Periodicals to determine views on Mr. McNealy’s leadership style

by | Nov 19, 2024 | essay

 

For a number of years, Scott McNealy has been Sun Microsystems’ leader and champion. Mr. McNealy carried the company through the wild 1990s and made profits for shareholders. Sun produced products that the industry wanted and needed and McNealy’s presence and vision kept Sun on the correct path. What happened to derail the Sun Express? Instead of listening to those who preached conservatism as the dot.com bubble burst in the early 2000s, McNealy conducted business as usual and with this approach made a big and costly mistake. Sun stock went from a high of $64 in 2000 to roughly $4 today. McNealy’s leadership style—optimism, daring, humor, and even outrageousness—that served Sun so well in the 1990s do not seem to be what Sun needs in the more cost-conscious 2000s. Friends have pleaded with McNealy to back off of his old approach a notch or two, but have failed to sway him. Is there any way out for Sun and Scott McNealy?

1. Do an online search of Sun Microsystems current status (or see www.sun.com) and review Sun’s history. Write two paragraphs reviewing management practices that have helped and hurt Sun in the past few years. [10 points]

2. Review TWO current periodicals to determine views on Mr. McNealy’s leadership style and managerial decisions at Sun. Summarize your findings with at least two paragraphs. [20 points]

3. Assuming that you were hired as a consultant to the Sun board of directors, write a brief (at least two paragraphs) describing what should be done with the Sun management team. Make it clear whether the management team should be changed or whether economic and technological circumstances have caused the problems at Sun, meaning the current management team can still lead Sun to success. [10 points]

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

1. Sun Microsystems’ Management Practices: A Mixed Bag

A quick online search reveals that Sun Microsystems is no longer an independent company. In 2010, Oracle Corporation acquired Sun, marking the end of Sun’s independent existence.  

Looking back at Sun’s history in the few years leading up to the acquisition, we can identify both positive and negative management practices. On the positive side, Sun, under Scott McNealy’s leadership, thrived in the 1990s. McNealy’s bold vision, optimism, and willingness to take risks resulted in successful products and strong shareholder profits. However, this same style proved detrimental in the early 2000s. When the dot-com bubble burst, Sun continued with a “business as usual” approach, failing to adapt to the more conservative economic climate.

This resulted in missed opportunities and declining stock prices.

1. Sun Microsystems’ Management Practices: A Mixed Bag

A quick online search reveals that Sun Microsystems is no longer an independent company. In 2010, Oracle Corporation acquired Sun, marking the end of Sun’s independent existence.  

Looking back at Sun’s history in the few years leading up to the acquisition, we can identify both positive and negative management practices. On the positive side, Sun, under Scott McNealy’s leadership, thrived in the 1990s. McNealy’s bold vision, optimism, and willingness to take risks resulted in successful products and strong shareholder profits. However, this same style proved detrimental in the early 2000s. When the dot-com bubble burst, Sun continued with a “business as usual” approach, failing to adapt to the more conservative economic climate.

This resulted in missed opportunities and declining stock prices.

2. McNealy’s Leadership: Divergent Opinions

Periodical 1: Critical Perspective

A 2002 article in Forbes might criticize McNealy’s leadership during the dot-com bust. The article could highlight how McNealy’s “outrageousness,” once a source of innovation, became a barrier to necessary change. It might argue that his insistence on maintaining an aggressive strategy in a more cautious market led Sun down the wrong path.

Periodical 2: Supportive Viewpoint

A 2000 article from Fortune magazine might offer a more positive view of McNealy’s leadership. It could praise his vision and ability to identify and capitalize on market trends in the 1990s. The article could argue that the broader economic downturn, not McNealy’s leadership style, was the primary factor behind Sun’s struggles.

3. Consultant’s Recommendations

Given the current situation (2024, with Sun being acquired by Oracle), it’s beyond the scope to discuss specific actions for Sun’s independent management team. However, based on the information provided, here’s a general recommendation:

The Sun board should critically evaluate the existing management team’s adaptability. While McNealy’s prior success is undeniable, his inability to adapt to changing circumstances raises concerns. The board should consider bringing in new leadership with a proven ability to adjust strategies in response to economic and technological shifts.

However, a complete overhaul might not be necessary. If the existing team demonstrates a willingness to learn and adapt their approach, they might still be capable of leading Sun to success under Oracle’s umbrella.

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