Going Live
28 mins, 1994 A bakery swaps from its old information system to a new one — and runs into disaster. First they have to choose the system, then make sure it works. At last comes the day when the new system goes live – and it’s then that things really go wrong. Lack of training… Read more »
Designing For The Market
29 mins, 1994 This is the story of an attempt to design a new kind of wheelchair. It explores the issue of mass-manufacturing for the disabled and questions the capacity of private firms to cater for such needs. Physiotherapist Pauline Pope is working on SAM – a wheelchair to use with children with cerebral palsy…. Read more »
Flattening The Organisation
42 mins, 1993 What does a company do when it wants to flatten its hierarchy? Lloyd’s Bank decided to send some of its information technology staff on an extraordinary training weekend to prepare them for revolutionary change. They dress up as King Arthur and his men, and undertake all kinds of strange “quests”, designed to… Read more »
Customer Care On Trial
25 mins, 1993 A secret camera explores what happens to a variety of customers in the real world. Includes examples of customers being treated with tact, incompetence and rudeness, both on the phone and face-to-face. NOTE: This is NOT a guide to giving customer care: it shows what happens in the real world and provides… Read more »
A Quality Revolution?
24 mins, 1992 What is “total quality management”? This film tells the story of Kemble Instruments, a manufacturing firm which set out to improve quality at all levels by transforming the culture of the company. The starting point is to involve the workforce and gain their commitment to change. At the same time the company… Read more »
Management Styles 1
31 mins, 1992 This classic best seller vividly illustrates different management styles in action. Tony Spence is the epitome of the autocratic manager. Shouting and swearing, he bullies and generally humiliates his team of sales people. By contrast, supermarket personnel manager June takes a more bureaucratic approach, strictly applying the rules and regulations. Consultative manager… Read more »
Making The Difference
20 mins, 1992 As more and more businesses become international, so the risk increases of cultural misunderstandings. And it’s not just a question of the language barrier: many other problems can arise. RESULTS V RELATIONSHIPS: In the west people believe in “getting down to business”; elsewhere it’s more important to first establish a relationship. TIME:… Read more »
The Learning Organisation
25 mins, 1992 Much is heard about how the development of a firm’s “human resources” – its people – can transform the fortunes of a business. This case study shows how Club 24 claims to have achieved exactly this by using active learning techniques. Club 24 collects payments from people buying clothes on credit. Its… Read more »
Into The Fire
27 mins, 1992 The story of Brian and Linda on the perilous path to running their own business. We see them visit the bank and an investor to try to raise the money. We see them acquire their premises and hire their first member of staff. At last they start up – and everything goes… Read more »
Empowering The People
25 mins, 1992 Can Japanese-style working practices succeed in Britain? This video looks at a factory which claims to have empowered its workforce and achieved world class productivity. Oxford Automotives Components, part of the Unipart Group, makes fuel tanks for cars. Once upon a time it ran itself like traditional British manufacturers and had traditional… Read more »
Staying There
23 mins, 1991 Setting up a company is one thing – but how do you ensure it survives in the long term? Rose Toys, once a highly successful manufacturer of model trains, is in crisis. Sales of its traditional products are falling. Harold Rose, its founder, is on the verge of retirement, but is reluctant… Read more »