This Written Case Study is our second, and it concerns an offer that went awry.  This circumstance is far more common than we would like to think.  It the case, you will assume the role of Joan Cutter, the HR Manager. I am interested in your views and solution, but like with the first case, that has to be backed up by annotated research and good writing. There are several alternative actions in answer to this circumstance, but there are also risks, ethical issues and costs associated with each choice.  

Please submit all of your work in a format that is compatible with Microsoft Office. Check under /Content /Syllabus for the outline and grading Rubric used for cases, here:

HRM Undergraduate Case Study Guide Alt Text needed

 and here:

Case Study Rubric Needs alt text

.  The case is available under /Content / Written Case Assignments, here:

The Ideal Candidate

and is also attached below.  Check your “TurnitIn” score to make sure all your quotations are properly documented, and that the work is original to you, and that you percentage is not too high overall.  

If you have any questions, please let me know.

I look forward to reading what you make of “The Ideal Candidate”

TheIdeal Candidate

Ted sat back in his chair and smiled. He had found the right candidate to manage the research
department. The whole interview and selection process had been tedious, but Ted knew he had found a
winner in Mark. Not only did he have the technical and management skill Ted was looking for, but his
references were sterling. With the offer call, he prayed that Mark would accept as he called to make the
offer.

“Research, this is Mark”, said a hoarse voice on the receiving end of the phone.

“Mark, this is Ted Fenton calling. You sound terrible. Are you OK?”

“Oh, I’m much better than I sound. It’s just a cold. So what’s up, Ted?”

“I’m calling to offer you the position here at $150,000 per year. How does that sound?”

“Terrific, Ted. I accept! Just send over the formal offer and I’ll give notice here.”

Finishing the call, Mark thought “Boy am I glad that’s over with. It will be so great to have Mark heading
up our research department, and to finally be done with this,” he said as he dumped a giant file of
resumes in the trash can.

Two weeks later, Joan Cutter, the Human Resources Manager, arrived at Ted’s office with their newest
employee in tow. “Ted, I’ve brought Mark Simmons up for his orientation. How would you like to get
started?” Ted coughed nervously and extended his hand.

“Mark…welcome aboard. We’re uh… so glad to uh…have you,” he stuttered. “Mark…uh…uhm…could
you excuse us a moment please? I’ll be with you shortly. We’ve got a crisis on our hands with
…uh…um…one of our government contractors. I’m sure I won’t be long,” Ted said as he ushered Mark
out of his office to a waiting area across the hall.

Ted sped back to his office and closed the door. Still gripping the handle, he slumped against the door
and began to grow pale.

“What is it, Ted?” Joan asked with sincere concern. “Are you ill?”

“Christ, Joan, this isn’t the guy I hired. I hired a different person. I know this guy’s name is Mark, but
he’s not the guy I wanted. How the heck did this happen?” Ted was starting to develop visible drops of
perspiration above his lip as Joan responded. “Our paperwork indicated you hired Mark Simmons. This
is Mark Simmons. Here’s a copy of the offer letter and his file.” Ted looked at the file, flipping through
the application and resume. The papers rattled in his quaking hands. He started to pace and then let
out a howl as his knee knocked against an arm chair. He raced to his desk and started rifling through
papers until he remembered he had already thrown out all the resumes. Then he looked at Mark
Simmons’s file again and began to put the pieces together. The sudden realization caused him to slide
slowly and limply into his desk chair. “How could I have been so stupid?” First he looked befuddled and
distraught, then his demeanor assumed a catatonic quality.

Joan was really growing concerned. She stared at him awkwardly and finally broke the silence.

“Look, Ted, could you be a little more specific? I’ll see what I can do to help you.”

“There’s nothing you can do. I screwed up. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with this.”

“Deal with what?”

“The guy I intended to hire was Mark Simon, not Simmons. When I called this Mark, I must’ve picked up
the wrong file. He had a cold when I called, so I didn’t notice the difference in voice. I was so excited
when he accepted that I just handed the papers to Sue to send out an offer letter. She handled the rest
and I just forgot about it. Joan, I don’t know how to say this but the guy sitting out there is the last
person I would hire. He’s a total jerk- and a weird-o on top of it. He’s ok technically, but during the
interview he started preaching all this religious stuff to me and asked me about my church affiliation.
He pulled out some holy water and wanted to anoint me at one point. I had a hard time keeping him
focused on the interview. We are in deep crap here.”

Joan was stunned. She could usually solve problems, but this one was a doozy.

“It’s not like I can say, ‘Whoops, sorry we offered you the job by mistake. You can go back to your cult
or wherever you came from.’ I mean Joan, this guy resigned from a perfectly good job. You have got to
help me, Joan! I’ve just hired the employee from hell!” he gasped, fearing her answer.

CaseStudy General Guidelines

If you are new enough to business school that you have not experienced many written case studies, let
me provide a simple introduction and approach.

What are Case Studies?

Case studies are basically just business stories. As such, they are about realistic, often complex situations
that often involve a conflict, choice or challenge that one or more of the characters in the case must
negotiate.

Why Case Studies?

Case studies “bridge the gap between theory and practice and between the academy and the
workplace” (Barkley, Cross, and Major 2005, p.182). They also give students practice identifying the
parameters of a problem, recognizing and articulating positions, evaluating courses of action, and
arguing different points of view.

When designing the class, I consulted with a number of HR colleagues to find out what they thought was
most important to cover in a course of this type. If you know HR people, it probably will not surprise
you to learn they disagreed on many things, and gave me a list of course topics that would take three
years to cover. What they all agreed on was that case studies were the best (two said “only”) way to
teach this material.

Professional management experience usually exhibits itself through the identification of alternatives.
Think of a time when someone (maybe you) saw a workplace problem through a different lens than
others, and was able to provide a solution the rest of the stakeholders hadn’t thought of. In case
studies we put you in a variety of circumstances as a decision maker. This provides an opportunity for
you to research better approaches to those problems when you aren’t personally involved, and then
when a similar circumstance arises in real life, you have an “alternative” to fall back on.

What is a good approach to use when answering a case study?

The following is not the only method to answer a case study, but is a one several colleagues have
recommended, and it is a great way to begin if your experience is limited with cases.

1. Read, analyze and examine the case thoroughly- take notes on your reading, use a highlighter
and search for details not easily noticed on a quick read-through.

2. Focus your analysis
a. Identify at least 2-3 key problems that you have to cover in the case study. You may see

more than that, but recognize that it is almost never a single problem.
b. Try to understand why these problems exist – Think in terms of a root cause. For

instance, if the case deals with low morale among all employees, “low wages” may be a
contributor, but it probably isn’t the root cause of the problem.

c. What is the impact of these problems on the organization? – What is likely to happen
next if nothing changes? This is your impetus for change.

d. Who and what is responsible for these problems? Is it cultural, financial, structural, a
people problem, etc.?

3. Uncover possible solutions by reading, experience, outside research, and analysis. This is what
makes it a college level course. You need to find data and solutions outside the readings
provided in class. This does not mean Wikipedia, the Encyclopedia Britannica or your textbook.
Search for companies that had similar issues, find a solution to the problem that has been used
before in another industry, talk to someone you know who has experience, etc. Find answers to
the problem that go beyond the obvious and cite every source according to APA guidelines.

4. Select the best solution by looking for its pros and cons and checking whether the solution is
realistic or not. Research and latest trends are great- and they help your grade, but a solution
that is practical, proven and inexpensive is usually the best approach.

What is a good outline to use when writing a case study analysis?

Try this format for your first case:

Outline:

a. Introduction – start with a summary of the case and the main issues as you see them, formulate
a thesis statement and elaborate on it.

b. Findings – describe the issues identified and a brief analysis of them. Analyses should be
supported by proper evidence and facts given together with relevant theory and course
concepts.

c. Discussion is the main and crucial part of the case. This is the largest part of the writing.
d. Alternative solutions and Implementation
e. References

How long does it have to be?

Most instructors hate answering this question, and many refuse to do so. I am not one of them. APA
style formatting, double spaced, some standard font size 12, it should be a minimum of three pages,
excluding the cover page and the reference page(s). I am of course more interested in content than
length.

Case Study Grading Rubric

Criteria 90-100%
(Material Mastery)

80-89%
(Solid Accomplishment)

70-79%
(Respectable, Adequate)

Below 70%
(Mediocre or Unacceptable)

Identification of
the Main
Issues/Problems

Identifies & understands
all of the main issues in
the case

Identifies and
understands most of
the main issues in the
case

Identifies and
understands some of
the issues in the case

Identifies and understands
few of the issues in the case

Completeness Complete in all respects;
reflects all requirements

Complete in most
respects; reflects most
requirements

Incomplete in many
respects; reflects some
requirements

Incomplete in most
respects; does not reflect
requirements

Analysis,
evaluation, and
recommendations

Presents detailed,
realistic, and
appropriate
recommendations
clearly supported by the
information presented
and concepts from the
reading

Presents specific,
realistic, and
appropriate
recommendations
supported by the
information presented
and concepts from the
reading

Presents realistic or
appropriate
recommendations
supported by the
information presented
and concepts from the
reading

Presents an incomplete
analysis of the issues
identified

Research Supplements case study
with relevant and
extensive research into
the present situation of
the company; clearly
and thoroughly
documents all sources
of information; uses
only recognized
business periodicals and
journal articles as main
sources

Supplements case
study with relevant
research into the
present situation of
the company;
documents all sources
of information; uses
mostly recognized
business periodicals
and journal articles as
main sources

Supplements case study
with limited research
into the present
situation of the
company; provides
limited documentation
of sources consulted;
uses some recognized
business periodicals and
journal articles as main
sources

Supplements case study, if
at all, with incomplete
research and
documentation; limited or
no use of recognized
business periodicals and
journal articles as main
sources

Writing
Mechanics

Writing demonstrates a
sophisticated clarity,
conciseness, and
correctness; includes
thorough details and
relevant data and
information; extremely
well-organized

Writing is
accomplished in terms
of clarity and
conciseness and
contains only a few
errors; incudes
sufficient details and
relevant data and
information; well-
organized

Writing lacks clarity or
conciseness and
contains numerous
errors; gives insufficient
detail and relevant data
and information; lacks
organization

Writing is unfocused,
rambling, or contains
serious errors; lacks detail
and relevant data and
information; poorly
organized