1. Read the case study from the Harvard course pack: “The Reluctant Boss”: Leadership at Mastermark – A Singapore SME
By: L. Arnold Stewart and review the below for this assignment.
2. Construct an academic paper that answers the following questions:
3. eight hundred to one thousand word paper adhering to the following structure and format:
Introduction: Introduce the case study and its key protagonist, Chris, while providing context about Mastermark’s growth and challenges. Briefly outline the questions you aim to address in your paper.
Effectiveness of Defining Special Roles: Discuss how effectively Chris defined special roles within Mastermark as the company grew. Analyze whether these roles were aligned with the company’s needs and growth trajectory. Support your analysis with evidence from the case study.
Addition of Management Structure: Examine the steps taken by Chris to add management structure to Mastermark. Explore how this structure contributed to the company’s growth and stability. Evaluate whether it was a necessary step and if it was implemented effectively.
Disciplined Approach in Planning and Forecasting: Assess whether Chris adopted a disciplined approach in planning and forecasting for Mastermark’s future. Examine any strategies or practices he employed to ensure the company’s sustainability. Provide examples from the case study to illustrate these efforts.
Sustainability of Culture at Mastermark: Discuss how Chris sustained or became resilient to the culture at Mastermark as the company expanded. Analyze whether he managed to preserve the company’s core values and culture despite growth and changes. Examine any challenges he faced in this regard.
Leadership vs. Management: Evaluate whether Chris exhibits more leadership or managerial qualities in his role. Provide a clear definition of leadership and management and then analyze Chris’s actions and decisions in light of these definitions. Justify your assessment with examples.
Personal Takeaways: Share your personal takeaways from analyzing this case study. Reflect on any insights or lessons you gained from Chris’s experiences as a leader/manager in a growing SME. Discuss how these takeaways can be applied to your own leadership or managerial style.
Summary and Conclusions: Summarize the key points discussed in your paper. Reiterate Chris’s leadership journey and its impact on Mastermark. Offer concluding remarks on the effectiveness of his actions and the relevance of his experiences to the broader field of leadership and management.
References: List at least three outside sources, including the case study reading, in APA format as references. Ensure proper in-text citations throughout your paper.
By following this structured outline, you can develop an academic paper that effectively addresses the questions posed in the case study and provides a comprehensive analysis of Chris’s leadership and management journey at Mastermark.