Write your initial response to ALL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 300–500 words. Your response should be thorough and address all components of the discussion question in detail, include citations of all sources, where needed, according to the APA Style, and demonstrate accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Assignment 1: Discussion—Logistics Management as a Sustainable Differentiator

In today’s global competitive environment, organizations are trying to leverage efficiencies in their supply chain to drive down costs, reduce inventories, and grow their operating margins as they seek to deliver increased value to their consumers. Many companies have tried to create efficient supply chains as a way create sustainable differentiators in the global business environment.

Using the Argosy University online library resources and valid Internet sites, research an organization in the manufacturing, retail, service, or technology industry that has undertaken special efforts to enhancing its supply chain.

Based on your research, respond to the following:

• Discuss the efforts the organization has made to increase collaboration with its supply chain partners in an attempt to create value.
• What kind of advantage has this created for the organization? Can the company sustain the advantage to generate a long-term differentiation from its competitors?
• Why has this organization succeeded or failed in effectively leveraging its supply chain efficiencies into a sustainable differentiator?
• Base your analysis on published scholarly articles and not just your own opinions.

Assignment 2: Discussion—Forecasting and Planning

As companies become increasingly global, responding rapidly to changing customer needs, technology innovations, and global competitors becomes increasingly important to a company’s success. Failure to react in a timely manner to changing environments can hurt a company’s short-term results and can even threaten its survival.

Using the Argosy University online library resources and valid Internet sites, research a company that is competing in a global environment and has had to react to a changing environment.

Based on your research, respond to the following:

• What techniques has the company been employing to monitor the changing business environment? How is the company trying to forecast how changes in the business environment will impact the company’s processes and products/services?
• Evaluate the success of the company in reacting to an external change and analyze how this reaction impacted the company’s performance.

Assignment 3: Discussion—Process Selection and Resource Planning

The Bullwhip effect is often used to describe the magnification of demand variability due to distorted information through the supply chain. A classic example of this was during the “dotcom” bust of 2000 when demand variability for broadband equipment was magnified several fold as information was transmitted through the supply chain. The end result was that several companies were planning for unrealistic demand, and many companies shut down when this demand failed to materialize.

Using the Argosy University online library resources and valid Internet sites, research a company that is actively using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Materials Resource Planning (MRP) systems to manage its processes, resources, and operations. You can choose a technology company that has survived the dotcom era or any other company that has lived through a very rapid change in demand forecasting such as what occurred as a result of the fiscal meltdown and the liquidity crisis in 2008.

Based on your research, respond to the following:

• Analyze some of the processes that the company has put in place to plan for sudden and drastic changes in demand.
• Evaluate the success of the initiatives and analyze the reason for the result.
• Based on the lessons learned, what else could the company do to plan for future disruptions?

Assignment 4: Discussion—Facilities Management

A critical element of a company’s operations management strategy is the efficient management and location of the company’s facilities. To take advantage of lower labor rates or easy access to raw materials and resources, several companies in the U.S. and Europe have looked to offshore operations including manufacturing, design, and customer service in low cost regions of the world such as China, India, Eastern Europe, or Southeast Asia. In recent years, there are indications that some companies are looking to reverse the offshoring trend. For example, from the end of 2102 and through 2013, GE moved manufacturing of appliances from China to Kentucky, and Lenovo opened a design center in North Carolina.

Using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research a company with global operations. Based on your research, respond to the following:

• Briefly describe the company’s strategy with respect to regional location of its facilities for manufacturing, design, research and development, marketing, and customer service.
• How has the company’s strategy evolved with respect to global location of facilities?
• What challenges is the company facing in the current environment?
• How can the company be more efficient in how it manages the global location of facilities in response to these challenges?

Assignment 5: Discussion—Exploring Potential Research Topics

Based on your business experience and the information accumulated in this course, identify three possible research topics related to the subject of the course. What managerial problems or opportunities would each of the three topics address?

Provide a short description for each research topic, highlighting the following:

• The problem or opportunity in organizations that needs to be addressed
• The purpose of the research
• The question(s) that, if answered, will help in solving the problem or seizing the opportunity

Assignment 6: Discussion—Quality Management

Quality management and control are critical operational management functions and cornerstone elements in the strategy of a successful company.

Using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research a company in the manufacturing or service sector recognized for successfully including quality management in its business strategy.

Based on your research, respond to the following:

• Describe the quality challenges that the company used to face. How has the company’s quality improved over the years?
• What is the company doing to convey improved quality in its marketing message? (For example, Ford Motor Company had a marketing campaign “Quality is Job 1” that ended in 2011.)
• Compare and contrast your findings for the company’s strategy using this module’s readi