Q1) Find two websites of the company in the same industry – e.g.

two manufacturers of
households products or two wireless service providers. Using the evidence present on their
websites, compare the company cultures. Look at their stated mission (if any), their history
(if provided), the gender, and qualifications of their personnel (if any), their employee
benefits, their information for job applicants, their information for investors, the company
image projected by the visual elements on the website – anything that suggests who they
are or want you to think they are. Write up your comparison in a well-organized, well
supported message to your instructor.

Ans -

SWIGGY ZOMATO

Mission: Mission:
Our mission is to change the way you eat. Changing the Future of food.

History:
It all started back in 2014 when two BITS
Pilani graduates, Sriharsha Majety and
Nandan Reddy decided they wanted to
make life easier by changing the way India
eats - all with just a tap! With their idea of
’hyperlocal food delivery’, all they needed
was the tech to power it and were
introduced to Rahul Jaimini, who brought
this vision to life with the first website. And
with this, Swiggy was launched as a food
ordering & delivery platform.
History:
Launched in Delhi 11 years ago, Zomato
has grown from a home project to one of
the largest food aggregators in the world.
We are present in 24 countries and 10000+
cities globally, enabling our vision of better
food for more people. We not only
connect people to food in every context
but work closely with restaurants to enable
a sustainable ecosystem.

Employee Benefits Employee Benefits

Group Personal Accident Insurance Parental Leave Policy

Group Medical Insurance No Probation and Notice Periods
Pre-loaded Food Card Medical Coverage
Mobile allowance In-office creche
Paternity and adoption leave policy In-office Psychiatrist Team
Free assistance on tax and investment Food and Snacks
planning
Car Lease
Flexi Benefit Component Policy
Parental Insurance

Teams: Teams:
1.Technology 1.Tech and engineering
2.Analytics 2.Product
3.Busines Finance 3.Design
4.Marketing 4.Brand and marketing
5.Customer care 5.Content and Editorials
6.Content
Q2) Megan Cabot is one of 12 workers in Department X. She has strong leadership qualities,
and all her co-workers look up to her. She dominates conversations with them and
expresses strong viewpoints on most matters. Although she is a good worker, her
dominating personality has caused problems for you, the new manager of Department X.
Today you directed your subordinates to change a certain work procedure. The change is
one that has proven superior in the past whenever it has been tried. Soon after giving the
directive, you noticed the workers talking in a group, with Megan the obvious leader. In a
few minutes she appeared in your office. “We’ve thought it over,” she said. “Your
production change won’t work.” Explain what is happening. As a manager, how will you
handle this situation?

Ans.

To begin with, first of all we need to understand the essence of informal communication or
grapevine here.

It is one of the of the forms of communication which involves an exchange of information in

an informal way like through personal talks. Only a Manager who is well skilled knows that
informal communication can help an organization to grow.

To solve a problem, a manager should be aware of the leaders of an informal

communication network. Informal communication is also known as Grapevine.

In the above scenario, Megan Cabot is possessing leadership traits and she is able to have an
influence on the behavior and ideas of the whole group.

The first step in this scenario which would be undertaken by me, being a Manager, will be a
one to one interaction with Megan Cabot where we can actually talk about what’s the
matter and where is the problem arising?

The next step would be the assessment of the reason given by Ms. Cabot to further
conclude that whether that reason is appropriate e.g. she might come up with an issue that
the new plan will lead to the requirement of overtime and the time given for the completion
of the project was not adequate. Then accordingly, I will have a discussion with the other
workers to gather their opinion as well. Lastly, I would take the necessary steps as per the
analysis and discussion with the workers.

Q3) After noticing that some workers were starting work late and finishing early, a
department head wrote this message to subordinates: It is apparent that many of you are
not giving the company a full day’s work. Thus, the following procedures are implemented
immediately:

a) After you clock in, you will proceed to your workstations and will be ready to begin
work promptly at the start of the work period.

b) You will not take a coffee break or consume coffee on the job at the beginning of the
work period. You will wait until your designated break times.

c) You will not participate in social gatherings at any time during the workday except
during designated break periods.
 d) You will terminate work activities no earlier than 10 minutes prior to the end of the
work period. You will use the 10 minutes to put up equipment, clean equipment, and
police the work area.

e) You will not queue up at the exit prior to the end of the work period.

The message was not well received by the workers. In fact, it led to considerable anger and
confusion. Explain where the department head’s problem-solving process went wrong.
What did he or she fail to take into account?

Ans – In my opinion, The department head should have a meeting with Team leaders before
taking such strict actions so as to analyse the reason behind why many of the workers are
not adhering to the work timings.

In this situation, the department head passed a stringent rule to govern the behaviour of
the workers which led to aggression, confusion and misunderstanding among the workers.

Instead of this, the department head could have followed few of these approaches to
increase/enhance the productivity:-

a) Assigning Deadlines.
b) Daily progress reports from workers.
c) Feedback approach – wherein he/she can let others know where they are lacking.
d) R&R – Rewards and Recognition policy – to actually recognize each employee’s
contribution/effort and reward them accordingly.
e) Recreational Activities – To enhance the productivity of the workers. These activities
can be provided in near breakouts within the firm wherein the workers can enjoy the
leisure time.

Therefore, to keep the process smooth, the department head should try to follow the above
approaches rather than directly jumping to the stringent action as a strict action would
definitely lead to some kind of retaliation from the workers.

Q4) Find an article in the business press or general news about a recent incident involving a
company – e.g., a merger or acquisition, a scandal or crisis, or the launch of a new product.
What kind of communication challenges this event might pose, both internally and
externally? What kind of message would probably need to be written, and to whom?

Ans –

Being open with employees during the M&A process benefits your business.
M&A deals are on the rise. How should entrepreneurs and business leaders prepare their
workforce when going through a merger?

In June 2018, Walt Disney Co. offered to purchase most of 21st Century Fox for $71.3 billion.
That same month, AT&T acquired Time Warner for $85 billion. According to Deloitte’s
2018 M&A Trends Report, this is not surprising: “Corporate and private equity executives
foresaw an acceleration of merger and acquisition activity in 2018.” For entrepreneurs,
business owners and the C-suite, this projected rise in M&A activity means they could be
part of a deal in the near future. It would be wise to consider an employee communications
plan a vital element in the event an enticing deal comes to fruition.

The role of internal communications in M&A

Mergers and acquisitions are a great way to accelerate growth, but when they fail to
produce the desired result, a common factor is poor communication, including a lack of
information during the pre-merger period, and cooperation and coordination post merger.
When a transaction is announced, employees often speculate and many companies become
rumor mills. The first priority for many employees is, “Will I still have a job when all this is
over?” This can cause panic if employees aren’t getting the answers they need. Some
rumors are just worries and relatively harmless, but other stories or even media leaks can
damage the company and cause valuable employees to jump ship. Uncertainty due to poor
communication will not only lead to time-wasting rumors, it will impair employee
engagement, reduce motivation and work quality and ultimately impact the company’s
bottom line.
Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s important to keep your employees in the loop by
communicating openly and effectively. Here are four reasons why you should control the
flow of information and develop a robust employee communications plan before a merger
or acquisition.

Employee loyalty and trust are at stake.

How a company communicates during a transaction has a direct impact on employee loyalty
and trust. When inconsistencies exist between what a company says and how it acts,
employees often lose faith in the organization. “One of the great ironies of M&A activity is
that trust, a key ingredient for business success, often quickly dissolves, as M&A activity is
usually cloaked in secrecy,” wrote M&A Consultant Jennifer J. Fondrevay.
Since employees often feel blindsided when a deal is announced, company leaders and
other internal communicators can minimize the negative impact of M&A by creating a
proactive communications strategy. The communications team should prepare messages for
target audiences, develop a timeline for announcements and brief company spokespeople.
There should also be a contingency plan in place for unexpected events. Employee trust is
too costly to lose.

Your best employees can leave at any moment.

Since people at both companies are concerned about job security and responsibilities,
employees want to know what changes are coming and when. Legal regulations can make it
difficult for executives to be transparent, but when management haphazardly says,
“Nothing will change” in an effort to keep employees motivated, trust will be damaged
when things do, in fact, change.
If employees are kept in the dark or lied to, even unintentionally, many will choose to leave.
Mass talent departure is one of the reasons M&A deals fail post-acquisition. In an effort to
prevent your best employees from leaving, share information early and often. There are
many ways to discuss a deal without sharing protected or false information. Saying “I don’t
know” is often more comforting to employees than pure speculation.
 Company culture is at risk.

During a transaction, company culture is affected – whether you want it to be or not. When
two companies’ philosophies and values do not match (i.e. culture clash), M&A deals often
fail. According to Deloitte, “... culture is inextricably linked to performance, especially in an
M&A context. The question is not if – but how – companies should manage culture to
safeguard the value of an M&A deal.”
To minimize culture clash between two merging companies, work to develop a cohesive
culture. Communications teams should create a strategic plan for conveying the values and
vision of the newly joined organization. Additionally, leaders, spokespeople, public relations
and marketing professionals should all use the same messaging. Consistency is key to
unifying a company.

Post-acquisition success is difficult to achieve.

M&As can be long, complex processes. M&A transactions can have a significant impact on
employees – increasing stress, anxiety and uncertainty. After the deal closes, internal
communicators need to maintain the momentum, minimize culture confusion and work to
improve employee morale.
The failure rate of mergers and acquisitions consistently falls somewhere between 70 and
90 percent. This doesn’t mean deals aren’t closing; they’re closing, and then failing to
deliver the results stakeholders expect. Researchers have found that frequent and open
communication is central to post-deal integration and value creation. Don’t forget to
communicate early as well as more often after the deal is signed.

Employee communications: Mission-critical

If a company fails to communicate effectively during a merger or acquisition, the company

risks employee loyalty and trust, employee retention, company culture and long-term
success. Effective communication is critical during M&A for four primary reasons:

1. Frequent communications reduce uncertainty and maintains a trusting relationship

with employees.
2. Proactive communication can ease concerns about job security and retain valuable
employees.
3. Intentional and consistent messaging can cultivate a unified company culture.
4. Open communication can facilitate post-deal success and long-term profitability.

Whenever a merger or acquisition deal is on the table, make sure your employee
communications leader is at the table, helping ensure your outcome becomes one of the
10-25 percent that succeed.

Q 5: Times are hard for Robo Solutions, a small local company that creates assembly-line robotics.
Lately, the clients have been few and far between. But today the sales staff got encouraging
news: James Pritchett, president of a nearby tool and die company, has inquired about the
possibility of the company's designing a series of computer-run robots for key processes in
the plant. There's a hitch, though: it's Sara Mcann's turn to try to snare his business (and his
commission)- and Pritchett is know to prefer dealing with men. Do you, as Robo Solutions
sales manager, send Sarah anyway, or do you send one of your male salespeople to get
Pritchett's business, giving Sarah a shot at the next potential client? How would you solve this
communication-and ethics-problem?

Ans : As a business person I would want to make the potential client feel as comfortable as
possible in order to increase my chances of signing a deal. However, ethically I could not, and
would not, discriminate against a salesperson based on sex, race or religion. First, I would talk
to Sarah Mcann about Mr. Pritchett's business and how he is known to prefer dealing with
men. Ultimately it is her decision as to whether or not she would like to pursue the deal on
her own or maybe she would consider taking a male partner with her or chose to send one of
the male salespeople and work with the next potential client. I would not make this decision
for her, and would be completely confident in her capabilities as a salesperson.