Marsha Harris (a)

Marsha Harris accepts a new position as a Chief Financial Officer for Divisional Marketing, Sales and Distribution functions of a huge appliance manufacturer. On her first day on the job, she's told she was chosen for the job because she's a woman. One year after taking the position, she's told by her boss to reduce her staff of 250 by 47 percent. Hence, the case can be used to discuss corporate downsizing efforts in the context of the current interest in "re-engineering." Excerpt UVA-OB-0562 MARSHA HARRIS (A) Marsha Harris drove in the quiet, predawn dark to a local restaurant where she was to meet her new subordinate, Jerry Crittenden, for breakfast. It was October 1, her first day as the chief financial officer (CFO) for the Sales and Distribution Department of the Appliances Division of the Winston Electric Corporation (WEC) in Charlotte, North Carolina. She had won the job in a competitive interviewing process that had included Jerry, a long-time Charlotte employee and the acting CFO for the past six months, and she believed that talking with Jerry before going to the office was important. She knew that he believed he should have gotten the job. After Marsha found Jerry and ordered breakfast, they began to talk. Jerry began the conversation: “Well, you will find me a very candid person. The general consensus says the only reason you were hired is because you are a woman. So, you are walking into a situation on Day One where you have to decide how you are going to deal with it.” One year later, Marsha was in her office wondering what she should do. Sluggish sales, declining margins, and overly-ambitious forecasts had taken great tolls on her organization, and she was now faced with one of the toughest decisions of her career. Her boss had ordered her to reduce her organization of financial professionals by 47 percent. Marsha knew that her decisions would mean that many people would start their Christmas holiday involuntarily unemployed—at the end of their careers at WEC. Marsha's Background Marsha Harris grew up in Wisconsin with four sisters. Her father was a surgeon, and her mother was an occupational therapist by training but a full-time homemaker. All of her sisters found their careers in medicine. Reflecting on her early years, Marsha noted: . . .