A Case analysis of Lunix Corporation (Case Study Sample)

A Case analysis of Lunix Corporation
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Question 1
List of facts
At the Lunix Corporation, there are myriad issues facing a new employee called Frank Atwood. One of the major problems facing Mr. Atwood is the negative effect that nepotism has had on his daily work schedule. The practice of nepotism at the organization has led to the employment of some people who are incompetent to handle the duties assigned to them. For instance, Charles Johnson is an example of an employee who is a relative of the company’s CEO. However, it is important to note that Mr. Johnson is not qualified to handle the tasks assigned to him within the organization. As a result of his incompetency, he has on several occasions, overburdened Frank Atwood with some of his responsibilities and tasks. His relationship with the company’s CEO led his fellow employees to refer to him as the ‘sacred cow’. The Vice President of Marketing and Communication at Lunix, Mrs. Megan Moore, is reluctant to fire Johnson for his incompetence at work. Instead, she asked Frank Atwood to fire Charles Johnson. Moreover, she asked him to do it discretely; in a manner that would not link her to that decision. Currently, Frank Atwood has had 11 years’ experience in the field of information technology. He got the job at Lunix after making an effective web service plan for the company. The Lunix CEO agreed to hire Frank Atwood to act as the head of the communication service director. His main responsibility was to oversee the formulation of web strategy. The web service department at the Lunix was staffed by a webmaster i.e. Charles Johnson. Frank’s position at the Lunix Corporation, made him superior to Charles Johnson. This meant that Charles would report to Frank, and not Megan.
Inferences about the facts
Meagan Moore, the vice president of Marketing and Communication at Linux, is not willing to use her position to fire Charles Johnson because he is a close family friend of the corporation’s CEO. Her stand can be understood from the fact that she was afraid of creating conflict within the workplace. She did not want to be the one responsible for firing the CEO’s relative. As a result, she asked Frank to fire Charles because of his incompetence in the workplace. In a normal situation, the firing of an employee entails a strategic procedure and it usually involves consultations among the top management cadre. Frank was, therefore, faced with a situation where he had to make a strategic decision about Charles Johnson’s position in the company. After being employed, Frank had very little time for his family. Despite Charles position of being the untouchable ‘sacred cow’ of the Lunix Corporation, he was still an asset in the company as he proved to have interests in Lunix. For instance, he was known to be a promoter of some company traditions like the Employees-In-Need Relief Fund, and Founders’ Sunday. The two are responsible for the provision of short-term emergency loans to employees and the organization of family gathering events for all employees.
Problem
According to Frank Atwood, there are a lot of challenges that face unqualified and incompetent persons at the Lunix Corporation. In most cases, this happens when the unskilled person is a family friend to a superior in the company. Frank is also faced with the problem of separating Johnson from the department since he is a ‘sacred cow’ for the company. Moore, on the other hand, does not want to support Frank in his attempt to solve Johnson’s issue at the workplace. Frank always has to re-do all Johnson’s work, a move that has adversely affected his personal life.
Possible solutions to the problem
There are various ways through which Frank Atwood can deal with the aforementioned problems at the Lunix Corpoaration. For instance, the unqualified and incompetent employees of any organization can be subjected to some form of training and development process. In this case, Charles Johnson can be taken to a training camp and subjected to development process in order to enhance his ability of providing services to the work station.
Another measure that can be taken could be to fire Johnson and to employ other competent and efficient employees for that position. This can be an appropriate measure for the organization in order to avoid unproductive employees in the company.
Positives & Negatives of each option
If the first option described above is applied, Johnson will acquire the skills required to perform his job effectively and in timely manner. Secondly, the company will save the cost of hiring two other employees to replace Johnson. The demerits of the first option include some added costs of training and the application of development practices that will be carried out by the company.
In regards to the second option, the company will have done away with unproductive and unqualified employees in the organization. Acquiring other competent employees to fill the vacancy translates to the need for a reduced level of supervision. Demerits include the possibility of Johnson generating some conflicts in the workplace as he is a ‘sacred cow’ for the company.
Parties whose interests are satisfied
The first option works for the interest of both the company and Charles Johnson. This is because the company anticipates to save the cost of hiring other two employees to replace Charles Johnson. The move will also work for the interest of Johnson because he will not lose his job. By contrast, he will undergo a training process through which he will acquire better skills and knowledge on how to carry out his duties.
Question 2: SWOT analysis
Solution
The best solution to the problem would be to carry out a training and development exercise for Charles Johnson in order to equip him with the skills required to handle his obligations at the Lunix Corporation effectively. The training and development practice will ensure Johnson establishes his weak points when undertaking his duties and he will, thus, be able to correct where necessary.
It’s a win-win situation
The training and development process is a win-win strategy to for both the company and Johnson. Through training, Johnson can combine his experience at the company with to ensure that he handles his obligations more effectively as compared to the option of hiring new employees. The company, on the other hand, has an advantage of retaining Johnson in his position since they will be able to save on the costs of hiring and training new workers. It is through training and development process that the company will save cost of employing other personnel for the position. In this case, both the company and the employee will benefit.
Strengths
Training and development will ensure employees get the necessary skills as per the organizational goals and objectives.
Through training and development process, other employees can also improve their efficiency of doing work.
The company will save extra costs for employing other employees for the position.
The company will preserve its experienced employees leading to increased production ca...