Road To Hell

2044 Words9 Pages
1. DESCRIPTION. The Road To Hell by Gareth Evans outlines events leading up to a disastrous ending between John Baker, the chief engineer of the Caribbean Bauxite Company of Barracania, and Matthew Rennalls, Baker’s assistant engineer. The story takes place in Barracania, located in the West Indies. Baker is a 45-year old English expatriate who has been stationed there for the past 2 years. Rennalls, on the other hand, is a native Barracanian and poised to assume Baker’s soon to be vacated role as chief engineer. Although the two seem to have a relatively good relationship, Baker believes that their relationship has always been hindered by Rennalls’ racial consciousness and sensitivity to expatriates. 2. DIAGNOSIS. John Baker’s stint in the West Indies was nothing unusual for him. He had been with the company, Continental Ore, for 23 years and had worked in several different locations overseas during that time throughout countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and soon North America due to his recent promotion that would soon move him to Canada. In fact, Baker actually preferred working abroad. One of his inherent strengths, he believed, was communicating and building rapport with the “native” employees in these various locales. And for the past 2 years, Baker had worked to establish a relationship with Matt Rennalls, whom Hutchins (the production manager and Baker’s boss) had clearly identified as his eventual successor. Developing Rennalls to fill chief engineer position was one of Baker’s top priorities when he accepted the job in the West Indies. It was critical to the company both because of Rennalls’ skills and ultimate potential, and because of the strong political ties it offered the company with Rennalls’ father serving as the minister of finance and economic planning. Although the company and the Barracanian government had traditionally enjoyed excellent

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