EULOGIO “AMANG” RODRIGUEZ INSTITUTE

OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (EARIST)

Graduate School
Masters in Public Administration
Human Behavior in the Organization
First Semester of SY 2019-2020, Saturday 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

CASE STUDY

Hy Dairies, Inc.
Topic

Presented by:

ADRIANNE B. AÑONUEVO ALVIN O. RUBENECIA ALEX M. SANTICO

Professor:

DR. MELBA S. ASUNCION

 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Hy Dairies, Inc., a large midwestern milk products manufacturer, had its

sales volume and product market share improved and increased over the past
two quarters compared with the previous years. Mr. Syd Gilman, the Vice
President of Marketing in Hy Dairies, was pleased to see such results and that
the marketing strategy to improve the sagging sales of Hy’s gourmet ice cream
brand worked.
An employee, Ms. Rochelle Beauport, who joined Hy less than 2 years
ago, could be credited for the improvement of the sales of the Hy gourmet ice
cream. She was one of the few women of color in marketing management at Hy
Dairies and had a promising career with the company. Mr. Gilman was pleased
with Ms. Beauport’s work and he wanted to reward her by offering her the job of
market research coordinator which would broaden her marketing experience,
with some high-profile work.
Rochelle Beauport was not glad about the new position as she enjoyed
brand management and the opportunity to control a product that directly affected
the company's profitability. She felt that the new job was a backroom job and that
she was being sidelined. She did not feel that this was the route to the top. She
did not know that Gilman’s career had been boosted after occupying this position
at Hy several years before. She was shocked and wondered whether she had
done something wrong to deserve this treatment. She felt that she was being
sidelined because she was a woman, and a person of color. She perceived the
treatment to be similar to that in her previous employment. Beauport did not
know whether she must confront Gilman and try to change the sexist and racist
practices at Hy Dairies or to leave the company.
During the study, we are going to analyze if there are perceptual errors
occurring among the company, Hy Dairies, Mr. Syd Gilman, and Ms. Rochelle
Beauport. Furthermore, we would like to determine the effect of stereotyping to
organizations and what are the measures an organization can do to minimize
misperceptions.
Necessary identification of errors would be critical since if not addressed,
may lead to further conflict among employees in the future and eventually, may
result to mis-management of employees.
 CHAPTER 2
PRESENT OBJECTIVES AND MISSION

For Mr. Syd Gilman, his objective was to return the favor to his employee who
became an instrument of success of Hy Dairies. Upon seeing the company’s
sales, which increased significantly, he thought of using the reward system to
even boost his employee’s skills and confidence especially that would expose
her to a broader experience in some high-profile work and eventually enhance
her career. His mission was to communicate with Beauport and offer/convince
her to take the management research coordinator position.
For Ms. Rochelle Beauport, her objective was to accomplish her work as the
assistant brand manager, deliver quality work and get to the top management
position. Shocked with the offer of Gilman, she wasn’t able to raise protest at the
moment of their conversation. But with all the considerations that she made, she
thought of making a decision on whether to confront Gilman and try to change Hy
Dairies' sexist and possibly racist practices or to leave the company.

CHAPTER 3
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

For Rochelle Beauport

 There is a misinterpretation of the position offered: Market Research
Coordinator
 Stereotyping – perception that maybe because of her color, she was set
aside or has been sidelined
 Selective attention – focusing on one side of the story and using only her
past experience as the basis of her view on the situation
 Social Interaction – she did not know her boss well enough to be openly
critical

For Syd Gilman

 Myopic Thinking and stereotyping – he thought that his offer to Beauport
would help her broaden her experience and enhance her career, but
actually, he was not aware of the different self and social concepts of
others
 Low interaction/ Lack of effective communication – as Vice President of
the company, Gilman made the decision to offer a position which he thinks
is the best for the employee. He wasn’t able to communicate with
 Beauport properly regarding her personal goals, what are her strengths, in
which field does she think excels the most, etc.
3.1. External Analysis

Political Factor

What is political in the story of HY Dairies Inc. is that the perceptional error
made by Rochelle Beauport as a result of her past work experience in
another company where it laid the basis for her fears. It made it clear that
women “couldn’t take the heat” in marketing management and inclined to put
women in technical support positions after a brief term in lower brand
management jobs. It was Political socialization is the idea that, during
childhood, people are indoctrinated into socially constructed norms of politics.
In the case of women's representation in government, it says that sex
stereotyping begins at an early age and affects the public's disposition on
which genders are fit for public office. Socialization agents can include family,
school, higher education, mass media, and religion. /women in gov’t,
Wikipedia/

Economic Factor

Being one of the few women of color in marketing management at the firm
and had a promising career is in itself is a welcome development to the
industry as it would empower women and it will greatly level the playing field
of the corporate industry.

Socio-cultural Factor

Stereotyping is a copy of social identity theory, defined as the

method of assigning traits to people and happens when people
make a generalization usually exaggerated and sometimes
offensive. It lays the foundation for prejudice and discrimination in
society. Social identity explains how we perceive people through
categorization , homogenization and differentation. Rochelle
Beauport enjoyed being an assistant brand manager. It seems to
be more challenging and it directly affects the company’s
 profitability than the new position market research coordinator,
which was more towards backroom job. Besides Beauport
thought that marketing research was not the route to the top
management in most organizations. She also able to build up
perception that maybe because of her color and being a woman,
she was set aside or sidelined.

3.2 Internal Analysis

SWOT analysis
INTERNAL STRENGHT
- Rochelle Beauport is responsible for the high increase in product sales
and market share
- Having Rochelle Beauport as a com

WEAKNESS
- Syd Gilman has the opportunity to promote Rochelle Beauport. Rochelle
was offered the position of market research coordinator. She is not
pleased by this offer.
- Syd Gilman assumed was her positive response to hearing the career
opportunity.

OPPORTUNITY
- Gilman was pleased with Beauport work and tried to let her know this in
an annual performance reviews and had an opportunity to reward her by
offering the vacated position.
- Marketing research coordinator position could educate and help
individuals earn their way to the top the way it helped the career of Syd
Gilman.

THREATS
- Misconception the position being offered to her was a technical support
position, which she thought was a backroom job and the usual route to the
top management in most organizations.
 - Her previous employment experience taught her that women “couldn’t
take the heat” in marketing management and tended to place women in
technical support positions.

IV. ASSUMPTIONS

- The career path of an employee regardless of gender can improve or

progress as what happened to the career of Syd Gilman.

- Have a meaningful interaction or meeting – Syd Gilman should initiate an

action plan to break the ice or do something to relieve the tension and
allow Syd to clarify the situation. Both of them must apply empathy which
would help remove perceptions.

CHAPTER 5
SRATEGIC OPTIONS AND CHOICES

4.1. Promotion- Upper management are responsible for planning and

managing employees in terms of moving up/career growth. Rochelle Beauport
was not smitten with the new position as she enjoyed brand management and
the opportunity to control a product that directly affected the company's
profitability. She felt that the new job was backroom job and that she was being
side-lined. She did not feel that this was the route to the top, little knowing that
Gilman career had been boosted after occupying this position at Hy several
years before.
4.2. Hy Dairies a dairy company, showed increased sales and market share
of its gourmet ice creams. This credited to Rochelle Beauport , the Assistant
Brand Manager who was assigned the brand. Gilman the Vice President
Marketing was pleased with her work. He wanted to reward her by offering her
the job of market research coordinator which would broaden her marketing
experience, with some high profile work
4.3. Gilman recognized Beauport's surprise, which he assumed was her
positive response to hearing of this wonderful career opportunity . He, too, had
 been de-lighted several years earlier about his temporary transfer to marketing
research to round out his marketing experience . “ This move will be good for
both you and Hy Dairies ,” said Gilmans as he escorted Beauport from his
office.Beauport was preoccupied with several tasks that afternoon but was able
to consider the day's events that evening. She was one of the top women and
few minorities in brand management at Hy Dairies and feared that she was being
side-lined because the company didn't want women people of color in top
management. Her previous employer had made it quite clear that women “
couldn't take the heat” in marketing management and tended to place women in
technical support positions after a brief term in lower brand management jobs.
Obviously Syd Gilman and Hy Dairies were following the same game
plan.Gilman's comments that the coordinator job would be good for her was just
a nice way of saying that Beauport couldn't go any further in brand management
at Hy Dairies. Beauport now faced the difficult decision of whether to confront
Gilman sexist and possibly racist practices or to leave the company.

CHAPTER 6
IMPLEMENTATION

Key Area Activity Objectiv Department/Pers Time Fram Budget Success Indicat
s e on Responsible e or

CHAPTER 7
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
6.1. Conclusion
Rochelle Beauport believed she did not get the promotion she deserved
and sensed that she had been side-lined for being a women and a visible
minority. Rochelle is not pleased by Syd Gilman's offer of position for the market
research coordinator since she is one of the few minority employees in the
marketing management and is responsible for the high increase in product sales
and marketing share. As Gilman assumes, she is happy with the opportunity he
has offered her, Rochelle fears the Vice President has side-lined her and does
not want a women in top management position.

6.2. Recommendation
It is recommended to have a one-on-one meeting with Gilman which will
help Rochelle to communicate her concerns. By addressing Beauport's concerns,
this will allow Syd to clarify this situation and gives Gilman to explain himself.
This will enables both of them to empathize wich each other and creates a
meaningful interactions, enabling them to be more mindful with their thoughts
and action in future. In addition, this builds a stronger understanding of one
another.
Perceptual errors can’t be bypassed but they can be minimized. A big step in
minimizing perceptual biases is by being aware that they exist. By becoming
more aware of our beliefs, values and attitudes, we gain a better understanding
of biases in our own decisions and behaviour. We become more open-minded
and non-judgemental toward others.
One way Hy Dairies can help employees reduce perceptual errors is through
increased self-awareness. This can be done by applying the Johari Window. The
Johari Window is a communication model that helps improve understanding
between individuals by dividing information into four “windows”—open, blind,
hidden and unknown. The open area is information about yourself that you and
others already know. The blind area is information known to others but not to
you. The hidden area contains information that is only known to you and the
unknown area is information about your values, beliefs and experiences that
neither you nor others are aware of. By sharing or disclosing more of your hidden
area information to others, trust is built among you and your colleagues. This
trust and knowledge can help employees work better as a team.
A more indirect way of increasing self awareness is through meaningful
interaction. Meaningful interaction between staff and supervisors can break down
stereotypes and reduce prejudice because knowledge is gained about individuals
and their situation. It can improve empathy and thereby increase sensitivity and
awareness as to why a person reacts or behaves the way they do. If Gilman and
Beauport had a better, closer relationship and made the effort to get to know
each other better, perhaps he could have better explained to his reasoning
behind the offer of market Rochelle, then, may not have assumed the company
was involved in possible sexist and racist behaviour. The organization could offer
its employees more opportunities for meaningful reaction. The contact hypothesis
states that the more individuals interact with each other the less chance there is
of stereotyping or other perceptual errors.