What are the implications of CIC’s approach to staffing project teams? Is the company using project teams as training grounds for talented fast-trackers, or as dumping grounds for poor performers? How would you advise the CEO to correct the problem? Where would you start? Discuss how issues of organizational structure and power played a role in the manner in which project management declined in effectiveness at CIC.

Recently, verizon wireless ran a pricing trial in order to estimate the elasticity of demand for its services. the manager selected three states that were representative of its entire service area and increased prices by 5 percent to customers in those areas. one week later, the number of customers enrolled in verizon's cellular plans declined 4 percent in those states, while enrollments in states where prices were not increased remained flat. the manager used this information to estimate the own-price elasticity of demand and, based on her findings, immediately increased prices in all market areas by 5 percent in an attempt to boost the company's 2016 annual revenues. one year later, the manager was perplexed because verizon's 2016 annual revenues were 10 percent lower than those in 2015"the price increase apparently led to a reduction in the company's revenues. did the manager make an error? yes - the one-week measures show demand is inelastic, so a price increase will decrease revenues. yes - the one-week measures show demand is elastic, so a price increase will reduce revenues. yes - cell phone elasticity is likely much larger in the long-run than the short-run. no - the cell phone market must have changed between 2011 and 2012 for this price increase to lower revenues.

Nichols inc. manufactures remote controls. currently the company uses a plantminuswide rate for allocating manufacturing overhead. the plant manager is considering switchingminusover to abc costing system and has asked the accounting department to identify the primary production activities and their cost drivers which are as follows: activities cost driver allocation rate material handling number of parts $5 per part assembly labor hours $20 per hour inspection time at inspection station $10 per minute the current traditional cost method allocates overhead based on direct manufacturing labor hours using a rate of $20 per labor hour. what are the indirect manufacturing costs per remote control assuming an method is used and a batch of 10 remote controls are produced? the batch requires 100 parts, 5 direct manufacturing labor hours, and 3 minutes of inspection time.

Garrett is an executive vice president at samm hardware. he researches a proposal by a larger company, maximum hardware, to combine the two companies. by analyzing past performance, conducting focus groups, and interviewing maximum employees, garrett concludes that maximum has poor profit margins, sells shoddy merchandise, and treats customers poorly. what actions should garrett and samm hardware take? a. turn down the acquisition offer and prepare to resist a hostile takeover. b. attempt a friendly merger and use managerial hubris to improve results at maximum. c. welcome the acquisition and use knowledge transfer to impart sam hardware's management practices. d. do nothing; the two companies cannot combine without samm hardware's explicit consent.