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• Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.
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• Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.
• All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font. No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).
• Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.

Course Learning Outcomes-Covered

• Employ the skills for managing peoples and other complex issues in technology based organizations. (Lo 2.5)

Question - Develop a hypothetical technological company of your own choice(1) Ikea 2) Nike 3) Seventh Generation 4) Panasonic 5) IBM  6) Unilever 7) Allergan 8) Patagonia 9) Adobe) in any field which follows the concept of ‘Sustainable Development’. Draw an outline of your company’s basic fields of operation and explain how it makes use of various sustainable techniques for its development. (Minimum 3 elements of Sustainable Development should be present in your company’s techniques.)                                                

NOTE:

• It is mandatory for the students to mention their references and sources.
• Students may refer their theoretical course content for the elements of Sustainable Development.
• Word Limit – Minimum 350 words for question.

In the international business environment, what is the recommendations for Australian cotton manufacturer moved into the Philippines? ( mainly focus on Environment (Culture) Business ,Environment (Ethics) Business ,Environment (Trade) Potential in Emerging Markets) approx 150 words

case study: M&S Textiles Australia is a manufacturer of quality cotton fabrics. Due to increased competition from cheaper imported goods, the company is contemplating the establishment of a manufacturing plant in Asia to reduce the cost of manufacturing at home. The company has identified Bangladesh, Vietnam, Philippines, and Malaysia as potential countries for the establishment of the overseas manufacturing plant. As a complement of the current production in Australia, this new facility will supply products to customers around the world (include Australia), but it will not sell products itself. The headquarters of M&S Australia is responsible for sales and marketing in Australia and overseas.

Question 1 - From the below listed companies, select any two and on the basis of your research, elucidate what new standards, measures and policies adopted by the company (minimum 2 each) played a major role in helping it to reach high environmental quality.                                                                                                                                                                            

COMPANIES- 1) Ikea 2) Nike 3) Seventh Generation 4) Panasonic 5) IBM                                                     6) Unilever 7) Allergan 8) Patagonia 9) Adobe

Word Limit – Minimum 350 words for each question.

What is Lean Production? Stopping waste is a vital part of Lean Production.

Identify some sources of waste in your home or work and discuss how they may be eliminated. Why must Lean have a stable schedule?

Will lean work in service environments? Why or why not? Discuss ways to use Lean to improve one of the following: a pizza restaurant, a hospital, or an auto dealership

The Levy Box plant produces wooden packing boxes to be used in the local seafood industry. Current operations allow the company to make 600 boxes per day, in two 8-hour shifts (300 boxes per shift). The company has introduced some moderate changes in equipment, and conducted appropriate job training, so that production levels have risen to 400 boxes per shift. Labor costs average $13 per hour for each of the 5 full-time workers on each shift. Capital costs were previously $4,000 per day, and rose to $4,200 per day with the equipment modifications. Energy costs were unchanged by the modifications, at $400 per day.

a) What is the firm's multifactor productivity (exhibit 2.5) before and after the changes?

b) What is the firm's labor hours productivity before and after the changes?

c) What is the percent change in the multifactor productivity before and after the changes?

1. What new skills will trainers need to be successful in the future?
2. Explain how you could use an agile design process for developing online training.

One advantage of using leasing companies for human resource management is that _____.

it eliminates the need for strategic planning

employers can hire permanent employees

employees can receive better benefits than a small company can offer

it exempts employers from following EEOC regulations

Which of the following statements is true about recruiting diversity?

An organization that advertises job openings for individuals with “Christian values” employees would be considered unbiased

Affirmative Action Plans include hiring goals for protected classes that the employer must try to meet with its recruiting efforts.

Employee brand should not be represented in recruiting materials.

Organizations are given quotas by the EEOC that they are mandated by law to achieve in hiring people from protected classes.

a.   bonus

b.   commissions

c.   merit pay

d.   piecework

e.   standard hour

f.   nonmonetary awards

g.   praise

____ 11.   I’m an auto mechanic at a dealership, and we have a set amount of time to complete each type of repair work. I complete a job before a stated time so that I can go on to the next car and get paid extra for being faster than the average guy.

____ 12.   I just sold that top-of-the-line BMW M3. I can’t wait to get my pay this week.

____ 13.   I’m the top producer in the entire department, so I will get an extra raise for high performance this year.

____ 14.   The boss had me come to the front of the room at the annual meeting to get a plaque for 5 years of service to the company. She listed some of my major accomplishments.

____ 15.   The boss just thanked me for getting a shipment that was behind schedule out on time

a.   base pay

b.   wage and salary add-ons

c.   incentive pay

d.   benefits

____ 1.   I’d like to work for a firm that will help pay for me to get my master’s of business administration (MBA) degree.

____ 2.   I get paid only $11 an hour, so I’m looking for a better job.

____ 3.   I like getting paid the same each week. It helps me to budget my expenses.

____ 4.   I like being paid for every sale I make, but my pay does vary from week to week.

____ 5.   I like working nights because it pays more.

Match each of the following statements with the appropriate selection decision making strategy. BE SURE TO EXPLAIN BRIEFLY WHY YOU TAKE A PARTICULAR STAND.

Please read the case study , then answer the 4 Questions below

Sharp Market Change in Commodity Prices Take Companies to the Edge: From the Oil Capital of Europe to a Small Mining Town in Australia

A significant and sustained drop in commodity prices in 2015–16 (including a significant fall in the price of crude oil and metal commodities, such as iron ore and steel) had major implications for companies operating in this market (for example, oil and gas, mining and steel production). The extent and prolonged nature of this decline were unexpected, and the consequences for companies has been felt worldwide including the wider commercial ramifications for supply chains, supporting services, towns, cities, regions and national economies. In this short case example, we briefly examine the outfall of this shift for the commercial viability of companies operating in the North Sea as part of the global upstream oil and gas industry, as well as the social and economic problems facing a small rural steel town in South Australia.

Aberdeen, a city, tagged as the oil capital of Europe, has been hit by company contractions, job losses and an overall decline in business activity, which has also had an adverse effect on the wider regional economy of Aberdeenshire and Scotland. The hospitality and service industries, real estate, retail and a wide range of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have experienced the wider business ramifications of this sharp downward shift in the price of oil. An article in The Guardian headlined ‘Aberdeen feels the sharp chill of tumbling oil prices’ (McKenna, 2015), recounts the massive 75 per cent fall in oil prices during the first quarter of 2015, noting that:

Tax receipts from oil accruing to Scotland between January and March (2015) were £168m, down from the £742m gathered in the final quarter of 2014. And nowhere is the economic wind-chill factor being more sharply felt than in Aberdeen. Amid tens of thousands of job layoffs … the previously unthinkable has happened. Once it was almost impossible to secure a room in a decent hotel for less than £100 a night and the airport, the business gateway to the city thrummed with commerce and workers. Now both these barometers of Aberdeen’s once bountiful economy have seen pronounced drop-offs. (Ibid.).

The importance of this decline in oil prices for Scotland and tax revenue has stimulated a broader debate among key stakeholders and politicians both within Scotland and the UK. Over 18 months the price of a barrel of oil has declined from US$115 to around US$25 in January 2016 (Bawden, 2016). New technologies and techniques have enabled an increase in US fracking which combined with a fall in demand from major economies, such as China and the rising supply of oil from countries like Russia, Venezuela, Qatar and Saudi Arabia had all contributed to this extraordinary decline. Although fluctuations in prices are to be expected and whilst there was a significant crisis in oil back in 1999, the extent of the fall and the potential long-term implications of this shift came as a shock to major operators in the North Sea and the regional economy of Aberdeenshire. But was there anything that could have been done to prevent the severity of this downturn and the wider implications for business within the region?

We now briefly turn our attention from the oil capital of Europe to a small town in Australia. Both have been badly hit by a sharp decline in commodity prices and whilst the comparison is something of a David (small town) and Goliath (oil capital) the issues and concerns are remarkably similar. Whyalla’s Arrium steelworks are facing difficult times in a declining market that is described as an ‘economy transitioning away from the resources boom’ (Griffiths, 2016: 25). Arrium has cut 300 jobs and cut operating expenses by AUS$100 million. It needs to reduce its operating costs by a further AUS$60 million in order to keep its OneSteel Whyalla operations going. The steelworks employs 1150 OneSteel workers, and 450 contractors and the State government has waived royalties on the iron-ore use at the steelworks and is looking at other support options including underwriting some company costs and investment in upgrades (Cook, 2016: 35). The decline in jobs and the contraction of Whyalla’s steelworks have impacted on local town business, such as the café, fashion store, real estate agents and butcher as well as local companies. Martelco Hire, who provided plant and equipment to the mining and construction industries, has as a result of this decline gone into liquidation (February 2016) with a debt exceeding AUS$1 million. As a journalist commented: ‘As Whyalla’s lifeblood, the Arrium steelworks faces a possible shutdown, the small-business owners of the shopping strip of Paterson St are confronted with a domino effect that could also close their doors’ (Cook, 2016: 34). In response, the South Australian government have mandated that Australian grade steel is procured for public projects, whilst other governments, such as those of Western Australia and Queensland, continue to use cheap Chinese imports. As Griffiths explains: ‘Whilst South Australia’s policy does not preclude overseas producers from tendering for projects, the Australian grade consideration will ultimately see demand for local steel increase’ (2016: 25). At the time of writing, the Advertiser reported that: ‘Arrium needs to find another $60 million in savings to ensure its Whyalla steel and mining operations continue and to save 3,000 jobs due to the downturn in iron ore and steel prices’ (Templeton, 2016: 9).

These two short examples illustrate not only the wider ripple effects of sudden shifts in the price commodities on local and regional economies but also the role of government and other stakeholders in seeking to prevent a major economic downturn. Although change is ongoing and unforeseen shifts and fluctuations in markets are not uncommon when major upheavals occur, such as the ones reported here or the more extensive Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2007–08, many people are taken unawares. It is often only in retrospect that these rapid, unexpected shifts are explained and made sense of. As we shall see, it is in the nature of change that the future is ultimately unknowable, even though we develop techniques and models to try to control for a future that is not yet known. In reflecting on these two short case vignettes and drawing on your own knowledge of what has occurred since the writing of this examples, consider the questions below not only with respect to these specific scenarios but in relation to your own experiences of how unexpected changes in the economy and society have impacted upon you.

Questions

1. Was there anything that could have (or should have) been done to lessen the impact of this sharp fall in commodity prices?
2. As an advisor to government, what responses and actions would you recommend be taken as a consequence of these unforeseen events?
3. Compare and contrast Aberdeen with Whyalla and list the similarities and differences. Once you have completed this, try to think of a strategy for change for re-invigorating the local and regional economies in Scotland and Australia.
4. Identify and explain any lessons that can be learned from our two case examples.

Assume that you are the chief Executive officer (CEO) of X organization and you wanted to involve consumers with the control of ethical behavior of business leaders? Explain how could you develop and implement a plan to acheive that?    

1. A firm is designing an assembly line to manufacturing its new product. The following tasks must be performed in the sequence and time specified in the following table, for a successful production of the new product. The production line will operate for 480 minutes (8 hours) per day and the forecasted demand is 600 units per day.

1. Draw a precedence diagram for this set of tasks.   

2. Calculate the cycle time for this production line.

3. Calculate the theoretical minimum number of workstations required.

4. Balance the line by completing the following table. When assigning tasks to workstations, use “with most followers” as your primary rule and
   “with longest task time” as your secondary rule to break any ties.   

Note: the table above does not indicate in any way the number of workstations the right answer should have. It is just to provide you with the overall format of the table necessary to solve the problem.

5. Calculate the efficiency of your line balance.   

How does the concept of ‘Leader as Coach’ reflect certain of the concepts in Leadership in a Team Environment ?

How has the User Generated Content (UGC) altered the way that products are promoted in digital world? Provide an example, explain your realizations and rationale.