Premier University, Chittagong

Assignment
Case study -01: Prejudices in workplaces- Real or Perceived?

Submitted to:

Assistant Professor
HRM Discipline
Department of Business Administration
Premier University

Submitted By:
Name: Mariea Rahman
ID -0222210004087071
Session- Spring 2022
RMBA program
Faculty of Business Studies
Premier University
Date of submission: 18 November 2022
Case study-01 : PREJUDICES IN WORKPLACES : REAL OR PERCEIVED ?

Manjula Srivastav had been head of marketing for the last four years at Blue Chips, a computer products
firm. The company’s turnover had increased by two – and a half times during the period and its market
share in a number of precuts had also moved up marginally. What was creditable was that all this had
happened in an environment in which computer prices had been crashing.

Although she had a talent for striking an instant report with people – particularly with the
company’s dealers – Srivastav often found herself battling against odds, as she perceived it, as far as her
relationships with her subordinates and peers in the company were concerned. Srivastav had to fight
male prejudice all the way. She found it unfair that she had to prove herself regularly at work and she
used to make her displeasure on that score quite obvious to everyone.

Six months ago, Blue Chips had been taken over by an industrial group which had a diversity of
business interests and was, more importantly, flush with funds. The change of ownership had led to a
replacement of the managing director, but it had not affected the existing core management team.
Anand Prakash, the new managing director, had his priorities clear. “Blue Chips will go international,”
he had declared in the first executive committee meeting, “and exports will be our first concern.”

Prakash had also brought in Harish Naik as his executive assistant with special responsibility for
exports. Naik had been seconded to Srivastav for five weeks as a part of a familiarization programme.
Much to her surprise, he had been appointed, within two months, as the vice president (exports), with
compensation and perks higher than her own. Srivastav had made a formal protest to Prakash who had
assured her that he was aware of her good work in the company and that she would have an
appropriate role once the restructuring plan he was already working on would by put into effect.

One morning, as she entered the office and switched on her workstation, a message flashed on
her screen. It was from Prakash. “Want to see you sometime today regarding restructuring. Will 2.30
be convenient?” It went.

Later at his office, Prakash had come straight to the point. He wanted to create a new post called
general manager (public affairs) in the company. “With your excellent background in customer relations
and connections with the dealer network, you are the ideal material for the job,” he said, “and I am
offering it to you.” Srivastav was quick to react. “There is very little I can contribute in that kind of job,”
she said. “I was in fact expecting to be promoted as vice president (home marketing).” Prakash said that
the entire gamut of marketing functions would be looked after by Naik who would have boardroom
responsibility for both domestic and export sales. “If you continue in marketing, you will have to be
reporting to Naik which I thought may not be fair to you. In any case, we need someone who is strong in
marketing to handle public affairs. Let me assure you that the new post I am offering will in no way
diminish your importance in the company. You will in fact be reporting to me directly.”

“You are being unfair and your are diminishing my importance in the company,” reported
Srivastav. “You know that I am a hardcore marketing professional and you also know I am the best. Why
then am I being deprived of a rightful promotion in marketing? Tell me,” she asked pointedly, “would
you have done this to a male colleague?”
 “That is a hypothetical question,” said Prakash. “But I can’t think of any other slot for you in the
restructuring plan I want to implement except what I am offering.”

“If the reason why you are asking me to handle this fancy public affairs business of yours,” said
Srivastav, “is that you can’t think of any other slot for me, then I would have second thoughts about
continuing to work for this company.”

“May I reiterate,” Said Prakash, “that I value your role and its is precisely because of this that I am
delegating to you the work I have been personally handling so far? May I also state that I am upgrading
the job not only because it is important but also because it should match your existing stature in the
organization?”

“I need to think about this. I will let you know tomorrow,” said Srivastav and left the office

Answer:

PERCEPTION: MEANING & DEFINITION

Perception includes all those processes by which an individual receives information about the
environment-seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling. The study of these perceptual processes
shows that their functioning is affected by three classes of variables: the objects or events being
perceived, the environment in which perception
Occurs, and the individual doing the perceiving.

FACTORS AFFECTING PERCEPTION:

Situational factor
Physical setting
Social setting
Organizational setting

Perceiver’s
Characteristics Characteristics of
 Values The Perceived
INDIVIDUALS  Nature
 Experiences
PERCEPTION  Size
 Needs
 Personality  Appearance
 Location, etc
INTERNAL FACTORS
 Learning
 Motivation

EXTERNAL FACTORS

 Size
 Intensity
 Contrast
 Repetition
 Movement
 Novelty & Familiarity
 Order

We assume that as per Prakash’s perception –

1. Female are better in customer relations.

2. He had a better relationship with Harish Naik.
3. He believed that she is strong in marketing but not better than Harish Naik.
4. In order to maximize profit he wants to restructure the company as per his own terms and
conditions and believed that whatever he is doing is justified and there will be no resistance.

At Last, in reply with the question (

Srivastav should continue with job because-

- If she switches over the company, she is not sure whether she will face the same type of problem in
that company or not.
- As Prakash is a newly appointed Managing director in the company, he has his own perception which
Srivastav should try to change by proving herself
-If she is really thinking to switch over, she should at least try for negotiation because all the private
organization has the same phenomena to appoint new and tested employee of their own. Top position
like head of marketing to Vice president, she needs to prove herself to new management.
There may be prejudices but as a board director Prakash does not believe her to be suitable for vice
president. As a new role, she can prove herself as a GM (Public affairs) until she can manage new job as
a head of marketing as a director.

We conclude that Prejudice in work place is perceived and its not real, from case study it clear Manjula
had developed a perception that there is always a male dominancy at work place but that not true she
has made this perception due to her experience as she had to prove herself many times, so we conclude
that prejudice in work place is perceived and it’s not real