Topic: Magic Cable I think Ive found what Im looking for, Gary Roberts said. Oh yeah, what is that? Jim Handley asked, as he handed Roberts a pair of vice grip pliers. Im thinking I might have found a way out of this dump. No more tile dust, no more forty-mile an hour winds blowing through the plant, and no more Al Wright for me, Roberts replied. Wright, the plant manager, and Roberts, journeyman maintenance mechanic for Tile- Elite, had been at odds for years. Roberts had been hired during a manufacturing plant expansion at Tile-Elite and Wright had promised Roberts a production supervisors job upon its completion. However, when the expansion was completed and the last production line was ready to produce, Wright told Roberts to forget the supervisors job because he was more valuable to the company as a maintenance mechanic. I know what I said, Gary, but I think youre going to be a mechanic here even if you stay twenty years, Wright had stated at the time. After that encounter, Wright and Roberts had mixed like oil and water and that was almost five years ago. Roberts had to admit that he was probably more valuable to the company as a maintenance mechanic in the short run, but he had been looking at the long run. He wanted to be more involved in the production process. He had just turned forty, was recently divorced, and had been involved in maintenance of some type ever since his military service in Vietnam twenty years earlier. While working full-time at his previous job, Roberts completed his bachelors degree in business. His major had been Management and it had taken him six long years to graduate. He had then wanted a position where he could use his management education. The company for which he was working while going to school had promised him a supervisors position when he graduated, but that promise had evaporated when the company went bankrupt during the oil recession of the 1980s. During his years with Tile-Elite, Roberts had searched for another company that would give him a chance as a supervisor, but it seemed no one wanted a man his age with minimal management experience. The oil recession had left the employment market flooded with unemployed managers with significant supervisory experience. Consequently, Roberts decided he would stick with what he knew best, maintenance, because jobs were more plentiful, and the pay was reasonably good. Magic Cable, in Fresno, is looking for a maintenance mechanic. Ive got an interview tomorrow morning, Roberts said to Handley. Ive seen their plant over on Cook Street, behind the county barn, but Ive never been in it. What do they build there? Handley asked. Shoot, I dont know, and I dont really care. All machines are alike. Just some are bigger than other ones, so my job will be basically the same. What I want is better working conditions and a chance for advancement. Id even take a slight cut in pay to get out of here. Roberts answered. I understand where youre coming from but dont tell Magic Cable that. Well, good luck tomorrow, Gair. I hope you get that job, Handley said as he closed his tool box and started moving toward the time clock. Roberts hated it when Handley called him Gair. It sounded so trite. The only reason he hadnt say something was because Jim was such a good friend and he had taught him a lot. Magic Cable wasnt but two miles further from Roberts' home than Tile-Elite. The facility was considerably smaller, but the grounds were kept neat and trimmed and Roberts considered that a good sign. The parking was also directly in front of the plant and that would be good during bad weather. Ive got a good feeling about this place, Roberts muttered to himself as he drove through the gate.

What are the key underlying OB issues that you identified in this case?