BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENTS

1. Critically evaluate the given letter of SPIC MACAY in terms of style, formatting, content, language and enclosure etc. Suggest how the letter could have been improved.Write your answers on the back side of the given letter (Marks 5) 2. What is Strategy an article published in HBR is enclosed. You are required to write gist of this article in not more than 1000 words. (Marks 10)

Class Exercise

Given Below are six situations. Each Situation ends with a need to hold a meeting with all the stakeholders involved. You are required to do the following: (i) Make an Agenda for the Meeting (ii) Simulate the Meeting in front of the class, and come to a conclusion on the issue at hand. (iii) Draft the Minutes of Meeting and submit the same.

SITUATIONS 1. Decision regarding firing Mr. Maneesh Murthy. Maneesh Murthy is the part of the Top Management at Infosys. He joined the company as a Trainee Engineer and in a short span of 15 years went on to head the companys Product division. His talent as well as his contributions to Infosys cannot be questioned and he has become an indispensible resource to the company. However there have been allegations on his involvement in organizing a Cartel with other Competitors. The shares of Infosys have taken a beating with the news that the Competition Commission of India is planning to initiate an enquiry in this matter. Maneesh has vehemently denied these allegations. In fact there is no solid proof of his role in forming the cartel. Retaining him would affect the company reputation and market sentiments. On the other hand the division will suffer a setback which might even lead to a reduction in the bottom line of the company. The top management which consists of CEO, COO, two members of the Board of Directors and the Business Head of another division meet and discuss the Issue.

2. Bidding for a Mega Project Wal-Mart in collaboration with Bharti is planning to invest heavily in Multi brand retail stores across the country. It plans to setup its IT infrastructure and has invited bids for the Project. Wipro along with several other players is interested in bagging this project. Unfortunately Wipro is new to the field of Retail while Cognizant and IBM the other two players already have experience in this sector. To make matters worse these companies are quoting lower than Wipro. A three member team from Marketing has to convince the CEO, CFO and the CIO of Bharti-Wal Mart that choosing Wipro over other players is a good decision. 3. Dealing with Unions Mahindra Renault is planning to start a factory in Kerala. The Union and Social Activism is very strong in Kerala. The company is in the growing stage but has witnessed frequent lockouts in the recent past on account of workers demanding wage revisions. If the company accedes to their demands, it would result in a reduction in bottom line of the company thus earning the ire of the shareholders. If they dont give in to the demands of the employees, the company might face severe shortfall in production leading to lost sales. The plant manager, HR Manager, Supervisor, Union chief, and two employees have agreed to meet to sort out the matter. 4. Placecomms Dilemma The placecomm is suddenly faced with a pressing problem. Deloitte and Infosys, have been regular recruiters in the department. Traditionally both the companies have visited the campus is two different months. This year however Deloitte has postponed its placements by two weeks. Infosys however has preponed its selection process by a month. Unfortunately this would mean that both the companies now plan to visit the campus in the same week. To make matters worse both the companies demand that they be given the first slot during the placement season. The companies offer the same profile. Infosys recruits in bulk whereas Deloitte offers a higher package. The department cannot afford to compromise its relationship with both the companies. The O/C placements along with four member placement cell team and the class representative have to get together and find a amicable solution to the problem.

5. The Vendanta affair

Vedanta Resources Plc is actively involved in mining of metals. The group is planning to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills situated in Orissa. Having obtained clearance from the States Mining Corporation the group was preparing to start the project. Recently the Ministry of Environment and Forests rejected the clearance of the Orissa Mining Corporation, by stating that the project violated the Environment Protection Act. There have been protests by several environmental and social groups over the impact of the project on the ecology and tribals residing in the area. The company however says that mining is being done in the uninhabited regions of the hills and will help the region to develop. A three member team from Vedanta consisting of the CEO, the legal counsel and VP Operations are scheduled to meet Union Minister for Environment and Forest, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs and Managing Director of OMC to discuss the matter. 6. CWG in trouble The Commonwealth games are being organized in New Delhi. The games are just a fortnight away. Preparation for the games is far from over and at the current rate of progress; the project will miss its deadline. The Organizing Committee (OC) of the CWG has been under a cloud of corruption. Allegation of corruption in the International media is ruining Indias reputation in the eyes of the world. The opposition parties are pressing for removal of the OC chairman and disbanding of the OC. Various parties are involved in the preparation for the games. Mike Fennel, the CWG president and the OC are responsible for overall conduct of the games. The DDA and the Delhi government have an important role to play in the conduct of the games. The Prime Minister is under constant pressure from all quarters to intervene. A meeting has been called by the PM which will be attended by him, the OC chairman, the chairman of GoM on CWG, the ruling party president, DDA Chairman and the Delhi Chief Minister to discuss the issue.

Group Size: 6 Students Total Groups: 12 Total Marks: 15 : 9 marks for discussion and 6 marks for Minutes of Meeting