...Introduction Engstrom Auto Mirror plant is a privately owned business that manufactures mirrors for trucks and automobiles in Richmond Indiana. In May of 2007 the managers were experiencing a crisis at the plant. The most pressing issue at the time was the slow pace of productivity. Low productivity was increasing costs in other areas. Not only was Engstrom having productivity issues but they were having product-quality and moral problems as well. In order to explain the source of these problems we must analyze Engstrom’s history. A company’s past can greatly affect the present and future state of an organization (Schweitzer, S). Engstrom had enjoyed considerable success since it’s founding in 1948. However by the late 1990’s the company stopped being profitable during a period of transition to new technologies. Ultimately this resulted in the replacement of the plant manager with a younger more tech savvy individual. At this time employee moral was extremely low and productivity was at 40% of expectations. After studying the positive results of nearby plants the new management built the support needed to implement a Scanlon Plan at the Engstrom plant. The Scanlon Plan is an incentive plan that pays bonuses to employees. A key component of the plan is the concept of participative management. The idea behind this being that individuals will work harder to achieve an organization’s goals if they have the opportunity to take responsibility for their actions and apply their...
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...The organizational issues in the Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating in Good Times and Bad stems from both the organization itself and the people employed at the plant. The main organizational issue in this study is that the plant manager, Mr. Bent, refuses to see that the Scanlon plan is no longer working and needs to be replaced by a more suitable program or adapted to the current situation the plant is in. The Scanlon plan, while a fine one for a production department, operates too much on a custodial model of organizational behavior. Newstrom (2015), states that the employees in the custodial model “become psychologically preoccupied with their economic rewards and benefits and as a result…, become well maintained and reasonably contented.” So long as the rewards and benefits continued to come in the employees remained happy and productive, but as soon as the bonuses became less frequent the more irate the employees became. In the Engstrom Plant case, these benefits and rewards bred passive cooperation; productivity went down so rewards weren’t as frequent which in turn affected employee morale and productivity lowered even more especially since the employees were no longer producing at their full capabilities. All of this was happening at...
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...Gunby November 29th, 2015 Southern New Hampshire University Final Project Submission Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant and Work Analysis Case Study Abstract During May 2007, the Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant faces a low employee morale issue. The newly appointed manager, Ron Bent, sees a decline in work place productivity and culture throughout his recent years of working at the plant. When Bent joined the company, it was facing a similar issue of low morale. He then decided to introduce the Scalon Plan, an incentive program for the employees, to raise morale. The program was successful when it was first introduced but ran into problems time after. Bent was faced with many challenges with the Scalon Plan that caused him to ask many questions. 1. Should he remove the Scalon Plan and try another? 2. What is the root cause of employee morale declining? 3. Should there be revisions to the Scalon Plan and who oversees it? In order to answer these questions, it is suggested that Ron Bent and the other management team work together with employees to identify the root cause to their issue of low morale and work productivity and come with a possible solution to fix the issue. Introduction Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant is a privately owned business that manufactures mirrors for trucks and automobiles in Richmond, Indiana. The mirror manufacturing plant employed over 209 people. Engstrom Auto Mirror has operated since 1948 and has seen many years of success. In the late 1990’s...
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...Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating in Good Times and Bad Quavian Belton Southern New Hampshire University ORGANIZATIONAL IMPROVEMENT OUTCOMES When it comes to a professional business, it becomes very important to begin to initiate advanced strategies for improvement in efforts to increases the organizational performance. When improvements are successfully implemented, beneficial results are obtained within the competitive market. There can be many different improvements when the improvements are made. However, when implementing these new improvements many challenges may arise. When the problems arise, this where the organizational behavior is a good focus to find the solution to many of the issues. According to cognitive evaluation theory, when a task is presented, it is evaluated in terms of how well it...
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...Case Study Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating in Good Times and Bad Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant, in Richmond, Indiana, a privately owned company that has been in existence since 1948. Engstrom was largely successful until the late 1990’s at which time the plant struggled to make a profit. During this period the plant was updating its production lines by adding new technology. This change did not go smoothly which caused delays in production resulting in a loss of customers. The plant manager did not have the knowledge of the new technology to find solutions to the decreased production and could not communicated effectively with the worker’s union. This lead to his eventual resignation in 1998. At this time Ron Bent was hired. Bent determined that the average productivity at 40% of expectation. Bent believed in the power of worker incentive programs and felt that the best option would be a company-wide program. Bent felt that a Scanlon Plan would be the best option. The Scanlon Plan was developed by Joseph Scanlon with the concept that employees, the employer and the union have much in common and that every employee can contribute to making improvements. These improvements would help the company’s position in the marketplace and provide increased job security and provide bonus earnings to employees for any improvements. (Hess 1976, pg.141). Bent communicated the Scanlon concept in multiple ways to the employees and engaged them in the process to develop the Scanlon Plan for...
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...This case study deals with a privately owned company, Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant, which manufactures mirror for automobiles and trucks. The company was managed by Ron Bent and his assistant John Hayley. Engstrom quickly became a certified supplier for Toyota under Bent’s management. Brent brought a system to Engstrom he had been part of at his former job. He modeled that system once he came to Engstrom, that model put in place was known as the Scanlon Plan, a company-wide employee incentive program, proved critical in building morale, such as reinforce teamwork and cooperation across work groups while they focus attention on cost savings and motivating employees to “work smarter, not harder” as well as increasing productivity and quality leading Engstrom in a major turnaround success. Bent had begun managing at Engstrom during a decreasing time for the plant. His purpose of working at the plant was to increase productivity and to make a turnaround in sales. The decision to use the Scanlon Plan would be implemented only if a substantial majority of workers agreed to want to use it. The plant had a long stretch of a number of years where the plant showed improvement. The workers responded well to the system that was put in place and productivity and sales had increased. For several subsequent years Engstrom workers received regular pay bonuses. Situations occur with any company, majority of the time there is a stretch when the business has a slow period. For Engstrom, it was a...
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...ENGSTROM AUTO MIRROR PLANT MOTIVATING IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD CASE STUDY REVIEW 1) Other than the Scanlon, what are some common types of employee incentive plans? Provide a brief overview of what they are and how they work. My research found that basically there are four types of programs classified as gainsharing. These include: the Scanlon Plan, the Rucker Plan, Improshare and Custom plans. These gainsharing plans are all similar. The differences appear in the way they calculate bonus and the level of employee involvement required to support the plan. The Scanlon Plan appears to be the oldest and most widely used type of gainsharing plan. As was shown in the case study: Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating in Good Times and Bad, the Scanlon Plan is based on the historical ratio of labor cost to sales value of production (Beer & Collins, 2008). Because it rewards labor savings, it is most appropriate for assembly line companies. The Rucker Plan is based on the idea that the ratio of labor costs to production value (actual net sales plus or minus inventory changes, minus outside purchased materials and services) is historically stable in the manufacturing industry (Recardo & Pricone, 1996). This principle became the fundamental guideline of the Rucker Plan, which tracks the value added to a product as a measure of productivity. Because this plan utilizes a multi-cost formula, it is most appropriate for organizations that want to improve other variables...
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...STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Ron Bent, the plant manager, is ultimately responsible for solving the problem of declining employee motivation at Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant. Over the past two years, productivity, employee morale, quality of work, and sales have all declined. These are the results of the larger issues of employee motivation and communication within an organization. Things like productivity, quality of work, and sales are relatively short-term problems. Up until two years ago, they had been at exceptional levels ever since the implementation of an employee incentive program known as the Scanlon Plan in 1999. The plan was extremely effective in turning around the productivity and attitudes of many employees, as is evident by the employee feedback that management received. The case study presented by Beer and Collins offers workers’ praise for the new program such as, “I’m getting rewarded for thinking, not just for performing the same tasks every day”(Lutz, p.5) and, “People see themselves as a more cooperative workforce— Engstrom is now a better place to work than it was before we brought in Scanlon”(Andrews, p.5). Employee morale and motivation is a long-term problem for many organizations and that includes Engstrom. Before the Scanlon Plan was introduced, productivity was poor and tensions were high. In hindsight, Engstrom learned that its employees didn’t feel valued by management because they were not involved in changes that had large impacts on them. Much...
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...ELIZABETH COLLINS Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating in Good Times and Bad There had been several rough quarters at the Engstrom Auto Mirror plant in Richmond, Indiana, a privately owned business that manufactured mirrors for trucks and automobiles and employed 209 people. For more than a year, plant manager Ron Bent and his assistant, Joe Haley, had focused their Friday meetings on the troubling numbers, but the tenor of their May 14, 2007, meeting was different. Both men sensed that they now faced a crisis at the plant. Bent was talking animatedly to Haley: “This is the third productivity problem in, what, two weeks? We can’t climb out of this downturn with performance like that.” He scowled as he signed the authorization to air-freight a large order to the Toyota plant where Sam Martinez managed the assembly line. The difference in cost was astronomical, and it had been necessitated by the slow pace of productivity at Engstrom, which meant in this case that a job due for completion on Monday wasn’t completed until Thursday. But Bent couldn’t afford to make a late delivery to Martinez; he was a prized but demanding customer who had designated Engstrom as a certified supplier one year earlier. Only one other supplier for Martinez’s plant had achieved certified supplier status—a recognition of both extraordinary reliability and quality. The worry lines on Bent’s face deepened. Certified status meant that Martinez had personally authorized Engstrom products to be used...
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...Final Project Milestone 1: Introduction Organizational Issues at the Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant October 11, 2015 Final Project Milestone 1: Introduction, Organizational Issues at the Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant My review of the Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating in Good Times and Bad case study allows me to identify certain organizational issues within the company. There is an older incentive (Scanlon) plan put in place which worked very well for this company and its employees, helping them to rise up from an unproductive state in the 1990’s. Now that it has been in place for quite some time, it is getting stale. No bonuses have been given in months. The employees are not satisfied with the management of the company and overall efficiencies have decreased. There is a lack of leadership including social and emotional intelligence and this is now leading to very low employee morale. The management doesn’t seem to be motivating their staff. Also the employee suggestions which worked well in the past have now been declining. The suggestion rates from employees have dropped to just 50 a year, showing that employees no longer feel like they are contributing successfully to the plant (Collins and Beer, 2008, p. 5). It seems that there has been no management feedback, which is crucial for employees to realize their potential and become more motivated. Thus, the employees are no longer taking an active interest in the company. My suggestions for steering...
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...Rationale I have selected Bell’s palsy as a minor health subject for critical analysis for three principal reasons. Firstly, it is the most common disorder affecting the facial nerves (Ardour, 1978). Secondly, research has noted that there appears little consensus in the literature regarding the causes and management of Bell’s palsy. Additionally the diagnosis is one of elimination. Tiemstra and Khatkhate (2007) demonstrate there are many other conditions which can mimic symptoms (See appendix one). I therefore wanted to analyse the available literature in order to be able to competently and safely recognise the condition in the urgent unscheduled care environment. Background Petruzelli (1991) states that Bell’s palsy is an acute paralysis of the facial nerve first described by the Scottish surgeon and anatomist, Sir Charles Bell . Niparko (1993) elaborates that it is a generally unilateral paralysis or weakness of facial musculature consistent with facial nerve damage and dysfunction. The anatomy of the facial nerve can be found in appendix two. Pietersen (2002) states that the cause is unknown, however, whilst the exact aetiology of Bell’s palsy is still debated, viral infections, vascular ischaemia, autoimmune inflammatory disorders and heredity have been postulated as causative. (Adour 1982, Burgess 1984, Lorber 1996). Murakami et al (1996) proposed that reactivation of herpes simplex virus in the geniculate ganglia was causative. A herpes simplex cause is corroborated...
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...Milestone 2 Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Root Cause Case Study Analysis Sharon McClain SNHU The Engstrom Auto Mirror plant is located in Richmond, Indiana and employs around 200 or more people. The plant has been going through some changes over the last few years and has seen a decline in employee motivation. The focus today will be to determine some of the root causes of the problems facing the plant from an organizational view and a human behavior issue. The bottom line is determining how to solve the issues the company is facing and move forward. Some of the questions that will need to be answered is, “why is motivation at an all-time low, is the Scanlon plan benefiting everyone in the company and can the plan be revamped with the employees input?” From the beginning of the Scanlon plan, the employees were happy when production was good and they were receiving the bonuses. When the profits and sales decreased, so did the bonuses which led to disgruntled employees. It seems the employees were agreeable with the plan at the beginning even though they did not fully understand the concept of how the bonuses were calculated. So is it the Scanlon plan the root cause or the employees? As explained earlier, the Scanlon plan was put into place in 1999. It worked for many years then the company started facing issues with productions, profits, bonuses and employees. To answer the questions of the root cause, it is all stakeholders. First, in order to receive a bonus...
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...Critique of Research Studies – Part 1 Grand Canyon University Health Care Research Analysis and Utilization Nur-504 February 1st, 2013 Critique of Research Studies – Part 1 Title – Backrest Angle and Cardiac Output Measurement in Critically Ill Patients (Quantitative) An effective title of a quantitative research article should include the dependent variables, the independent variables, and the population studied. Ideally, this should be accomplished in 15 words or less while attracting the reader to the research article (Polit & Beck, 2008). The article “Backrest Angle and Cardiac Output Measurement in Critically Ill Patients” by Guiliano, Scott, Brown, & Olson (2003), does include a dependent variable, independent variable, and the population being studied while generating interest from the reader. However, the title of the article does not include each dependent variable or all of the independent variables. Although the article has a fairly strong title, all of the above information should be listed to provide the reader with a clear sense of the research study. Abstract An abstract is a brief overview of the research article that may be in paragraph form or structured in to specific subheadings. The abstract should provide a clear summary of the main features of the research article including the background, objective, method, results, and conclusion (Polit & Beck, 2008). The abstract for the article by Guiliano...
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...Papers Cannabis use in adolescence and risk for adult psychosis: longitudinal prospective study Louise Arseneault, Mary Cannon, Richie Poulton, Robin Murray, Avshalom Caspi, Terrie E Moffitt Editorial by Rey and Tennant Papers pp 1195, 1199 SGDP Research Centre, King’s College, London SE5 8AF Louise Arseneault lecturer Avshalom Caspi professor Terrie E Moffitt professor Division of Psychological Medicine, King’s College Mary Cannon Wellcome Trust advanced fellow Robin Murray professor Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Richie Poulton director, Dunedin multidisciplinary health and development study The strongest evidence that cannabis use may be a risk factor for later psychosis comes from a Swedish cohort study which found that heavy cannabis use at age 18 increased the risk of later schizophrenia sixfold.1 2 This study could not establish whether adolescent cannabis use was a consequence of pre-existing psychotic symptoms rather than a cause. We present the first prospective longitudinal study of adolescent cannabis use as a risk factor for adult schizophreniform disorder, taking into account childhood psychotic symptoms3 antedating cannabis use. Methods and results The Dunedin multidisciplinary health and development study (a study of a general population birth cohort of 1037 individuals born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1972-3)4 has a 96% follow...
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...BAPTISTWAY PRESS® Adult Online Bible Commentary By Dr. Jim Denison, Pastor, Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas Studies in 1 and 2 Samuel: Following God in Changing Times Lesson Four God’s Surprising Choice Focal Text 1 Samuel 9:1-4, 15-21; 10:1, 9-24 Background 1 Samuel 8—10 Main Idea God’s choices for people to serve him in specific ways can be surprising when measured by merely human standards. Question to Explore What opportunities are we missing because we are viewing people and situations from our limited human perspective? Quick Read God can use anyone who is yielded to his will. ________________________________________________________________________ Commentary Perhaps you’ve heard about Satan’s garage sale. All his tools were on display, their prices marked. Murder, anger, lust, greed, and others were available. At the end of the table was an isolated tool, more worn than any of the others. It was unnamed, but its price was the highest of anything on display. Someone asked Satan what it was. “Discouragement,” he replied. “Why is it priced so high?” “Because no one knows it’s mine.” If Satan cannot get us to refuse God’s call to service, he’ll seek to discourage us in that work. He’ll cause us to feel inadequate for his purposes, insufficient for his use. He __________________________________________________________________________ Page 1 of 5 Adult Online Bible Commentary. 1 and 2 Samuel: Following God in Changing Times—Lesson...
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