Choosing a Company Facing Operations Challenges
Discussion Posting Expectations
Before starting your first discussion, examine the following discussion posting expectations for the course:
· Participate actively in discussions, beginning with your initial substantive post for each of the discussion topics. This post should demonstrate your achievement of the participation criteria.
Instructions
This discussion board will help you prepare for this week's assignment.
1. Which company will you write about, and what operations challenge is it facing? In your assignments throughout this course, you will build an OIP for a company facing specific operations challenges (also known as your client company). Name your chosen company and briefly state the issues you will be addressing.
You will choose the company, which is referred to here as your "client company." A few prominent examples in the last several years of companies facing challenges that would suit an operations improvement plan include (but are not limited to):
· Honda's airbag recall.
· Volkswagen's emissions scandal.
Caterpillar, Incorporated's failed partnership with manufacturer, Siwei, Limited
2. How do W. Edward Deming's classic "14 Points for Management" relate to your client company? Because you are identifying processes that you might focus on for your OIP for this course, it is a good time to evaluate the situation using a formative strategy in the field, Deming's "14 Points for Management."
Following the Second World War, Deming traveled to Japan and motivated several prominent Japanese businesses toward process changes that brought them remarkable success.
These companies cut expenses, increased productivity, and gained market share by improving the quality of their products. By the 1970s, many American and European organizations adopted a similar strategy in order to stay competitive.
Explain how you think some or all the principles proposed in his 14 points for management apply to the company you have chosen and its organizational challenges.