MGT702 - Leading People: Case Studies on Ethical Leadership Practices

This document presents a comprehensive analysis of several case studies focused on ethical and moral leadership within the context of a Leading People course (MGT702). The case studies explore various leadership challenges, including information sharing during a potential company takeover, gender stereotypes in the workplace, change leadership in a cross-cultural setting (Italy and Australia), and the leadership dynamics within a company's founding. Each case study identifies leadership issues, evaluates available options, and proposes best-fit solutions, followed by a conclusion. The analysis touches upon ethical considerations, diversity, team leadership, and the importance of feedback. The document also examines topics such as gender diversity, cross-cultural contexts, and ethical principles in decision-making, providing a well-rounded view of ethical leadership in diverse organizational settings.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Leading people
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Case Study 1...............................................................................................................................4
Information Sharing (or not sharing) at harmony, Inc...............................................................4
Leadership Issue.....................................................................................................................4
Options Available...................................................................................................................4
Best Solution..........................................................................................................................5
Conclusion..............................................................................................................................5
Case Study Questions.................................................................................................................5
Upcoming meeting.................................................................................................................5
Answer to Question no 1........................................................................................................5
Answer to Question no 2........................................................................................................6
Answer to Question no 3........................................................................................................7
Case Study 2...............................................................................................................................8
Sage premium video Case study............................................................................................8
Options Available...................................................................................................................8
Best Solution..........................................................................................................................9
Conclusion............................................................................................................................10
Case Study 3.............................................................................................................................10
Change Leadership in a cross-cultural context (a case study of Italy and Australia)..............10
Leadership Issue...................................................................................................................10
Options Available.................................................................................................................11

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Best Solution........................................................................................................................11
Conclusion............................................................................................................................11
Case Study 4.............................................................................................................................12
The Founder.............................................................................................................................12
Leadership Issue...................................................................................................................12
Best Solution........................................................................................................................13
Conclusion............................................................................................................................13
References................................................................................................................................14

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Case Study 1
Information Sharing (or not sharing) at harmony, Inc
Leadership Issue
The proposed takeover of Harmony Foods by Dynamic foods has been doing the
rounds and there have been some negative proposals and discussions that have been a point
of problem for the proposed takeover. The study of the case has identified a number of
leadership problems which will surely play a negative impact on the success of the business
organization. The leaders does not have the common unity in them to stick to a decision as
they are divided in their opinion to proceed with the deal. While two owners prefer to go
ahead with the dal, the other to have been quite pessimistic about the deal ad they fear that
Dynamic Foods can totally layover the business process which can lead to the complete or
partial restructuring of the workforce. Thus the absence of a strong and stoic leadership in
harmony INC. could lead to a major problem for the company (Waldman and O'Reilly 2019).
Options Available
The new deal by Dynamic Foods has both positive as well as negative perspectives.
The takeover deal can be helpful for Harmony Foods as because the owners of harmony
Foods are considering retirement and the deal can help Harmony to gain future ownership
and sustainability. However, there have been a number of problems which acts as a problem
to the industry. The complete makeover policy and restructuring policy of Dynamic foods is a
major policy for the organization as because these policy followed by the management of
Dynamic Foods can lead to mass firings and layoffs of the employees. Thus Harmony foods
is left with two options of either go ahead with the deal or cancelling the deal.

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Best Solution
The management of Harmony Foods have two options left in hand at present. They
may go ahead with the deal with important changes or they may accept the proposal of
Dynamic Foods and sign on the dotted lines. The management of the business has to select
either of the two options that can be said to the best for the organization (Waldman and
O'Reilly 2019). Considering the current situation where the Harmony Inc has been lacking a
strong leadership, it is important for the management to consider the proposal of Dynamic
Foods strongly and then negotiate the layoff plan to ensure that the employees are not put into
layoff or are fired.
Conclusion
The following case study has been prepared in order to gain an idea of the takeover
proposal planning in a structured manner. The takeover proposal of Harmony Inc has also
revealed the ethical leadership style that is followed by the business organization. The ethical
leadership style here established the weakness of the major leadership in harmony as the
owners are divided in their decision on whether to go ahead with the proposal from Dynamic
Food. They are even quite divided on whether to inform the employees of the organization
about the proposed takeover of the company by Dynamic Foods. Thus it can be said that the
weak leadership process can really have a strong impact on the business of the organization
and can affect the future of the company.

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Case Study Questions
Upcoming meeting
Answer to Question no 1
The representative who have asked about the purpose of the visit of the people from
Dynamic foods must be provided a proper and genuine information on the purpose of such a
visit. It is important for the organization to provide the information as because any privacy of
such a sensitive information can be problematic for the company in the future.
The maintenance of an ethical leadership style is essential for the success of the
organization as because it helps the management to address the different issues in an
organized manner. The ethical principles that are needed to be followed by the management
includes the likes of acting in line with the developed sense of the values and the principles
and always speaking the actual truth to the employees. The management of the business must
speak the truth in this particular case to ensure that the employees are aware of the future deal
presented by Dynamic Foods Company.
Answer to Question no 2
The information must be reported in a formal and friendly manner as such
information is quite sensitive in nature. An example is as follows;
Representative: Being the representative of the employees, I have a duty to forward the
concerns of the employees to the management. In this perspective the employees have a
question in their mind on why was the representatives from Dynamic foods in a visit to the
organization. They want to know on whether it was just a friendly visit or it had something to
do with professional matters of the organization.
Manager’s Reply: Though nothing have been official yet and there are still a lot of
considerations, I want to inform you that the visit was totally n professional grounds as the

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company has submitted a takeover proposal to the management of Harmony. The takeover
proposal is being judged and evaluated by us to come to a conclusion on whether to negotiate
or reject the deal. We will provide an updated information officially once something happens
be it positive or negative.
The manager here has maintained the different features of ethics. He informs the
employees of the possible takeover and also assures them of a strong negotiation of a deal.
The strong negotiation thus itself suggest the safety of the rights of the employees and also
assures of their job security. The Ethical and Moral Leadership is thus one of the most
important leadership process.
Answer to Question no 3
The Ethical leadership principles has both pros as well as specific disadvantages.
These are as follows;
Pros:
a. The sharing of information will be smooth which will ensure the presence of a great
communication network
b. The sharing of information will be helpful for the managers
The ethical leadership principles can thus help in the maintenance of a transparent
business structure.
Cons:
a. A fear of layoffs will grip in the minds of the employees
b. The fear of layoffs can lead to the decrease in the performance of the employees
which will affect the productivity and profitability of the organization

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Therefore it can be said the ethical style of leadership can help in the success of the
organization in the most efficient and effective manner.
Case Study 2
Sage premium video Case study
Fitting In and Standing Out Gender Stereotypes
Leadership Issue
The following case study involves the likes of the study regarding the gender
complexities and gender stereotypes in the workplace. The study has basically focused on the
stereotypical people that exists in the workplace. Maria Eitel, is the Vice President of Nike
and she has been through one of such people who have passed a derogatory comment on
someone else but was meant for the entire female community (leadershipinfocus.net 2019).
She says that it is actually quite normal for these people to hire men for leading industry
positions and to hire women with similar skills into a much derogatory position. Thus the
absence of an unbiased leadership is what the main issue is. The presence of a biased
leadership could make it tough for the management to address the issues in the most proper
manner (Waldman and O'Reilly 2019). The biasedness with gender stereotyping can lead to
major problems within the organizations.
Options Available
As a major case of biased leadership and absence of diversity in the organization, the
management of the organization can opt for some options that could change the current
situation. The management has to either create a gender diverse team or continue with the

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same non diversity process which is traditional by nature as well as creates great negative
impact in the business. The managers must have the power to convince the management on
accepting the diverse teams and create a strong diversity.
Best Solution
The best solution in this case will be the selection of a gender diverse team. The
presence of a gender diverse team is highly essential for the management to ensure business
success. The presence of the best gender diverse teams can ensure the quality of the business
and make the most of the organizational elements. The presence of gender diversity is
advantageous for both the women and the organizations (leadershipinfocus.net 2019). First of
all the presence of a diverse workplace assures the financial independence for the women and
then also assures the presence of an attracted and talented workforce. There are huge
challenges for the women who tries to enter into respected positions as there are often
invisible barrier that restricts the women to follow a proper hierarchical procedure. The
women are often seen to fail in these procedures as a result of their promotions. The presence
of the diverse and talented workforce can be really helpful for the performance of the
organization. According to, Blanchard (2018) the absence of Gender diversity also adds to
the reputation of the workplace and helps to support women empowerment. As because it
supports the women empowerment process, the organization can also attract the women and
employ them to increase the productivity and profitability. In the case of the given example
there is a strong need for the implementation of a gender equality leadership to ensure
success.
Most importantly the support of a healthy work culture can be maintained easily.
Therefore the best possible option in this particular case has been the support for the gender
diversity and strictly acting against gender stereotyping (Waldman and O'Reilly 2019). It is
important for the leaders of the business organizations to train the people in a diverse work

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environment and also start a feedback sharing process to ensure the proper implementation of
the diversity process. The avoidance of individuality and promotion for inclusion by the
leaders are the major game changers for diverse workforce in an organization. Therefore to
bring the necessary changes in the women empowerment process, the management of the
business needs to come forward and play effective leadership role to ensure a gender equality
within the workplace.
Conclusion
The following case study based on the video of Maria Eitel has been the major
element of discussion. The video is based on the presence of gender stereotyping in the
business as because the gender stereotyping can lead to major disruptions in the environment
of the workplace. It is highly important for the business to ensure the success of the
organization through the mean s of gender diversity. The implementation of gender diversity
thus requires the presence of a strong leadership. The presence of the strong leadership is
important for the success of the business in a proper and efficient manner. The strong
unbiased leadership can help establish a strong and diverse work culture which can promote a
proper and performance focused workforce.
Case Study 3
Change Leadership in a cross-cultural context (a case study of Italy and Australia)
Leadership Issue
Change in the organization is always a great challenge to the leadership and the
management of the organizations. The presence of a better change and gaining quality results
is important for the organization. However, the presence of leaders who have different ideas
and think differently, can lead to problems in the change (Waldman and O'Reilly 2019). The
major issues in the following case has been the adaption to changes in the backdrop of

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different cultural styles in Italy and Australia along with the difference in the changes of the
family nature. The changes in this perspectives have been the cause of major issues within the
organization. The presence of the different cultures thus presents a problematic approach for
the organization.
Options Available
The change in the perspectives of the business and the problem with the management
of both the firms had provided stressful time to both Katherine and David. After the closure
of the business firms, the management of the organization decided to receive a proper
element of problem for the business in a stressful environment. The cultural context of
leadership is always avoided by the management of the business to ensure success and
cultural factors in the most efficient manner. The cultural approach to the leadership
perspectives needs to be implemented in the case of Catherine as such an approach can
ensure business success. The incorporation of Italian perspectives in the business was an
option or there was option to carry out the corporate business in the same manner. According
to, Blanchard (2018) it is important for the person to ensure the success of the organization in
a well structured environment by ensuring the easy adaptability to the new cultures.
Best Solution
It is important for Catherine to choose and incorporate either of the two options in
order to gain a stronghold in the Australian market. The gaining of a stronghold in the
Australian market will involve the selection of the incorporation of both the Australian as
well as Italian elements in the new corporate establishment of Catherine. The incorporation of
the Italian elements will provide the staffs the necessary freedom to operate the business in
the most desired and successful manner (A. Waldman and O'Reilly 2019). Therefore the
solution can be said to be ideal and successful in nature for the business. Thus it can be said

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the implementation of local and international elements are the key to the success of the
industry.
Conclusion
The part for the cultural success of the business involves both family business type as
well as involves the different kinds of local cultural adaptions. The look and feel of the
family business can help in the success of the industry and such a success can help in the
development and growth of the industry in unknown grounds. The demands of the Australian
market are quite different from that of the Italian market and thus the management of the
business must ensure that they incorporate the Australian elements to ensure business
success. The establishment of the business will thus incorporate the local perspectives and
will take the success factors of the native perspectives. The implementation of these two
elements in the most proper and efficient manner can thus be said to be highly successful for
the organization.
Case Study 4
The Founder
Leadership Issue
It is seen that persistence is key to success. The success of the organization depends
on the persistence. The persistence of the organization involves the like sof the ambition of
the people and the way that people carry out the duties. The adaptive nature have been key to
success of the business. The different food items and the use of the working principles has
also been of major help to the organization. The major issues in this case is that the leaders in
the modern times lack adaptivity and persistence (Haitum.com. 2019). The lack of adaptivity
and proper persistence has been major problems for the organizations. In the presence of the