Essay on Management

1. Factors to consider when deciding facility location.

The primary factor is the financial requirement, costs involved in setting or relocating operations of a firm are a significant determinant of deciding on a site. The second factor is the nature of the political environment .However unstable politics are a risk to the businesss success and profitability of the business.

The third consideration is Laws and regulations practiced in the area. Restricting rules in a country or state may affect the nature of the business (Rao, 2013 p.4) .The relationship with the local community is as significant because it influences the positioning of the firm. A smooth relationship with the community eases up the running of the business and acquiring the required permits. Final factors are the layout and logistics tied to the site. It is important that the design of the site will be accommodative to growth and expansion.

2. What are the differences of scheduling patients in clinics and jobs in the factory?

The Scheduling aims at maximizing profits and use of the available resources to offer quality services in the case of clinics and produce a quality product for the factories. However, scheduling of patients in hospitals and jobs in plants is entirely different.

Lead time in a factory is constant. The time is facilitated by models that make it possible to predetermine the production time as well as product movement. However, it is difficult to predict the behavior of a client. Hence it becomes difficult to follow the set timings strictly. There is also a probability of the appointment to be delayed due to the complexity of the process and preparation before seeing the doctor (Milosevic, 2016 p.23).

Scheduling in a production company meets the industrial standards of being productive. Schedule in the medical practice accommodates large variances unlike in job allotment in the factory. Unlike to the plant, the data measures are usually far from each other hence a massive divergence in the data used to calculate the average time used for an appointment.

3. How is Gantt chart used as a tool for scheduling and why is it superior to network-based methods?

Gantt chart is mainly used in project management to schedule activities. It is a summary that displays when particular activities will be done (Lee & Ben-Natan, 2012, p.148). Usually, what is to be done is listed on the left alongside the time, at the top.

The method is effective when it comes to budgeting when used well. The chart helps the management in the allocation of resources. Unlike other methods, it allows are parties involved to have the same understanding of the project. The chart is a representation of information that is available to all stakeholders, creates a platform that all preferred practices adhere.

Using the chart makes it possible to correlate different tasks within the project. It makes it easier to understand how each activity affects the other and hence the level of interdependency. Ultimately, the understanding of these associations ensures efficiency and overall accomplishment of the development. From the above qualities, it can be deduced that Gantt Charts are other network-based methods of scheduling and therefore is, therefore, most preferred for complex projects.

4. How should a manager decide the appropriate service level for finished goods items? Should some things have a 100% service level?

The first step is to create categories that cover the range of products that the organization produces or supplies. The recommended number of classes is three. For instance, you could have: High, medium and low. The categories cover the necessity to the least required (In Kaplan, In Lopez, In McGinnis, & Institution of Medicine (U.S.), 2015, p.471).After identifying the categories and the measure of each, the management is now required to assert the products into those groups. The ranking relies on the superiority of the product. The factors considered are cost of revenue, demand, level of sale and the yield of the product

The service level is a common factor considered in retaining customers and then it is often desirable to maintain a 100% service level on some items. However, the level can only be implemented for situations where it is impossible to forecast demand hence the need to maintain a vast stock. This level of service is unrealistic. It is because of the diminishing scale of returns. It is because an increase in stock yield a low level of return compared to the later. Besides that, maintaining a 100 percent level is extremely expensive and risky.

5a. Reasons why firms contract overseas for production of products they sell?

The purpose is to reduce the cost of a product. Wages and salaries are one of the recurrent expenditure in an organization; a firm can only gain the flexibility to changing the workforce if it outsources labor which would inherently mean that the labor cost is reduced. Outsourcing also reduces the overhead costs associated with the operations of the business by a considerable margin.

Outsourcing allows the parent company to contract manufacturers that produce goods in their brand name. It, therefore, increases the flexibility of the company such that it can be able to meet the increase in demand with significant changes within the organization..

Outsourcing allows the company to focus on areas of business that they excel. For instance, may evaluate and realize that they are poor in production but excellent in distribution and marketing, the company may decide to outsource production.

5b. Primary causes of Mattels recall problems

Mattel had two reasons to recall million dollars worth of toys in their conference address. The center of these recalls was the poor quality of toys that was outsourced from China. The first reason was the high level of lead that was in the toys that were from a Chinese contractor. The firm had used paint on the toys that had an unpermitted level of lead that was health hazardous to the kids. The value of these toys was 17 million. The other recall concern was on the devise shortcomings of toys worth over 2 million. The magnets were not properly installed, and there was a risk of them being dislodged from the toy and swallowed by the kids.

5c. what actions were taken and by whom to deal with the recall problems? Do you think these efforts were the right ones? Why or why not?

The western governments responded to the recalls with a vote of lack of faith and decided to carry out a clear out on dangerous products designed for children. The US government through the Senate called on Bob Eckert for questioning on the safety of the outsourced toys. Other states, for example, the Brazilian government stopped any importation of the toys unless the lead problem was entirely solved. The European Union commissioner Kuneva pushed for an evaluation of consumer safety policies in Europe. The review involved all the counterparts from China, the United States, and Europe. Mattel associates such Disney and Toys R U panicked and feared that the phenomenon would ruin their reputation and goodwill. The companies, therefore, informed the public that they would conduct an extensive scrutiny on the safety of the toys branded in their names (Weiss, 2007, p.168).

All the actions taken up by the above people were right. All the parties constructively criticized the recalls and took steps that worked the favor t to the consumers and the citizens in general. The reaction was a wakeup call for all manufacturers and outsourcing company to carry out due diligence and ensure safe and quality output.

5d. what should Mattel do now?

The first action taken by Mattel should be the public acknowledgment of their shortcomings of trusting the manufacturers too much. Then terminate the contract with the companies that produced the dangerous toys and extensively examine the extension of the predicament (Flynn & CRC Press,2015, p.62). In future, the company should have a ready plan to address any unseen crisis. The program will help them to respond quickly to complaints and curb the spread rumors.

What should China do?

China should aim at producing products that meet the international safety requirements to avoid such mishaps which are expensive to manage.

5e. How can accountability be increased or better managed when production is moved overseas to other firms in the supply chain?

Firms should increase its accountability by ensuring that all its associates adopt the Code of Vendor Conduct. The act encompasses all factors pertaining a proper running of the business. It covers, labor rights, civil rights, economic and social-cultural rights

References

Flynn, B. B., & CRC Press. (2015). Global supply chain quality management: Product recalls and their impact.

In Kaplan, G., In Lopez, M. H., In McGinnis, J. M., & Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2015). Transforming health care scheduling and access: Getting to now.

Lee, J. J., & Ben-Natan, R. (2002). Integrating Service Level Agreements: Optimizing Your OSS for SLA Delivery. Wiley.

Milosevic, D. Z. (2016). Project Management ToolBox: Tools and Techniques for the Practicing Project. John Wiley & Sons.

Rao, R. V. (2013). Decision making in the manufacturing environment using graph theory and fuzzy multiple attribute decision making methods: Volume 2.

Weiss, J. W. (2007). Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Fort Worth: Dryden Press.