Case study

You are the customer service manager for Catco International a manufacturer

and online retailer of pet related products. The company has been in business

for 25 years and you were brought in ten years ago to supervise the increasing

staff size due to online sales. When you were hired there were two customer

service representatives. Currently there are 10 customer service representatives

that are your direct reports. Four of which were recent hires within the last

year. You will discuss how you will resolve potential conflict by applying

effective conflict management, communication and influence techniques to this

scenario.

1-Marge has been with the company since it started 25 years ago.

Prior to that she worked in customer service as a cashier for fifteen

years at a local grocery store. She helped to create most of the

customer service procedures and strictly adheres to them and expects

everyone else to do the same. She has very conservative values and is

very opinionated and readily shares her religious beliefs with others.

She has been asked to take over the training of Jamie a new hire.

2-Jamie was hired two weeks ago. This is her first job since completing

her Associates Degree. Like most millennials, she is very tech savvy.

She is a vegan. She is also very liberal on social issues.

3-Steve is also a recent hire, having only been with the company for

six months. Although he is new to the company, he has been in

customer service for 10 years and was lured away from a competitor.

He has been in a committed same sex relationship with his partner for

five years. He is open about his orientation with family and friends

but has been guarded with his new co-workers.

4-Cindy was one of your first hires ten years ago. She is a competent

customer service representative that has always had good reviews but

recently her attendance has been a problem due to child care issues.

Recently divorced, she is now a single parent with twin toddlers.

5-Bill and Ted are Generation X'ers that was hired eight years ago.

Both are adequate performance wise but are the last to come in and

the first to leave every day. Both tend to wait until the last minute to

complete tasks. They are usually inseparable both at work and in their

social life. Bill was recently married while Ted has never had a long-

term relationship. Recently, Ted has been spotted afterhours with

Ashlee.

6-Wendy has been with the company for twelve years and has gotten

the reputation for being a whiner. She is always complaining about

work issues and people issues. Her work is good, just not her negative

attitude.

7-Ashlee is a go-getter that you hired five years ago right out of

college. She is always looking for ways to improve office procedures.

She has excellent performance ratings and would make an excellent

assistant manager. Ashlee trained Jamie while Marge was on

vacation.

8-Mike has been working for the company for two months. He is

Marge's nephew and she talked to the owner to help him get the job

right out of high school. So far, he has been a good worker. He is an

avid outdoorsman and asked for deer hunting season off.

9-Rodrigo was hired four months ago although he is originally from Mexico, he

and his family recently became US citizens. He is in his late forties and has two

teenage daughters with his wife of twenty-five years. Prior to working for Catco

International, he worked in middle management for a multinational firm for

many years and recently lost his position due to downsizing.

Q1. Identify at least five potential sources of conflict. Give specific details about the individuals involved and the sources of the conflict.

Classify the type of conflict.

Q2. Make at least two recommendations to help with conflict resolution in each scenario by applying conflict management,

communication and influence techniques.

7. Euler and Lagrange developed the calculus of variations. (a) Explain in a sentence what the calculus of variations is about. (b) Find the Euler-Lagrange equation (assuming y(a) = 0 and y(b) = 0 for minimizing the integral: VIty (2) d. (c) How is the Euler-Lagrange equation in general related to the directional derivative of vector calculus?2- Consider the double integrator problem x'()=u . Let the states be the position x and the velocity v such that: X =V V = u Let the initial conditions be (x,V.,/,) = (1,1,0) and the final conditions be (xy,vy ,t, ) =(0,0,2) . Find an optimal control law using calculus of variation method that minimizes: min.2.5.29 Give a precise analytical formulation of the simplest problem in the variational calculus for singe integrals in Rent. 2.5.30 Consider a non-homogeneous variational problem in R"+ with fundamental integral 2.12) Derive the Euler-Lagrange equations as necessary conditions for curves to provide ex- treme values for the fundamental integral. State any assumptions that you make with reference to L and the curves. 2.5.31 State Lemma 2.4.1 and give a formal proof.Question 34 In the long run, all inputs to a firm's business can be adjusted. True False Question 35 In economics, the term production function refers to the relationship between economic profits and accounting profits O value of inputs and value of outputs marginal product and marginal costs quantity of inputs and quantity of outputsQuestion 5 All of the following would cause exports to decline, except: O a depreciation of the domestic currency. O a decline in foreign income. O stricter government regulations on international trade. O a decline in foreign preferences for domestic goods. O foreign import quotas on domestic products