Using the information in the case, write an executive summary. Your executive summary should identify the problem, methods used to research the problem, results, and recommendations.

18. Analyzing the Results of a Schedule Change: You work as an operations assistant at Mayer Tool and Die, a large manufacturer of machine tools. Three months ago, your company switched from a typical five-day work week to a four-day work week. Under the new arrangement, employees at Mayer work 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday. The change was made to save money on utility expenses, specifically electricity. Under the new arrangement, the plant is completely closed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Your supervisor, the operations manager, wants to know two things about the schedule change. First, have utility expenses actually decreased, and second, what do employees think about the schedule change? You make a visit to the accounting department, where you ask for the gas and electric bills for the previous six months. The total cost for utilities is displayed in Table 1: Table 1: Mayer's Gas and Electric Expenses for the Last 6 Months Month March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 (current month) Total Expense $21,364 $24,567 $28,526 $33,426 $39.217 $42,357 The accounting clerk, Beth Li, suggests that you also look at the gas and electric bills for the same three months Page 496 June, July, and August) of last year. Total gas and electric expenses for those three months are displayed in Table 2 Table 2: June-August 2019 Gas and Electric Expenses for Mayer Month Total Expense June 2019 $37,917 July 2013 $44,785 August 2019 $47,612 After collecting this information, you begin to analyze the data from a survey that your boss recently sent to all 1,500 employees at Mayer, which asked their opinions on the scheduling change. A total of 871 employees responded to the survey. The survey asked a series of questions, but three in particular are of most interest to your boss. The first question is, "Do you like the new four-day work week?" The breakdown in responses was as follows: 375 "Strongly Agree," 141 "Agree," 147 "Neutral." 128 "Disagree,' and 90 Strongly Disagree." The second question is, "Do you think that the new four-day work week has made you more productive?" The breakdown in responses to the second question was as follows: 143 Strongly Agree" 165 "Agree" 201 "Neutral," 189 "Disagree," and 173 "Strongly Disagree." The third question is "Do you recommend that we continue with the four-day work week?" The breakdown in responses to the third question was as follows: 237 *Strongly Agree," 192 "Agree" 226 "Neutral," 153 "Disagree," and 63 "Strongly Disagree." Finally, there was an open-ended question that asked employees for any other thoughts they had on the four-day work week. Responses included "I like the three-day weekend," "This is another example of why I like working for this company," "I am very tired at the end of the 10-hour day," and "The lunch break is not long enough." Using these data, write a report to your boss about the impact the schedule change has had on the plant's overall gas and electric costs, as well as the employees' perceptions of the schedule