NARSEE MONJEE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
MBA DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
2024-2026
BCA – Session 2 Report
Course Instructor: Dr. Tresa Abraham
SUBMITTED BY
GROUP 5 (DT-A)
A005 – Riya Chawla
A015 – Anoohya Venugopalarao Banki
A025 – Oorjaa Mishra
A035 – Aharnish Panwar
A045 – Preet Umrania
A055 – Pranav Chaurasia
A065 – Sarthak Jadhav
Situation Analysis (HBR case study, ‘Wendy Peterson’)
Fred Wu, a sales executive at AccountBack’s Plano office, was hired by Wendy Peterson to expand the
company’s presence in the Plano Chinese market. Wu brought significant strengths to the role, including
his proficiency in Mandarin, his extensive network among Chinese business executives in the area, and
his entrepreneurial experience. Within eight months of joining, Wu signed the largest client in the Plano
office, with an annual contract worth $400,000, surpassing the standard first-year target of $250,000.
This validated Peterson’s strategic decision to penetrate the Chinese market and highlighted Wu’s
capability to deliver high-value results.
Wu did show strong engagement during his initial months at AccountBack. He spent considerable time
learning the company’s products, processes, building an internal resource network, and impressing
colleagues with his intellectual curiosity and attention to detail. He also supported team development by
hosting lunch sessions to train colleagues on the company’s online sales.
Wu’s cultural expertise was evident in his cross-cultural communication efforts, such as printing business
cards in Chinese to build rapport with clients. However, his working style diverged from company norms.
He often cited networking events and client meetings as reasons for his limited presence in the office,
often bypassing protocols like making cold calls from the office, attending pipeline meetings, and
consistently reporting sales activities. He also missed company-sponsored events, including one where
Peterson had to intervene. His limited office engagement and private approach to work made it difficult
for Peterson to monitor his progress effectively.
Despite his contributions, Wu focused on a single client rather than diversifying his portfolio as expected
of sales executives. This singular focus extended to managing the account service team’s interactions
with his client, outside his responsibilities and causing inefficiencies. Additionally, Wu independently sold
extra services to his client without Peterson’s prior approval, violating company policy. Although he
provided evidence that the client requested these services, his actions raised concerns about
governance and adherence to organizational processes.
Wu’s presence in the office had both positives and negatives. While he willingly shared knowledge with
colleagues, his minimal participation in office activities and avoidance of casual interactions created a
sense of detachment. For example, he did not introduce a visiting friend to colleagues and often worked
in isolation, further distancing himself from the collaborative culture.
During his annual review, Wu requested a personal assistant citing his workload and the need to focus on
strategic tasks. Peterson explained that assistants were reserved only for senior executives managing
over 30 accounts. Wu then revealed a competing job offer and implied he would leave if his demand was
unmet. This placed Peterson in a challenging position, requiring her to weigh Wu’s contributions against
his policy compliance and the broader implications for team morale and fairness.