...Ricardo Semler and Semco 'When I took over Semco from my father, it was a traditional company in every respect with a pyramid structure and a rule for every contingency. Today our factory workers sometimes set their own production quotas and even come in their own time to meet them without prodding from management or overtime pay. They help redesign the products, the make and formulate the marketing plans. Their bosses for their part can run our business units with extraordinary freedom determining business strategy without interference from the top brass. They even set their own salaries with no strings. Then again everyone will know what they are since all financial information at Semco is openly discussed. Our workers have unlimited access to our books. To show we are serious about this, Semco with the labour unions that represent our workers developed a course to teach everyone, including messengers and cleaning people, to read balance sheets and cash flow statements. We don't have receptionists. We don't think that they are necessary. We don't have secretaries either, or personal assistants. We don't believe in cluttering the payroll with un-gratifying dead-end jobs. Everyone at Semco, even top managers, fetch guests, stand over photocopiers, send faxes, type letters and use the phone. We have stripped away the unnecessary perks and privileges that feed the ego, but hurt the balance sheet and distract everyone from the crucial corporate tasks of making, selling...
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...It’s Impossible to have organizational creativity WITHOUT having some Mavericks Submitted by: Submitted to: Total Words: 500 Excluding References and Title page. There was a Texas cattle man in duration of mid 1800s. His name was Samuel Maverick. So this word maverick which we use by view point of organization is basically comes from his name. He had two types of cattle one was branded cattle and second was unbranded cattle. The unbranded cattle were increased by natural conditions and branded cattle were belongs to him. So which were unbranded cattle those all cattle were called mavericks. But at present the word maverick is used to identify any person who carries an autonomous position or is unique than another. And that person should be with slight effect of wildness. (Gunderson, Folke, Lee & Holling; 2002) Ricardo Semler was owner of the Semco Corporation in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Semco Corporation of Brazil was his family business. He ran his organization by very beautifully way. He organized his business by using Mavericks in his organization. He made his company successful in all over the world by Mavericks. He made the most revolutionary success history of business of that time period. Those mavericks resisted recession, overcoming inflation, continuous strikes and many more hurdles of business. In all those situations that person had turned Semco Corporation from bottom to the top by removing nine stratums of management and by permitting all employees...
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...Case 7 (Training and Performance) Unequal-Equal Supervisors Hubert Johnson is a department head. He has been with the company for 30 years and knows his way around quite well. He has two employees, Harriet Green and Neil White. Harriet has been with the company for 15 years and Neil has been with the company for six years. Harriet has always been cooperative, loyal, dependable, but not an especially good supervisor. Recently Hubert has noticed that Harriet has begun to “slip” in the performance of some of her duties. Neil, on the other hand is a very ambitious, energetic, and dependable supervisor who grasps problems quickly and easily. Hubert has to complete performance appraisals on both individuals annually. Ten months ago he did his appraising with a great deal of displeasure because he hated to face the unpleasantness of a negative performance appraisal review. As a result, he rated both the employees about the same. When a discussion about the ratings was conducted, both supervisors appeared to be satisfied with the rating they had received. Six months ago business began to fall off and a reduction in force was put into effect. This week, after a number of other people were laid off or demoted, it became necessary to move either Harriet Green or Neil White from the position of a supervisor to that of a worker until sales picked up. Hubert wants to keep Neil on the supervisor job, but on the basis of the appraisals there is no difference between the two. In the past when...
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...1 Ricardo Semler The Brazilian CEO and best-selling author transformed his pump plant into a model of participative management, and launched his company on 14 straight years of double-digit growth. by Lawrence M. Fisher strategy + business issue 41 Won’t Take features the creative mind Photographs by Rogério Reis / Blackstar Control Semco Group Chief Executive Ricardo Semler at his impromptu office — a coffee shop near his company’s headquarters 2 features the creative mind Lawrence M. Fisher (fisher_larry@strategybusiness.com), a contributing editor to strategy+business, covered technology for the New York Times for 15 years and has written for dozens of other business publications. Mr. Fisher is based in San Francisco. 3 Like many chief executives, Ricardo Semler used to wonder what would happen to his company if he were hit by a truck. One night in February 2005, he found out — while driving 85 miles per hour on a highway in Brazil. Miraculously, he was still alive within the 20-inch pancake of crushed steel and shattered glass that remained of his car. Also miraculously, his company, Semco Group, of São Paulo, Brazil, carried on seamlessly during the months he spent lying in intensive care and recuperating from the multiple surgeries he needed to repair his broken neck and battered face. Numbers were met, deals were closed, and business continued pretty much as usual. Mr. Semler, 46, is the leading proponent and most tireless evangelist...
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...1 Ricardo Semler The Brazilian CEO and best-selling author transformed his pump plant into a model of participative management, and launched his company on 14 straight years of double-digit growth. by Lawrence M. Fisher strategy + business issue 41 Won’t Take features the creative mind Photographs by Rogério Reis / Blackstar Control Semco Group Chief Executive Ricardo Semler at his impromptu office — a coffee shop near his company’s headquarters 2 features the creative mind Lawrence M. Fisher (fisher_larry@strategybusiness.com), a contributing editor to strategy+business, covered technology for the New York Times for 15 years and has written for dozens of other business publications. Mr. Fisher is based in San Francisco. 3 Like many chief executives, Ricardo Semler used to wonder what would happen to his company if he were hit by a truck. One night in February 2005, he found out — while driving 85 miles per hour on a highway in Brazil. Miraculously, he was still alive within the 20-inch pancake of crushed steel and shattered glass that remained of his car. Also miraculously, his company, Semco Group, of São Paulo, Brazil, carried on seamlessly during the months he spent lying in intensive care and recuperating from the multiple surgeries he needed to repair his broken neck and battered face. Numbers were met, deals were closed, and business continued pretty much as usual. Mr. Semler, 46, is the leading proponent and most tireless evangelist...
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...Radical Leadership RADICAL LEADERSHIP I. Significant Case Facts Ricardo Semler the CEO of Semco Group of São Paolo, Brazil was not just the typical or traditional leader. He is radical; he breaks all the traditional “rules” of leading. He’s the ultimate hands-off leader; he doesn’t even have an office at the company’s headquarters. Semler’s philosophy is simple: Treat people like adult and they’ll respond like adults. Semler’s participative management approach is the belief that “organizations thrive best by entrusting employees to apply their creativity and ingenuity in service of the whole enterprise, and to make important decisions close to the flow of work, conceivably including the selection of their bosses.” And according to Semler, his approach works well. The employees have free will because there are no organizational charts, no long term plans, no corporate values statements, no dress codes, and no written rules or policy manuals. They also decide their work hours and their pay levels. The employees also select the corporate leadership and decide most of the company’s new strategic initiatives. Semler maintains his approach and has enabled Semco to survive the roller-coaster nature of Brazilian politics. Semco not just survive but also prosper. Semler says “If you look at Semco’s numbers, we’ve grown 27.5 percent a year for 14 years.” And Semler attributes that fact to flexibility…of his company and, most importantly of...
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...case (rationale behind it), the project model and deliverables, the Program management team to set up the organisation and run the project and the cost implications. The need for economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa is vital as over 40% of the population, or 300 million people, live on less than $1 a day. Africa is home to two-thirds of the world’s 48 poorest countries.[1] Mavericks in Ghana is a response to a need in the Ghanaian society of lack of gratifying employment and untapped entrepreneurial resources among graduates being churned out of the tertiary schools every day. There is a total on 46 Microfinance companies currently operating in Ghana, with a gross loan portfolio of USD, 2008 123.0 million and an average number of active borrowers as at 2008 of 364,043 and depositors as 1.0million. The average loan granted in 2008 was about $266.9 and the amount deposit in 2008 came up to $126.9 million. Although these microfinance and non governmental organizations are making giant leaps in its efforts to help eradicate poverty, there are a few observations that make the need for Mavericks in Ghana more apparent: • Most institutions target the poor who earn less than $1 a day with the aim of helping them or on short payback periods, unreasonable interest rates or applications from those willing to provide some sort of guarantee. These two extremes neglect the middle class or below middle class educated university/ college graduates who have passed through the...
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...decades are very few; and even fewer can claim to be one of the wealthiest women in the world, running a highly successful business: this is Madonna’s story of sustained competitive success. Described by Billboard magazine as the smartest businesswoman in show business, Madonna Louise Ciccone began her music career in 1983 with the hit single ‘Holiday’ and in late 2001 enjoyed critical acclaim for her latest ‘Music’. By 2001, Madonna had produced 51 single tracks, 14 albums, had undertaken four world tours and had major roles in five films. It is estimated that this twice married mother of two had a personal fortune over £135 million. She owns Chelsea Girl LLC, a limited liability company and had one third of the record company, Maverick. Maverick, formed in 1992, has been a successful partnership between Madonna and Warner Bros whose roster includes Prodigy and Alanis Morrisette. It has generated over £775 million in revenue since 1992. Madonna’s stake was estimated to be much more than £30 million in 2000. Madonna was also one of the first media icons to realize the power of the Internet and that she needed control of the madoona.com domain name, and she engaged in a court battle to secure it. But it was her record breaking web cast deal with Microsoft in late November 2000 that was widely reported as a shining example of her business acumen. By 2001, Madonna has sustained her reign as the ‘queen of pop’ over a seventeen-year period. Along with many others, Phil Quattro...
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...Software, one of the first PC software retailers in Dallas. He was terminated less than a year later, after meeting with a client to procure new business instead of opening the store What failures did this person have? Got a job working for a carpenter laying carpet and quickly learned he was absolutely horrible at it How many companies have he or she started? Started AudioNet in 1995, The Company, despite its early critics, proved to be a smash success. Renamed Broadcast.com, the firm went public in 1998 and soon saw its stock reach $200 a share. A year later, Wagner and Cuban sold out to Yahoo! for nearly $6 billion Purchasing an NBA Team In 2000, Mark Cuban introduced himself to the NBA community when he purchased the Dallas Mavericks for $285 million from Ross Perot Jr. How successful is he or she? At the age of 32, Cuban was a millionaire who could afford to live in the big houses that he used to drive by as a down-on-his-luck bartender. More importantly, he was living the life of his dreams. Why is this person successful? Cuban has built his fortune by building successful companies and then selling them when the time is right. Why did he or she become an entrepreneur? Daydreamed motivation, he didn't lie to himself and talk about his passions and how if I was passionate enough...
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...Victoria for three years. It was only right for him to keep on the family legacy. Nash took his talent to Santa Clara University in California where he led his team to the NCAA tournament as a freshman. He established a name for himself by his sophomore year with his quick feet, fundamentals, and amazing skills. Nba scouts were all over him and at no surprise he was drafted in the first round by the Phoenix Suns in 1996. He played two seasons with the Suns before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. There Nash made a name for himself in the league with Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley by his side. They formed an unstoppable trio that carried the team to the Western Conference Finals. Although they didn’t get much farther Nash participated in the NBA All-Star Game and was recognized as one of the NBA’s top point guards. After being traded to the Dallas Mavericks where he made a name for himself in the league you’d think Nash would be content, but he wasn’t. Nash left the Mavericks and signed as a free agent with the team he entered the league with, the Phoenix Suns. He opened up doors for Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion with his excellent passing skills allowing...
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...world. Almost all are businessmen, and have either made their money with hard work, ingenuity, nepotism, or a little luck. The owners of old have long been retired. The idea of an old miser that treats his team like slaves, and does everything in his power to control the game, no longer exists…outside of Jerry Jones. Mark Cuban is the youngest billionaire on this list. Cuban made his money creating and developing Audionet, an internet startup in 1995, and developed it into Broadcast.com, and by 1999 sold the company to Yahoo! for $5.9 billion dollars. He also owns Landmark Theaters and Magnolia Pictures. He is estimated to be worth around $2.3 billion dollars. He is also the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks. In 2000, Mark Cuban purchased the failing Mavericks from H. Ross Perot, Jr. for what can be now described as a mere $285 million dollars. Unlike most owners who sit in a private box up high away from the crowd, Cuban is usually found on the floor shouting louder than any two fans. Unlike most owners, he has become just as recognizable as Dirk Nowitski, or any of the other players. This eccentric behavior has also been a bit of a problem for Cuban as well. He is constantly fined for outbursts, arguing with officials and noticeable temper tantrums on the floor during games. For years Cuban has been trying to expand into baseball by trying to buy the Chicago...
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...Abstract of the Idea- Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health, poor productivity and human error. It can result in sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance and a possible increase in accidents due to human error. Research provides strong links between stress and: ■ physical effects such as heart disease, back pain, headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances or various minor illnesses; and ■ Psychological effects such as anxiety and depression, loss of concentration and poor decision making. Stress can also lead to other behaviors that can have an adverse effect on psychological and physical health and well-being, for example, social withdrawal, Aggressive behavior, alcohol/drug abuse, eating disorders and working long hours. Research has shown work-related stress to have adverse effects for organizations in terms of: ■ employee commitment to work; ■ staff performance and productivity; ■ accidents caused by human error; ■ staff turnover and intention to leave; ■ attendance levels; ■ staff recruitment and retention; ■ customer satisfaction; ■ organizational image and reputation; ■ Potential litigation. By taking action to manage the causes of stress in your workplace, you can prevent or reduce the impact of these problems on your organization and bring about business benefits. Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are any other life stressor-more so than even financial problems...
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...A Power to Play for Howard is a case study about a 23 year old basketball player facing a difficult decision of negotiating a contract of a lifetime between the Washington Bullets and Miami Heat basketball teams. On July 11 Howard arrives at the headquarters of agent David Falk in Chevy Chase Pavilion to solicit a $100 million contract offers from National Basketball Association team executives. Initially Howards’ aspiration was to continue as a member with the Washington Bullets; except he needed to believe he was a commodity to the franchise and a higher paying contract offer would determine how loyal the franchise is to him. The fans of the Washington Bullets made Howard feel like he was the best player the team has ever had, except the executives were not willing to offer him a contract worth his market value. Howard learned he had to leave a team and city that he has learned to call home and move on to a new beginning in a city that he was not familiar with. The offer from Riley the team executive of Miami Heat welcomed Howard and he also felt appreciated. Howard’s target was to solicit a $100 million contract from team executives. The first offer of $78.4 million contract from the Unseld the general manager of the Washington Bullets was Howard’s resistant point. The offer from Unseld was one that Howard was not willing to negotiate. He initially dismissed the contract. One should consider Howard’s target goal of $100 million, although neither of the team executives...
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...Speech 10 Informative Speech Outline Specific Purpose/Goal: I want my audience to know about an emerging basketball star that has broken the stereotypes and has proven to everyone with will power and with the faith of god, you can accomplish anything. Intro: It’s Feb 14th and the Toronto Raptors are hosting the New York Knicks. It became an exciting game when the Knicks rallied from a 17 point deficit to tie the game at 87 points late in the fourth quarter. With twenty seconds left in the game, Knicks possession, Imran Shupert, who plays Guard position, missed a bank shot, but Tyson Chandler got the rebound and tossed it to Jeremy Lin at the top of the key. With about ten seconds left Lin briefly glanced at Mike D’antoni to make sure his coach was okay with an isolation play. Jose Calderon was guarding Lin and gave him some space. With seconds winding down Jeremy Lin stopped his dribble, pulled up and launched a three pointer with Calderon in his face trying to block the shot. SWOOSH! The crowd goes wild. Lin beats the buzzer and wins the game for the Knicks 90-87. Now who is this guy you may ask, and where did he come from? He’s gained stardom in such a short period of time, 3 weeks and counting. Well we’re going to learn about his childhood life, his college career and lastly we’ll talk about his astonishing rise to NBA stardom. He’s breaking barriers and making history. First let’s jump right into his background I. Early Life of Lin A. Lin was born...
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...Proposed ERP Architecture The type of ERP Architecture for the ERP system proposed that would be utilized would be a logical architecture. There is much confusion between getting the basic information needed from the client to the owners and general managers of Mavericks Goods & Fresh Produce that a ‘simple’ logical architecture is best. This logical architecture relays data from the hardware, to an all in one database, to the core business logic (security/access), to the functional business applications needed (this includes accounting, supply chain, distribution, finance, HRM, marketing and production) and to the client user interface applications and back again. Those who utilize this ERP but work on a face-to-face basis with the customers will never see some of the tiers of the ERP architecture, but the store owners and managers will be able to relay information back and forth from one store to the next. The end goal of this ERP system will be to track hours worked by employees and implement payroll, check inventory at any of the stores at any given time in order to sell off overstocked inventory or order more, gather statistics on which items are selling best to determine whether a price increase or decrease will need to be done, and overall reducing the amount of physical time spent in each store wasted on attempting to input data into an old Microsoft Excel system. Each store will be able to communicate fluidly but the friendly ‘click of a button’ functions that...
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