(20 pts)
 
Student presented information in a logical sequence that was very easy to follow.  Essay had no major spelling and/or grammar errors.  The page length requirement was met.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20 – 18 points
 
Student presented information in a mostly logical sequence that was fairly easy follow.  Essay had a few minor spelling and/or grammar errors.  The page length requirement was met or may have been slightly exceeded.
 
 
 
17 – 16 points
 
Student presented information in a confusing sequence that was not easy to follow.  Essay had several major spelling and/or grammar errors.  The page length requirement may not have been met.
 
 
 
 
 
15 – 14 points
 
Student presented information in an illogical sequence that was difficult to follow.  Essay had many spelling and/or grammar errors.  The page length requirement was not met.
 
 
 
 
 
13 – 0 points
 
 
 
Comments
 
 
 
APA formatting
 
(5 pts)
 
All citations, quotations, and references were formatted correctly or contained only one or two minor errors.
 
 
 
 
 
5.0 – 4.5
 
Most citations, quotations, and references were formatted correctly or contained a few minor errors.
 
 
 
4.4 – 4.0 points
 
Several citations, quotations, and references were not formatted correctly or contained major errors.
 
 
 
 
 
3.9 – 3.5 points
 
Many citations, quotations, and references were not formatted correctly or contained many errors.
 
 
 
 
 
3.4 – 0 points
 
 
 
Comments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total Points Earned
 
(100 points max)
 
 
 
 
Overall Comments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
How to Solve an Organizational Case Study
 
A case study is a collection of facts and data based on a real or hypothetical business situation.  The goal of a case study is to enhance your ability to solve business problems, using a logical framework.  The issues in a case are generally not unique to a specific person, firm, or industry, and they often deal with more than one business strategy element.  Sometimes, the material presented in a case may be in conflict.  For example, two managers may disagree about a strategy or there may be several interpretations of the same facts.
 
In all case studies, you must analyze what is presented and state which specific actions best resolve major issues.  These actions must reflect the information in the case and the environment facing the firm.
 
The case should not exceed seven (7) pages in length, excluding the reference list.
 
STEPS IN SOLVING A CASE STUDY
 
Your analysis should include these sequential steps:
 
1. Presentation of the facts surrounding the case. (~0.5 page)
 
2. Identification of the key issues. (~0.5 page)
 
3. Listing of alternative courses of action that could be taken. (~1 page)
 
4. Evaluation of alternative courses of action. (~1.5 pages)
 
5. Recommendation of the best course of action. (~1.5 pages)
 
Presentation of the Facts Surrounding the Case
 
It is helpful to read a case until you are comfortable with the information in it.  Re-readings often are an aid to comprehending facts, possible strategies, or questions that need clarification and were not apparent earlier.  In studying a case, assume you are an outside consultant hired by the firm.  While facts should be accepted as true, statements, judgments, and decisions made by the individuals in a case should be questioned, especially if not supported by facts—or when one individual disagrees with another.
 
During your reading of the case, you should underline crucial facts, interpret figures and charts, critically review the comments made by individuals, judge the rationality of past and current decisions, and prepare questions whose answers would be useful in addressing the key issue(s).
 
Identification of the Key Issue(s)
 
The facts stated in a case often point to the key issue(s) facing an organization, such as new opportunities, a changing environment, a decline in competitive position, or excess inventories.  Identify the characteristics and ramifications of the issue(s) and examine them, using the material in the case and the text.  Sometimes, you must delve deeply because the key issue(s) and their characteristics may not be immediately obvious.
 
 
Listing Alternative Courses of Action That Could Be Taken
 
Next, present alternative actions pertaining to the key issue(s) in the case.  Consider courses of action based on their suitability to the firm and situation.  Proposed courses of action should take into account such factors as the goals, the customer market, the overall organizational strategy, the product assortment, competition, and personnel capabilities.
 
Evaluation of Alternative Courses of Action
 
Evaluate each potential option, according to case data, the key issue(s), the strategic concepts in the text, and the firm’s environment.  Specific criteria should be used and each option analyzed on the basis of them.  The ramifications and risks associated with each alternative should be considered.  Important data not included in the case should be mentioned. Your discussion of the alternatives should include concepts from organizational diagnosis and change theory.
 
Recommendation of the Best Course of Action
 
Be sure your analysis is not just a case summary.  You will be evaluated on the basis of how well you identify key issues or problems, outline and assess alternative courses of action, and reach realistic conclusions (that take the organization’s size, competition, image, and so on into consideration).  You need to show a good understanding of both the principles of organizational diagnosis and the case.  Be precise about which alternative is more desirable for the organization in its current context.  Remember, your goal is to apply a logical reasoning process to this organization. A written report must demonstrate this process.