Internet Exercises

1. http://www.firestone.com/

The Nashville, Tennessee-based company was formed in 1990 when Bridgestone U.S.A. merged with The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. An international manufacturer with 38 production facilities throughout the Americas derives more than 75 percent of its revenues from tires. The Website identifies that its "corporate philosophy is to build not just better products, but better communities."

Research the company site for the articles on Tire recalls with Ford automobiles. Also research using either a yahoo search or similar search engines for independent articles on Ford/Firestone Tire issues. How do you believe the management at Firestone is handing the situation? How do you believe the decisions are being made in this situation? What potential drawbacks can be identified? What suggestions could you offer to improve the decision making at Firestone in this situation? Explain.

2. http://www.providian.com/

The Providian Financial Corporation with a base in San Francisco, CA employs over 12,000 individuals. Providian is a leading provider of lending and deposit products to consumers worldwide. Its philosophy is to continue to meet the evolving needs of their customers. Providian now holds the distinction for serving over 14 million customers from various countries.

Explore the above site. Based on information from the text pertaining to barriers to decision making, what do you see the personalities of the top leaders of this organization to be like? How does this impact effective decision-making? From the knowledge of group decision-making gained from the text, how do you feel this organization addresses the advantages and disadvantages of group decision-making? Explain. Prepare a one-page report to share with the class on your findings and responses.