The Simulation

This simulation is an exercise that requires you to play the role of a manager. You will find yourself in a context that is different from that of your current job but may be similar in some respects. It contains an “in-box” made up of emails that have been sent by colleagues, customers, suppliers, etc. You must deal with these messages as though they really were intended for you. There are various ways of approaching the situations you will encounter, but what we want to see is your usual approach to work and problem resolution. So just be as natural as possible.

The Situation

Last Thursday, April 8th, the previous General Manager of the Globasports Sports Equipment Division, George Willis, left the company without any notice to join a company operating in a different industry. Following his unexpected departure, you were offered this position and accepted the challenge.

You have been spending the last few days putting your affairs in order and looking after some of the remaining details in your old job. On Friday, April 9th, the CEO of the company, Alex Hill, made a company-wide announcement informing everyone of your arrival.

It is now Monday, April 12th. You are flying to the head office in Vancouver to meet with your new boss, Leslie Palmer, VP Operations, and other Globalsports executives to discuss the goals and challenges of your new job. It's 6:00 in the morning. You are at the airport 90 minutes before your flight leaves.

You want to take this time to look at the emails that your new assistant, Phyllis Clark, forwarded to you that your predecessor, George Willis, had not dealt with. You only have your cell phone and laptop with you, so you will not be able to print any documents. Your time away is booked with back-to-back meetings and dinners with your boss and the executives for the next few days, so this may be the only opportunity you have to get an idea of what is going on in your division and reply to requests until your return to the office on Thursday, April 15th.

Your Task

We would like to know your reactions to the information contained in the emails. To help us do this, in a blank Word document, please note down the following:

• Everything you do or intend to do: emails, voice messages, phone calls, decisions, meetings, actions, etc.
• Everything you want to say or communicate to the various people involved.

Keep in mind that everything you do or plan to do must be put in writing. You can even let us know your thoughts, your ideas, and the reasons for your decisions. It is possible that in reality, you would have taken action instead of writing it down, but in this exercise, we have to know exactly what you intend to do and how you will do it.

Note:

In order to help you keep track of your schedule, you have been provided with a calendar. There is also an organization chart so you can become familiar with the names and titles of people you will be working with.