Case Study: ALI AHMAD

OVER VIEW
This case was written by Samina Rashid, Research Associates, during the 1987 on Ali
Ahmad who is a service engineer at Spearmens Limited, Lahore. It is a multinational electronic
company, had three divisions in Pakistan : telecommunication, power engineering and medical
engineering. Spearmens had three branches in Pakistan: Lahore Karachi and Islamabad. The
medical division had two main areas sales and services .Ali was employed in the services
department and was responsible for installation and maintenance of medical equipment which
company sold to various hospitals in Pakistan. The company sent him for training abroad in
various technical fields which would help him to become a specialist in medical engineering and
he was the only engineer at spearmen who was an angio specialist
PROBLEM STATEMENT
The general manager Dr Chanzler of this company gave offer to Ali to start his new
career as the service in charge of the medical division in Islamabad. Although it is a promotion
for him but its very difficult for him to take the decision. In the five years that Ali spent with
Spearmen , he had never been given a managerial assignment and he was confident of his
abilities as an engineer , he was unsure if he had the capacity to head a department at a
supervisory level, especially a department which was facing difficulties. He enjoys his work as a
service manager but if he choose to remain in the technical field, the most he can become is an
angio specialist which is only a one step higher than being a service manager. If he enters in the
management cadre, he can go much higher but if he fails in than field his engineering career
would no longer be fruitful. Financially the difference between his present pay and his expected
salary would be Rs2000. Another important consideration was his wife career in Lahore. She
taught at a university in Lahore and was firmly committed to her career. She had worked for two
years and had devoted considerable energy to her job and enjoyed her work.

Suggestion and Recommendation
Ali Ahmad should accept the offer provided by the general manager because in this
current field there are no higher promotions he would be stick to his same position or one step
higher in his whole life and on the other hand in the job of the service in charge he would face
difficulty on the initial stage but after giving some time to it he would adjust himself in it also
there are more promotion opportunities in that field.
As far as the fear of failure as a manager is concerned and in case if the company has
given him the offer from all the employees working in the company so definitely he has the
abilities to perform the tasks effectively and efficiently so he shouldnt worry about his failure.
As far as the issue of his wife, she has started her new career and she is firmly committed
to her career. And he had given his wife the understanding that they could pursue their individual
goals even after they were married. And she can live with her parents as she also lives with them
previously when he had to go for official tours.