Asynchronous Communication – What Could go Wrong?

Describe a time when an email was sent and it that was not received well. As an alternative approach,

describe a time when you received an email and misunderstood its intent. If neither scenario has ever happened to you, describe one in which someone you know experienced one of these situations.

Describe what happened as a result of the misunderstood email.

Explain how this communication may have been made clearer and thus avoided any misunderstandings or problems. Include your evaluation of whether email was the most appropriate means to communicate the message.

Describe the important things to consider when communicating with people using email or other asynchronous methods as a sender and as a recipient.

Discussion: (Minimum 1 page is required) (Please do not attempt to solve if you can not fulfill the requirement!!!!)

Major threats facing the Vitamin Shoppe, and how these might be eliminated, diminished, or deflected. Frame each threat as something present in or emerging from outside of the Vitamin Shoppe. The same technological trend, the ever-increasing popularity of social media, might also suggest a threat: Current and emerging forms of social media offer increased risk for loss of reputation via negative campaigns targeted at the company and its products, employees, suppliers, and other associates.

Do you think that Virtual Organizations are truly the wave of the future or just another alternative to the traditional workplace?

Society also includes professional organizations and associations. Many professional organizations develop standards (for example, the ASME design standards to address engineering quality and safety). Choose an organization or association and discuss its standards. Are these standards effective in helping to continuously improve the goals of the organization or association? Explain.

Discuss the difference between public and private facilities, focus on the private financing of sport facilities and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Contrast dependent and independent demand, and trace the development of material requirements planning (MRP)

Why do the media sometimes distort information about an agency? How can you develop a relationship with the media that will minimize that tendency?

JIT has caused most major chains such as Wal-mart, Target, Vons, Stater Bros. to use distribution center as oppose to warehouses Do you agree or disagree? Why

5.) Name all of the functions of inventory from your textbook. How are these functions affected by lead time, specifically whether lead times are very long, or relatively short? How does an increase, or decrease in lead time affect inventory carrying cost?

6.) Identify a project that you are interested in other than the fundraiser or job search we worked on in class. Identify the major steps of this project, and which of these are on the critical path. Then show the last step of the project and estimate the total time for the project. Use figure 17.3 from your textbook and Table 17.2 to help develop your answer. NOTE: Estimating the total project time will require developing a general understanding of what needs to be done between the first steps and the last step.

7.) If you were an operations manager for an organization (service or manufacturing) with at least 1,000 employees what three strategies would you use to make the operation as successful as possible? What is your rationale for each of the three strategies? What is one thing that might go wrong with each of these three strategies? Approach this question by first identifying a specific business, or type of business. (Note that if you are managing 1000 employees there will be a number of levels between you and the lower level employees. This is an operations question – so the response is related to operational challenges – not sales, marketing, finance, or accounting). Do not use Apple, Cargill, or Walmart.

8.) You are the owner of a small manufacturing company with 300 employees. What would be your top 5 operational strategies for making your company successful. (Do not use marketing, sales, accounting, or finance strategies). Give two specific reasons for choosing each of these five strategies (10 total reasons/justifications). Finally, give three reasons why you believe – not feel – these strategies would lead to success.

We all know the cost of benefits typically increase year over year. For the past three years, those increases to benefits cost have grown more than what is comfortable for the employer to absorb. You are the Benefits Manager for a start-up company struggling to survive. You know that offering benefits may help you attract, retain and motivate a workforce…but you are not so sure about which discretionary benefits your workforce would prefer. Your company employs a diverse population of mostly young professionals (in their 20's and 30's) who are not very knowledgeable about benefits, but they think having benefits is a good idea. As the Benefits Manager, you are faced with making strategic and difficult choices about which discretionary benefits to drop because funds are limited and the annual increases are just too high (after years of double digit expense growth in discretionary benefits). You must make strategic choices on behalf of your organization. Rank order discretionary benefits, starting with the ones you would most likely drop and going up toward the discretionary benefits you would least likely drop. Explain your reasoning why and how you chose the benefits to drop.

A advertises for bids. The terms of the bid request require bidders to post a bid bond for $10,000. B submits a bid for $500,000. C submits a bid for $520,000. A awards the contract to B, but B refuses to sign or perform. A then awards the contract to C.

What rights does A have against B? Against B's bid bonding company?

Thinking about fundamental objectives and means objectives is relatively easy when the decision context is narrow (buying a telescope, renting an apartment, choosing a restaurant for dinner). But, when you start thinking about your strategic objectives -- objectives in the context of what you choose to do with your life or your career -- the process becomes more difficult. Spend some time thinking about your fundamental strategic objectives. What do you want t accomplish in your life or your career? Why are these objectives important?

Try to create a fundamental objectives hierarchy and a means objective network for yourself. Obviously this will change over time and as your career and personal situation changes, but, it is an interesting exercise to undertake.

why would these cause disagreements between franchisor and franchisees.

Some of the top disagreements between a franchisor and franchisee will be:

The pricing of products or services

Profit sharing percentage

Service fee

Defined territory of the franchisee set by the franchisor

Advertising and promotions within the locality of the franchisee