Abstract:
Until the late 1970s, counties in much of the US summoned citizens to jury service for one-month terms. This meant that, for the most part, jurors had to attend court every working day for a given month. This system automatically exempted major occupational groups from service, while others were excused for reasons of hardship. In 1979, Middlesex became the first county in Massachusetts to employ the "one day/one trial" system, whereby jurors were summoned as part of a jury pool, over the course of a single day. Those who were impaneled were considered to have served nonetheless, and dismissed at the end of the day. This case provides background on the workings of the old system, then details the administration of the "one day/one trial" system in Middlesex County, and the juror's experience of serving on it.
Learning Objective:
This case is intended to illustrate the consequences of public policy and management practices, and the collaborative nature of production in the public sector. It was designed for use in a course on organizational production and management, to be taught in conjunction with McDonald's Corporation, a popular Harvard Business School case (9-681-044) on the multiple attributes of the "product" that fast-food operations provide to customers.
