Write a paper on Wattie Frozen Foods and explain the following.

a. The essential nature of the case.

b. The major controllership issue(s) being addressed in the case (briefly).

c. Answers to the case questions

1. Discuss the firm’s competitive environment and product range.

2. Outline the production process and discuss problems potentially created by the seasonality of the business.

3. What is “work center management” (WCM) as practiced by Wattie? Why is there daily reporting?

4. What was the motivation for WCM?

5. Why was it necessary to change the organizational culture? How was this culture change achieved?

6. Some Japanese companies have created systems in which small segments of the organization are treated as profit centers. Robin Cooper has called these “micro profit centers” and the concept is embodied in such cases as Higashimaru, and Kyocera. Is Wattie’s WCM system a micro profit center system?

7. How do the physical numbers tie into the financial accounting system?

8. What are the benefits claimed for WCM?

9. What problems can you see in operating the WCM system?

10. What types of operations lend themselves to daily financial reporting?