A really bad day at the office

This article on the excellent BBC News website caught my eye today: A smashing day at work. How would you feel if you had managed to destroy over £600,000 of wine in one day? I guess you’d hope to have an understanding boss…

Once I’d recovered from the thought of such a waste of good wine I started thinking about the business concepts and issues students can draw from this situation. This should generate some lively discussion and gives the students the opportunity to express their opinions and explore the causes and consequences of mistakes in the workplace. Role plays would allow students to consider how they would deal with the aftermath as employee, manager and/or business owner:

Management - How would you deal with the fork lift driver?

Contingency - Planning for the unexpected is important for any business. How could they prepare for such a situation?

Training - Was the fork lift truck driver properly trained? If not, how/why might this have happened? If so, is performance management or disciplinary appropriate?

Supply - Will a significant reduction in the volume of the company’s wine lead to higher prices for consumers? Elasticity of supply can be brought into the discussion, illustrating how it could take years to replace the lost wine.

Costs - The wine was insured, but will the company’s premiums go up as a result of such a large claim? How else could the loss of the wine affect McLaren Vale’s costs?

Marketing - Could McLaren Vale take advantage of the publicity and turn it into free advertising or the theme of a new campaign? This could make a great viral video campaign on YouTube and other social media.