ABSTRACT
Problems exist in the eye of the beholder, when he expresses dissatisfaction with things as they are. One man’s problem may be another’s panacea. The raising of the school leaving age from 15 to 16 may have helped to reduce problems of youth unemployment (a source of dissatisfaction to society in general), but it created problems for schools starved of resources, a source of dissatisfaction to many teachers. The poor performance of students in, say, mathematics, may be a source of dissatisfaction to the teacher, but not necessarily to the students who have a different set of priorities. The non-observance of safety regulations is seen as a problem by the company’s safety officer, and he may propose solutions such as training or tighter supervision or fines, but the staff, being paid on a piece-work basis, do not share his dissatisfaction. Indeed, they may view his proposed solutions as problems, and seek counter-solutions.
