Mini-Case
Sergio Gonzales is employed by Bigbux National Bank, one of the largest banks in the Midwest. He is a loan officer, specializing in home equity loans. Tio Raul, Sergio's favorite (and wealthiest) uncle, passed away last month and left Sergio a sizable amount of money. Sergio is looking at the best way to invest his newly acquired wealth. He is considering many options, ranging from simply putting the money into a savings account to the possibility of starting his own business. Although his bank job pays well and offers pleasant working conditions, Sergio is frustrated because he has little freedom or flexibility to deal with customers since every decision he makes must be approved by his supervisor. Besides, he's a bit bored and looking for a challenge. He thinks he might get a lot of satisfaction from owning his own business. Sergio has not made a definite decision yet, but has talked to a lot of people searching for a good idea for a new business. If he can come up with an idea he likes, he might just quit his current job and use his inheritance to go into business for himself!
-Sergio's frustration with his lack of freedom and flexibility at work indicates that Bigbux:
A) prefers the use of cross-functional teams rather than individual initiative.
B) has not adopted a strategy of empowerment.
C) knows that the best way to ensure good customer service is to closely monitor its lower-level employees.
D) is trying to please customers as well as other stakeholders.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sergio's frustration with his lack of freedom and flexibility at work suggests that Bigbux has not given him the autonomy to make decisions on his own, which is a key aspect of an empowerment strategy. This may indicate that Bigbux prefers a more centralized decision-making approach, rather than allowing individual initiative.

Mini-Case Sergio Gonzales Is Employed by Bigbux National Bank, One of of the Largest