Group 1 Paper Edited
CASE ONE:
THE MEATPACKING FACTORY
The Meatpacking Factory is a case study involving the decision of a factory manager to let his Muslim workers observe their faith by taking breaks at sunrise and sundown during their holy month of Ramadan. James Windham, the factory manager, thought their request was well warranted and felt he should be considerate of the religious beliefs of his employees. There are about 100 Muslim workers which represents 20% of the employee population at the factory. To Windham’s dismay, the breaks began having a significantly negative affect on productivity due to the ever shifting sunset and sundown times. Trying to accommodate a constantly changing schedule left Windham struggling to nail down a consistent schedule, in addition to facing vehement opposition from other staff and the surrounding community. Some workers accused him of showing favoritism and allowing himself to be manipulated by the Muslim workers. Due to the backlash and potential for harmful media coverage, plus the additional pressure of similar situations at other meatpacking factories had attracted after taking drastically opposite action as a means to remedy the same issues. The spotlight on Windham began to make him second-guess his decision to allow the breaks. From a managerial standpoint, Windham faced several issues that would be challenging to overcome. He made a decision for religious preferences without considering the other 80% of the factory workers. Knowing other factories were experiencing the same issues, he neglected to contact them for advice. Windham also failed to consider how making one seemingly thoughtful decision would impact productivity. PROBLEM 1: One of the first problems to be addressed from The Meatpacking Factory case is how James Windham handled the request of the Muslim workers to participate in the holy month of Ramadan. During the holy month, “prayer times are upon arising, midday, midafternoon, sunset, and bedtime”
THE MEATPACKING FACTORY
The Meatpacking Factory is a case study involving the decision of a factory manager to let his Muslim workers observe their faith by taking breaks at sunrise and sundown during their holy month of Ramadan. James Windham, the factory manager, thought their request was well warranted and felt he should be considerate of the religious beliefs of his employees. There are about 100 Muslim workers which represents 20% of the employee population at the factory. To Windham’s dismay, the breaks began having a significantly negative affect on productivity due to the ever shifting sunset and sundown times. Trying to accommodate a constantly changing schedule left Windham struggling to nail down a consistent schedule, in addition to facing vehement opposition from other staff and the surrounding community. Some workers accused him of showing favoritism and allowing himself to be manipulated by the Muslim workers. Due to the backlash and potential for harmful media coverage, plus the additional pressure of similar situations at other meatpacking factories had attracted after taking drastically opposite action as a means to remedy the same issues. The spotlight on Windham began to make him second-guess his decision to allow the breaks. From a managerial standpoint, Windham faced several issues that would be challenging to overcome. He made a decision for religious preferences without considering the other 80% of the factory workers. Knowing other factories were experiencing the same issues, he neglected to contact them for advice. Windham also failed to consider how making one seemingly thoughtful decision would impact productivity. PROBLEM 1: One of the first problems to be addressed from The Meatpacking Factory case is how James Windham handled the request of the Muslim workers to participate in the holy month of Ramadan. During the holy month, “prayer times are upon arising, midday, midafternoon, sunset, and bedtime”
References: Central Michigan University. (2013). Administration, Globalization and Multiculturalism. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.