Bonnie Parker, COO of Economy Printing, has been unhappy with sales figures for the last two quarters, except for a slight upturn the last two weeks of the second quarter
As a result, she laid off the sales manager and now has everyone in the sales department reporting directly to her. She immediately instituted a sales quota for all salespersons and placed them on a commission-only compensation package. Now the upturn has been reversed and sales are again falling. In addition, other areas in Parker's area of responsibility are suffering for lack of attention. Which of the following conclusions is most strongly supported by the statements above?
A) Parker is unfamiliar with the printing business.
B) Parker has too many departments reporting to her.
C) Parker is giving her employees negative attention.
D) Parker's employees respond positively to strong-arm management.
E) Parker's employees are all incompetent salespeople.
Answer: C
Explanation: C) When employees are not achieving desired outcomes, many scenarios are possible: Sometimes the standards are unrealistic and need to be altered. Sometimes employees haven't been given the resources for achieving the standards. Sometimes employees may need more attention and direction from management. Negative attention, however, is not warranted if the situation is not one of employee failure.
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