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Principles Of Marketing
17th Edition
ISBN:9780134492513
Author:Kotler, Philip, Armstrong, Gary (gary M.)
Publisher:Kotler, Philip, Armstrong, Gary (gary M.)
Chapter1: Marketing: Creating Customer Value And Engagement
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1.1DQ
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need help with this now ASAP! question one ONLY

Case 7.3: Spying or Managing?
Laura operates a small home-remodeling business based in Austin, Texas, that specializes in the installation of high-
end custom countertops (granite, solid surfacing). She currently has five two-member crews (a foreman and an
apprentice) that work at various (usually separate) job sites all through the city. Most of her time is spent managing
the operations and developing the business (meeting with architects, general contractors, and home owners and
writing up competitive bids). Although her workers are paid hourly, they are given lots of freedom to complete their
work free of her direct supervision. In most cases, she stops by individual job sites at the beginning and the end of
the installations unless there is a problem and she is summoned to the site by the job foreman or another party (the
general contractor, architect, or home owner).
One day during the late morning while meeting with an architect and a home owner to bid on a new job, she looks
out the window and notices one of her company's trucks drive by. She thinks it odd and after the meeting checks her
laptop to see if the worker (she didn't see who it was) was on the way to or back from a nearby jobsite. Much to her
chagrin, the nearest current job site is over seven miles away. A few days later, she drives by a trendy part of town
and sees one of her company trucks parked in a video game store parking lot.
Suspecting that her employees are running personal errands on company time, she decides to see what they are up
to and issues new cell phones to every employee. Unbeknownst to them, the phones are all GPS equipped and she can
monitor their whereabouts whenever the phones are turned on. In tracking their whereabouts, she notices legitimate
work-related errands (to purchase additional tools or materials) but also sees that some of her workers are in
locations (on company time and/or in company vehicles) that have nothing to do with the workday.
She soon calls a meeting and confronts those who committed offenses with the information she has on her hands.
After picking their jaws up from the floor, most employees apologize. However, one long-term employee expresses
disbelief in her lack of trust in him and his dismay that his privacy has been violated. "You could have just asked us
what we were doing," he says. "Sure, I ran a few errands, and I'm sorry I didn't ask for permission first, but I also put
in a lot of overtime, so some places I need to go are closed when I get off work. Have you ever had an issue with the
quality and timeliness of my work? There was just no need for the James Bond act!"
Questions for Discussion
1. Is Laura's use of GPS technology in this manner a wise application of the tools at her disposal? Why or why not?
Are there more intermediate steps she could have taken that might have avoided a direct confrontation with the
employees? What might her "solution" do to trust and morale among her workers?
2. Is the employee right about his privacy being violated? Does he have a right to such expectations in the
workplace? Why or why not?
Transcribed Image Text:Case 7.3: Spying or Managing? Laura operates a small home-remodeling business based in Austin, Texas, that specializes in the installation of high- end custom countertops (granite, solid surfacing). She currently has five two-member crews (a foreman and an apprentice) that work at various (usually separate) job sites all through the city. Most of her time is spent managing the operations and developing the business (meeting with architects, general contractors, and home owners and writing up competitive bids). Although her workers are paid hourly, they are given lots of freedom to complete their work free of her direct supervision. In most cases, she stops by individual job sites at the beginning and the end of the installations unless there is a problem and she is summoned to the site by the job foreman or another party (the general contractor, architect, or home owner). One day during the late morning while meeting with an architect and a home owner to bid on a new job, she looks out the window and notices one of her company's trucks drive by. She thinks it odd and after the meeting checks her laptop to see if the worker (she didn't see who it was) was on the way to or back from a nearby jobsite. Much to her chagrin, the nearest current job site is over seven miles away. A few days later, she drives by a trendy part of town and sees one of her company trucks parked in a video game store parking lot. Suspecting that her employees are running personal errands on company time, she decides to see what they are up to and issues new cell phones to every employee. Unbeknownst to them, the phones are all GPS equipped and she can monitor their whereabouts whenever the phones are turned on. In tracking their whereabouts, she notices legitimate work-related errands (to purchase additional tools or materials) but also sees that some of her workers are in locations (on company time and/or in company vehicles) that have nothing to do with the workday. She soon calls a meeting and confronts those who committed offenses with the information she has on her hands. After picking their jaws up from the floor, most employees apologize. However, one long-term employee expresses disbelief in her lack of trust in him and his dismay that his privacy has been violated. "You could have just asked us what we were doing," he says. "Sure, I ran a few errands, and I'm sorry I didn't ask for permission first, but I also put in a lot of overtime, so some places I need to go are closed when I get off work. Have you ever had an issue with the quality and timeliness of my work? There was just no need for the James Bond act!" Questions for Discussion 1. Is Laura's use of GPS technology in this manner a wise application of the tools at her disposal? Why or why not? Are there more intermediate steps she could have taken that might have avoided a direct confrontation with the employees? What might her "solution" do to trust and morale among her workers? 2. Is the employee right about his privacy being violated? Does he have a right to such expectations in the workplace? Why or why not?
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