Evaluating an organization's operational efficiency

            Scenario Imagine that you are the vice president of operations at a production or service organization. You have noticed that your organization's current operations strategy is not supporting the challenges the organization is presently facing. In order to maintain a competitive edge, you must address these challenges with your chief executive officer immediately. Note: You will assume this role of vice president of operations at a production or service organization Select an existing production organization. Analyze the organization's current vision, mission, business strategy, operation strategy, supply chain, total quality management, just-in-time philosophy, forecasting method, statistical technique, facility location, work design, project life cycle, and project management. Instructions Write a 3 page paper in which you: Evaluate key elements of the selected production or service organization's operational efficiency with its operational strategy. Determine three tasks that do not align with the operational strategy. Determine the weaknesses that are evident in each task. Formulate a new operations strategy for the selected organization based on the four competitive priorities (cost, quality, time, and flexibility). Analyze both the structure of the competitive priorities and infrastructure of the production process. Develop three new enablers that are aligned with the long-term plan of the selected organization. Evaluate three pros and three cons of the new enablers.      

Sample Solution

Use at least three quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as quality resources. The selected production organization is Amazon.com. Amazon.com is an online retail company headquartered in Seattle, Washington that provides a variety of products and services to its customers around the world through its websites such as Amazon Prime, Amazon Fresh, and Amazon Marketplace. The company’s vision statement states that
 “We strive to be Earth’s most customer-centric company for four primary customer sets—consumers, sellers, enterprises, and content creators” (Amazon, 2020). Its mission statement declares that it “strives to offer its customers the lowest possible prices by offering low cost items; provide hiigh-quality service with fast delivery times; use technology extensively throughout all aspects of their business; and employ best practices in order for them to become more environment friendly (Amazon, 2020). The current operational strategy of Amazon focuses on areas such as improving efficiency through automation, using data driven decisions informed by analytics via AI/ML models, developing software solutions to increase scalability while maintaining agility among operations functions across the enterprise including logistics & supply chain management etc., optimizing product inventory levels based on demand forecasts supported by big data platforms like EMR or Athena etc., building out new fulfillment centers across the globe utilizing emerging technologies like robotics process automation (RPA) and investing heavily into employee development programs enabling employees to better understand customer needs leading to higher engagement rates along with improved productivity (Lippman et al., 2019). Three tasks that do not align with Amazon's operational strategy are: 1) limited focus on research & development investments leading to slower innovation cycles; 2) lack of a comprehensive approach towards managing third party suppliers thereby leading to supply chain disruptions; 3) insufficient integration between human resource activities and operational processes resulting in lower workforce morale & productivity levels. These weaknesses can be addressed by focusing more on research & development initiatives aimed at creating new products faster than competitors; establishing tighter contracts with suppliers for timely deliveries backed up with solid penalty clauses when necessary; integrating HR activities into day-to-day operations using AI/ML models so as monitor job satisfaction levels continuously from feedback loops provided by employees regularly (Hazen et al., 2018). A new operation strategy for Amazon should focus on four competitive priorities - cost effectiveness / affordability , reliability / quality assurance , speed / promptness & flexibility / adaptivity . In terms of structure , these competitive priorities entail reducing costs wherever possible while still providing a high level of reliable service ; minimizing wait time while still meeting deadlines ; being able adapting quickly even under changing market circumstances ; constantly striving towards delivering value added services beyond what was initially expected etc .. From an infrastructure perspective they would involve leveraging analytics capabilities across different parts of the system including marketing , sales , finance etc .. additionally deploying robots / automated systems within warehouses thus allowing staff members more freedom when handling orders plus having dedicated personnel responsible solely for reviews & feedback collection from clients thus ensuring continual improvement throughout the entire process . In addition three enablers could be included which would support this long term plan : 1 ) investing in R&D activities aimed at creating cutting edge products faster than competitors ; 2 ) introducing detailed supplier performance management programs with stringent penalty clauses if required ; 3 ) setting up integrated HR processes linked directly into existing operational metrics thereby monitoring job satisfaction levels at regular intervals . The pros associated with implementing these enablers include improved cost savings due better utilization of resources alongwith reduced downtime thanks taking advantage technological advancements available today whereas some potential cons could arise due increased complexity associated managing multiple projects simultaneously which may lead certain delays during final stages project execution or failure comply contractual obligations imposed vendors .

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