A course required of all new MBA students at Hypothetical University, requires a semester-long group project involving teams of five MBA students.? Students will analyze a company?s financial situation, strategy, structure, and managerial decision making over the course of the semester.? The project will culminate in a 50-page written report.? Fifteen-minute oral reports on various phases of the analysis will be made to the class three times during the semester.? The project is worth 50 percent of the grade in the course.? The instructor has assigned the following five new MBA students to work together as a tem to analyze a small new firm in the biotechnology field:
Mike Randolph.? A 24-year old single male from the West Coast, undergraduate finance major, two years of experience in a bank.? Tends to be outspoken and impatient with those who do not agree with him.? Generally dissatisfied with work done by anyone other than himself.? Has a strong desire to excel and is likely to volunteer to take on more than his share of the project ?to see that it?s done right.?? Believes in managing ?by the numbers,? has little respect for ?soft? data.? Prefers to have group meetings on Sunday afternoons.
Helen St. Thomas.? A 27-year-old female, married, with a small child, commuting from a town 60 miles from the university.? Undergraduate degree in biology, 4 years as a medical lab technician and then lab supervisor.? Likes to plan well in advance, uneasy if assignments are not completed at least a week before they are due.? Highly intelligent but a bit uncertain about her ability to handle MBA work with no prior background in the area.? Willing to meet only on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday when she is in town for classes.
Peter Christian. A 39-year-old male from the Midwest, recently and bitterly divorced.? No undergraduate degree.? Eighteen years as an entrepreneur who started and then sold two successful businesses in the publishing field.? He also worked as a consultant to publishing companies. ?Excellent ability to deal with ?soft? data and understand how various organizational systems interact in the real world.? Widely read in the management literatures.? Given to bouts of depression, intolerant of women in general at the moment.? Unwilling to meet on weekends because he has custody of his teenage sons on Saturdays and Sundays.??
Lee Sing How. A 24-year-old Taiwanese male just arrived in the country for schooling.? Honors undergraduate degree in economics and statistics plus three years of experience with the World Bank.? Strong skills in financial analysis and forecasting.? Reads and writes English well but is hesitant to speak it, especially in front of large groups.? Tends to be silent unless he is very sure of what he is about to say and what is expected.? Unlikely to volunteer to take on tasks in the group but quite willing to help if asked to do a clearly defined task.? Sensitive to real or imagined slights, believes that it is very important to maintain ?face.? Very serious about his studies but would much prefer to work alone.? Taking five difficult courses this semester but is willing to meet any time he?s not in class.
Richard White.? A divorced 30-year-old male from Dallas, eight years of experience in used-car sales.?
Planning to specialize in marketing.? Rather dissatisfied with required courses in areas he sees as ?irrelevant? to his career goals in marketing.?
Intents to spend most of his effort on marketing courses and just scrape by in his other courses.? Needs to be reminded repeatedly to do his part of this group project but very insightful regarding marketing and strategy aspects of the case being analyzed.?
Has an active social life and is reluctant to commit to meetings very far in advance.? Works best under pressure with a close deadline.?
What are the strengths of this group, as well as the potential problems that they may confront?