Homework Clinic
Social Science Clinic => Business => Management => Topic started by: genevieve1028 on Nov 14, 2019
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Suzie Desouza, the Manager of Industrial Relations at Zeta Manufacturing, has just been informed that the union representing the assembly workers has rejected management's latest offer and has issued a strike notice. Suzie is very angry at both her superiors and the union representatives for their intransigence on key negotiation issues, but she tries to keep her cool as she prepares for yet another marathon bargaining session. She is concerned that the strike will lead to layoffs in other areas of the company, and she worries about those individuals who will be adversely affected if the next round of negotiations fails. She has been told by her boss to try to avoid a strike at all costs. Yet, her boss was the one who recommended countering the union's previous offer with the current failed offer. Based on the pace of negotiations to date, she predicts that even round-the-clock negotiations will not result in a settlement soon enough to avert the strike. As she sits at her desk, she glances at the pictures of her two children who she has hardly seen since negotiations started last month. She also notices that the in-basket of her mail tray is overflowing and she has nearly 100 unopened email messages (half of them marked "URGENT"). As she pops another pill for her high blood pressure problem, she sighs, "Where do I start?" Analyze Suzie's situation in terms of stressors, stress, and stress reaction.
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The managerial stressors affecting Suzie are role overload (e.g., too much to do in too little time) and heavy responsibility (e.g., she is worried about the layoffs which will result if she cannot reach an agreement). There is also evidence of role ambiguity (e.g., the boss's directive to avoid a strike at all costs, and yet he rejected the union's previous offer), and work-family conflict (e.g., she has not seen much of her children lately). In addition, Suzie exhibits a Type A behaviour pattern, and her repressed anger for her boss and the union representatives may be contributing to her high blood pressure problem.
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Thank you.