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Operations Management and Mission Strategies

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Consider that you are a well-respected Operations Management consultant. As such, you have been asked to present a paper to an international organization.

The subject of your paper is an analysis of how a firm has applied some or all of the 10 OM Strategies to successfully achieve their business objectives.

You can define success in a number of ways:

1. Financial
2. Social
3. Market place dominance
4. International presence
5. Successful application of quality principals
6. Others

Make sure you identify the mission of your chosen company, and how that mission influenced adoption of OM strategies.
Format:

1. All papers should be single-sided, double-spaced, and in 12-point type Times New Roman font.
2. Papers should include cover page, reference pages, and appendices.
3. Follow APA style for general format and citations.
4. Paper sections must adhere to the guidelines below, and each section must be labeled in the text.
5. Language should be clear, concise, and precise.
6. Tone should be professional, consistent, and not filled with jargon.
7. Grammar and syntax (sentence structure) must be correct.
8. Report must be free of misspellings and typos.
# All papers must have a minimum of three scholarly sources (other than text book) cited within the text of the paper and identified in the references section.
# Additional research sources can be attached in an appendix.
# Within the body of the paper, all sources must be in two places

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Solution Summary

The following posting helps with problems involving operations and mission strategies.

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Introduction

Ford Motor Company manufactures and sells vehicles all over the world. The company has two business segments that include automotive segment and financial services (Reuters, 2011). Ford carries out operations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa thus have to ensure that its operations are working effectively to meet organizational objectives. The company is involved in the production and distribution of vehicles worldwide thus has to ensure that its operations management strategies are adequate to provide maximum benefits to the company.

Domestic car manufacturers are facing intense competition from foreign vehicle manufacturers such as Toyota thus the need to manage operations so as to improve efficiency and also cost reduction thus the company establishes a competitive advantage. Davis & Heineke (2005) provides that operations management is transformation process that occurs in companies producing goods and also in service organizations.

Transformation process involves daily activities should focus on creating value for the organization. Operation processes are determined in terms of effectiveness (whether the process is able to attain company objectives) and also efficiency (is the process using resources adequately). Davis & Heineke (2005) provide different types of transformation that include manufacturing which is physical, location as in transportation, storage as in warehousing, health care which id physiological, and informational which is telecommunication.

Ford has numerous activities that it has several areas that can lead to cost saving which translates to increased profitability for the company. By effectively performing operations the company is able to deliver value to customers thus the company is able to generate revenue and make a profit.

Ford employs a wide range of operations strategies and this includes product strategies. Product strategies employed by Ford include the company having many vehicle platforms, brands, and models thus the company is able to produce vehicles that are tailored to different customer requirements. Kassab (2011) provides that company operations such as manufacturing processes and product development carried out in one target region is different from another region. Another strategy used in Ford products is pricing whereby company products are priced relatively low thus the company ensures that as many people as possible can afford its products thus ensuring that the company is able to attract and retain customers which in turn leads to increased sales.

Ford has a wide range of product offering thus ensuring that it attracts a large number of customers. By having a wide product range the company is able to balance revenue since a product that registers high performance is able to offset poor performance in another product. Its product strategy is also an effective method for increasing market share since its numerous brands and models will attract a large number of customers. Ford has shifted its product strategy towards new vehicle segments and this has proved to be profitable for the company (Automotives, 2011).

Ford uses numerous production or manufacturing strategies that aim at promoting efficiency and effectiveness. Ford focuses on reducing time and material wasted in production, increasing quality and reducing cycle times and this assists the company in lowering costs. In order for an organization to sustain growth in such a competitive market, it must be able to eliminate processes that waste resources, improve product quality and achieve customer satisfaction. These factors enhance the company's competitive advantage thus it is able to sustain the business. Production strategy previously used in Ford is referred to as total quality management but the company is currently shifting towards six sigma. Total quality management was introduced in the company in the 1980s to improve on the quality of products due to intense competition from foreign manufacturers. Total quality management emphasizes on processes driven by quality and aim at achieving customer satisfaction. Implementing total quality management meant that processes within the company had to be adhered to strictly and continuously improved in order to meet customer satisfaction.

Total quality management requires a company to focus on customers and suppliers since they heavily influence company performance. By focusing on the customer Ford was able to provide value customers with product value and quality thus ensuring customer satisfaction and this translates into revenue for the company due to repeat sales and first-time customers. Essential components in effectively implementing total quality management include a commitment from all stakeholders and also change in culture. Managers in Ford demonstrate a commitment to quality by clearly proving strategies, policies that aim at promoting quality-enhancing activities. Scheid (2011) provides that Ford workers and also the management were informed of steps that should be followed in order to achieve improved quality. Culture change is important in total quality management since this strategy requires continued improvement in order to improve quality.

Total quality management reduces wastage in the production process and also eliminate defects thus ...

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