Read the following case and answer the questions given below.

Houghton Refrigeration Company builds refrigerators for large appliance companies. It employs about 300 people, mostly assembly line workers, and is in a small town in Ohio. The company typically builds chest-type freezers and small bar-type refrigerators on a contract basis. On occasion, however, it also builds standard-size refrigerators. The president of the company is a former engineer, as are most of the other executives. These individuals are very knowledgeable about engineering but have received little training in the basic principles of management. During the summer months, volume at the factory increases significantly, and the company needs to hire about 40 new employees to handle the heavy workload.

Most of these new employees are college students attending a small private college about 15 minutes from the plant. Some high school students are hired as well. When a new employee is hired, the company asks him or her to complete a blank application and then not show up at the plant gate ready for work. Employees receive no orientation. The worker is shown to a workstation, and after a minimum amount of on-the-job training, the new employee is expected to start performing a job. Most jobs are simple, and the training is typically completed within 10 minutes. The first-line supervisor usually shows the employee how to do a job once, then watches while the employee does the job once, leaves, and comes back about 20 minutes later to see how the employee is progressing. Typical jobs at the plant include screwing 41 screws into the sides of a freezer, placing a piece of insulation into the freezer lid, and handing out supplies from the tool room.

The company has had excellent experiences with college students over the years. Much of the success can be attributed to the older workers coming to the aid of the new employees when difficulties arise. Most new employees can perform their jobs reasonably well after completing their on-the-job training. However, when unexpected difficulties arise, they are usually unprepared for them and, therefore, need assistance from others.

The older workers have been especially helpful to students working in the press

room." However, Joe Gleason, the first-line supervisor there, finds it amusing to

belittle college students whenever they make mistakes. He relishes showing

a student once how to use a press to bend a small piece of metal, then exclaims,

"You're a hot-shot college student; now let's see you do it." He then watches impatiently while the student invariably makes a mistake and then jokingly announces for all to hear, "That's wrong! How did you ever get into college anyway? Try it again, dummy."

One summer, the company experienced a rash of injuries to its employees. Although most of the injuries were minor, the company felt it imperative to con-

was a poor speaker. The only other employee in the human resource department was a new 19-year-old secretary who knew nothing about proper handling techniques. Out of desperation, the president finally decided to ask Bill Young, the first-line supervisor of the "lid-line," to conduct the training.

Bill had recently attended a training program on safety and was active in the Red Cross. Bill reluctantly agreed to conduct the training. I was to be done on a departmental basis with small groups of 10 to 15 employees attending each session.