The Netbook Case and Broken Promises Case Study

The Netbook Case and Broken Promises Case Study
Question 1 answer.
This situation for Nicholas comes down to a very expensive “lesson learned” experience. He has a couple of options for handling this situation. Nicholas can accept the netbooks and work on trying to make them useable by the employees at the Medina Office Store, he could see if he can sell them to another business and purchase the netbooks again with Windows XP, or he can try to fight it out in court. Trying to make the netbooks useable is probably the best choice for Nicholas to handle the current situation, as the other two options will further delay getting the needed correct netbooks and will cost more money.
As for Ting, the best way for him to handle the situation would be to provide the best customer service and training to the Medina Office Store, preferably at the lowest cost possible. It appears that Ting knew that Nicholas’s need was for Windows XP compatible netbooks since Ting both spoke with Nicholas directly and read his follow up letter. Legally Ting was correct the netbooks met the requirements of the RFP, but the transaction could be viewed negatively and could have an effect on future business sales. Also Ting had guaranteed that Nicholas would be pleased or given his money back. If Nicholas can document and prove he is not pleased, Ting should follow through with returning Nicholas’s money.
Question 2 answer.
Nicholas needs to remember the poor communication that got him into the situation of the wrong netbooks and strive to become better at communicating to vendors in the future. Also because this situation is not over with delivery, Nicholas needs to focus on building a “win-win” relationship with Ting. The situation is already tense, but escalating and making the situation more volatile will not be beneficial for Nicholas or Ting. In order to manage the relationship for the future, Nicholas needs to be sure all requests and requirements are in writing and agreed upon by both parties. This will ensure there are no more misunderstandings and ultimately keep tensions between then low. Nicholas should ask Ting questions about items he is not sure of and seek input and advice. Although Nicholas is probably wary of Ting, he needs to make Ting feel as if he is part of the team, at least until their business is completed. If Ting does not feel like an adversary, then they both may have more honest and open communications.
If Nicholas and Ting can attempt to keep this relationship in good terms and not threating court, there may be some ways to get some mutual benefit for each of them. It is usually possible to install Windows XP on devices that come with Linux pre-installed. Nicholas could attempt to have Ting install Windows XP for just the cost of the software; in return Nicholas could be used as a reference for Ting’s ability to install Windows software on Linux device. This would an example of a “win-win” case benefiting both Nicholas and Ting.
Question 3 answer.
Nicholas needs to update the Project Manager, Evelyn immediately on the netbook situation. The best way is to present all the facts and keep emotions out of the conversation. Nicholas will want to tell Evelyn he felt pressured by her to “make a decision today” and “I expect you to get a good price”. However Nicholas is responsible for not clearly stating the requirements for the netbooks, such as needing Windows XP operating systems.
Obviously Nicholas and Evelyn could have worked better as a team. It appears Evelyn, the Project Manager, left the procurement of the new netbooks entirely up to Nicholas, the procurement manager. This was probably not the best situation and Evelyn could have helped by appointing an IT person to assist Nicholas in developing the RFP. Also Nicholas should have been informing the Project Manager of what the bids contained, and why he chose CompuComputers. More importantly, when Nicholas received information concerning the netbooks may not have Windows XP on them; he should have brought Evelyn in on the situation. Had the Project Manager been informed of the situation fully, she probably would not have pressured Nicholas into getting the netbooks immediately.
I don’t believe teamwork was exhibited very well in this situation. Everyone involved seem to act individually and not as a team focused on the same end result. The Project Manager and Procurement Manager were not working together and poor communication between them led to a problem that negatively affected the project. Also, Nicholas and Ting were not working together resulting in Nicholas not getting the netbooks that were required. Ting may have made a sale of the netbooks, but it will probably be the last sale CompuComputers will ever make to the Medina Office Store.
Question 4 answer.
The next steps in this situation would begin with the Project Manager. Once Evelyn was fully updated on the current situation, it would really be up to her to decide what our future steps would be. The last thing that needs to happen now is to move forward as individuals again and not as a team. If it is the decision of the Project Manager to try and return the netbooks, then an immediate meeting with Ting, Nicholas, Evelyn and others who may need to be involved should be scheduled. Nicholas needs to reaffirm Ting’s guarantee that they would be please or their money back. Also Nicholas will have to begin on getting the required netbooks delivered, possibly from the next lowest RFP bidder if available.
If Evelyn says to keep the netbooks, then Nicholas needs to get with Ting and the Office Store IT personnel to formulate a plan forward. Once the plan for successful training has been developed, Nicholas needs to inform Evelyn what the plan consists of and a timetable for completion.
Whichever path forward is chosen, it is imperative that communication is clear, precise, and in writing. It is important that those involved work as a team focused on the milestones and deliverable. Nicholas must also make sure the Project Manager is kept informed of the tasks completed and situation that puts the project at risk.

Horine, G. M. (2009). Absolute beginner’s guide to project management (2nd ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Que Publishing.