Case Discussion

SMITHFIELD'S CUSTOM FURNITURE

It is 1901. Alicia Smithfield, daughter of the founder of Smithfield Custom Furniture, just inherited the company. She is the only surviving heir to the furniture empire her father built.

Headquartered in upstate New York, the company has grown significantly over the past 60 years. Began in a shed built next to his log cabin, Jonas Smithfield's quality furniture developed a huge following among New York City's wealthiest residents.

After being educated in the best business schools in Europe and America, Alicia has run the business side-by-side with her father for the past 15 years. When there were many issues confronting the business, a tree being felled took an unexpected route and brought Jonas' life to a surprising end.

The company had just moved to a facility large enough to house its workers: 10 carpenters; 5 furniture designers; 5 wood finishers (varnish and dye experts); 10 machine operators to assist with the various equipment needed to cut the wood into various designs, polish and sand the wood; 5 mechanics to keep the vehicles (5 trucks) and boats (7) that transported wood from upstate New York and Canada to the work area in good repair; 15 lumberjacks who cut wood in nearby areas and moved it downriver by boat or over the rugged highway by truck; and 5 office personnel who assisted with filing, invoicing, drafting and responding to correspondence, handling customer inquiries, and performing other necessary office functions. More than half of these employees were hired in the past 5 years.

Alicia's Big Issues

The major issues confronting Alicia Smithfield are these:

(1) The furniture manufacturing functions are very disorganized. It is not clear how to best organize these functions. For example, the varnish and dye experts each use a different method to complete their tasks.

(2) The production schedule is a mess. It is not clear which projects should be completed first to ensure products are being delivered to customers on time.

(3) The lumberjacks, both cutting trees down and shipping them by truck or boat, differ on the best methods to perform these tasks.

(4) Tempers are flaring as a result of the disorganization. The office, clerical, and support workers are rude to each other and can't seem to act as a cohesive work unit.

(5) While the company is financially successful, as it has grown from a small family-owned business to a large and complex enterprise, the organizational structure has not kept pace. Few formal rules exist, and the keeping and maintenance of records are haphazard.

(6) Employees are feeling overworked and losing satisfaction in the work they are doing. They believe their basic needs are not being addressed.

Alicia's Proposed Issue Solutions

Alicia Smithfield is familiar with all of the contributors (e.g., Weber, Gilbreath, Taylor, among others) to the management theory you have read about this week. She has decided to hire six (6) of those contributors to management theory from the week's readings as consultants. (We shall now refer to those contributors (e.g., Weber, Gilbreath, Taylor, among the others) in this week's readings as "consultants.")

Each of the six (6) consultants selected will be assigned to solve only one of the six (6) issues listed above. Alicia's problem is that she is unclear as to which of the six (6) contributors selected from the week's reading to be her consultants are best matched to solve each of the six (6) specific issues listed above.

Your Task for Your Initial Post

You are to answer four (4) of the above-mentioned six (6) issues identified by Alicia Smithfield. Specifically, she has asked you to recommend a consultant to solve four of the six issues confronting her. You have been requested to explain to Alicia why you selected the four consultants you chose to solve each of the four selected issues. Each consultant will solve one of the four issues you identified that particular consultant to address. You must explain the major contribution/idea of the consultant selected and how that contribution/idea applies to the specific issue you have recommended that the consultant solve. You must identify the school of thought that each consultant represents.

Note: You may not use any of the individuals in the readings to solve more than one of the four (4) issues. If a person you select is deceased, do not let that inconvenience stand in your way. You may still use that individual to solve a specific issue.

For research associated with this discussion, you must use course materials only. You must provide APA formatted in-text citations and references for each of the four (4) issues you select.

Format for Your Initial Post

Use the exact numbers and corresponding headings for your initial post for each of your 4 selections. For example, one student's post may be numbered 1, 3, 5, 6; another student's post may be numbered 1, 2, 4, 5; and so forth. Any four of the six issues listed that a student selects to answer will be acceptable.

1. Manufacturing Functions are Disorganized

2. Production Schedule is a Mess

3. Lumberjack Disagreement Methods To Cut Trees/Load Boat

4. Tempers Flare among Office Support Staff

5. Lack of Formal Rules/Record-Keeping Processes

6. Basic Needs and Job Satisfaction Overlooked