Micronair Aircraft Crop Sprays

Abstract

The extraordinary tale of Micronair provides an opportunity to examine and discuss issues of personality, company policy and motivation in the context of manufacturing operations. There is a temptation to condemn the egocentric character of the company and its lack of participation and explicit long term planning. But these criticisms are generally based on the assumption that ‘good’ companies fulfil these current requirements as a vital matter of management style. It is important to distinguish between the virtues of ‘good’ and ‘successful’. Micronair is certainly successful and it is perhaps not very meaningful to be ‘good’ if it leads to losses and failure. In all companies there is a lot of politics in the organisation and in this company it happens to be rather more explicit, which may be a good thing. It is important also to appreciate that Micronair has no commitments to anybody, few debts, probably no outside shareholders, no large labour force. It is remarkably free to decide its own fate — a situation many of the larger companies would envy. The case should be discussed in a completely free-ranging manner allowing plenty of opportunity for expression of the tensions between ethical principles and pragmatism and between formal plans and informal spontaneous behaviour.