SAMPLE Case Study no. 1

Each case study will have some MCQs to answer before the longer response questions.

Read the following Case Study and answer ALL questions

Approx. 70 100 words in your answer is expected per question

THE CULTURE OF BUSINESS

DELtel (Delmon Telecommunications) is a telecommunications provider who entered the competitive Bahraini market recently. The firms core objective is to provide high quality ICT services while being competitive on price. Its success in a relatively short space of time has been attributed to its unique organizational culture. The recent C19 pandemic, however, has actually had a positive impact on DELtels success due to increasing levels of dependency on the services they provide.

While their corporate culture is focused on financial performance, its success can be seen to be its unique organizational culture. Its so successful that many new employees have come from their competitors. The companys 800 employees are required to define their own jobs and therefore, the traditional corporate hierarchy is gone. Deltels CEO, Ahmed, has managed to maintain their reputation as a rewarding yet fun place to work. Their young workforce are energetic and open-minded; the dress code is aggressively casual. Desks are abundent with giant stuffed animals, and sound-emitting sculptures line the walls. Create fun and a little weirdness and deliver WOW through service is written in DELtels corporate charter. DELtels company values are innovation, excellence in service and trust. The business is a well-respected employer who value and empower their staff.

Senior management share a common belief that it is very important that their employees enjoy their work. The top two performers every month get to use the CEOs Porsche for the weekend. High performing employees also earn bonuses, certificates and regular praise & recognition. They also only promote people internally as well as ensuring staff get any training needed to develop. The HR Manager, is open, approachable and encourages staff to share their opinions. She believes that businesses with demotivated staff face higher absenteeism, low productivity, high staff turnover and customer complaints. They use clear, focused communication to motivate, transmit information, build commitment and to achieve optimal coordination. This helps to shape the image they present both internally and externally.

DELtel is very selective in its hiring. The screening process is rigorous, and all new recruits go through a month-long training programme. After the first week of training the CEO, Ahmed offers BHD 500 to any recruit who wants to leave the company. A few employees who find that they do not fit in their culture accept this offer and leave. Ahmed claims that it is more expensive to keep an employee who does not fit culturally. DELtel looks for a culture fit and then a skill fit when hiring new recruits.

1. Analyse the organsiational culture at DELtel using at least three examples from the case study. 6 marks (LO1,2)
2. What is meant by shared values, shared assumptions and artifacts in reference to organizational culture? Provide examples from the case study and how they contribute to the culture at DELtel. 7 marks (LO1,2)

1. Evaluate how you think employees are motivated in the case study using either Maslows Hierarchy of Needs or Expectancy (Vrooms) Theory . 7 marks (LO1,2)

1. Why is organizational culture so important? How can managers use it to improve and/or strengthen the performance of the organization? You may use examples from this case study or other relevant examples.

7 marks (LO1,2)