Journal Assignment: Interview
Instructions
In this interview, you will be assessed based on the following Outcome:
Evaluate the purpose of forecasting and inventory management within operations management.
This journal is different than many journals you may have encountered during your time at university. In fact, it is better to think of it as an interview than a journal.
Part of learning about business is networking. This interview is to get you motivated and networking with business professionals in your local area. If you want, you can also set-up an online interview using Google Hangouts; however, you should make an effort in your local area if at all possible for this experiential learning opportunity to conduct a face-to-face interview.
You will conduct a 30-minute interview with a business professional who has experience with forecasting and inventory management.
During the interview, ask permission to submit their first name, last name, and email address as elements of your interview summary, in case your professor wants to check-in with them on their thoughts of the interview.
As the person conducting the interview, you should dress professionally for the interview, and be prepared with some initial research of the person you are interviewing (review their LinkedIn profile) as well as, their organization (online research, corporate website, etc.). The point is to show up as a business professional, and to be properly prepared and engaged for the interview. You will be asking the questions, and you should be prepared to be an active listener and to ask pertinent follow-on questions.
The three main question sets you are to ask, allowing about 10 minutes of discussion each, are:
1) Question 1: Forecasting
Does your organization use both qualitative and quantitative forecasting methods? What methods do you use to support your business with forecasting (examples: regression analysis, Delphi Method)? Is there a special team focused on forecasting, or is it a responsibility of each professional within your organization?
2) Question 2: Inventory Management
How does your organization implement inventory management? What types of information systems does your organization utilize to support effective inventory management? Does your organization implement JIT, Just-In-Time, or some other form of lean applied to inventory?
3) Question 3: Reflection on Operations Management
Take a moment to share and reflect, with the professional you interview, on what you have learned during our term, focused on operations management. After reflection, continue to discussion with the following questions. How does operations management ensure the "mission happens" for a successful organization? How does the "puzzle pieces" of various traditional areas of business connect within your organization? Does your organization have a vertical (mechanistic) or horizontal (organic) organizational structure? Do you have a top "lesson learned" related to effective operations for a business?
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.