The final project for this course is the creation of a business report with SWOT analysis.
There are several current trends in operations management, including total quality management, assessing and managing disruptive change, customization, green manufacturing, global competition, just-in-time manufacturing (JIT), and supply chain management. These trends in operations management are seen in areas as diverse as the service industry, manufacturing and production, and the military. Operations management is vital for preparing students to work in industry and to give them a competitive edge. It is important to be familiar with trends in operations management and understand the impact that trends can have on an organization.
For this assessment, you will select a current trend in operations management and apply it to an organization that provides a service or produces a product in any industry. You will research the organization’s goals and resources, perform a SWOT analysis, examine the impact of the trend on aspects of the organization, and make recommendations regarding continuous improvement and sustainability.
The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, and Five. The final project will be submitted in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
- Evaluate trends in operations management for their risk and sustainability in industry
- Analyze the impact of current trends in operations management on the resources and goals of an organization
- Assess internal and external business factors that guide and support operational decision making in an organization
- Recommend appropriate strategies for implementing continuous improvement processes and improving sustainable operations in an organization
Your business report should address the following prompt: Research a current trend in operations management and an organization to which you can apply the trend. Write a report in business report format that discusses the goals and resources of the organization and how the trend will impact these goals and resources. Perform a SWOT analysis to determine how the trend will affect the strengths and weaknesses of your organization and then make recommendations that the organization can implement in order to improve sustainable operations.
- Introduction
- Trend: Select a current trend in operations management. Examples of current trends include total quality management, lean techniques, customization, green manufacturing, global competition, JIT manufacturing, and supply chain management. Why is the trend you selected important in operations management?
- Organization: Select a service or manufacturing organization to which you can apply this trend. Examples of service organizations include UPS, car repair shops, and restaurants. Examples of manufacturing organizations include automotive manufacturers such as Toyota and computer manufacturers such as Dell. Why did you select your organization?
- Organization
- Goals: What are the organization’s goals? For example, is the organization working toward becoming more green for sustainability, becoming the leading low-cost supplier, or trying to be first in market share? How does the trend align with the goals of organization?
- Resources: Identify the organization’s resources. Does the organization have the resources available to implement the trend? Explain.
- Impact: Describe how the trend you selected will impact the goals and resources of your organization. Will the organization need to make any changes to its goals or resources in order to implement the trend?
- Risk: Discuss the risk the organization will face if it implements the trend with its current resources. How does the availability of resourcesimpact the organization’s risk in implementing the trend? If not all required resources are available, how does the risk increase with regard to the trend implementation?
- SWOT Analysis: Perform a SWOT analysis on your organization. You can find an example template here. In your SWOT analysis, make sure to comprehensively discuss the internal and external factors affecting your organization.
- Continuous Improvement: For this section of your report, you will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of your organization and the continuous improvement tools and techniques your organization could use to make effective decisions to improve organizational effectiveness and increase advantages over the competition.
- Strengths: You identified your organization’s strengths in your SWOT analysis. Now describe how the trend you selected will increase your organization’s strengths and advantages over the competition. In other words, how will the trend impact the organization’s strengths?
- Weaknesses: You also identified your organization’s weaknesses in your SWOT analysis. Describe how your organization’s weaknesses make it difficult for the organization to compete. How will implementing the trend impact your organization’s weaknesses?
- Recommendations: What recommendations can you make to help the organization make effective decisions to improve its weaknesses? What recommendations can you make to help the organization make effective decisions to capitalize on its strengths? How can these recommendations help the organization implement the trend and improve operations?
- Risk: Managing risk is part of improving operations. What potential risk does the organization face in implementing the recommendations to improve operations? Why?
- Tools and Techniques: What continuous improvement tools and techniques could you suggest to the company to use in implementing the trend? Why? Explain your suggestions.
- Longevity: Does the trend you selected have longevity in order to support sustainable operations? Will it remain relevant in operations management? In other words, do you see this trend in operations management continuing? Support your opinion with research or real-world examples.
- Conclusion: Now that you have examined the organization’s goals, resources, strengths, and weaknesses in relation to the trend you selected, evaluate the trend. Would you recommend that the organization implement the trend? Why or why not? Support your recommendation with research or real-world examples.
Your final business report with SWOT analysis should be written in business report format and must be 7–13 pages in length (plus a cover page and references). Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. References should be cited in APA format.