International Business
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Scenario:
The Uniform and Linen Leasing Company (UL) was first established in 1942 as a small privately-owned company, which provided services such as renting, cleaning, maintaining, and delivering workplace uniforms and linens to local restaurants and hospitals. William and Charles Miller founded the company while living in their hometown of Denver, Colorado. Over the years, UL grew and expanded their services throughout the United States until William and Charles decided to retire and sell UL to an investment group.
Today, UL services companies throughout the United States and Canada. UL has increased their services to include rental, lease, and direct purchase programs. The rental program includes pick-up and delivery, laundry, inspection, repair, maintenance, and replacement services. The lease program supplies uniforms and linens but does not include laundry and maintenance services. The direct purchase program includes both custom-designed and brand named products.
Problem:
The UL expansion has impacted all of its operations including areas of employees, facilities, products, and services. Trends related to competition strategies and globalization has also impacted U&L. U&L has identified the need to evaluate and reassess their company vision and operational objectives. The company has chosen to have a contest for the best mission and vision statements. You have an opportunity here to demonstrate your knowledge of the service industry and your enthusiasm as a new manager at UL.
You plan to submit a vision and mission vision statement, in hopes of recognition and receiving first place in the contest.
A requirement of the submission is to also a draft of the operational objectives related to the mission statement and to explain how they provide value to the company. The operational objectives need to address both production and services.
The types of companies UL provides services to has expanded from restaurants and hospitals to include airlines, automotive, health care, sports, retail, service, and manufacturing. They also provide specialized clothing, including protective and flame resistant wear.
Due to globalization and competition trends, UL has recently entered the manufacturing sector of producing uniforms and linen products. As a mid-level manager for UL, your role requires you to:
Compare and differentiate UL with its competition.
Plan and manage manufacturing and workforce issues as well as service issues such as customer demands and behaviors.
Evaluate processes and recommend efficiencies as deemed necessary.
Organize and evaluate data to better manage the service operations of UL.
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Solution Preview
Compare and differentiate UL with its competition.
U & L works with restaurants, hospitals, airlines, automotive, sports, retail, service, and manufacturing. Each of these companies does not do clothing, unless it is a manufacturing plant. For those in this setting, they can make cars, clothes, or anything of that nature in order to allow society to have an item that he or she wears that is stylish. However, retail utilizes manufacturing as well by having China make their clothing, for example. Hospitals utilize plastic as much as possible when taking care of patients, and strive for customer service as much as possible. Airlines serve their clients by means of giving them food and drink on the plane, and charging for luggage that is going with the customer. Sports can range from volleyball to football, and the possibilities are endless. They generally use the big college names to promote their material. What differentiates UL from the competition is that they not only sell uniforms, but have a rental program going. No other uniform company does this, except UL, and this sets them apart from their ...
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