kaplan mt435 all units discussions [ unit 1 to unit 10 discussions ]

At this juncture you should have a firm understanding of how important operations management and operational quality management is to every successful organization. This Discussion topic challenge relates to quality and an organizations constant search for continuous improvement.

Please answer the following:

1. Select a company or organization that, in your personal experience, has produced products of "high quality."
2. Select one product, from the company named, that you personally believe to be of exceptional quality and appraise the specific characteristics of the product that make it "high quality."
3. Select a product (from the same company or from another company) that you believe is of "poor quality." Appraise why you found the product of "poor quality" by describing and listing any defects, and suggest ways in which that organization could improve the products quality.

Make sure you are supporting your answers fully and that your source research is identified with citations and references.

Many discussion opportunities come up where you need to respond to other people’s opinions and comments. Respond to your Discussion topic after you have completed your Reading.

The advent of new technologies (the Internet, computerization, etc.) and the impact of globalization (products not only available from every country but being developed in multiple countries) has increased not just the demand for goods and services but also has increased customer requirements and expectations. As such, organizations must be constantly changing to be as economically competitive as possible. This means doing more with less as the organization becomes as "lean" as possible (no fat).

The operations manager must be aware of how and why lean systems are necessary.

To answer the Discussion questions you will need to do additional research using the virtual library and/or Internet.

In order for an organization to do more with less they must examine all facets of the production or service process. To that end address the questions below:

1. How does just-in-time (JIT) inventory control help organizations become more lean?
2. Where does the information on waste (waste in raw materials, waste in process and flow, etc.) come from?
3. Should line employees be involved in making recommendations to improve lean production and processes or should this decision making be left only to management?

List and describe briefly the elements of Product Design. Select one and apply it to a product you would like to see created in the marketplace.

List and describe briefly the elements of Service Design. Consider a service industry and create a short service blueprint, a series of events that has at least 5 steps. Then describe each step with a short paragraph under each step.

Many discussion opportunities come up where you need to respond to other people’s opinions and comments. Respond to your Discussion topic after you have completed your Reading.

Operations managers must be concerned with more than final outcomes (the final product or service delivered). They must be involved in determining the processes used to develop and create the final product and how they can be created or manufactured within the current capacities of the organization.

Successful organizations appear complex because they are made up of a multitude of different departments with each having a specific responsibility in the creation and delivery of the final product or service.

For this question you will need to conduct research on capacity and facilities before you can prepare a complete response to the questions asked. Start this research by reviewing the Web Field Trip resources below.

Web Field Trip

The below websites all relate to your Discussion topic for this week. Please spend some time reviewing these websites before you compose your response.

http://www.discoverdbr.com/grocerystorelayout.html

http://www.foodmarketdesigns.com/

http://www.wordsyouwant.com/samples/How%20to%20-Layout%20Your%20Supermarket.pdf

Discussion topic

Be sure each of the questions below is addressed. Address each question individually and be careful not to combine your questions and answers:

1. Identify a supermarket/grocery market to discuss for this Discussion topic.
2. What departments within the market tend to be co-located (adjacent to one another)? Do you believe the co-location is planned? If so why?
3. What departments within the market tend to be distant from one another? What purpose is accomplished by separating these departments so far apart from each other?
4. Why is the layout of the supermarket so important to the overall delivery of the products and services provided?
5. What recommendations would you make to the layout of the supermarket to make the layout more effective or efficient?

Research the impact of global shipping and receiving at ports around the world since September 11, 2001. What policy has been added to this field? What laws have been changed? Describe best practices in global shipping and receiving at ports in your own words, supported by your research online.

A supply chain involves all the activities associated with how manufacturing, materials, facilities, personnel, transportation, inventory, and other items flow and then are transformed into goods and services. Every asset, information, and process is part of the supply chain. For this discussion you will be addressing how the supply chain works and possible issues you may encounter.

Within this complex system, operation management responsibilities can be both strategic and tactical.

Examine the place where you currently work, or a prior career, and identify a single service or product produced by your organization.

1. Identify the different components of the supply chain for that product or service (list them from beginning to end). Be sure to identify which parts of the supply chain are considered "upstream" and "downstream" exchanges.
2. Based on what you learned from your research, describe a single current issue that might negatively impact a company's global supply chain.

Research the impact of global shipping and receiving at ports around the world since September 11, 2001. What policy has been added to this field? What laws have been changed? Describe best practices in global shipping and receiving at ports in your own words, supported by your research online.