Task assignment paper - Jason is a 40-year-old service engineer who has worked in a local computer company for more than 10 years. His wife is a full-time homemaker who takes care of their two young c

Jamez

23 Oct 2025 • 3 min read

Case Study

Jason is a 40-year-old service engineer who has worked in a local computer company for more than 10 years. His wife is a full-time homemaker who takes care of their two young children. Jason draws a modest but adequate salary and can expect to work in the company until his retirement. However, it is very unlikely that his salary will increase substantially before he retires. Jason is considering changing jobs when he chances upon a small, newly founded company at a career roadshow. The company is less than a year old and has a highly uncertain future. He is offered a job managing a group of technicians at the company. The new job would pay him a higher starting salary and would offer the possibility of a share in ownership if the company survives the competition from the larger firms.

Part 1: Individual Activity (10 marks) [Word Limit = 300]

Imagine that you are advising Jason. Listed below are several probabilities or odds of the new company proving financially sound. Please tick the lowest probability that you would consider acceptable to make it worthwhile for Jason to take the new job. Appraise your answer in 300 words and submit it together with the Cover Page.

The chances are 1 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound (high risk).
The chances are 2 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 3 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 4 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 5 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 6 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 7 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 8 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 9 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 10 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound (low risk).

Part 2: Group Activity (85 marks) [Limit = 15 slides or 800 words]

Imagine that your group is advising Jason. Listed below are several probabilities or odds of the new company proving financially sound. Discuss as a group how you should advise Jason. After the group discussion, tick the lowest probability that each member would consider acceptable to make it worthwhile for Jason to take the new job.

The chances are 1 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound (high risk).
The chances are 2 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 3 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 4 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 5 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 6 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 7 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 8 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 9 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound.
The chances are 10 in 10 that the company will prove financially sound (low risk).

Member A:

Member B:

Member C:

Member D:

*Group score:

*The group score is the average of the individual score of all members in the group after the discussion.

Example:

Member A: 1

Member B: 3

Member C: 5

Member D: 5

Group score: (1 + 3 + 5 + 5) ÷ 4 = 3.5

Develop an understanding of the differences between the group score (from the group activity) and the individual score (from the individual activity). Apply the concept of group polarization and examine whether a risky shift or a cautious shift has taken place by giving a 15-minutes PowerPoint presentation during Week 12 seminar.

The PowerPoint presentation should consist of between 12 to 15 slides (excluding the references).
Include a reference list of a minimum of 5 academic sources at the end of the PowerPoint.
Every group member MUST take part in the group presentation.
Only group leaders need to submit the PowerPoint in Canvas.

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