The Hot Mommas Project Case Study Competition - Women in Business Balancing Work and Life

Jane L
Take that silver lining to the mint

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Notes

Notes:

Note 1
False assumption: that she would get credit, not just for the profits she created, but also for her loyalty and hard work.  Reality lesson:  Fear can drive companies and their stewards to act in self-preserving ways even at the expense of the best performers.  
False assumption: my co-workers are my friends. Reality lesson: Strong personal relationships can be trumped by WIIFM in times of adversity.  
Positive surprises: She had the respect of colleagues and senior members of the industry who saw through the corporate posturing.  Her reputation with people in the industry did not suffer.  However, she still finds that she has to give lengthy explanations about what happened to people she meets outside the industry.  

She also learned who her true friends were.  Jane found that the foundation she had built by treating people with respect and fairness served her well in the coming months and years.

Links to sites relevant to your case

1	Investopedia - What is a publ
2	Role of the Board of Directors
3	Wall Street Journal archives
4
5

Your typical daily schedule

From	To	Doing What	Business/Personal
6:30am	6:30am	Wake-up, pack kids off to school	Personal
7:30am	7:30am	Work on my business and my husband's business	Business
5:30pm	5:30pm	Prepare Dinner, kids homework, music, family time	Personal
10:00am	10:00am	Exercise	Personal
8:30pm	8:30pm	Catch up on emails and work and spouse time	Other

Question 1	Comment on the situation that Jane faced. Give your opinion on the professional fallout she may have faced.
Note 1	This should give students a good perspective on reputation and some understanding of how corporations choose to handle crises.
Question 2	Develop a glossary of business terms from the case. Focus on how companies are structured.
Note 2	Students need to understand why corporations are organized the way they are and whose interests they are designed to protect. They also need to know that in good times, trust and good feelings prevail but human nature takes over in times of crisis, sometimes showing its worst side. I want them to focus on the following KEY questions: CORPORATIONS: What are corporations? What is a public corporation? How is it structured? Describe the roles of management, shareholders and the Board of Directors. What is corporate governance? What is the role of a Board in a public corporation? What do you think their role should be? Should there be a provision that the Board protect employees?
Question 3	How did Jane handle her professional crisis? What is your big learning from her handling of the situation? WHat would you do differently?
Note 3
Question 4	SELF-AWARENESS: How have you made your choice as to what career you will pursue? How flexible are you to making a change should circumstances dictate that you do so? What might some of your alternatives be?
Note 4	Students need to explore their Plan B or Plan C if what they are hoping does not play out - either now or later in their career.
Question 5
Note 5

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