Case Study Analysis
Adam Schlitt
COMM/215
July 13, 2012
Brian Townsley MPW

Case Study Analysis Communication and coordination are essential for ensuring a business runs smoothly. In this case study, Carl Robins, a campus recruiter for ABC Inc., was put in charge of preparing 15 new hires to be ready to start work. He had a deadline to meet. Carl is in danger of not being able to meet that deadline as a result of a lack of communication. In this analysis, I will give background of the case, identify the key problems, discuss possible alternatives, propose a solution, and conclude with a recommendation. Leading to the dilemma at hand, Carl Robins was hired as campus recruiter to prepare 15 new trainees to be ready to work for Monica Carrolls by July. He had six months of employment when he was given this task, his first recruitment effort. Monica contacted Carl to check on the status of the new trainees. At that time, Carl discovered several problems threatening his ability to meet his deadline. First, the trainee’s applications were incomplete. Second, he had not received most of the trainee’s transcripts. Third, none of the trainees had taken the mandatory drug screen. Fourth, Carl did not have the necessary orientation manuals that he needed. He was only able to locate three copies, all of which were missing pages. Lastly, Carl was unable to reserve the training room he needed as it had already been reserved for the entire month by someone else. Lack of communication and unrealistic scheduling are two key problems. An underlying issue, however, lays with Carl being put in charge of a task without being properly prepared. He had a mere six months at the company before he was put in charge of the task at hand. Another issue that threatens Carl’s ability to have 15 prepared trainees is that the new hires had not been drug screened. If, upon receiving the test results, they discover that one or more new hires are ineligible for employment, Carl will have less than the required 15 trainees. Another problem is that the applications were incomplete and some of the trainees’ transcripts had not yet been received. Again, these are issues that threaten Carl’s ability to produce the required 15. Last, the training room that Carl needed to use had been booked already by another person. Proper communication and realistic scheduling could have prevented some of these problems. Carl has the following alternatives to resolve the multiple problems he faces. In the first proposed alternative, Carl would do the following things to salvage his task of getting his new hires ready for employment by his assigned deadline. First, he would schedule the mandatory drug screen to take place in the next few days. This would be an easy obstacle to overcome because drug screens are conducted within a small timeframe to avoid the possibility of the employee altering the results. Second, he needs to call in the trainees to complete their applications. Third, he needs to be sure to let trainees know that their transcripts need to be received before orientation begins. Fourth, he needs to ask who is/was responsible for the orientation manuals. Perhaps, with the help of that person, he can compile a complete manual to be duplicated in time for the orientation. Fifth, he needs to find an alternate training room to conduct his orientation and confirm that he is on the schedule. He could first try to get the original training room. He could explain his time restraints to the person who already has it reserved. Dependent upon understanding Carl’s dilemma, that person may choose to move to another location- freeing up the room for Carl to use. Last, he should inform Monica of the issues threatening the deadline. He should communicate to her his plan to resolve the situation. In the second proposed alternative, he identifies and approaches someone who can help him come up with solutions that expedite his tasks. He needs to