Case Study
Cyber Software, Inc. is a medium size manufacturer of cyber protection software products. The company has gross sales of 20 million dollars. Expenses are approximately 8 million dollars leaving an after tax profit of 10 million dollars per annum. Some of their major clients include local retail businesses as well as state and municipal governments. One medium sized client is the Baltimore City Government. Yesterday, the city found that their website was hacked and credit card information provided to pay water, sewer, real estate tax, and parking tickets was accessed. It was suspected that the hacking was part of the recent attacks by Russian cyber thieves.
Joseph Jackson is the CEO and owner of the corporation. Fortunately for Jackson the company was able to respond quickly and only 275 people were affected by the hacking. However, this was a wakeup call for Jackson. He knew that if he was to continue growing the business he would have to develop better software as well as faster clean up procedures for the victims. Jackson felt it was imperative that the company always remain on the cutting edge of the industry so that his customers felt safe and trusted the company's work. He takes pride in the fact that the company has been capable of keeping his client's information safe. In reaction to the break in at the City, and wanting to keep their business moving forward, Jackson realizes that several changes need to take place. First, the vision and mission statements in place need revision.
The existing vision statement of Cyber Software, Inc. is:
The top software security company that strives to provide the best protection to our customers.
The existing mission statement of Cyber Software, Inc. is:
Help customers secure information through innovative services
Second, Jackson decided that he would set up a separate division to work on new program development and a third division to focus on victim clean up and damage control. He thought the third division would provide a good selling point to potential new clients as none of his competitors offered this service. The new development division required the hiring of four new program developers with extensive cyber security background. They all had good skills and some had actual experience in helping to uncover a few cyber thieves in the Target incident. They were creative and motivated to help protect people from having their property stolen. Knowing the nature of programmers Jackson did not structure the new development division. Their progress or program approach was left to the programmers. In fact, Jackson, in general, tried to keep the company as a whole free from a bureaucratic or structured environment. A year into the project the four programmers began to diverge so much in their programming approach that it became extremely expensive and in some ways they were wasting resources by covering similar ground. Nobody could agree as to which course of action was most effective.
In the current client/customer service division two programmers were hired as well as two experienced credit specialists, and two paralegals. Further, the division's lack of structure has allowed a few strong personalities to emerge and he individuals cannot seem to get along. Like the new development division, customer service seems to be spinning their wheels in developing standard procedures and credit protection help for victims.
Also, both divisions were pulling people from their existing clients to help work on the project. Jackson knew that interfacing with ongoing work would help but it was ad hoc and disturbing existing work. Jackson could see that he would have to rethink his position on structure and "free" work environment if the company was to continue to grow.
It's time for an organizational structure and plan. A review of the budget revealed that the company could afford to allocate $1,500,000 to the operation of the two divisions before they would have a sellable product. Existing salaries and expenses are $750,000. This means that they have one year to get all viable projects on the market.
In the second assignment, students will complete a mini-management plan that demonstrates how an organization operates on a day-to-day basis as well as over the long run. This assignment helps students develop the skills necessary to assess a management situation and to write a report based on the findings
A management plan is a report that includes numerous sections that cover various aspects of the business.
Outcome Met by Completing This Assignment:
•integrate management theories and principles into management practices
•employ effective planning processes to develop strategies, goals, and objectives in order to enhance performance and sustainability
•organize human, physical, and financial resources for the effective and efficient attainment of organizational goals
•identify the essential characteristics of decision making and indicate the range and types of decisions a manager makes
Instructions:
In this assignment students will take the role of the Vice President of Operation creating a mini-management plan that focuses on those aspects of the business related to planning and organizing. As Vice President of Operations, Joseph Jackson, the leader of Cyber Software, Inc., has asked you to help him solve his organizational problems. This mini-management plan is a professionally written document that will be given to Joseph Jackson.
In writing the plan, you must use the terminology learned in the course. Since Joe Jackson is quite knowledgeable, you are not defining terms using a dictionary but you will explain and describe concepts and ideas so Joseph Jackson understands what you mean, why the ideas are important to the business and how to implement the proposed plan. The plan is not one in which the Vice President of Operations tells Joseph Jackson that he should do this or do that or he needs to or will do this or do that but one that is presented in an action-oriented manner. Students are expected to make connections between the facts of the case study and concepts, theories, and ideas presented in the course readings.
The mini-management plan will structure the entire company and will cover Joseph Jackson's organization's mission, vision, structure and culture.
Step 1: Review "How to Analyze a Case Study" under Week 3 Content.
Step 2: Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document. This mini-management plan should be presented in a professional manner using single space, double-spaced between paragraphs. The final product will be between 5-7 pages in length excluding the title page, diagrams and reference page.
Step 3: Title page with your name, the course name, the date, and the instructor's name.
Step 4: Since students are probably not familiar with writing a management plan, the following resources have been provided to assist in writing the plan.
1.How to Write a Management Plan
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/effective-manager/management-plan/main
1.Management Plan Example
https://wakenature.wordpress.com/resources/management-plan-examples/
Step 5: In writing a case study, the writing is in the third person. What this means is that there are no words such as "I, me, my, we, or us" (first person writing), nor is there use of "you or your" (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person
Step 6: In writing this assignment, students are expected to support the reasoning using in-text citations and a reference list. If any material is used from a source, it must be cited and referenced. A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa. View the sample APA paper under Week 1 content.
Step 7: In writing this assignment, students are expected to paraphrase and not use direct quotes. Learn to paraphrase by reviewing this link: https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html
Step 8: In writing this assignment, students may use external resources but the majority of resources will come from the course.
Step 9: Review the grading rubric for the assignment.
Step 10: Read critically and analyze the case study provided under Week 5 content. Notate the key points in the case study.
Step 11: Create the introductory paragraph.
The introductory paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper but is typically written after writing the body of the paper (Questions students responded to above). View this website to learn how to write an introductory paragraph: https://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html
Step 12: Respond to the required elements of the assignment. Be clear and concise in the writing and make sure the questions are comprehensively answered.
1.Provide a brief management history of Cyber Software, Inc.;
2.Help Joe Jackson by proposing a new mission statement and vision statement that align with what Joseph Jackson now envisions for his company;
1.Explain why the new mission statement and vision statement are appropriate for Cyber Software, Inc.;
2.Discuss other aspects of the planning phase that impacts Cyber Software, Inc.;
3.Create an organizational structure that aligns with the vision of Joseph Jackson
1.Structure the entire company;
2. Explain why the structure is the most appropriate structure for Cyber Software, Inc.;
3.Discuss why other structures are not appropriate;
4.Illustrate and discuss the new structure with an organizational chart with names, job titles, and direct reports. Be creative but make sure the jobs fit into the allotted budget;
4.Create an organizational culture that aligns with the vision of Joseph Jackson and his new organization structure;
5.Explain how the new organizational structure and culture affect the planning and organizing facet of Joe's business and prevent future mishaps;
1.Use at least four references from the course material and at least three outside resources.
Step 13: Using the grading rubric as a comparison, read through the paper to ensure all required elements are presented.
Step 14: Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing.
•Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a first measure;
•Have someone who has excellent English skills to proof the paper;
•Consider submitting the paper to the Effective Writing Center (EWC). The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.