Sarah Stanley at GSB

What cultural clues is the new Director of Marketing at an established consulting firm ignoring?

Thomas P. Ference, Murray Low, E. Kirby Warren, Ian Wilcox  | Fall 2018
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Graham, Smith & Bendel (GSB) is a consulting firm with a highly impressive list of past and present clients. For more than 30 years they have experienced small but sound growth. However, Aaron Nettles, the new president of the firm (designated by William Graham after his retirement), decided to capitalize on GSB's reputation and grow at a faster pace. With that purpose in mind, he hired Sarah Stanley as Director of Marketing. The adaptation of Stanley to GSB culture seemed to be problematic and old employees were unwilling to cooperate with her new strategies. In this case, students are asked to consider the culture at GSB and how Stanley might be more effective in her new role.

Case ID: 190404

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