http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/ My thoughts on management en-us Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:42:33 EST Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:42:33 EST scott.foust@case.edu scott.foust@case.edu http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Movable Type v3.121 http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/12/12/letting_someone_go Recently at my firm, management let someone go. This employee’s productivity had been declining for weeks, and her personal life... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/12/12/letting_someone_go 250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:42:33 EST Recently at my firm, management let someone go. This employee’s productivity had been declining for weeks, and her personal life seemed to be a growing concern during her workday. Her work had been piling up for weeks, and the lack of production caused problems in other areas of the firm, especially in my area of work. Last week, management decided to let her go. I am only reflecting on this simply because of the technique the boss used to fire her. While the boss could have made an example out of her for the rest of the employees, the boss decided to do it in a private manner, at the end of the workweek. I believe this is the best way to let someone go. I have witness other employees get fired before, and it was an embarrassing event for those employees. By letting her go at the end of the week, the boss was able to save the employee some embarrassment (it’s a long walk to the end of the hallway), and also minimized the gossip that could have followed afterwards.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/12/12/evaluations As we finished the simulation in management, we had to evaluate our teammates on their performance. Although I tried to... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/12/12/evaluations 250 MGMT case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:42:06 EST As we finished the simulation in management, we had to evaluate our teammates on their performance. Although I tried to be honest, I felt my responses were not helpful to the Professor. I found it difficult to evaluate their performance, especially because I felt I was comparing them to myself. While I can acknowledge each team member brought different skills to the simulation, and some team members contributed more than others, I found it difficult to compare each team member and rank the value of their contributions to the team. I believe I need to become more comfortable with peer evaluations, especially because I may find myself evaluating my co-workers later in my career.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/12/12/christmas_bonuses As it nears the Christmas holiday, many employees anticipate a Christmas bonus from their employer. However, I am still beginning... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/12/12/christmas_bonuses 250 MGMT case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:19:53 EST As it nears the Christmas holiday, many employees anticipate a Christmas bonus from their employer. However, I am still beginning my career, and the idea of a Christmas bonus is rather new to me. This is why I found it surprising to hear some of my co-workers discuss the bonus in such a greedy matter. We discussed bonuses in management class earlier in the semester, and we touched on the idea of “diminishing return”. Although the bonus is meant to be an incentive, a reward to boost morale, many employees see it as an expected reward, and may even be discouraged if it is not worth as much. In my particular experience, my co-workers were complaining about the timing of the bonus. They felt they should have received it earlier in the month. Although I rather enjoy the bonus, I think many employees in the workplace no longer appreciate it as a reward. Hopefully, I will continue to appreciate it as I do now.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/12/12/the_simulation After finishing the simulation program for management 250, I must admit I was disappointed. At first the program seemed very... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/12/12/the_simulation 250 MGMT case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:05:59 EST After finishing the simulation program for management 250, I must admit I was disappointed. At first the program seemed very complex. With so many decisions to make, and such a small budget, our team focused on making the best decisions with the limited funds we had. However, after just a few quarters, we discovered the program was not as complex as it seemed. Our budget seemed to grow every quarter as we our costs continually shrinking. By the last few quarters there were not that many decisions to make. Most of our costs were tied up in programs that were permanent, and we just focused on our hiring costs. Even our safety and quality budgets nearly maxed out. Overall, I found the simulation to be disappointing, and I hope it improves for future classes.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/11/09/dreams Monday’s discussion was based on our dreams. While some of my friends dream about moving to California, Florida, or another... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/11/09/dreams 250 MGMT case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 09 Nov 2006 21:21:50 EST Monday’s discussion was based on our dreams. While some of my friends dream about moving to California, Florida, or another state; my dream has always been to live near Cleveland. It’s not because I think Cleveland is great, because it isn’t. I want to live in Cleveland because I want to be a Browns Season Ticket Holder.
I decided to go to a good college so I could get a decent job that would allow me to afford season tickets. While many people are concerned with paying for their children’s future, I’m not. I’ll let them earn scholarships. I’ll spend my money on season tickets. Go Browns.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/11/09/discrimination After reviewing the Jonah Creighton Case, I remembered a client that my firm almost took on last year. He claimed... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/11/09/discrimination 250 MGMT case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:58:57 EST After reviewing the Jonah Creighton Case, I remembered a client that my firm almost took on last year. He claimed that he was wrongfully fired, and had suffered racial discrimination. After contacting his former employer, we found out that he was rightfully fired, and his claims had no foundation.
Because my firm specializes in wrongful termination law, we see some clients who believe they are wrongfully terminated when they deserved to be fired. I believe it is a great thing that a person can sue a company for unfair practices, but I also believe that this power is often abused, and some companies keep some employees that should be fired so they won’t risk being sued. It’s important to keep protecting employees, but I realize that this system is not perfect

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/11/09/leaving_a_job Although it can be very difficult to obtain a job, I have found it to be even more difficult to... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/11/09/leaving_a_job 250 MGMT case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:35:41 EST Although it can be very difficult to obtain a job, I have found it to be even more difficult to leave a job. After discussing ethics in class last week, my beliefs were reinforced. I was hired by my current firm while I was employed at Taco Bell. After I was hired at the new firm, I realized how difficult it was to quit a job. I decided the best way was to write a professional letter to my manager explaining my reasons, and to notify her two weeks in advance.
I hand delivered the letter, and she read it right in front of me. Although I thought she would be angry, she said she was very proud of me, and that I was very professional. However, she mentioned that she would have been angry if I was leaving to work at McDonalds or another fast food place. I realized then that it was unethical to leave on job for a better opportunity with a competitor.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/11/09/feedback While discussing feedback in class on Wednesday, I was reminded of some of the feedback I have received in the... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/11/09/feedback MGMT250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:31:57 EST While discussing feedback in class on Wednesday, I was reminded of some of the feedback I have received in the workplace. When I worked at Taco Bell, we had an employee program called CHAMPS. Whenever an employee made an effort to complete a difficult job, the manager would give them a Champs card for their effort. The employee with the most cards at the end of the week was the "Champ of the week". Although this program was based soley on positive feedback, it helped some employees realize they weren't always doing what was expected of them. It also encouraged other employees to work harder. Basically, feedback doesn't always have to be negative to be effective.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/10/09/motivation After discussing motivation in today's class, I just wanted to share an experience I had with motivation in the workplace.... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/10/09/motivation case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 09 Oct 2006 22:32:17 EST After discussing motivation in today's class, I just wanted to share an experience I had with motivation in the workplace. My first job was at Taco Bell, and it was the worst job I ever had. Although I was barely paid over minimum wage ($5.50 an hour), the worst part of the job was working with some of my co-workers. It was painfully obvious that the majority of the people there did not want to work at Taco Bell, and this made it very difficult to work with them. Because different tasks needed to be completed, I often found myself doing the majority of the work on some of my shifts, as no one else was motivated enough to do their own part. I quickly lost the motivation to work hard at Taco Bell because I found the job very unfair. Although in class we focused on individual performance and incentives, I believe that the work of your co-workers can have a greater effect on a worker's motivation.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/10/02/hr_simulation_report As the HR simulation is just beginning to start, I am already pleased with the progress our team has made... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/10/02/hr_simulation_report MGMT250 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 02 Oct 2006 19:27:06 EST As the HR simulation is just beginning to start, I am already pleased with the progress our team has made so far. We have had two productive meetings as of October 2, and we are meeting our deadlines. We have successfully assigned each team member roles that fit their learning styles, and as an Accounting major, I am pleased that I am in charge of our budget. We have successfully prepared our budget for the first quarter well in advanced, and we are pleased that our budget reflects the strategy we are trying to follow. While it seems that this simulation will require a great deal of time to complete, I am starting to see the simulation as a great project, and a great learning experience.

]]> http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/09/17/baseball For my first entry, I wanted to comment on great management in sports. For most sports teams, the head... http://blog.case.edu/scott.foust/2006/09/17/baseball case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sun, 17 Sep 2006 17:17:33 EST For my first entry, I wanted to comment on great management in sports. For most sports teams, the head of a team is the General Manager (GM) who oversees roster depth, transactions, payroll, and staff. The GM is almost always the one held responsible if a team performs poorly, but hardly ever recognized if the team does great. While the sports world is filled with great and not so great GM's, one GM stands out this season, Joe Girardi of the Florida Marlins (MLB).
Currently, the Marlins have a record of 74-75. Because they play in the not as competitive National League, they are currently only 4 games back in the wild card race. With almost three weeks left in the season, they have the opportunity to play better baseball, and grab a wild card spot. Amazingly, the Marlins were 11-31 at some point in this season, and have become the first Major League team to come back from 20 games below .500 to achieve a .500 record (although currently they are one game under .500).
While the Marlins may be deep in play contention, there is one facet that makes them truly a different team: the lowest payroll in the MLB. As listed on espn.com, the core of the Florida Marlins' team makes a little over 14 million dollars. The second lowest payroll is over $35 million, which belongs to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Alex Rodriguez, a Third Baseman for the New York Yankees, makes over $25 million alone. In a league were some teams pay their players on average over $5 million per season, only 2 Marlins players make over $1 million.
The great thing about the job done by the Marlins' GM is the position the Marlins are currently in while having such limited resources. Joe Girardi has had to put more effort into building this team than most GM's have because of the payroll situation. Florida has lost many all-star caliber players, and even a World Series MVP because of their limited resources, but Joe Girardi has still been able to put together a good team.
The job done by Joe Girardi shows that sometimes the lack of resources can be overcome by good management. By hiring the best employees available, and putting together a great staff, Joe Girardi has been able to be more successful than other General Managers who have had more resources to work with.

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