CASE STUDY

A Case Study of Cox Container Company

Case Study of Cox Container Company

Introduction

The Cox Container Company was founded in 1946 by Harold Fox. It manufactures a wide variety of containers ranging from large metallic haulage containers to medium sized plastic boxes that are highly used for transporting delicate goods. The operational market for Cox Container Company ranges from large transportation and delivery organizations to small particular markets (Corbett, 1994, p.154) .The company has been enjoying a stabilized growth and progress since its establishment and possesses a notable recognition in national and international markets (Corbett, 1994, p.154).

At present, the company is going through a declined rate of revenues because of increased competition. The company's managing director; Harold Fox has asked his general manager Erica Wilson to devise a change policy to tackle competition. Cox hired three new managers: John Straw as manager of central administration department, Eric Long as section manager for new budgeting and Simon Pedder for reviewing operational procedures. The newly hired managers have developed change strategies in their respective spheres but they are prone to severe resistance at the part of old employees particularly from Abdul Aziz who is production manager (Corbett, 1994, p.155). The CCC has been confronted with alarming challenges in coping up with the threatening competition because of several problems existing within CCC.

Problems Confronting Cox Container Company in Short and long term

Incompetent Personnel and Ethnicity

The company's manpower consists of more than 380 people and two thirds of them work

in the production department. The personnel of CCC highly reflect Harold's inclination towards ethnic perspectives (Corbett, 1994, p.154). A large number of positions occupied in the company are filled with the people from ethnic minorities. The CCC lacks the blend of new and fresh talents with the old employees to trigger the CCC's development on an innovating note. Half of the current staff working at CCC has been associated with it for the last ten years. Furthermore, most of the senior positions in the production department of CCC have been occupied with the old people who enjoyed a promotion from ordinary positions of grass root level (Corbett, 1994, p.154). Hence they lack the professional capabilities and contemporary leadership techniques which pose a severe obstacle to revolutionizing the organizational. The production department has been under the supervision of Abdul Aziz who is one of the oldest staff members of CCC. Production personnel's attitude towards the innovation of organizational structure is highly biased because of the autonomy and comfort they enjoy under the supervision of Abdul Aziz.

Lack of Professional Attributes

The CCCs current manpower and management highly lacks the sense of unity and collectivism so the shared efforts towards the attainment of a common good are highly missing. As Belbin (1981) argues that introvert of extrovert personalities emerge from organizational culture so the dominance of introvert personalities in CCC is the outcome of organizational culture (p.84). The naive stance of Abdul Aziz at the broader forefront of entrepreneurial needs have failed to take a rounded view stricken by ...