You are a project manager for Advancement Corporation, which specializes in providing quality pharmaceuticals to doctors throughout the United States. The company has over 20,000 employees. It is critical that skilled scientists and technicians be hired to ensure the proper development of pharmaceuticals through clinical trials. It is absolutely essential for Advancement Corporation to continuously recruit, select, and train qualified personnel.
A predatory executive search firm has convinced many of the leading scientists in the company (about 20 people) to hand in their resignations after accepting employment with Advancement Corporation’s main competitor.
As the project manager chosen by the CEO to address and rectify this crisis, you are granted the following authority:
You have the ability to act as the CEO’s deputy. This fact is known throughout the company based on a top management meeting with the CEO.
The whole company understands that this is a full-time project manager position.
As the project manager, respond to the following questions:
In your opinion, what will be the greatest opportunity and the greatest challenge that you will face in relation to planning and executing an ongoing solution to the company’s staffing dilemma?
In developing a plan to be presented to top management, in your opinion, what factors should you consider in terms of the costs, scope, quality, and risk issues associated with your proposal for dealing with this crisis?
Unit 2
After presenting the CEO with your strategy based on a successful joint meeting held with the executive director of research and development and the executive director of sales, the CEO has informed you that in fact she wants you to develop this plan according to the phases of the project management life cycle: starting, planning, executing, and providing closure for a project.
In your opinion, what are the limitations of the project management life cycle theory?
How would you improve the project management plans of two other project managers if you were the project manager of their respective projects? Be supportive and constructive.
Unit 3
You have subsequently hired recruiters who are not having a great deal of success recruiting and selecting scientists. The dilemma is that these same recruiters, who now represent the bulk of your recruitment staff, are much better at recruiting and selecting sales personnel. The problem is that you probably should have split the difference and hired more sales-oriented recruiters, but you failed to do this.
Your choices are the following:
Allocate additional funds in the budget for additional scientific recruiters
Train the existing recruitment staff so that they are prepared to recruit and select the appropriate scientists.
Respond to the following questions:
In your opinion, what are the main issues pertaining to conflict and conflict resolution?
How do you demonstrate your ability to effectively deal with conflict?
In your opinion, what are the real-life solutions to the problem?
What are the criteria for success for this project and how will you measure success?
Use a format similar to the following:
Unit 4
The CEO knows that there are many technological enhancements that can potentially assist you and the project managers. At the next meeting, you and the other project managers have been asked to provide your responses to the CEO:
How does videoconferencing enhance the communication techniques of a technologically savvy project manager in relation to the company's specific strategic plan?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of two similar videoconferencing products? <
Unit 5
The recruitment of key personnel such as recruitment specialists, sales managers, and scientists is now well under control and almost complete. Your company needs three more scientists, and an executive recruiter offers you the opportunity, within budget, for providing you with the means of acquiring these badly needed personnel. The dilemma is that the executive recruiter will headhunt or steal these three scientists from your competitors. He will also use false pretenses to gain entry to these organizations over the phone. You do not know if his methods are ethical or even legal, but you are fairly certain that he will be successful in his quest for making his sale of scientists to your organization.
Your discussion with your coworkers and the CEO should address the following questions:
What are the ethical considerations that will factor into your discussion with coworkers and the CEO whether to utilize the executive recruiter’s services?
What are the ethical guidelines you will provide to the executive recruiter if your organization utilizes his services?
What will you do to further ensure that your organization will be in legal compliance while using the executive recruiter’s services?
Do you agree or disagree with at least two others in the discussion on their suggestions for handling the situation? Explain your rationale.