2023 SLC FBLA COLLEGIATE


MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS & DECISION MAKING


CASE STUDY



PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS


  1. You are receiving this case study the evening before your scheduled presentation.  You have from now until the time of your scheduled presentation to review the case and determine your solution.


  1. Presentation time is seven minutes. At six minutes the timekeeper will stand and hold up a colored card indicating one minute is left and at seven minutes the timekeeper will stand and hold up a colored card indicating time is up.


  1. You may use prepared notes during your presentation.


  1. Presentation materials (i.e., posters, flip charts, electronic presentations, etc.) are allowed.  However, no items may be left with the judges.


  1. Cover all the points described in the case and be prepared to answer questions posed by the judges.


  1. If competing as part of a team, all team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer questions.



PERFORMANCE INDICATORS


  • Select logical actions to take and present them with the positive and negative aspects of these actions. 

  • Demonstrate rationale/reasoning for each recommendation made and potential anticipated results.  

  • Exhibit good decision-making and problem-solving skills. 

  • Demonstrate ability to effectively address the given situation and effectively answer questions.



CASE STUDY SITUATION


Background Information

The competitor(s) are independent consultants who specialize in providing companies with assistance and guidance during union negotiations and the collective bargaining process. The competitor(s) job is to first present how organizational attributes such as structure, culture, human resources, and change contribute to organizational behaviors so that a baseline of the current work environment can be established for negotiations.


The clients (judges) are the representatives (ownership, management, human resource, and union liaison) for a large, national freight shipping company that has been in business since the 1950s. The challenge is that the company is in the process of drastically changing their daily operations and the employees do not agree with the recommended changes. The union has requested a meeting with the company's leadership prior to striking. The company needs to avoid a strike and is willing to meet with the union to try and develop an amicable plan.


Scenario

The context the competitor(s) find themselves in is that a leading organized labor union is in the process of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with the freight company. The competitor(s) need to develop a plan to identify individual attributes, such as personality, motivation, and decision making that contribute to the organizational behavior and needs of the employees while also understanding the needs of the employer. Other areas of focus to be explored can be how group attributes such as work teams, communications, leadership, power, and conflict contribute to organizational behavior.  The work will be judged by how effectively the competitor(s) develop a plan that shares the key areas the freight company should address when working with the labor union to avoid a strike.  A successful result will result in a recommended plan of action by the competitor(s) to the company's representatives (judges). 


Objectives of Case Study

The competitor(s) must address the following during the presentation:

  • Define organizational behavior, explain the terminology associated with organizational behavior, and its role within the business world.

  • Implement the five levels of decision making and learn when to use them in multiple situations.

  • Describe how group attributes, such as work teams, communications, leadership, power, and conflict contribute to organizational behavior.

  • Describe how individual attributes, such as personality, motivation, and decision making contribute to organizational behavior.

  • Explain how organizational attributes such as structure, culture, human resources, and change contribute to organizational behavior.