Case studies will offer students the opportunity to explore how lessons learned from class can be applied to real world situations. Case studies can illustrate theories, concepts, methodologies, solutions, and more. We will use case studies in the class to evaluate employee perceptions, motivations, and behaviors. Please refer to this .pdf for the full case scenario… Conifer Corp Case Study.pdf
Here is just a brief scenario
Conifer Corp is a sawmill operation in Oregon, that is owned by a major forest products company, but operates independently of headquarters. The mill is divided into six operating departments: boom, sawmill, planer, packaging, shipping, and maintenance. It won packaging quality awards over the past few years, but product quality has recently fallen and customers have switched to other producers. The planing and sawmilling departments have significantly increased productivity over the past couple of years, whereas the packaging department has decreased productivity. This has resulted in a backlog of finished product, adding to Conifer’s inventory costs and the risk of damaged stock. The company pays packaging employees overtime to complete the work on Saturdays. The packaging department extends its lunch and coffee breaks, and usually leaves work early. The packaging department is located in a separate building from the others and has no supervisor.