Managing a Messy Task

Abstract

The case relates to mess management in an educational institute which is used by four hundred and fifty students and by four hundred non-supervisory staff who are unionized, frequently resorting to mass leave, campaigns and agitation. There is a mess committee represented by students, faculty, the warden and the staff representative (mess supervisor). There is also a student body which voices against the hike in prices and quality of food, demanding a say in the decision-making process. The mess committee has identified several constraints, e.g. extra expenditure, price hike, overtime allowances to mess staff, wastage of cooked food and quality of food. The committee wants to arrive at a solution generally acceptable to all the segments using and managing the mess facilities and services.