Mary Griffin at Derby Foods

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9 -4 1 2 -0 4 0 REV: NOVEMBER 5, 2012 ANTHONY J. MAYO JOSHUA D. MARGOLIS Mary Griffin at Derby Foods Mary Griffin, vice president of consumer products, sighed and slightly cringed as she saw John Shelburne, director of production, walking briskly toward her. That walk and sense of purpose on his face could mean only one thing: There was a problem. “Hey, Mary, do you have a minute?” Shelburne asked. Not waiting for Griffin’s response, Shelburne continued, “I need to touch base with you about Simon. I know that he was recently promoted, and may not appreciate how things work around here, but you need to set him straight. I don’t care if he is a hotshot; he can’t just come down to the production floor and order people around. Who does he think he is?” “Hold on, calm down!” Griffin said. “What happened?” Shelburne went on to explain that Simon York, brand manager, had noticed a slight imperfection on the label of one of Derby Foods products, a chocolate crème-filled snowball-shaped cupcake. The company was recently named one of the official snack providers of the Winter X Games, and York had worked with the in-house design team and the production staff to create a seasonal package for its cupcakes that referenced this partnership. The new product label included a reference to the “official cupcake of the Winter X Games.” Shelburne said that when York saw the new labels, he was enraged. He thought that the “X” on the label was not prominent enough. York charged down to the production floor and yelled at the staff for producing an inferior product. He said that the production staff was ruining a potential long-term partnership. Griffin thanked Shelburne for his feedback, and assured him that she would address it. Griffin was perplexed. In many ways, York was a terrific employee. As an assistant brand manager for Derby Foods’ baked goods
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