Individual Case Study (Communications & Media Essay)

Individual Case Study
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INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDY
Part 1
In Chapter 8 of the Disrupted, Lyons also speaks about "The Bozo Explosion." This is the story of Dan Lyons, who was jobless in his fifties. He was recruited at HubSpot's start-up world, an organization that specialized in inbound sales and marketing. While he was working at the company, he experienced weird business activities and poor working conditions. These are some of the things Dan Lyons identified while he was still working at HubSpot.
Dan Lyons states that old journalists are forced to reinvent themselves when employed in the modern media industry. Dan Lyons states that he was fired while working at Newsweek magazine because he was in his 50s. The advancement of technology had made many old employees reevaluate their jobs in the media industry. In the 20th century, companies like Groupon and Facebook had raised while traditional companies like magazines struggled to adapt and survive in the market (Lyons, 2016). These were some of the factors that made Dan Lyons lose his job because of company cutbacks. For Lyons to find a new job, Dan Lyons was forced to reinvent himself and transform himself. The efforts of transformation led Lyons to the new world of start-ups. Dan Lyons felt it was important if he reinvented himself in the marketing department.
Dan Lyons also stated that being employed in a start-up company as a 50- year-old employee was a very odd experience, but he was ready to adapt. When Lyons was a tech writer, he was familiar with firms like Facebook. He acknowledged that people from these companies got good financial rewards. However, he was surprised by the strange business activities of start-ups. After getting an interview opportunity at HubSpot, he was offered the position of a marketing fellow. He was not given any roles as a marketing fellow in the company. Lyons thought that he would help that company accomplish its objectives, but he was not a specific task. Although the meeting was confusing, he was ready to adapt and remain open to new possibilities. Lyons was offered a small salary.
Further, Lyons asserts that the working environment of the company was a culture shock for old employees. Lyons states that the practices of HubSpot were meant to encourage teamwork and inspire unity among the employees. However, Lyons states that with time he felt like a misfit. He was not used to open-plan offices that denied employees privacy. Lyons also states that several places at HubSpot resembled playgrounds. This is because the company emphasized that employees were supposed to have fun. For example, the nap room has a hammock, although the instruments were not used (Lyons, 2016). The organization also had a candy wall with a variety of junk food and candy bars. The manager of the company was not innovative enough. Lyons says that he was discouraged when he found out that the manager was planning to bring a teddy bear referred to as Moly to represent the consumer they were doing everything possible to serve.
Moreover, Lyons states that older employees can experience conflicts if they propose initiatives for improvement. Lyons asserts that he wanted to understand his role as a marketing fellow after complet...