Burgess Trucking Essay
There were several issues of communication involved with the Burgess Trucking case study. The initial problem starts when Johns received memos sent by the maintenance supervisor regarding extra space needed. *Communication problems: If Johns had read the memos when he received them (a year ago), the company would not have been on such a time restriction and would have had more time to plan out the project more efficiently and economically. Johns disregarded the previous memos that the maintenance supervisor had sent due to trivial details that were easy to ignore because they did not convey the message loud and clear. The urgent memo is what caught Johns attention.
Bland then agreed that construction for extra space was needed ASAP …show more content…
but does not press the issue of why Johns waited so long to tell him. They received preliminary bids and all of the bids came in too high and they were all rejected. Bland could not believe that BDI could have been that far off the mark and Johns advised Bland that he saw the specs and approved the design and says to Bland “Why didn’t you say anything then.” Also, BDI suggested changes in heating and ventilation that Johns approved but never told Bland about. *Communication problems: Bland should have addressed why Johns waited so long which could have cleared up communication problems within the company so that it could prevent future problems. Also, Bland approved the design but did not convey that he had any problems with it. This could have been because he may not have understood its full meaning because he is not an architect. John also approved a heating and ventilation change that he did not advise Bland of at the time. It ends up costing an extra $4,000 for redesign to the building.
A second round of bids came in and was higher than they anticipated. One contractor came within limits but Bland wanted to take another look at the design and additional modifications. The board members felt that the need for the building was urgent and did not want to postpone the construction so they accepted the lowest bid. They overrode Bland’s objection that the lowest bidder had a reputation for slipshod work by pointing out that BDI would oversee the project. *Communication Problems: They accepted the lowest bidder due to a time crunch and don’t allow more time to discuss it which led to the future of all problems. The time crunch was due to the original memos from the maintenance supervisor that were ignored by Johns.
As construction began, BDI submitted occasional progress reports which showed that Peerless Heating had created some problems in meeting specifications and work completion dates. According to Johns, BDI had the situation well in hand. *Communication problems: BDI should have specified to Johns what the exact problems were and how they were going to be resolved. Johns should have been overseeing the project more vigorously without fully depending on BDI. He should have obtained more timely and detailed reports from BDI so that any problems could be noticed sooner and resolved immediately. Any problems should have been outlined and explained to the Board.
There were numerous issues with the completed work regarding heating problems, the computers wouldn’t work and the temperatures were very cold. BDI was contacted and they discovered that heating equipment other than specified had been used in some areas and that they had also made design errors. *Communication problems: BDI had known that there were original problems with meeting specifications. BDI should have made sure this problem was resolved when it was originally noticed and communicated it to Johns. Johns should have also followed up to confirm that the problem was fixed before the project was completed because he knew it about it before. Also, Johns didn’t communicate to BDI that Burgess would attach the building to its computerized energy system which automatically cuts back heat – this led to increased problems.
BDI made suggestions on how to correct some of the problems while they were trying to resolve the issues with Peerless.
They advised to pass the recommendations to maintenance. Communication problems: Johns wrote a letter to the maintenance supervisor advising of the problems and how to correct them in the meantime, but does not list all the suggestions from BDI. Johns should have either discussed this directly with the maintenance supervisor to ensure they he understands what needs to be done or forwarded the letter that BDI gave Burgess. The lack of repairs led to unsafe working conditions which might have been the reason for the OSHA complaint.
Johns voiced his concerns in a firm tone with BDI regarding repairs and set a March 15th resolution deadline and followed up with a letter. Numerous letters were exchanged back and forth between Peerless, BDI and Burgess outlining the issues that went wrong. *Communication problems: Numerous letters are exchanged that are placing the blame on one another, not making it simple to understand what went wrong, who is responsible, and how it is going to be fixed immediately so that problems didn’t get worse. A conference could have been held for a better solution so that the lines of communication were
clear.
Johns received a letter from OSHA advising that they were in receipt of a complaint that the workers were subject to inhalation of fumes because of poor ventilation and informed that they were coming on March 26. *Communication problem: Johns never relayed this message to the Board or Bland so that they could be prepared and remedy any problems that needed immediate attention.
Peerless claimed that it would replace the equipment that did not meet specifications even though the original specifications were “unclear and incomplete.” *Communication problems: BDI did not write up the specifications in a manner that was understood. Peerless also never asked BDI to clarify the specifications that were unclear. Johns also should have reviewed the written work to confirm that it was complete.
The OSHA inspector came in and ruled that Burgess acted in good faith to try and resolve the problems quickly but would come back in October and if the systems did not meet requirement then they would be fined. *Communication problems: Johns still didn’t advise Bland or the Board of OSHA coming. They found out from a letter sent in September from OSHA. By Johns not telling of this sooner, it jeopardized the company’s business.
To deal with this situation, I would first make sure that the company is compliant with OSHA’s guidelines and do whatever is necessary to resolve any issues before OSHA comes back in October. The workers need to be in a safe environment and the systems need to be running properly in order for the company to fully operate and achieve maximum profits. The next issue deals with communication. The main problem appears to relate to Johns and his communication. This problem originated because Johns didn’t acknowledge memos that were sent to him until an urgent one was sent. If Johns would have acknowledged the original memo, the project could have been executed more efficiently without the stress of a time constraint and any problems that may have arose could have been solved the proper way. Johns ignored the memos because of insignificant details that made them easy to ignore. The urgency of the last memo is what caught Johns attention. Also, Johns was delegated to oversee the project in which he did not effectively do so. He did not spend as much time following up for reports as he should have to confirm that the project was going as planned. The problems that he did know of, he did not communicate with the Board and Bland. Due to the OSHA problem that Johns was well aware of, he was jeopardizing the company’s contracts. I feel that due to Johns large mistakes and lack of communication, he should be reprimanded or no longer be employed with the company.
With regard to Bland, he is the president of the company so he should take some responsibility. He should have been periodically checking in with Johns to make sure he had a clear idea of what exactly was going on with the construction and any problems they were running in to. Bland also appears to be a weak leader. He should have addressed the issue of why Johns waited so long to bring the matter of extra space needed to their attention, why he didn’t have more control with BDI in overseeing the project and how he was never told about the OSHA problem. These are major issues that should have been addressed at the time that would have reduced the amount of problems. Bland needs to strengthen his leadership skills in order to continue on with successfully run the company.
Bland then agreed that construction for extra space was needed ASAP …show more content…
but does not press the issue of why Johns waited so long to tell him. They received preliminary bids and all of the bids came in too high and they were all rejected. Bland could not believe that BDI could have been that far off the mark and Johns advised Bland that he saw the specs and approved the design and says to Bland “Why didn’t you say anything then.” Also, BDI suggested changes in heating and ventilation that Johns approved but never told Bland about. *Communication problems: Bland should have addressed why Johns waited so long which could have cleared up communication problems within the company so that it could prevent future problems. Also, Bland approved the design but did not convey that he had any problems with it. This could have been because he may not have understood its full meaning because he is not an architect. John also approved a heating and ventilation change that he did not advise Bland of at the time. It ends up costing an extra $4,000 for redesign to the building.
A second round of bids came in and was higher than they anticipated. One contractor came within limits but Bland wanted to take another look at the design and additional modifications. The board members felt that the need for the building was urgent and did not want to postpone the construction so they accepted the lowest bid. They overrode Bland’s objection that the lowest bidder had a reputation for slipshod work by pointing out that BDI would oversee the project. *Communication Problems: They accepted the lowest bidder due to a time crunch and don’t allow more time to discuss it which led to the future of all problems. The time crunch was due to the original memos from the maintenance supervisor that were ignored by Johns.
As construction began, BDI submitted occasional progress reports which showed that Peerless Heating had created some problems in meeting specifications and work completion dates. According to Johns, BDI had the situation well in hand. *Communication problems: BDI should have specified to Johns what the exact problems were and how they were going to be resolved. Johns should have been overseeing the project more vigorously without fully depending on BDI. He should have obtained more timely and detailed reports from BDI so that any problems could be noticed sooner and resolved immediately. Any problems should have been outlined and explained to the Board.
There were numerous issues with the completed work regarding heating problems, the computers wouldn’t work and the temperatures were very cold. BDI was contacted and they discovered that heating equipment other than specified had been used in some areas and that they had also made design errors. *Communication problems: BDI had known that there were original problems with meeting specifications. BDI should have made sure this problem was resolved when it was originally noticed and communicated it to Johns. Johns should have also followed up to confirm that the problem was fixed before the project was completed because he knew it about it before. Also, Johns didn’t communicate to BDI that Burgess would attach the building to its computerized energy system which automatically cuts back heat – this led to increased problems.
BDI made suggestions on how to correct some of the problems while they were trying to resolve the issues with Peerless.
They advised to pass the recommendations to maintenance. Communication problems: Johns wrote a letter to the maintenance supervisor advising of the problems and how to correct them in the meantime, but does not list all the suggestions from BDI. Johns should have either discussed this directly with the maintenance supervisor to ensure they he understands what needs to be done or forwarded the letter that BDI gave Burgess. The lack of repairs led to unsafe working conditions which might have been the reason for the OSHA complaint.
Johns voiced his concerns in a firm tone with BDI regarding repairs and set a March 15th resolution deadline and followed up with a letter. Numerous letters were exchanged back and forth between Peerless, BDI and Burgess outlining the issues that went wrong. *Communication problems: Numerous letters are exchanged that are placing the blame on one another, not making it simple to understand what went wrong, who is responsible, and how it is going to be fixed immediately so that problems didn’t get worse. A conference could have been held for a better solution so that the lines of communication were
clear.
Johns received a letter from OSHA advising that they were in receipt of a complaint that the workers were subject to inhalation of fumes because of poor ventilation and informed that they were coming on March 26. *Communication problem: Johns never relayed this message to the Board or Bland so that they could be prepared and remedy any problems that needed immediate attention.
Peerless claimed that it would replace the equipment that did not meet specifications even though the original specifications were “unclear and incomplete.” *Communication problems: BDI did not write up the specifications in a manner that was understood. Peerless also never asked BDI to clarify the specifications that were unclear. Johns also should have reviewed the written work to confirm that it was complete.
The OSHA inspector came in and ruled that Burgess acted in good faith to try and resolve the problems quickly but would come back in October and if the systems did not meet requirement then they would be fined. *Communication problems: Johns still didn’t advise Bland or the Board of OSHA coming. They found out from a letter sent in September from OSHA. By Johns not telling of this sooner, it jeopardized the company’s business.
To deal with this situation, I would first make sure that the company is compliant with OSHA’s guidelines and do whatever is necessary to resolve any issues before OSHA comes back in October. The workers need to be in a safe environment and the systems need to be running properly in order for the company to fully operate and achieve maximum profits. The next issue deals with communication. The main problem appears to relate to Johns and his communication. This problem originated because Johns didn’t acknowledge memos that were sent to him until an urgent one was sent. If Johns would have acknowledged the original memo, the project could have been executed more efficiently without the stress of a time constraint and any problems that may have arose could have been solved the proper way. Johns ignored the memos because of insignificant details that made them easy to ignore. The urgency of the last memo is what caught Johns attention. Also, Johns was delegated to oversee the project in which he did not effectively do so. He did not spend as much time following up for reports as he should have to confirm that the project was going as planned. The problems that he did know of, he did not communicate with the Board and Bland. Due to the OSHA problem that Johns was well aware of, he was jeopardizing the company’s contracts. I feel that due to Johns large mistakes and lack of communication, he should be reprimanded or no longer be employed with the company.
With regard to Bland, he is the president of the company so he should take some responsibility. He should have been periodically checking in with Johns to make sure he had a clear idea of what exactly was going on with the construction and any problems they were running in to. Bland also appears to be a weak leader. He should have addressed the issue of why Johns waited so long to bring the matter of extra space needed to their attention, why he didn’t have more control with BDI in overseeing the project and how he was never told about the OSHA problem. These are major issues that should have been addressed at the time that would have reduced the amount of problems. Bland needs to strengthen his leadership skills in order to continue on with successfully run the company.