Case Study "Off Course"

1. Describe the type(s) of control that could be used to improve the BC Ferries service to prevent an accident such as this occurring again. Be specific. Feedback control proves that while they had an established protocol for situations such as this, however, the process wasn’t second nature to staff. Feedback also established the need for a master key for sleeping cabins and the need to ensure that staff are trained how to operate any new equipment prior to leaving the shore. Moving forward the protocol needs to be routinely practiced to ensure that the behavior becomes second nature to the employees. From the feeback new feedforward controls are established such routine emergency drills. Concurrent controls would occur during the “drills”.
2. Assume that you are the president of BC Ferries. You have read the report of the investigation and noted some of the problems found. What would you do? Explaining your reasoning. The first thing I would do is verify that the staff had been trained properly. If everyone had been trained then I would move forward with employee counselings. I would fire the employees assigned with duty of checking each cabin and marking each door with an X because I would expect them above all others to ensure that protocol was followed and to be the last ones leaving the boat. I would also terminate the supervisor if further investigation proved that he had not been carrying out the emergency drills. The staff remaining would be retrained.
3. Would some types of controls be more important than others in this situation? Discuss. I would think feedforward and concurrent controls would be most important. Feedforward would be important because it establishes protocol such as the emergency action plan and then concurrent because it would allow you to correct behaviors during drills. Feedback can be natural by-product of concurrent