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An owner of XYZ Uniform has called you in as consultants. XYZ Uniform sells uniforms and provides embroidery services for high school, college, and recreational sports teams in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The owner has managers in the following departments: High School Sales, Collegiate Sales, Recreational Sales, and Accounting. The High School and Collegiate Sales have one full-time sales associate and two part-time associates as well as a delivery person. The Recreational Sales department has one full-time and one part-time associate. The Accounting department has two full-time employees that report to the manager. |
The problem this company is experiencing is that XYZ Uniform business grows too fast than the owner’s expectation. XYZ Uniform’s demand has been historically high from all sale departments, and the owner personally believes that this high demand will last at least 5 years. However, the demand is too high to meet without hiring new employees, so the owner wants to hire 100 employees to meet the demand. The owner wants you to suggest the new organizational structure with new blood (100 new employees) to meet the high demand and to ensure XYZ Uniform’s long-term success.
Question 1. Please list and explain three recommendations in which you can improve the way the current structure operates to meet the high demand and to ensure XYZ Uniform’s long-term success.
Question 2. Which type of organizational structures is the most appropriate to adapt your three recommendations from Question 1? Please draw an organizational chart, which reflects your recommendations, and explain your rationale.
In: Operations Management
"Union leaders must also be change partners…”. What does the statement mean to you? Would Kurt Lewin’s Change Model help union leaders? Why or why not?
In: Operations Management
Kindly check Case Below and if possible to answer the question at the end of the case.
Beckett Organics
John Beckett enjoys vegetables, so much so that he has given up his
full-time job as a lawyer to concentrate on growing and marketing
organic vegetables. He started growing vegetables 20 years ago in
his back garden and eventually became fully self-sufficient in
supplying vegetables for the family. Partly bored with his legal
job and tempted by an attractive severance package, John decided he
would try to establish his own vegetable supply business. Eighteen
months ago he looked around for two fields to lease in which he
could grow organic vegetables.
Organic products including vegetables, is a growth market in the
UK. Growers must adhere to strict guidelines in order to gain
organic certification. Increasing awareness of the problems
associated with many pesticides and fertilizers, coupled with an
increased interest in healthy eating habits and ‘wholesome’ food,
has meant that many consumers are now either purchasing or
interested in purchasing organic vegetables. This is true not only
of household customers, but in addition, many restaurants are using
the lure of organic produce to give them a distinctive edge in the
market place. All this has meant that many of the larger
supermarkets in the UK have begun to stock more and more organic
produce from what was a relatively specialized market in the 1990s;
the market has grown to where overall organic produce accounts for
some 12% of the total UK grocery market and in worldwide terms as
of January 2010 it accounts for approximately 3% of all food sales.
The market for organic vegetables has grown more rapidly than other
organic products and it is estimated that by 2018 some 40% of all
vegetables marketed in the UK will be organic. This growth has been
sustained at a rate of around 20% per year in developed countries.
However, organic yields are between 10% and 20% lower than
conventional agriculture, with crops like potatoes some 40% lower.
Unsurprisingly, this makes organic produce on average around 40%
more expensive than non-organic produce.
Organic vegetables offer several advantages over their non-organic
counterparts:
• They are generally tastier, and because they are not treated in
the same way, are usually fresher than non- organic products.
• They are good for a healthy lifestyle as they contain no
pesticides and chemicals.
• The fact that no pesticides or herbicides are used in their
production means that they are much ‘greener’. For example, they
help to reduce the problems associated with nitrates in the soil
and water supplies.
• On the downside, organic vegetables are generally less uniform,
and as far as some consumers are concerned, are less attractive in
appearance. This lack of uniformity has also been a problem in the
past with supermarket buyers who have traditionally looked for
uniformity in fresh products to aid merchandising and marketing in
retail outlets.
• Generally, organic vegetables are more expensive than their
non-organic counterparts Currently, on average they are somewhere
in the region of 40% more expensive.
In the UK, anyone wishing to claim that their produce is organic,
and market it in this way, needs to obtain the approval of the Soil
Association, which checks the organic credentials of a supplier.
For example, in this case, they check the conditions under which
the produce is grown and how the seeds used.
Two interesting developments are taking place in the organic
produce market. One is the growth of home supplies. This is where
the producer supplies direct to the householder. There are a
variety of ways of doing this. Some smaller growers use mail-shots
and leafleting to build up a client base. They then deliver locally
to customers who order from a list. Very often the supplier will
simply make up a box of a pre-determined value or weight containing
a selection of vegetables which are in season and ready for
picking. Other suppliers are using a similar system, but take their
orders via the Internet. This is particularly suitable for this
type of product as customers can check on a regular basis what is
available and order from home. The produce is then delivered at a
pre-arranged time.
The second development in the organic produce market is the growth
of farmers’ markets. These markets are usually run by local
authorities, often on Saturdays or Sundays. Local and other
producers attend these markets, paying a small fee for a stall and
then sell their produce direct to the consumer. These farmers’
markets partly
came about as a result of the frustration felt by many farmers and
growers at the way they were being treated by retailers and at the
margins they were receiving. In addition, such markets have been
successful because consumers feel they are getting fresh produce at
lower prices than they might be able to obtain through
supermarkets.
Despite the growth in the market for organic vegetables, after 18
months in his business, John is worried. Quite simply, his business
has not been as successful as he envisaged it would be, and as a
result he is not earning enough to make a living. The real worry is
that he is not sure why this is the case. His produce, he believes,
is as good as anything in the business. He is a very good grower
and the land he has leased is perfect for the range of produce he
wishes to grow. Starting with organic potatoes he now produces a
range of organic vegetables including beans, sprouts, carrots,
lettuce and his latest venture organic tomatoes and corn grown in
poly-tunnels. Although customers he currently supplies are very
loyal to John, indeed many are friends and acquaintances he has
known over the years when he grew vegetables in his back garden,
there are simply not enough of them. As a result, his turnover
which increased rapidly over the first year of the business has for
the last six months has stagnated. He mainly supplies locally and
has tried to increase his customer base by taking leaflets out and
posting them through letterboxes in the area. He has done this by
dividing up the housing areas in a ten-mile radius around his
growing area and dropping leaflets throughout the area to as many
houses as he can cover on a systematic basis. Only some 2% of
customers have responded with an order, usually contacting by
telephone. These customers seem to come from the middle class
areas. He has considered taking a stall at one of the farmers’
markets, the nearest of which is some 40 miles away and operates
one day per month, but he realizes this would not be enough to
reach the turnover levels he requires. He has in the past supplied
one or two local restaurants and hotels, but usually only when they
have contacted him because they have had a problem with their
existing supplier. He has never followed these up. His growing area
is currently too small to supply a major retailer, although he has
been approached on an informal basis by the buyer of a voluntary
chain of local grocers representing some 40 retail outlets in the
county.
John is wondering where he goes from here. He cannot understand why
his superior products are not selling well. A friend has suggested
that John needs a more strategic approach to marketing. John is not
convinced. He feels his business is too small to warrant any kind
of marketing, never mind strategic marketing, and he has always
felt that a good product should sell itself. He is, however,
anxious to grow the business and become a leading organic vegetable
supplier.
You were hired by John as a strategic analyst to develop a
detailed strategic management process for this company. What shall
you do? And how to direct the company in the future? Elaborate your
answer.
In: Operations Management
Weston v. Cornell University New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, 136 A.D.3d 1094, 24 N.Y.S.3d 448 (2016). Weston v. Cornell University In the Language of the Court ROSE, J. [Judge] * * * * Defendant [Cornell University in Ithaca, New York] appointed plaintiff [Leslie Weston] to an associate professorship in 1998 for an initial term of five years. The 1998 offer letter described the position as being “with tenure,” but it stated that, although no problems were anticipated, the offer of tenure would have to be confirmed by defendant’s review process shortly after plaintiff’s arrival on campus. For a variety of reasons, plaintiff delayed her tenure submission for five years and, when she finally submitted it, she was not awarded tenure. In 2003, defendant gave plaintiff a two-year extension of her appointment, this time as an “associate professor without tenure,” to allow her an opportunity to improve and resubmit her tenure package. Plaintiff resubmitted her request for tenure in 2005, but it was again denied, resulting in her eventual termination. Plaintiff then commenced this action [in a New York state court] seeking * * * to recover for breach of contract. * * * Following the completion of discovery, defendant moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint * * *. The Supreme Court [a New York state trial court] denied that portion of the motion seeking dismissal of the breach of contract claim. Defendant now appeals. Contrary to defendant’s argument, Supreme Court properly found that issues of fact exist as to whether defendant’s 1998 offer letter reflects an intent to assure plaintiff that she would be granted tenure. * * * The terms of the letter are ambiguous. Accordingly, Supreme Court properly relied upon extrinsic evidence to determine the parties’ intent.Footnote Based upon the affidavit of the then-chair of defendant’s department who hired plaintiff and wrote the 1998 offer letter, as well as correspondence from the dean and associate dean of the college in which plaintiff’s department was located, Supreme Court appropriately declined to award summary judgment to defendant with respect to the 1998 offer of tenure. However, we must agree with defendant’s alternative argument that the terms of its original offer were materially modified by plaintiff’s acceptance of its 2003 offer to extend her appointment. Defendant’s 2003 letter offering to extend her appointment unambiguously replaced the “with tenure” language contained in the 1998 offer letter by restating her job title as “associate professor without tenure.” Defendant also points to plaintiff’s deposition testimony, in which she explicitly acknowledged that she understood the 2003 letter to be a modification of the original terms of her employment agreement and agreed—albeit reluctantly—to the new terms. Significantly, plaintiff further admitted that defendant was “not guaranteeing her tenure in any case after this letter.” [Emphasis added.] In response to this prima facie showing by defendant, plaintiff contends that, regardless of what she agreed to in 2003, her oft-repeated assertions of her belief that defendant still owed her tenure based upon the original letter suffice to preclude summary judgment. Aside from plaintiff’s own opinions on the matter, however, there is nothing in the record to indicate that any alleged guarantee of tenure remained beyond the date of the 2003 letter. Accordingly, we find that plaintiff’s subjective beliefs and unsupported arguments regarding the 2003 modification of her employment agreement are insufficient to raise triable issues of fact to defeat defendant’s motion for summary judgment dismissing the breach of contract cause of action. ORDERED that the order is modified * * * by reversing so much thereof as partially denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment; said motion granted in its entirety and breach of contract cause of action dismissed.
Legal Reasoning Questions
What did the plaintiff seek in this action? What was the legal ground for her claim?
What was her principal contention regarding the offers and acceptances at the center of this case?
Why did the trial court deny the defendant’s motion for summary judgment to dismiss the plaintiff’s claim?
Why did the appellate court modify the trial court’s denial of the defendant’s motion?
In: Operations Management
1. Explain the idea of a turnkey project. Why should a firm use this arrangement to expand internationally? In what industries are turnkey arrangements most common?
2. Why should a firm be cautious about entering a licensing agreement?
3. Compare and contrast licensing agreements and franchising agreements.
4 What is a joint venture? What type of joint venture is most common? Provide an example of a joint venture.
In: Operations Management
Problem 9-19 (Algorithmic)
The product development group at Landon Corporation has been working on a new computer software product that has the potential to capture a large market share. Through outside sources, Landon's management learned that a competitor is working to introduce a similar product. As a result, Landon's top management increased its pressure on the product development group. The group's leader turned to PERT/CPM as an aid to scheduling the activities remaining before the new product can be brought to the market. The project network is as follows:
The activity time estimates (in weeks) are as follows:
| Activity | Optimistic | Most Probable | Pessimistic | |||||||
| A | 2.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | |||||||
| B | 4.0 | 4.5 | 8.0 | |||||||
| C | 3.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | |||||||
| D | 1.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | |||||||
| E | 6.0 | 11.0 | 16.0 | |||||||
| F | 6.5 | 8.5 | 13.5 | |||||||
| G | 3.5 | 6.0 | 8.5 | |||||||
| H | 4.0 | 6.0 | 14.0 | |||||||
| I | 1.0 | 2.5 | 7.0 | |||||||
| J | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | |||||||
| Activity | Expected Time | Variance | ||
| A | ||||
| B | ||||
| C | ||||
| D | ||||
| E | ||||
| F | ||||
| G | ||||
| H | ||||
| I | ||||
| J | ||||
| Earliest | Latest | Earliest | Latest | Critical | ||||||||
| Activity | Start | Start | Finish | Finish | Slack | Activity | ||||||
| A | No | |||||||||||
| B | Yes | |||||||||||
| C | No | |||||||||||
| D | No | |||||||||||
| E | Yes | |||||||||||
| F | No | |||||||||||
| G | No | |||||||||||
| H | Yes | |||||||||||
| I | No | |||||||||||
| J | Yes | |||||||||||
In: Operations Management
Discuss the percentage of sales and competitive parity methods for setting advertising budgets. What are the shortcomings of both these methods?
In: Operations Management
Often organizations are faced with the necessity of changing the direction or focus of their organization – due to competition, due to new technology, due to environmental issues, regulations, etc. In these situations, uncomfortable changes are sometimes required.
a) Would younger or older employees be more likely to embrace change?
b) Would successful or less successful organizations be more likely to embrace change?
c) One element in reinforcing change within an organization is to replace people and hire outsiders. Even if done with a great deal of care and understanding, this can often come across as a somewhat cruel undertaking. Why is it necessary?
In: Operations Management
Which benefits are of greatest value to your employer. Provide a justification for why you believe these benefits are of greatest value to employers (Pick at least 3)
In: Operations Management
1) For the following Business Cycle Phases listed (Provide objectives and at least two deliverables from each phase)
SUBJECT : MODERN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
In: Operations Management
I need to find an interesting article related to a topic How Exceptional Managers Realize a Grand Design
Presentations topic related to Management. Speaking about provides another chance to reinforce what’s been learned, and gives you the opportunity to develop verbal communication skills in a virtual environment, a highly sought-after skill that most employers seek today.
In: Operations Management
Summarize how and when payments are made to beneficiaries under Medicare and Disability programs and the qualifications for each.
In: Operations Management
Diversification merits strong consideration whenever a single-business company faces diminishing market opportunities and stagnating sales in its principal business. Identify a company you feel should diversify and explain why.
In: Operations Management
1. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the stay at home order handed out by the Governor and the President we have had to use MIS more. Tools like Zoom have become widely popular and have seen increased users. However, they have also had some challenges. What are some of the challenges that Zoom has faced in the last few weeks? How would you recommend solving them?
2. Companies like Microsoft, Amazon AWS and Google have built their platform for situations like what we are experiencing. How has cloud computing evolved over the years to allow us some form of continuity? Do you believe there will be a rise in companies moving to the cloud and will there be new entrants to the cloud landscape with companies offering Saas? What are some examples of SaaS?
In: Operations Management
Canada is a trading nation, how will Canada adapt to post-Covid world in terms of value chain? What role does government have? What is the new normal?
In: Operations Management