Alpha Plantations and Major Crisis in 1999 Term Paper - 1

Alpha Plantations and Major Crisis in 1999 - Term Paper Example The oil palm company Alpha Plantations Sdn Bhd in Malaysia has two major divisions namely Oil Palm Estate and Palm Oil Mills. This company is owned by a British Company and aims to supply oil to the parent company’s detergent manufacturing business. The company employs local workers to meet the workforce needs. The mill carries out its operations in a shift based environment with three shifts employing 25 works per shift. Supervisors are appointed to watch over the work of each shift. Among the most senior members of the company is Mr. Ang. He is working in the company since 1965 and has achieved the designation of the senior production supervisor through constant efforts and struggles. Mr. Ang is supposedly experienced in dealing with almost every situation surrounded by the company’s premises. He deals with the workers, solves their normal issues, is responsible for the undisrupted operations of the business, involved in the coordination of shift planning, responsible for the preparation of daily production reports, sets short-term performance targets for the shifts and also helps in Human Resource Planning issues. He also acts as a ‘Gatekeeper’ which directs towards his important role as an assistant to the mill manager and every issue comes into his supervision before it reaches the mill manager. Owing to the multitasking and untiring efforts of Mr. Ang, the mill manager is quite satisfied and contented with the firm, methodical and almost militarily efficient way of running the business. The year 1999 acted as a devastating experience for Alpha mills. The basic reason behind the deteriorated financial performance was the cut off in the oil prices. The mill manager, Captain Chubb, could not find a better way to overcome the situation and restrain the regular losses. Captain Chubb was replaced by Mr. Ian Davison who was appointed as a new mill manager to Alpha mills.