Back to the shop floorot Attwood, Chief Executive of Attwood Publicity, has attracted the

attention of his industry by going to work in one of the company's packaging facilities for two months. Why has ha done this？ 'Definitely not for marketing purposes,' he says. 'Though I know that other people in my position have done that. My background's in finance rather than the operational side -and I must admit that I feel a bit out of touch. So what I'm interested in is getting to know the people working in an important part of the business.'

Attwood's packaging facility is unusual in that the number of manual workers there is double that in similar companies. Attwood has a reputation for innovation, which explains why, although some extremely up-to- date machinery has just been installed, the majority of the work is still done by hand. Traditional machines simply cannot process certain brochures and other products quickly and cheaply enough.

At first, Attwood was embarrassed by his lack of speed in comparison with the other workers. Now he feels he is beginning to catch up. He had thought that money was the main motivation and that payment by results was the best way of ensuring quick and efficient work. He now realises that while factors such as the type of background music being played have some short-term effect on speed, most workers keep up with other people simply in order to ensure an efficient style. that works for everybody.

Attwood was confident at the start that the work would allow him to experience problems directly for himself. Now, after seven weeks, however, he realises that the most useful knowledge comes from listening to others, learning about their years of experience - and being able to ask questions.

He is also pleased that any early coldness shown towards him has now disappeared and most workers feel confident that he takes their work seriously. They also now feel that they can be honest with him. Attwood has listened to complaints about Iow wages and the fact that management are seen to have more flexibility than workers and more opportunities for promotion. The workers' openness has already had results. Vacancies have started to be displayed throughout the company and interested staff of all levels are encouraged to apply.

As the two-month period approaches its end, Attwood feels 'amazingly positive' about the experience: 'I've had to think more about how and why we do things than I've done for years,' 'he says.

Why did Attwood decide to work in one of his company's packaging facilities？

A．to gain publicity for the company

B．to make contact with the workforce

C．to look for ways of controlling costs