Compare and contrast Goffmans and Foucaults explanations of how social order is made and remade

Social order is the way individuals fit together with others and things around them (E. Silva, 2009, page 311), it’s what keeps society running smoothly. Order is the implicit (unwritten and unspoken) and explicit (laws, written and spoken) rules that control society’s behaviour and make individuals courteous and respectful to one another. These rules usually go unnoticed and it is only when something happens that is against the norm (earthquake, car accident, and mugging, among other examples) that people begin to question the rules that keep them in order. Both Goffman and Foucault made attempts to explain how order is made and remade. Goffman used a micro approach to explaining order; that is, he concentrated on the individual and patterns of everyday interactions while Foucault used a macro approach, looking at wider society, genealogy and power to explain order. There are many similarities and differences between their approaches. Goffman’s work on interactional order argued that individuals are performers, who act, adopt a mask or follow the norm in their everyday lives (S. Taylor, 2009, page 172). He argued that order is made and remade through every day interactions and that the order is created by repetition and improvisation. He believes that social change comes about due to actions being built and rebuilt (E. Silva, 2009, page 317). Goffman examined rituals and interactions in everyday lives and saw how tact and trust were shown through the use of actions, gestures and language between strangers. Strangers exchange a number of codes of civil indifference through implicit contracts which both allow acknowledgement and protection. However, order breaks down when these codes are misinterpreted or misread and on some occasions punishment follows. First impressions are important and Goffman believes that individuals ‘put on a show’ to try and manage the impression they are giving which helps us to read the situation and categorise people to make a sense of order. Foucault however, looked at discourse (a set of shared ideas used to view the functions of society) and how order is controlled by knowledge and power. Foucault looked at how the knowledge of order comes about (E. Silva, 2009, page 319). He argued that the authority to intervene is allocated to certain individuals (or institutions) and is instigated through practices of law, punishment and education and that different institutions (school, family, workplace for example) have different powers of intervention to regulate behaviour and order. Discourses help shape society towards popular attitudes and allow people to know if they are ‘normal’ by behaving in a certain way. Foucault disputes Goffman’s idea that the individual is self-aware, coherent and in control, he believes that individuals have very little control and that we behave according to knowledge gained through socialisation that we ‘pick up’ as we age. Foucault sees individuals as docile and passive who cooperate in subordination. Foucault believes in a disciplinary society dominated by professionals (experts) who use discourse based on knowledge and power to make and remake social order. Foucault believes there are three different types of power involved in making social order. Sovereign power (power of society’s ruling authority; monarchy, state or political authority) exercises power through the ability to visibly punish wrong-doers. The second form of power is surveillance, where information is gathered and held to keep people in line, to control their behaviour and make them conform to social order. People understand they are under constant surveillance and begin to adjust their behaviour to regulate conduct to be ‘normal’. The third for of power is self-directing and active. This is when individuals believe they are unique and as a result of internalised discipline they order themselves (E. Silva, 2009, pages 321-322). A good example of social order in process is road traffic and road design. The Buchanan Report (Ministry of Transport, 1963) was commissioned to produce a new design for space and roads in the towns around the UK. It was produced in response to the rising number of traffic in towns and residential areas and was about the needs of individuals to live with motor vehicles (E. Silva, 2009, page 327). Buchanan used the argument of scientific rationality (the universally accepted standards that are understood by knowledge), claiming that ‘†¦ Guesswork and intuition can be largely eliminated; given the necessary information†¦ ’ (Buchanan cited in E. Silva, 2009, page 329). Buchanan concluded that traffic and pedestrians need to be segregated and bound by rules through visible displays (such as signs, speed humps and so on). Buchanan’s report is an example of the modernist approach, where space is controlled by rules, prohibitions and orders requiring motorists to adapt to known systems of motoring. Buchanan uses scientific rationality to explain how road users know the rules of the road. He believes that through visible signs and knowledge people learn how to use the road orderly and safely. Foucault claims that people learn order through the knowledge of discourse. He believes that individuals are docile and subordinate and follow rules that have been taught through power by ‘experts’. The Buchanan report shows individual intuition has been eliminated; Foucault also believes that individuals are not in control of their own destinies (E. Silva, 2009, page 321). In contrast to the Buchanan report and Foucault’s order of things approach, Monderman’s thesis allows for individual thought and awareness. Monderman, after years of segregation between vehicles and pedestrians suggested a theory of ‘shared-space’ for road and path users. Starting in the Netherlands in the early 80s, Monderman carried out experiments on road design to show that by creating areas where pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists share the same space to move around, road safety can be improved and awareness of motorists can be increased. Monderman believed people moved round in ‘zombie-like’ states while driving on traditional road designs (segregation of motorists and pedestrians) and are taught to blindly follow instructions and not to think for themselves. He believes this is when accidents occur (order is disrupted) (Monderman cited in E. Silva, 2009, 334-335). In his experiment in the town of Oudeshaske, Netherlands, he removed all road signs, barriers, etc and created an even surface with no road or path markings. He replaced these with trees, flowers and in some areas even fountains to help control behaviour on the roads by psychologically calming traffic by reducing speed and making motorists and pedestrians alike more aware of others around them. Both motorists and pedestrians have to make eye contact before moving/crossing thus making them responsible and aware of their own behaviour. Monderman’s flexible approach of the shared-space scheme, allow for individuals to act of their own accord and to make their own decisions on social order. This is similar to Goffman’s interactional order, where he believes everyday interactions are responsible for making social order. Monderman believes there is a redistribution of expertise, with individuals becoming experts in road safety and their abilities to negotiate shared space (e. Silva, 2009, page 341) and Goffman also believes that individual performers are responsible for creating social change to produce order. In his work, Goffman used participant observation and ethnography to support his theory. By using these methods he studied current issues to find invisible social order to capture the understanding and manifestation of how society is ordered. Foucault however, studied historical documents to question familiarities in the present and found that through processes of social development, social order was created (E. Silva, 2009, page 323). Their methods of investigation differ and this can also have an effect on outcomes. Participant observation can be biased. However, searching historical evidence can only be as reliable as the record keepers at the time. Overall, both Goffman and Foucault have produced theories on how social order is created and maintained, they both agree that society is and integration of fragments being ordered differently, for Goffman these are individual interactions and Foucault believes they are discourses organised by knowledge and power (E. Silva, 2009, page 323). By looking at the present and the individual, Goffman fails to allow for historical influences to factor in to how order is made, Foucault however, allows for historical influences, but fails to allow for the impact of individual personality in the creation of social order. Foucault’s macro theory looks at wider society to explain how social order is formed, this can be beneficial because he looks at historical evidence to see how present social order is formed. Goffman’s micro theory looks at smaller everyday actions and interactions and shows how individuals are responsible (to some extent) for creating social order.

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun Essay

In Chapter Five of the book, Attila experienced facing different issues and problems because of the diversity of the numerous tribes (Roberts, 1987). In relation to this, I also have to deal with the conflicting members of a social organization that I belong to. This social organization advocates helping out to the less fortunate members of the society through outreach programs. The members of this organization are composed of diverse individuals with different backgrounds like race and religion. Due to this, it cannot be prevented that internal conflict occurs because of these differences. However, I remember one internal conflict that threatened to put factions among its members. The problem arises because of the various suggestions that the members have for the next project. Some of them want to do a feeding program while others want to invest in a livelihood project. The proposals have its respective pros and cons. Nevertheless, the morale of the organizations is already affected because some members are already talking ill behind each other’s back and they are already taking sides. As a result, the leader of the organization decided to conduct an open forum that allowed every member to express his or her concerns. The problem was solved by the cooperation of the members wherein they find a common ground that will include some parts of both the proposals. Q6. In Chapter Six, Attila emphasizes the characteristics that a leader should have. In line with this, the leader of our social organization also received the proper reward for all his efforts in playing a greater role in keeping the group together. This reward is in the form of the respect that our members give to him. Despite the fact that internal conflicts sometimes emerged in the organization, the members never forget to give due respect to our leader especially when he initiated the open forum that solved a conflict that was about to divide our group. The leader of our organization is indeed an effective leader because he has the characteristics that exemplify Attila’s words of counsel. He always gives importance to his responsibilities and never takes advantage of the privilege that comes with his position. Our leader also put the welfare of the members of the group first before his sake. Furthermore, he does not give importance to his reputation in terms of what other people say about him (Roberts, 1987). The only vital thing for him is that he is doing his responsibilities properly. He believes that by doing what is right will only show those people who speak ill of him that they are wrong. Reference Roberts, W. (1987). Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun. New York: War

Constructing a Deductive Theory

There are two approaches to constructing a theory: deductive theory construction and inductive theory construction. Deductive theory construction takes place during deductive reasoning in the hypothesis-testing phase of research. Process The process of developing a deductive theory is not always as simple and straightforward as the following; however, the process generally involves the following steps: Specify the topic.Specify the range of phenomena your theory addresses. Will it apply to all of human social life, only U.S. citizens, only middle-class Hispanics, or what?Identify and specify your major concepts and variables.Find out what is known about the relationships among those variables.Reason logically from those relationships to the specific topic you are studying. Pick a Topic of Interest The first step in constructing a deductive theory is picking a topic that interests you. It can be very broad or very specific but should be something that you are trying to understand or explain. Then, identify what the range of phenomena is that you are examining. Are you looking at human social life across the globe, only women in the United States, only poor, sick children in Haiti, etc? Take Inventory   The next step is to take inventory of what is already known about that topic or what is thought about it. This includes learning what other scholars have said about it as well as writing down your own observations and ideas. This is the point in the research process where you will likely spend a great deal of time in the library reading scholarly literature on the topic and devising a literature review. During this process, you will likely notice patterns discovered by prior scholars. For example, if you are looking at views on abortion, religious and political factors will stand out as important predictors in many of the previous studies you come across. Next Steps After you’ve examined the previous research conducted on your topic, you are ready to construct your own theory. What is it that you believe you will find during your research? Once you develop your theories and hypotheses, it is time to test them in the data collection and analysis phase of your research. References Babbie, E. (2001). The Practice of Social Research: 9th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson.

Informative Essay on Hpv - 1566 Words

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Testing What is the Human Papillomavirus? Commonly known as HPV, it is an infection that spreads through sexual contact. There are over one hundred different types of HPV; several types cause genital warts, while other high risk strands can lead to cancer of the cervix, anus, vagina, and penis. Because HPV is often asymptomatic, many people are unaware of their infection status, and thus, their potential for transmitting the virus to a sexual partner. The significance of the Human Papillomavirus is that fifty percent of Americans who are sexually active will contract it within their lives, and at any given point there are twenty million Americans already infected with it (â€Å"By the numbers: HPV Vaccine†).†¦show more content†¦Cervical cancer has an effect on women not only in a health manner. The emotional cost from HPV is a further burden as it may include fear of cervical cancer, apprehension, and the stigma associated with a sexually transmitted infection. HPV is so com mon that drug companies long sought to develop a vaccine against it. In June 2006, Gardasil, a Human Papillomavirus vaccine made by Merck amp; Co., was licensed for use and brought to the market (â€Å"HPV Vaccine†). Gardasil, which is given into a series of three injections, targets the main types of HPV. The types targeted are HPV 6, HPV 11, HPV 16 and HPV 18, which cause ninety percent of the genital warts and are the leading causes of cervical cancer (â€Å"Cervical Cancer Symptoms, Causes, Treatments†). Brought to the attention by researchers â€Å"combined, those strains affect an estimated 3 million women in the U.S† (â€Å"HPV Vaccine†). Since HPV is so common in the United States, the makers of Gardasil are trying to get a law approved that will make the shots mandatory. In 2006, Upon Gardasil’s release, Merck amp; Co. launches an intensive lobbying effort to convince state lawmakers to make the vaccine mandatory for girls entering middle school. Approximately two dozen states consider adopting such a law in the first few months after Gardasil’s debut. â€Å"Key Events in the History of HPV† Women are not aware of the

Essay on Website Design Moves Forward Constantly - 551 Words

â€Å"Design is not what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.† –Steve Jobs. No matter how the design looks, it should function properly and smoothly. Design wouldn’t be design without creativity. The use of colors and pictures can be a structure of a website, or the destruction. The website http://www.creative-knight.com/ uses color, pictures, and much more to build a foundation the makes the website unique and creative. Without creativity the design would be dull and wouldn’t draw your attention. The website has responsive web design, which makes the website more relaxing and much easier to use. Website design moves forward constantly, which means to have a great website, the developer have to be ahead of every other†¦show more content†¦Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. If you have ideas, but don’t act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.† (Naiman, Linda. What is Creativity? | Cr eativity at Work.). To be creative it takes more than an imagination, this website brings a lot of great ideas to life. MVP is one of the most important factors to design and design elements. Every detail matters, but only to a certain extent. In website design MVP is minimal viable product. MVP helps keep things simple and to the point. Website that use MVP are in style and more modern, these websites tend to be more successful as well. â€Å"A minimum viable product (MVP) is a development technique in which a new product or website is developed with sufficient features to satisfy early adopters. The final, complete set of features is only designed and developed after considering feedback from the products initial users.† (Janssen, Cory. What is a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? - Definition from Techopedia.). The MVP make the website less crowded, and easier to function. The website has everything it needs, and nothing that is unnecessary. There’s a lot to learn about creativity. Everyday people pass these things, and never stop to think to themselves about the work behind the website. The website http://www.creative-knight.com/ uses design elements to bring together creativity and responsive design. The color makesShow MoreRelatedTechnology And The New Battle Ground1545 Words   |  7 PagesSource: Bridget van Kralingen – SVP, IBM Global Business Services What I took from that is, we waste so much time and effort worrying about keeping up with technology, trends, platforms†¦.., which are of course important. However it is not realistic to constantly keep up. Although a continuous focus on user experience is possible and does not always require new technology, heavy investment or a major innovation. Matt Candy of IBM Interactive said in a presentation â€Å"The traditional boundaries are dead; theRead More4dep601 Words   |  3 Pagesdifferent behaviour types associated with professions, and bands which determine the level an individual is at (e.g, Admin, Manager, Director etc). Members of the CIPD website can use the HR Profession Map to assess their current capabilities, and identify areas for development to either move bands within a specific professional area, or move into a different professional area altogether. This can be used for individuals, or to define HR within your business. 1.2 Professional areas The 2Read MoreDesign Thinking Paper1539 Words   |  7 PagesRunning Head: DESIGN THINKING PAPER Design Thinking Paper Week 7 Assignment Lucia Bastian John F. Kennedy University August 16th, 2010 DESIGN THINKING PAPER Abstract This paper is to define â€Å"Design Thinking† and explain how it can be used by organizations to improve their level of innovation in product development and service delivery. It further describes some examples of how organizations that continuously use design thinking proved to be very successful and talks about their principles andRead MoreGlobal Tourism Essay739 Words   |  3 PagesWe spend a lot of time talking about future trends, but marketers can also learn from looking back at old, buzzing topics and insights to help them grow and move forward. The thunder::tech Communications Department ran some numbers for us and have delivered our top 10 most read blog posts for 2017. Now, this list is for topics that were hot and published in the past year, versus blog posts that may have been up for many years and are still delivering us traffic and interest. Thats a topic bestRead MoreThe World Trade Center And Nicknamed The Twin Towers1677 Words   |  7 Pagesknown as the Freedom Tower. In the shadow of the recently completed tower are two reflecting pools that were once the foundation of the fallen towers. During the design process and upon completion a public opinion arose with some saying, â€Å"building this tower means the terrorists won.† Others say it’s a symbolism for rebirth and moving forward. After visiting New York, watching the building process of the new tower, and witnessing the reflecting pools, my opinion would side with the latter. I may liveRead More My aim is to produce a line follower robot with a bump sensor1559 Words   |  7 Pagescircuit on the breadboard and researched on how the components work. I have researched on the type of amplifiers I could use for the line follower. I will use an amplifier to increase the current as I am using low voltage. I looked on the Maplins website (www.maplins.co.uk) and decided to use the LM386 because it is suitable for low voltage applications and it is relatively cheap. Specification: * The robot has to be able to follow straight lines, curves and turn around corners * ItRead MoreLife Cycle Of The Electric Light1339 Words   |  6 Pagescalled N or P type. N-type silicon has extra electrons, and P-type has gaps that seek to have an electron. When an electric current is applied to the P-N junction, it makes the diode forward biased. The electrons go from the N-type to the P-type, which causes photons (particles of light) to be given off as the electrons move to the other side. LEDs produce less heat than any other light source, and use very little power. They are also very small and produce a high light output, making them a good fitRead MoreSwot Analysis Of Sushilicious1594 Words   |  7 Pagessocial media streams or automate them with the risk that they become impersonal or robotic once he becomes busier during high traffic moments in the business. To demonstrate our understanding of the business case that we are recommending as a way forward for the company, we will highlight some key aspects of the SWOT analysis for Sushilicious. As a concept and a brand, Sushilicious has considerable strengths that can augment its future business viability. Woo has several factors benefiting himRead MoreEnvironmental Scan of Amazon And Nike1104 Words   |  5 Pagesneed for every aspect of your life at your fingertips and ready for use (PC Magazine, 2011). Amazon has been looking to improve internally with the use of their cloud computing market to enhance their web services attracting more consumers to their website, Amazon Web Services wants to be the data center for the world (Bloomberg, 2011). The strategy of Amazon in cloud computing is to influence consumers its huge databases and internal research and development strengths offering powerful tools, WhenRead MorePlanning– -Primary teachers need to create engaging lessons which will hold students’ interest and900 Words   |  4 PagesPlanning– -Primary teachers need to create engaging lessons which will hold students’ interest and keep the m connected to the learning target. This being said, there should always be an end goal in mind prior to designing a lesson (Backwards Design). Teachers should make sure they know the intended targets and expectations they want students to comprehend. Teachers must also determine student needs prior to planning a lesson, so that differentiated instruction can be given to those who need it –

Financial Plan

Question: Income Statement Proforma Operating Section: Revenue From the sale of goods or services. Expenses Incurred in selling the goods or providing the services. Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) / Cost of Sales In general revenues less expenses. Selling, General and Administrative Expenses Depreciation / Amortization Research Development (RD) Expenses Expenses incurred in research and development. Non-Operating Section: Other Revenues or Gains Income from activities other than primary business activities (e.g. rent or income from patents). Other Expenses or Losses These are expenses that are not incurred in relation to the primary business operations (e.g. foreign exchange loss). Finance Costs Costs of borrowing from banks and other creditors (e.g. interest expenses, bank charges). Income Tax Expense Sum of the amount of tax payable to tax authorities in the current reporting period. Irregular Items These are reported separately because this way users can better predict future cash flows; irregular items most likely will not recur. These are reported net of taxes. Answer: Financial Plan This is a financial report discussing about the funding and the arrangement of fund details for the innovative project idea discussed earlier. The idea is to set up technology business by building a platform for the registered users to buy and sell their second hand electronic goods and devices. Every registered user is provided services to use the platform for one year and the charges that are assumed are at 100 AED per registration with an annual escalation in price assumed at 5%. It is assumed that the development of this advanced platform and bringing it live would take a development period of 12 months i.e., 1 year. The sources of the project cost estimates are assumed in the ratio of 75% to 25% for debt to equity. An interest rate of 10% is assumed on the debt raised and is assumed to be repaid in 3 years after 1 year of successful implementation. The operating budget as per given proforma has been developed as shown below but is made on a quarterly basis. From the 2nd year the projections or budgeted estimates may be observed from the income statement as shown below as per proforma given. For revenues, no of registrations during that year are assumed and multiplied with the registration fee is considered as the operating revenue. The other source of income is assumed to be from the patenting rights obtained on the second hand products technology platform which is assumed as a minimum percentage of sales (Pinson, 2008; Greene, 2008). The interest and preliminary expenses during development period are capitalized under project cost. The details are as below: Project Cost Sources of Funds Particulars in AED Web Space 10000 Office Space 120000 IT Infrastructure - - Computer/ Laptops 48000 -S/w purchases 24000 -Server room requisites 10000 Development Cost 80000 Preliminary Expenses Patent rights 14600 Contingencies 14600 IDC 40000 TOTAL COST 361200 Sources of Funds Equity 90300 Debt 270900 TOTAL SOURCES 361200 Thus it is assumed that the initial equity to the tune of 90300 AED should be available to develop the project raising balance 0.28 million AED from external financial institutions or banks. The operating budget made and the sources and uses of cash are as shown below during the construction phase: OPERATING BUDGET Year 1 Year 1 Year 1 Year 1 Year 2 Year 2 Year 2 Year 2 Particulars Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Opening Cash 0 2500 5000 7500 10000 -365323 -740645 -1115968 Sources of Funds Equity 209213 161673 158943 153483 - - - - Debt 627638 485018 476828 460448 - - - - Operating Revenues - - - - 472500 472500 472500 472500 Non-Operating Revenues 2500 2500 2500 2500 9450 9450 9450 9450 Total sources of funds 839351 649191 638271 616431 481950 481950 481950 481950 Infrastructure procurement costs 212000 - - - - - - - Development phasing 20% 40% 30% 10% - - - - Development Other costs 21840 43680 32760 10920 - - - - Operating Expenses - - - - 47250 47250 47250 47250 Non-operating expenses incl. taxes 603011 603011 603011 603011 810023 810023 810023 810023 Total Uses 836851 646691 635771 613931 857273 857273 857273 857273 Net Cash 2500 2500 2500 2500 -375323 -375323 -375323 -375323 Closing Cash Balance 2500 5000 7500 10000 -365323 -740645 -1115968 -1491290 The income statement following the development year 1 for next 3 years is as below: Income Statement Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Operating Revenues No of Registrations # no 0 18000 60000 100000 Registration fee in AED 100 105.00 110.25 115.76 Total operating revenues 0 1890000 6615000 11576250 Operation Expenses Cost of Sales 0 189000 661500 1157625 Operating Profit 0 1701000 5953500 10418625 Non-operating Revenues Revenues from patent in AED 10000 37800 132300 231525 Total non-operating revenues 10000 37800 132300 231525 Non-operating Expenses Salaries Manpower Expense 1980000 2079000 2182950 2292098 Web space renewal expense 5000 5000 5000 Office Rent expense 120000 126000 132300 138915 Office Maintenance expenses 15000 15750 16538 17364 Total Selling, Admin Gen Expenses 2115000 2220750 2331788 2448377 R D Expenses 283500 992250 1736438 2062020 Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation EBITDA -2105000 -481950 3754013 8201773 Interest Expense 13545 27090 22575 13545 Depreciation/ Amortization 8200 8200 8200 8200 Profit before taxes PBT -2126745 -517240 3723238 8180028 Taxes -638023.5 -155172 1116971 2454008 Profit After Taxes PAT -1488722 -362068 2606266 5726020 Add: Depreciation/ Amortization 8200 8200 8200 8200 Cash Profit -1480522 -353868 2614466 5734220 Cumulative Cash Balance -1480522 -1834390 780077 6514296 From the table it is clear that the company will be cash rich from the very first year of operations recovering all the losses made during year 1 and year of development assuming the above sales being generated. The cash available with the company with our idea implementation would be to the tune of 0.78 million AED by the end of year 3 which is projected to reach 6.52 million AED by end of year 4. Thus the proposal which indeed is a high capital intensive project, but is feasible to recover them within a year of implementation and the project is innovative in its nature facilitating the customers to sell or buy any second hand electronic good. References Greene, C. L. (2008). Entrepreneurship: Ideas in Action. Cengage Learning. Pinson, L. (2008). Anatomy of a Business Plan: A Step-by-step Guide to Building the Business and Securing Your Company's Future. Aka associates.

Northwest Case Study Essay Example

Northwest Case Study Essay Synopsis: Northwest Canadian Forest Products Limited is a company that owns and operates five saw mills in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. They produce lumber for construction in a few different countries. The President of the company is dealing with a tough situation with one of her mills in Jackson, British Columbia. The mill in Jackson is her least productive mill and she soon has to make a decision that could cost the company a substantial amount of money. She has the choice of either investing 50 million in the weak Jackson mill or to invest more that 50 million in a new mill high demand area. The president has been informed of the many complaints from the managers and supervisors, but nothing seems to be the right solution. The Jackson mill faces many problems with their safety regimen as well as the overall structure of the employees. The mill cannot operate productively internal employee disputes. The president stated that she will not invest 50 million in Jackson unless the new general manager makes some much needed improvement. The president soon needs to make the decision on whether to upgrade the Jackson Mill, or to start a new mill and lay off a large number of workers Diagnosis: Northwest Canadian Forest Products Limited has many problems they are facing with their Jackson mill. The problem is that there are poor labor-management relations. Workers have gone on strike multiple times leaving the company with physical and financial damage. There is no way a company will succeed unless there is some type of control within this branch. The managers are not taking their jobs seriously or even acting within reason. It has been noted that the overall safety of the employees is at risk due to past inspections. This company has no structure what so ever and has no goal oriented drive. Apparently almost every employee has some complaint directed at someone else. Not one employee seems to be willing to compromise toward a particular goal. Managers and Supervisors are not worried about the overall quality of the product being made; they are more concerned with the speed of production. The intense requirements put on the laborers are causing problems which lead to unfair treatment. Most of the laborers were not properly trained with the equipment because that was not the manager’s main concern. We will write a custom essay sample on Northwest Case Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Northwest Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Northwest Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Management was trying to be productive with speeding up production, but in return got angry employees working in unsafe areas. It is understood that there is no trust in the labor management relation, making it almost impossible for improvement. The overall problem should have been taken care of by the president when it first started many years ago. The products limited company does not understand the importance of goal oriented production. Each employee has a different goal in mind and in return none are getting reached. The president wants a quality product with efficient production; while the managers want mass production in a short amount of time. The laborer’s are getting over worked because they try and produce a quality product, but is impossible with the push they receive. In return the president is angry at the managers for the poor quality, while the managers are angry with laborers. It is a big circle of arguments that does not get solved. Solutions: 1)The first solution to the sawmills problem would be to get structure in the company. The president needs to go down to Jackson and take control of this situation. She needs to have managers and supervisors that take the blame for loss of productivity instead of blaming the labors. The president needs to be confident in these employees because they are the backbone of her operation. Before the 50 million dollars can be invested the situation needs to be handled. The president needs to make sure that her employees know safety is important to her. Some labors never felt safe and they thought the only goal was to make money. When safety checks are conducted then employees can be properly trained to do their intended job. If time is spent now to reinforce their skills with production money will be saved because there will be less down time. The company has been losing money for years now, so doing the correct procedures now will benefit them. The employees overall need to have a safe, friendly working environment or the saw mill will go back to how it originally operated. Each set of workers needs to be assigned a supervisor, then that supervisor reports to the manager. The general manger has the ultimate authority when it comes to decisions in the plant. The president puts full trust in the GM to run the day to day operations in this company. The 50 million dollars invested should not just go straight towards equipment. Some of that needs to be budgeted for employee training, safety upgrades, management seminars, productivity seminars, and employee surveys. Each one of these upgrades will contribute to the relations problem stated by the president. These problems will not just vanish; many companies elect these options as a form of improvement. If each of these options can be taken into account the company will have a better chance of success. These employees were thrown into a work environment they were not suited for. Each individual mill needs to have individual goals. The manager at the Jackson mill cannot expect to put out the same production as another mill in British Columbia. Every situation is different and each mill needs to set a limit. 2)The second solution to the problem would be to have the president invest in another mill in Alberta, Canada. The mill in Jackson, BC has so many problems and loss of productivity there needs to be some kind of change. Investing the 50 million would be too much of a risk because they have not turned profit in many years. If they downsize the mill, the GM can start from the ground up and gain some control of the situation. The president needs to realize each additional employee in her Jackson mill is contributing to the downfall of that individual mill. With the 50 million plus investment in Alberta, Northwest Canadian Forest Products Limited can now serve the demand of the customers in that market. This solution is still risky; however the company knows what kind of demand to expect because they are already in the area with another mill. They can predict how much business they will be getting due to the other mill. If one mill has to many production orders, the other mill can help out so the internal workers stay on track. This would be beneficial because employees would not be pushed to meet a quota of certain products. The president can learn from the Jackson mill that pushing employees to the limit has a negative effect. These mills are known for producing high quality lumber and it would be a mistake to test clients to see if they can tell the differences. The big investment in the new mill would save the quality of the product. Conclusion: The Preferred solution would be to get the Jackson mill in order before starting to make any investment. Jackson does need some upgrades, but the president believed that most of the problems were due to poor labor management. The Jackson mill has the same equipment as the other mills and those mills are not having any difficulties with productivity. The 50 million would be a waste on new equipment because that is not the main source of the problem. By downsizing the Jackson mill the GM can really get an idea of what plan he needs to put into action. The negative side of this action would be laying off workers, however if it is needed then there is no choice. If the Jackson mill is still underwater with better management then the president can make the right decision. Investing a large sum of money anywhere is a huge risk, she just needs to way out her options. If Jackson management is inline and production is up then the 50 million dollar investment would be beneficial. The company needs to look at the history of the Jackson mill. They upgraded the mill in 1986 and since then is has been the poorest in productivity and quality. This upgrade in the past confirms that the poor quality and productivity is in fact not the equipment. Overall downsizing is the best option and investing in another plant with high demand for product. Given the information from the case is hard to make a definite decision because there are no financial numbers given to us.