i need someone who is very keen on instructions no plagiarism no grammar errors 500 words for this assignment
I need someone who is very keen on instructions. No plagiarism no grammar errors. 500 words for this assignment
I did an assignment last week and below are comments form my prof
Comments about the last assignment
Q1 was a little descriptive and needed a little more detail rather than generic statements where the Otis and Hampson (2017) could have been used more effectively. Ampersand (&) is not used in Harvard referencing.
Q2 needed more clarity in the structure by applying the model to a business you’re familiar with rather than reviewing the model.
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
In this unit, we are going to discuss the relevance of the ‘competitive advantage versus necessary cost’ debate. To maintain or develop competitive advantage, an organisation has to evaluate its products and services, its processes and production, plus its facilities management in order to manage and control cost.
Process design encompasses the notion that design activities are managed throughout operations. Design is a pre-production process where a concept takes shape through refining specification details. There needs to be a clear understanding of the design objectives and purpose of the product or service to ensure it is feasible. Design and product development is often presented as a linear process, but in reality it has feedback loops or stage-gates to refine ideas or the process. The final design process cannot be done independently of the service or product that is being created for an end user. At the core of the design process are the objectives based upon the product or service and the type of performance or purpose, so that the criteria applied will be based on quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost performance. The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) ensures the match in the needs of customers by utilising a matrix that has been nicknamed the ‘house of quality.’ It measures the ‘whats’ and ‘hows’ using value based judgement process, as well as its technical assessment of the product from both manufacturing and also its marketability.
Process types can be broken down into: project, jobbing, batch, mass, and continuous processes. The volume governs all of these process types and the variety it requires in production, and all are on a continuum of low to high volume or variety offset against continuous or intermittent flow based on the product-process matrix. The process uses specialists from design, engineering, purchasing or sourcing, with operations managers and financial analysts attached to the team to ensure costs are controlled and the product has added value. For some sectors of industry, particularly technology, Time to Market (TTM) is critical due to high competition, pace of innovation and speed of product redundancy.
Production requires balancing capacity that covers all aspects of the operation, since some elements of the operation may have different capacities through assembly or through flow, storage or delivery systems. Fluctuations in demand present challenges to operations, so ‘smoothing’ of inventory enables production efficiency. However, techniques such as ‘Just in Time’ (JIT) and Lean have revolutionised production, facilities and volumes, hence the need for advanced IT systems and software solutions like ERP. The decision to expand capacity can be calculated or simulated through break-even analysis of capacity expansion where break points in fixed costs can be measured against revenue and total costs. While the economics of production have been changed, outsourcing and offshoring operations through efficient supply chain management and logistics act as a catalyst or enabler for cost saving.
Competitiveness can be improved through outsourcing or offshoring, and the decision needs to be made on how it impacts upon relevant performance objectives, not just cost savings alone. Location modelling can be used for production, warehouse operations, and retail outlets, and can also be used for public sector provision for the location of hospitals or fire stations.
Production layout has been the backbone of manufacturing since the advent of mass industrial production. Many organisations utilise a mixture of layouts to cater for different products or services. So, the type of layout is dependent upon volume and flow of the process, with a goal of trying to cope with a smooth and regular flow for efficiency. Layout types fall into four basic types: fixed position, functional, cell, and product line layout that requires facility management and the use of techniques such as ergonomics, cost analysis, queuing models and value stream mapping to improve efficiency, and reduce cost and waste, enabling competitive advantage.
In the last decade, the emphasis upon Supply Chain Management (SCM) has shifted due to the need for efficiency and management of costs through globalisation and outsourcing pressures. Supply network design may incorporate various tiers of suppliers and customers, and include risk factors or potential blockages, and the efficiency of logistics. The configuration of the network needs to consider the pattern or shape and components within that integrate the location as a single or multiple location process. Due to complexity of production or transformation process, many operations managers backward engineer their supply chains through removing intermediates or considering outsourcing parts of the transformation process to maintain cost control and competitiveness. Competition is often misunderstood as being too focused on organisations operating within the same sphere. Competition is based upon intervening opportunities and the ability to have an alternative but similar experience of a product or service. While cost control is important, the need to differentiate products and services also contributes to competitive advantage.
This unit covers material applicable to learning outcome:
- Evaluate the relevance of the ‘competitive advantage versus necessary cost’ debate.
Here are some keywords to use when you are conducting further research on this unit:
- Competitive advantage
- Cost control
- Process design
- Process types
- Stage gate product innovation process
- Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
- Time to Market (TTM)
- Capacity management
- Just in Time (JIT)
- Lean
- Outsourcing/ Off-shoring
- Location modelling
- Supply Chain Management
Unit 2 Reading List
Slack, N. et al. (2013) Operations management. 7th Edn. Pearson. Chapters 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12.
Webb, J. (2017) ‘How to create an agile supply chain’, Forbes, 26 December [online]. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/
Olhager, J. (2013) ‘Evolution of operations planning and control: From production to supply chains’, International Journal of Production Research, 51 (23-24), pp. 6836-6843.
…….
It is important that you summarise your understanding of this unit before moving on to the next unit. In particular, you should:
- Review the answers to the Discussion Question in the light of feedback you received from the tutor and from other students.
- Review the video clips and the flashcards to refresh your memory of key topics or to revise any concepts that may still be unclear.
Mastery of concepts, theories, and ideas is critical. In addition to the key points listed at the end of each video clip, here are five overarching takeaways from this unit:
- Design is a pre-production process where a concept takes shape through refining specification details. There needs to be a clear understanding of the design objectives and purpose of the product or service to ensure it is feasible.
- The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) ensures the match in the needs of customers by utilising a matrix that has been nicknamed the ‘house of quality.’
- Production requires balancing capacity that covers all aspects of the operation, as some elements of the operation may have different capacities through assembly, flow, storage or delivery systems.
- Competitiveness can be improved through outsourcing or offshoring, and the decision needs to be made on how it impacts upon relevant performance objectives where location modelling can optimise the transformative process.
- Supply Chain Management (SCM) has shifted due to the need for efficiency and management of costs through globalisation and outsourcing pressures, where the configuration of the supply chain provides both cost and competitive advantages.
…….
After having viewed the video clips and worked through the extended reading, please respond to the below discussion prompt. You should post your initial response by the date indicated in the module calendar. Please be sure to reference your sources in appropriate Harvard formatting and to provide substantive evidence of any claims that you make. Where appropriate, include personal anecdotes, statistics, and references to additional reading or materials. After you have posted your initial response, visit the forum again over the coming days to read the responses of your peers. You should respond to at least two other students by asking them to elaborate on a point, providing a counter-argument, suggesting a topic for debate, or referring back to the extended reading or video clips.
……..
1.Discussion Question:
Identify the drivers behind competitive advantage and discuss how process design and supply chain configuration can provide cost advantages.
2.Discussion Question:
Critically analyse the relationship between capacity management and Lean Synchronisation. Your answer should include a table of benefits on the adoption of Lean Synchronisation.
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