Response to Classmates Discussions
Response to classmates
Week 5 Discussion 1
Tiffany Gordon
Technology is a huge part of everyone’s daily lives. Unfortunately it is not as welcoming to some as it is others. For example my own father refuses to get a cell phone. With this being said the way that the community is and the way we all rely on our devices for different things this is a huge disadvantage to individuals not just like my dad but also ones that do not know how to work the devices that they do have. In our text it discusses the following five elements of a service-delivery system ; facility location and layout, services cape, service process and job design, technology and information support systems, and organizational structure (Collier & Evans, 2019). There are different ways that individuals can get their point across weather they love an experience or if they hated an experience. The different factors that come into play when customers discuss their experiences. From my most recent experiences facebook and google maps seem to be the places with the most reviews. Service scape is one of the factors that come into play when a review is being made. If a customer does not feel as if they were respected then their will be some issues when it comes to what the customer has to say about the business. In addition to being respected both parties must have an understanding of one another. If there is not an understanding things can go very bad because one person may have felt that everything went okay when in all actuality it didnt. Being able to listen to someone when there is a problem can make or break the situation. This is because if there is a problem just listening to what the issue is can result in finding a solution to solving the problem. Such as a situation like taking the temperatures of customers, technology is used when they create these machines that are used to take the temperatures of the customers without having to even be near them. Responding properly to the problem is what makes a company stand out from another company. Instead of just pushing a certain situation to the side, providing a customer with a solution or a small amount of benefit from the situation can resolve the problem and eliminate further issues. Serving, by giving more than what is expected of you is what separates one business from another because this shows that there is actual a large amount of care coming from the business and whatever may have occurred.
References:
Collier, D. A, & Evans, J. R. (2019).Operations and supply chain management. Cengage Learning.
Alicia Jones
According to Collier & Evans (2019), service-delivery system design consists of facility location and layout, servicescape, service process and job design, technology and information support systems. The design of a good or service should begin with the voice of the customer to ensure that it meets the customers needs and/or wants (Collier & Evans, 2019).
One way that my employer captures the voice of the customer, besides through our Sales department, is through product reviews that are submitted through the website and through marketing analytics. The marketing department captures the number of clicks through the website. Additionally, Marketing uses SEO which is search engine optimization. SEO tailors an organizations website through keywords and coding to position a higher ranking within search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo so that the website will show up at the front of the list because humans dont typically want to go beyond the first page of results (Dewey, 2019).
The coronavirus pandemic has forced technology upon many organizations as theyve been forced to allow employees to work from home when possible. While video conferencing has been around for a while, the extent to which video communication outlets like Zoom and Microsoft Teams is being used now has really opened up the capability to meet virtually. This form of technology is not only for working internally but is also being used to meet with customers which arent allowing visitors to come into their facilities. Our engineers are able to meet with customers virtually to get their input on product design.
References:
Collier, D. A, & Evans, J. R. (2019).Operations and supply chain management. Cengage Learning.
Dewey, J., PhD. (2019). Search Engine Optimization.Salem Press Encyclopedia.http://library.ashford.edu/EzProxy.aspx?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=89550646&site=eds-live&scope=site Week 5 Discussion 2
Julie Wolfe
An international company looking to expand into a local market must understand the local culture and practices because it affects every facet of the business. It is present in every business interaction and strategic decision (Hummel, 2012). Everything from business relationships, consumer marketing and sales, negotiating business deals, and advertisements of goods or products can be negatively or positively impacted by a companys understanding of the local culture.
An example of this is time orientation. Western cultures have an expectation of being on-time, if not early, to business meetings (Hummel, 2012). Showing up late to a meeting with someone would be considered a lack of respect for their time and would set a poor tone for the rest of the meeting. In terms of long-term timeframes, Chinese culture focuses much more on longevity than the short-term (Hummel, 2012). Business planning goes far beyond a quarter or year, but often focuses on the next decade or decades.
Another example is communication. Some would say communication can be difficult even if all parties involved speak the same language. Introducing language barriers, tones, mannerisms, and gestures that may be commonly accepted in one culture but considered insulting in another, can highlight the importance of communication. For example, in the US and Germany, it is common for people to speak loudly and assertively when sharing ideas, but in Japan people tend to speak softly and take a passive tone when making suggestions (Twose, 2019). Understanding these concepts could be the difference between a successful business venture and a failed one.
References
Collier, D. A, & Evans, J. R. (2019).Operations and supply chain management. Cengage Learning.
Hummel, Denise P. (2012, May).Understanding the importance of culture in global business.Oracle.
https://blogs.oracle.com/profit/understanding-the-importance-of-culture-in-global-business
Twose, R. (2019, May 21). How does culture affect international business?Industry Blog.
Lisa Schreiner
Operations managers must understand the local culture and practices of the countries in which the firm does business to cut supply chain costs and increase customer response time, creating a successful organization. Acceptable practices in the US can be offensive in other countries and vice versa. Some countries practice extensive afternoon socialization periods and a laid-back view on work versus family time. The US tends to keep its workforce grinding away with long hours and expects availability on weekends. Communicating with employees and external customers on the same level of respect and commitment reflects the loyalty a manager has for business relationships. Building these relationships provides competitive advantage and bargaining power when negotiating supply chain service contracts.
Consequences leading to business failure will present themselves if operations managers do not take the time to learn and understand local culture and practices. Some politically corrupt countries withhold permits or require bribes to expand international business. Learning the common practices provides management with the ability to run an efficient or responsive supply chain and determine if a push or pull inventory management system will work in the process. As an operations manager represents adaptability to a culture, they gain acceptance by local businesses and the support of staff to optimize supply chain processes through efficiency and effectiveness (Collier & Evans, 2019). Otherwise, an organization can be subject to high manufacturing costs and transportation costs with the inability to source and distribute products (Collier & Evans, 2019).
Reference
Collier, D. A, & Evans, J. R. (2019).Operations and supply chain management. Cengage Learning.
