Reference no: EM133158134

Read the case given and answer the questions:

Nawal was the first of her family to go to college and, after working in a reputed organization for a few years, she got into her first-choice graduate program. During her first semester, Nawal was seen as mature, professional, and well-organized. Concerns emerged during the spring semester; she seemed distracted when on campus and was absent from organization more days than she was present. She was working on a paper, but progress was slow, and in March  Nawal failed to turn in a draft on the date promised. Her advisor Dr. Hamed assumed that more structure was needed, so she began to set very explicit expectations for products with specific deadlines attached. During their meetings, Nawal was enthusiastic about her projects and eagerly promised to get the work done. However, the pattern of failing to deliver kept repeating itself. Finally, after an extended stretch when Nawal was absent from the organization  and had missed a deadline for a draft, Dr. Hamed called her in to ask if she was serious about her work. Nawal teared up and revealed that her mother was seriously ill, and she had been driving the three  hours back home every weekend for the last several months to help her family. She had thought it inappropriate to mention her family crisis, not wanting to acknowledge that her personal life was interfering with her graduate studies. She asked Dr. Hamed if she should withdraw from the program. 

Assignment Questions:

Q1. What are the main themes raised in this case?

Q2. What is the best course of action for this student for the immediate future? 

Q3. How can organization develop successful mentoring programs to help its work force? 

Q4. What policy changes might the department implement to avoid a repeat of the situation in the future, with another student?