Case study analysis and findings

Acu San Case Study

The Situation a) Kelly Thomson

Kelly believes that the company and namely his software department is incapable of properly processing the amount of work with which they are being tasked. He bases his assumption on the sound arguments of insufficient personnel, large amount of work and tight deadlines.

While being pressured to design several prototypes for the new product and in the same time maintain the good quality of the old ones, Kelly believes that he would only be capable of designing a single feature for the product.

Kelly believes that the former success of the retinal scan was only due to sufficient time and resources to develop it. Behind this assumption lays the sound argument of previous experience and professional expertise.

Assumption 4: The software engineer believes that Pat Lambert's expectations are far fetched and that no matter how much money the company is willing to invest, the deadline is too short. He bases his belief on his previous work with the retinal scan and his programmers.

Kelly Thomson is a rational person who bases all his decisions on actual facts but he sometimes lets feelings influence his behavior with his colleagues, especially in the constant quarrels with Pat Lambert.

A b) Pat Lambert

Assumption 1: When writing the Progress Report: "Operation Optimize" aside with Chris Martinas, Pat believed that the new retinal scan individually adapted for customers is a product that would revolutionize the market and insure Acusan's leading position.

Arguments for the assumption: On stating that the new individual retinal scan would bring success upon the company, Pat based his assumption on the fact that no other producer possessed the necessary technology to develop such a device.

Evaluating the arguments: The above mentioned argument is an unsound one as later on it has been proved that Secur -- a were already preparing the launch of their new similar product.

Assumption 2: Pat Believes that in order to develop a new prototype by the end of 2004, the software compartment needs additional assistance. The argument behind this assumption is a sound one as the great amount of work is quite impossible to be done in such short time.

Assumption 3: Pat Lambert feels that the programming part of the new retinal scan product should be delegated to an external contractor. Instead of basing this assumption on the fact that the tasks outnumber the capabilities of the employees, she bases it on her continuous arguments with Software Engineer Kelly Thomson, which make an unsound argument.

Assumption 4: Despite all arguments, Pat is convinced that all the work on the retinal scan product can be realized internally and within the short time limits initially imposed. Her mistake is that she does not consider the company's abilities, but her own determination, an unsound argument.

Assumption 5: Pat believes that Kelly is against developing the new product and simply does not to work on it due to personal reasons. Her assumption is based on feelings rather than rational thinking; an unsound argument.

Assumption 6: The new Marketing Director assumes that the software department is in fact capable of handling the requested amount of work within the deadline. This assumption is based on a private conversation with a programmer. This means that coming from a safe source, the argument is sound, however immoral the means of obtaining it or the questionable response obtained.

Pat is a new employee with AcuSan and her desire to succeed is immense. This is probably why she is being unreasonable and comes into conflict with most involved parties, contradicting herself on several occasions. Pat is an emotional person trying to hide behind the mask of reason.

A c) Cliff O'Connor

Assumptions: The CEO of AcuSan is confident of the future success brought about by the actions regarding the following year. Given the dramatic need for budget reductions, Cliff allows his employees and staff managers to decide for themselves where to apply financial reductions assuming that they are the most suitable persons for this particular task.

Arguments for the assumptions: Cliff O'Connor's assumptions are mostly based on his confidence towards his employees and he entrusts them with the budget related issues.

Evaluating the arguments: The CEO bases his believes on sound arguments: the qualifications of his staff members and mostly on Pat Lambert's creativity and Chris Martinas' professional expertise.

A d) Chris Martinas

Assumptions: Along with Pat Lambert, Chris believes that in order for AcuSan to regain their leading position on the market, the company needs to develop new products that are focused on satisfying customer needs yet undiscovered.

Arguments for the assumptions: Pat's and Chris's suggestion that the company develop new products and launch them onto different markets is based on the fact that the recent statistics received from the Marketing Department are unsatisfactory.

Evaluating the arguments: The unsatisfactory statistics received from the Marketing Department make a sound argument as the leading position of AcuSan on the market is being challenged by competitors' intense efforts to elaborate new strategies.

Another assumption made by the VP of Product Development is that the "Operation Optimize" plan would only require minimal costs. The argument behind this assumption is an unsound one as later on it has been proved that the operation would also require several additional costs that would raise significant financial difficulties for AcuSan.

1.2 the Conflict

The main responsible for the conflict in AcuSan is the new Marketing Director as she does not take into consideration her colleague's advice. She does not believe that the software department faces a time crisis as well as a personnel one and believes that Kelly Thomson denies her tasks out of personal grudge.

2. Conclusions

The main problems with AcuSan regard three different issues: insufficient financial support, reduced number of personnel and strict time limits.

As the incomes of the producer have decreased dramatically, the CEO was forced to reduce the company's budget through several means, the most important of which being staff reduction. This only led to another crisis: insufficient personnel to perform the work. Only within the software department, 25% of the employees have been let go.

In order to be the first ones to launch the new product on the market, AcuSan has to meet drastic deadlines, deadlines considered impossible by Chief Engineer of Product Software, Kelly Thomson. Therefore, the most sever problem of AcuSan is the software department's incapacity of processing the work they are being tasked with.

The most appropriate solution to the given problem would be that of contracting an external company to aid with the programming side of the new retinal scan product. Such an alternative would offer the advantages of increased human resources, experience and services offered from both employees as well as developers from outside the company. Probably the most convincing argument would be that of increasing AcuSan's chances of presenting the product on the market within the previously imposed time limits. Furthermore, contracting external developers could change the working environment at AcuSan, in the meaning of releasing the existing tension and replacing it with the possibility of learning new things and developing friendship relationships.

3. Executive Summary