Use the company you chose for the discussion board activity in Unit 1 to complete this question. Use Porter’s Five Forces to explore the competitive advantage that this company has in the industry. How does the current Five Forces analysis help explain the current competitive advantage in the industry? How is the value chain used to increase competitive advantage? If it is not used effectively, what adjustments to the current value chain would you suggest to increase the competitiveness of the company?
Unit 2 Activity
For this activity, you will write a 2-3 page paper on the development of an operation management plan that focuses on your business concept that you developed for the Unit 1 Activity.
Learning Objective
Analyze operation processes from a variety of perspectives such as productivity, workflow, and quality.
Specifications:
- 2-3 page paper
- Created in a Word document
- Follows APA, 6th edition formatting
- Includes a Reference page for cited sources
Instructions: For this activity, you will write a 2-3 page paper on the development of an operation management plan that focuses on your business concept that you developed for the Unit 1 Activity. A minimum of four scholarly resources should be used in order to support your plan, citing your sources in APA format. Make sure to include a References
section that also lists the sources used in APA format. As you write your paper, you should address the following questions and topics:
- Purchasing procedures: Identify the necessary input (raw materials necessary to generate the output, or product). Who will or can you buy the raw materials from? If you are providing a service, what supplies will you need to begin and where will they be purchased from?
- What accounting and/or purchasing system(s) will you need to accomplish buying either a product line or a service-based business?
- Quality control procedures: Identify what quality control measures you will use in order to make sure the product or service meets consumer standards.
For example, if your business concept was to open a bed and breakfast, to answer question 1, you will want to estimate how many rooms you will need; how many guests [on average] you intend to host; and where you will obtain your groceries, paper items, soap, and other guest necessities? Will you shop at a grocery store, use a shopping club like Costco or Sam’s Club, or obtain your inputs through some other means?
Question 2 would include a review of accounting software or systems such as: Sage Peachtree Accounting, Quickbook or Netsuite Financials (or another you may feel comfortable with). Identify why you chose this system or software for your particular business in order to justify its applicability.
Question 3 would need a similar discussion as you identify your quality assurance/control measures that you intend to use to help minimize defects or errors as you produce a product or provide a service. Your review of quality control measures will include a discussion such as: Will there be a quality control manager named for your business? Why, or why not? Will your business use Six Sigma processes in its operation? Why, or why not? Is there a need to utilize ISO 9000 quality standards? Why, or why not?
Be specific in your essay. It may be helpful to “brainstorm your needs” on a separate sheet of paper and once done, create an outline for this section (numbers 1, 2, and 3), using topical headings. Then, note how you will address each requirement of these sections with specific content.
Please score your paper or have a friend score your paper using the “rubric,” or “scoring guide” on the following page. The levels will equate to the following letter grades:
4 = A; 3 = B; 2 = C; 1 = D; and 0 = F
| Level | Criterion/Requirement |
| Research and Documentation (40%) | |
| 4 | A minimum of four scholarly/peer-reviewed publications should be used to support your content. References should come from scholarly sources (i.e. textbooks, scholarly articles, etc). Any in-text citations MUST be cited in APA format using the APA Manual 6th edition. You should also include a References page, also in APA format, at the end of your paper to cite any sources used. |
| 3 | The paper uses at least three scholarly sources to support your content, but it does not meet the minimum requirement for 4 sources. |
| 2 | Three or more popular sources (i.e. newspapers, internet sites, magazines, etc.) make up a majority of the references to support your content. The paper lacks credible, scholarly sources and does not meet the minimum number of sources required. |
| 1 | The paper includes one or two sources. The paper lacks the use of credible, scholarly sources and may focus on using popular sources. The number of sources used does not meet the minimum requirement (4 sources) and the resources used may not fully support the content of your paper. |
| 0 | The paper fails to cite referenced sources, or does not include any research or sources to support ideas. The paper is based off of non-original content. |
| Analysis and Argument (40%) | |
| 4 | Your paper addresses the three questions in the instructions with the use of supporting evidence and specific details and explanation. You effectively address the following:Identify and assess any specific purchasing procedures you will use in obtaining supplies, or inputs, for your company.Discuss any specific accounting systems you will use for this company to help you analyze and evaluate the financial condition of your company. List specific quality control procedures/processes the |
| 3 | The content addresses only some of the questions presented in the instructions section and reflects minimal original thought and /or critical analysis relative to the business. |
| 2 | The content is vague and is weakly supported by researched evidence. The essay lacks critical analysis relative to the business. |
| 1 | The content does not address the required elements; ideas presented are not supported by research or critical analysis. |
| 0 | There is a lack of critical analysis for the operation management plan, and/or the essay does not address the business content from the Unit 1 Activity. |
| Grammar/Style (15%) | |
| 4 | The content contains a maximum of two grammatical, citation, and punctuation errors. The ideas are concise and presented in a logical manner that is easy for the reader to follow. |
| 3 | The content contains three or four grammatical, citation, punctuation, and/or spelling errors. The sentence structure flows in a concise, logical manner. |
| 2 | The paper contains more than four grammatical, citation, punctuation and/or spelling errors that distract the reader from the comprehension of ideas being presented. |
| 1 | The paper demonstrates poor writing skills, reflected by lack of syntax and proper grammar, which makes ideas difficult to communicate. Ideas are not presented in a logical manner that is easy to follow. |
| 0 | The paper contains numerous grammatical, citation, punctuation, and/or spelling errors that detract from the reader’s comprehension. |
| Format (5%) | |
| 4 | The paper is properly formatted (paragraph style, margins, etc.), using the APA Manual, 6th edition. The content is typed in MS Word format, labeled with the student’s name and the activity title/unit number, and a reference section to cite any outside sources used. The essay meets the page requirement of 2-3 full pages. |
| 3 | The paper meets most of the requirements for formatting, using the APA Manual, 6th edition, though may contain some errors. The paper is close to meeting the page requirements of 2-3 full pages. |
| 2 | The paper lacks proper formatting, based on the APA Manual, 6th edition, and it may use another style of formatting (i.e. MLA, Chicago, etc.). The paper does not quite meet the page length requirement, and may be less than 2 pages. |
| 1 | The paper is typed in a format other than MS Word. A style of formatting other than APA may be used. The page length requirement was not completely met, and the paper may be about a half to 1 full page. |
| 0 | The formatting does not comply with the APA Manual, 6th edition and is not created in MS Word. The paper does not meet the 2-3 page length requirement. |