2011 MGMT1000 Tutorial : B7 Student # : 211417615 TA: Majid Abdi [MGMT
FINAL 2011]
MGMT Final a) Power is an integral quality in any relationship, and is often found in every business issue. In terms of
trained incapacity, stakeholders, social media, teamwork, and empowerment, the use of power is used as
leverage by one party over another, intentionally or not, to either gain an advantage or the other party, or
to create vicious problems.
The concept of abused power helps us understand trained incapacity. Some corporations and institutes
often enforce and condition their employees to adhere to a strict guideline of morals and beliefs.
Furthermore, the power, or lack thereof, given to the employees, cause them to begin limiting themselves,
leading to missed opportunities for learning and development simply due to the ways that they have been
conditioned and trained. (NMS,week 1)
Stakeholders are a key contributor to the decisions made by a company. They hold significant leverage
over the company, as companies must be extremely mindful of the necessities and demands of their
stakeholders. By analyzing the needs of a company’s stakeholders by conducting a stakeholder analysis,
companies are able to:
1. Use opinions of powerful stakeholders to improve their ideas and gain their support
2. Gain more resources from powerful stakeholders
3. Anticipate the population’s reaction to a project, and work around the findings
As defined in the ‘key aspect of the Office of 2020’ (NMS, Week 1), “social media will be the community
halls of the future”. The effective utilization of social media as a marketing tool will vastly improve a
company’s profitability and brand awareness. (NSM, Week 5) Many companies, even the smaller up-start
companies, have designated positions for social media marketing. At the YSBA’s (York Sports Business
Association) inaugural Sports Business Conference, Monika Platek, the Social Media Lead at Lead at
Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, provided a speech about the rising importance of social
media marketing, and the leverage that companies that have invested in social media marketing have
gained over their counterparts who have stuck to older, less advanced methods. Social media marketing is
a true indicator of the importance of a knowledge economy, and the benefits of being innovative and
always thinking one step ahead of the competition. The distribution of power within a team is integral for
the development of the individuals that comprise the team, and the overall teamwork levels (NMS, The
Basics: Building an Effective Team). Without an even distribution of power – or any identifiable source of
power – a team will break down and rendered useless. It is important that the key members in charge,
that have the power, utilize the power effectively, with responsibility, and do not abuse it. As Uncle Ben
said it best, “with great power, comes great responsibility” (Spiderman). Finally, power is necessary in the
empowerment of others. By distributing power to different individuals, they are given the opportunity to
better themselves and become more accomplished individuals. Empowerment helps to flatten hierarchies,
which in effect helps to remove any unbalanced distributions of power. Essentially, companies would be
redistributing power. However, the introduction of empowerment into companies help individuals utilize
their skills in new ways, and may result in an unlocking of potential, which in the long run, could be
extremely beneficial for a company.
b) The paradox of power is essentially the circumstance when CEOs – or other persons in high power –
are worried about the power that they have over a company. On paper, CEOs are one of the most
powerful figures in an administrative and executive hierarchy, however in reality, some may be extremely
incompetent and detrimental to the growth of a company. However, in the majority of cases, CEOs are
found in a situation of powerlessness due to being placed in traps. (NMS, Week 11) The idea of
‘leadership by connections’, is exactly what it sounds like – the gaining of leadership traits through
connections, networking, and meeting new individuals. By acquiring leadership through connecting and
networking, high level executives are able to gain insight on how others in their position are able to deal
with issues surrounding their field of work. (Guest Speaker) In essence, these two ideas are extremely
correlated. The main issue with powerless CEOs is their dependence on their subordinates. Should their
subordinates simply refuse, or withhold the CEO’s commands, it would threaten the CEO’s career and cause him to think irrationally and find alternative methods to solve his problems. By acquiring leadership through
connections, the CEO can receive advice from others who have been in his position, and discover effective and safe
solutions. (NMS, Week 11) Vikram Pandit, the CEO of Citigroup provides a fantastic example of how a CEO
experienced the paradox of power, and solved his problems through leadership by connections. After having
Citigroup, one of the biggest financial services companies in America, lose everything and come close to having to
file for bankruptcy, Pandit was forced to conduct some self-evaluation. With his wife threatening to leave him, and
the loss of trust from partners and shareholders, Pandit was left in a powerless position. Following the acts of
others who were placed in the same position before him, Pandit decided to give himself a $1 salary until Citigroup
was profitable.
2. a) Globalization is, and continues to be an essential aspect of what shapes the office of 2020. However, we are
only now beginning to see the true affects globalization has on, not just our global economy, but our global society,
culture, and politics as well. These forces of impact caused by globalization have created both a positive and
negative affect on Canadians as outlined by our multitude of guest panelists throughout the MGMT1000 course.
“Business students have a huge role in being the next model that will change and develop the world”. A quote by
Russ McLeod, the guest speaker from Me to We, it clearly indicates the kind of impact that globalization has had
for the career opportunities of, not really just business students, but all types of employment. More than ever,
students are pursuing careers abroad in different countries thanks to the effects of globalization. It helps to open
doors for us, and provides us with opportunities that were never before given to generations before us. The impact
of globalization is just now becoming evident, and it will only increase over time. The effect of globalization in
creating new cultural experiences for individuals has been dramatic. The introduction and newfound importance of
globalization has forced individuals to travel to diverse and exotic locations in order to conduct business and
activity. It is now a key quality for individuals to approach cultures with an open mind and accept them for what
they are. Being cultural diverse and understanding is now an essential skill for all people. According to Joe
Cornacchia, the Brazilian guest speaker who was a member of our November 15th, the effects of globalization
were clearly evident in how he conducted his work. By being forced to visit new locations and explore new cultures,
he was able to broaden his view of the world and gain insights on new perspectives and outlooks. He believes that
the ability to understand concepts from multiple points of view is essential in transforming oneself from an
individual of the past, to one of the modern day.
The effects of globalization can also be found in the newly reformed ethics and codes pertaining to corporate
social responsibility. With globalization now occurring at a phenomenal rate, it is integral that corporations and
business focus, not only on the domestic social responsibility, but the international responsibility as well. Having
located my BPTP idea in Faisalabad, Pakistan, I was able to conduct research on the social conditions of employees
in the area. Many are paid under minimum wage, and forced to work overtime. These sorts of conditions, if
discovered by global humane societies, would be detrimental to a company’s reputation and clientele base. With
the introduction of globalization, companies should now embrace the difficulties faced by these individuals in
impoverished nations, and do their best to aid those in need. It is the responsibility of more fortunate, successful
companies to pioneer the change necessary in the third-world and socially irresponsible nations. Other companies
will follow their example, and being to adhere to more responsible code of ethics and principals. As stated by Jane
Gilbert, another guest panelist, ‘by diversifying their support, more people and corporations can help to achieve
conservation goals.’ Active contributions to charity funds, and education to third-world countries, are just a couple
examples of what a socially responsible corporation can contribute.
As indicated by our guest IBM panelists, technology is bringing the world together at an alarming rate. With the
internet, nothing is time-consuming anymore, all actions are instant and can be accessed by the second at almost
any location in the world. Globalization is the key factor to the development of new communication technologies.
LotusLive, and Skype, are only a couple of examples of an unending list of software that have been solely
developed for long-distance interaction. With the continued development of globalization, we can expect to see
new and improved forms of technology released that will be directly affecting the methods we utilize for
communicating overseas and over long distances. 2.b) A specific organization with global reach that I admire is the world wildlife fund (WWF). It is an international
organization that seeks to protect animals, their habitats, and essentially do what they possibly can to save
endangered species. One of the first wildlife funds created, the WWF has created a ripple effect in the
international community, as it has been the pioneer for many other funds. Furthermore, the WWF follows the
essential TBL mindset. It distributes the majority of its funds towards wildlife conversation and research, displaying
proficient utilization of its funds in boosting social and environmental necessities. A specific organization with
global reach that I do not admire is Yele Haiti. Yele Haiti was a charity created by celebrity and politician, Wyclef
Jean. Yele Haiti’s main objective was to raise funds for the reconstruction and distribution of relief for Haitians
after the earthquake. Recent investigations have shown that from the $16 million that was collected, only a third
of the donations went directly to relief funds. Investigations have shown that $1 million were transferred to a non-
existent corporation in Florida that occupies the same address as Wyclef Jean’s property. A blatant violator of TBL,
I am complete disgust of the actions conducted by Mr. Jean, and therefore dislike the entire organization very
much.
3. a) As the Vice President of Human Resources for a fast-food organization, the top three qualities I would look for
are the ability to coach, communicate and establish solid teamwork skills. For a machine-like organi
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