Currie Road

Construction

Question 1a)  What is your assessment of Brad Carlyle as potential general manager of the Houston operation. List Pros / Cons based on the facts and as well your perception.

Brad Carlyle used to work for a pipeline company and during his meeting with Cook he proposed that there was good market for construction in Houston, Texas. Carlyle had previous experience working in Houston hence he had the necessary working knowledge of doing business in the U.S and more importantly in Houston, something which Cook and his team lacked. Moreover, Carlyle had made some important contacts within the government and in the construction industry and provided Currie Road with the knowledge which their team lacked of doing business in the U.S.

Brad would also be responsible for hiring blue collar workers and would be responsible for all the tenders in Texas. The fact that Currie Road Construction wanted to enter the U.S market and that Cook wanted a general manager who was trustworthy, but more importantly possesses the necessary knowledge of working in Houston, my assessment is that Brad Carlyle would make a good general manager, but not the best.

The only problem with Brad was that he did not experience in the construction industry and that could cause bigger problems for Cook in the days ahead. Although Cook believed in Brad’s potential to ‘learn on the job’, my perception is that this attitude can either be a hit or a miss. In today’s competitive world, knowledge is everything and knowledge comes from experience. I agree that having knowledge of the external environment is important and that Brad possesses the skills and knowledge of working in Houston, but it in order to the be the best it is critical to have the knowledge and experience in the field you are planning to work in.

Question 1b)  What qualifications would you ideally like to have in a General  Manager? Does this person exist?

The ideal qualities a general manager should have:

* Strategic...