Kramer Pharmaceuticals - Harvard Business Case Study

As a manager, Bob Marsh had many management issues that prevented him from getting an exemplary recommendation from the supervisors. These management issues included company loyalty, cooperation, work habits, and sincerity. Out of these four issues, the most critical management issues that Bob Marsh suffered included poor work habits and company loyalty.

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All the reports of the different supervisors stated that Bob Marsh practiced poor record keeping, organization, planning, and prejudgment. Poor record keeping is mentioned in his automobile and bag affected his performances while marketing on behalf of the company. Poor planning meant that he lacked consistency in meeting with the physicians and dentists within his territory. He practiced a technique in which he would only meet with the physicians and dentists whom he felt were available with no advance preparations. This later affected his record keeping since it was difficult for him to know some of the places he had visited and made sales. His first supervisor noted his tendency the prejudgment of clients, and this often resulted in him making decisions for the clients. Also, he would also give the clients the products that he thought were suitable. His tendency to prejudge situations is also seen in most company meetings in which he often assumes to know the best programs suited for the company.

This issue can be solved by the provision of a standard training on company methods of record keeping, planning, and organization. When the company provides people with specific criteria to use in these activities, all employees will have to comply. The methods have to be aligned with the needs of supervisors. This will give the supervisors the ability to assess the performance of company employees with the minimal use of resources. In the case of prejudgment, the company employees should be given the chance to share their views during the meetings but then the company management will have to provide them with the final say. It should be clear for all employees on the best strategies to use while dealing with potential clients. Good record keeping habits include making records based on daily experiences. A manager has to document every details and decide whether to use electronic filing system or cabinet filing system. In the case of Kramer Pharmaceuticals, an electronic filing system would prove efficient since it will make the data readily available to all company staff. Planning is directly related to record keeping since it will determine the physicians and dentists visited in a day. By documenting the plans, a manager will find it easier to make records later. Organization is mainly a factor that determines how the clients will judge the salesperson. In the case of Bob Marsh, his performance was excellent but he lacked organization in his bag and automobile. This taints the image of the organization. It becomes important for staff to organize all the equipment they will use for the sales.

Company loyalty

Bob Marsh was dedicated to becoming a successful salesperson at all costs. In the process, he lost track of the required company loyalty. This is shown when he chooses the programs to use and the products to sell to specific physicians and dentists. His tendency to choose the promotional programs to use questions his contribution in teamwork. During the meetings, the sales teams would agree on the choice of promotional programs to use but then he would be selective with his options. Doing this would affect the ability of the company to explain the overall results of the sales. The instance when he lies to his supervisor about a physician not being available for a meeting also shows his little regard for the company. By doing this, he obstructs the supervisor from doing his duty of assessing the performance of sales in the area.

Instead of questioning the major company promotional programs, he should have suggested better ways to improve the strategies. He could have easily achieved this by using the data from Toledo, Ohio. This would enable the meetings to conclude with programs that suit all salespersons. Company loyalty is related to employee satisfaction. Employee satisfaction is determined by the level of support services offered by a company. The training services offered by the company are supposed to increase company loyalty among the staff. The managers have to include their employees in decision making to increase their loyalty. When the employees are part of making the major promotional programs, they will be likely to dedicate more efforts in the implementation stages. All staff should provide their supervisors with genuine information so that assessments become reliable. Genuine information has to be about what people keep in their records. Companies should always make clear the repercussions of dishonesty when it comes to the provision of information (Pittard & Weeks, 2007). When this is done, all employees will provide information that can be explained by the provided records. In return, this will increase efficiency in the companys assessment of programs and employee performance.

References

Pittard, M. J. & Weeks, P., 2007. Public sector employment in the twenty-first century. 4th ed. The Australian National University, A.C.T.: ANU E Press.