Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America Term Paper

Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America - Term Paper Example Due to her personal need, the management is left with considerable options how they could continuously perform operation on a normal basis, and without interrupting the possible opportunities of Nickelodeon in Latin America in the future. This report tries to recommend important suggestions how the organization could effectively emancipate action based on these crucial concerns without possibly compromising its future opportunities in Latin America. This report starts with the actual issues and assumptions of the actual scenario Nickelodeon in Latin America is facing. This is followed by a brief analysis of management functions which have been playing elemental role towards the success of Taran from the past and even for future achievement of best opportunities. Problems are presented and the required actions to address them are also elaborated in detail. Keywords: Nickelodeon, management functions, management, leadership Issues and Assumptions Taran Swan, branch director and general manager of Nickelodeon Latin America is faced with various options how she could deliver her role effectively far from Miami to New York after her doctor recommended she had to stay at home for the duration of her pregnancy. This is not going to be an easy situation on her part especially that there were major projects that could either make or break Nickelodeon in the future such as the Cablevision/TCI and the Brazil-dedicated feed. Swan was faced with two major important issues in order to effectively manage or lead her team. She needs to consider her leadership style and working relationships while working with her team from afar. Then she also needs to consider a possibility of appointing an interim director who would take her post while she is absent, which for her, needs to have substantive criteria and evaluations. Assuming Swan would continue work with her team so as to ensure maximum achievement of various opportunities like those for Cablevision/TCI and the Brazil-dedicat ed feed even at a far distance, she therefore needs to enhance her ability to formulate and initiate the whole plan, extra-organize her team, lead them and even ensure a high level of control. Assuming further that she would appoint interim director for the mean time, Swan should therefore consider certain criteria in order to choose the one with excellent qualification that would be able to fit to the prevailing task. Swan needs to consider strategic human resource management which would include but also may not limit to human resource selection process. The case â€Å"Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America† based on the above issues and assumptions is therefore composed of complex management activities which can be subdivided into four functions: planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Analysis Planning The first management function clearly indicated in the case is planning. Obviously it is here where Swan started everything how she was able to prove herself that sh e could actually make it to Nickelodeon Latin America as a branch director and general manager. In the industry where Nickelodeon belongs, planning plays a crucial role as a gateway to its success. As a novice in Nickelodeon business from the beginning, Taran learned to appreciate the significance of planning activity, and she found at the later part there were more complex things to be considered in the actual planning activity rather than relying on pure assumptions and estimates or projections. Planning has become integral part to leapfrog company’s success and achieve competitive advantage (Porter, 1998; Schnaars, 1998). In planning activity, Swan was able to understand the importance of ensuring the achievement of a