Review the attached guidelines and rubric for Case Analysis.
Complete a Case Analysis of Case Study 3.1: HY DAIRIES, INC found on page 90 of your text (note: follow the criteria outlined in the assignment guide and rubric. Answering the questions at the end of the case does not constitute a thorough case analysis).
This is a detailed assignment.
CASE STUDY 3.1 HY DAIRIES, INC.
Syd Gilman read the latest sales figures with a great deal of
satisfaction. The vice president of marketing at Hy Dairies,
Inc., a large Midwestern milk products manufacturer, was
pleased to see that the marketing campaign to improve sagging sales of Hy’s gourmet ice cream brand was working.
Sales volume and market share of the product had increased significantly over the past two quarters compared
with the previous year.
The improved sales of Hy’s gourmet ice cream could be
credited to Rochelle Beauport, who was assigned to the
gourmet ice cream brand last year. Beauport had joined Hy
less than two years ago as an assistant brand manager after
leaving a similar job at a food products firm. She was one of
the few women of color in marketing management at Hy
Dairies and had a promising career with the company.
Gilman was pleased with Beauport’s work and tried to let
her know this in annual performance reviews. He now had
an excellent opportunity to reward her by offering her the
recently vacated position of market research coordinator.
Although technically only a lateral transfer with a modest
salary increase, the marketing research coordinator job
would give Beauport broader experience in some high-
profile work, which would enhance her career with Hy
Dairies. Few people were aware that Gilman’s own career
had been boosted by working as marketing research coordinator at Hy several years before.
Rochelle Beauport had also seen the latest sales figures
on Hy’s gourmet ice cream and was expecting Gilman’s call
to meet with her that morning. Gilman began the conversation by briefly mentioning the favorable sales figures, and
then explained that he wanted Beauport to take the marketing research coordinator job. Beauport was shocked by
the news. She enjoyed brand management and particularly
the challenge involved with controlling a product that
directly affected the company’s profitability. Marketing
research coordinator was a technical support position—a
“backroom” job—far removed from the company’s bottomline activities. Marketing research was not the route to top
management in most organizations, Beauport thought. She
had been sidelined.
After a long silence, Beauport managed a weak, “Thank
you, Mr. Gilman.” She was too bewildered to protest. She
wanted to collect her thoughts and reflect on what she had
done wrong. Also, she did not know her boss well enough
to be openly critical.
Gilman recognized Beauport’s surprise, which he
assumed was her positive response to hearing of this
wonderful career opportunity. He, too, had been delighted several years earlier about his temporary transfer
to marketing research to round out his marketing
experience. “This move will be good for both you and
Hy Dairies,” said Gilman as he escorted Beauport from
his office.
Beauport was preoccupied with several tasks that
afternoon but was able to consider the day’s events that
evening. She was one of the top women and few minorities in brand management at Hy Dairies and feared that
she was being sidelined because the company didn’t want
women or people of color in top management. Her previous employer had made it quite clear that women
“couldn’t take the heat” in marketing management and
tended to place women in technical support positions
after a brief term in lower brand management jobs. Obviously Syd Gilman and Hy Dairies were following the
same game plan. Gilman’s comments that the coordinator job would be good for her was just a nice way of saying that Beauport couldn’t go any further in brand
management at Hy Dairies.
Beauport now faced the difficult decision of whether to
confront Gilman and try to change Hy Dairies’ sexist and
possibly racist practices or to leave the company.
Discussion Questions
1. Apply your knowledge of stereotyping and social identity theory to explain what went wrong here.
2. What other perceptual errors are apparent in this case
study?
3. What can organizations do to minimize misperceptions
in these types of situations?
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