Phoenix Advertising, with its main headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, serves clients
that include banks, insurance companies and local businesses such as restaurants and
shops. You’re the vice president of human resources management at Phoenix, and you
report directly to Gregory S. Forest, the president of the company.
Mr. Forest advises you that in the last month, four clients have complained about the
advertising work produced by the Roanoke, Virginia branch of the agency. He reminds
you that the Roanoke branch and its clients are vital to the overall success of the company.
Mr. Forest explains what he has learned about the situation at the Roanoke branch over
the last three months. Three graphic designers and four copywriters have threatened to
quit because their creative contributions on projects are being rejected or revised without
their input. They want to be part of a collaborative team, not to simply produce work that
the art directors and account executives can alter arbitrarily. These changes to projects
have also caused tension between the creative teams and account managers, causing
an art director and an account manager to leave the agency.
In addition to the four clients who complained, others have not renewed their contracts
with Roanoke. Several have posted poor reviews of the Roanoke branch on social media
sites, leading to a drop in profits.
In an attempt to increase revenues, the branch is accepting new clients without evaluating
the effects of the new accounts on the current project workload. As a result, without
notice or compensation for the additional hours, all salaried employees are required to
work long hours several days each week. Employee morale and productivity are declining
day by day.
Your investigative goals are to
– Identify and describe specifically the causes (root issues underlying) each problem
– Show the impact of each problem on the business and on employee morale
– Provide specific recommendations for resolving the problems to restore the
Roanoke branch to full productivity