Reference no: EM132323877

Production and Operations Management Assignment -

DESCRIPTION - Studying practices in real business is very important, and at the heart of this course. Good experience in practice in production and operations management can work its magic and extends even to the academic world, especially those critical decision-making processes.

In this assignment, students will work in teams of 4-5 and thoroughly research the operational performance of a company listed in Fortune 500 in the last five years. Students must discuss the company's lessons in making a big decision within the field of Production and Operations Management, present key findings to the larger class, and lead a discussion in Unit 10 on the topic.

INSTRUCTIONS -

1. In order to establish a balance in group size, the professor will post the group number and group participants by the end of Unit 1.

2. By the end of Unit 3, you will submit your Learning Team Agreement (LTA) and do the following:

a. Review the three project assignments due in Units 10 and 11 (Presentation, Discussion Management, and the Research Essay).

b. Appoint a team leader.

c. Team members will create topic lists and post them.

d. Review the topic lists.

e. Post the final top five topic areas.

f. Review the sample Learning Team Agreement.

g. Develop a task list to complete the learning team assignments in Units 4 through 11.

h. Negotiate the assignment workload and assign tasks.

i. Complete the Learning Team Agreement.

j. Select one team member to post the team's assignment.

3. As a Learning Team, in Units 4-10 you will:

a. Research your topic and explore academic literature on both sides of the issue (in accordance to your LTA).

b. Find a position from within the literature that can be argued for and against.

c. Divide into two internal groups - one to present the position and one to present the counterpoint. You will be evaluated by the strength of your arguments and the extent to which your position is supported by academic literature.

4. At the end of Unit 10 you will give a Presentation:

a. In both this presentation and the follow-up paper in the following unit, you will use external sources to support and substantiate your positions. A minimum of 5 sound sources will be expected.

b. The presentation itself may be developed in PowerPoint. You may also have additional documents prepared for viewers to supplement the presentation. You are encouraged to be innovative in how you get your arguments across.

5. Monday through Wednesday Unit 11 Discussion:

a. Over the first three days of this unit, each member of your group will be required to contribute to the discussion.

b. In turn, your group will be responsible for responding to and managing the resulting discussion surrounding YOUR group's presentation. Remember, the goal of this exercise is to create debate-around issues which impact organizations. Do not be afraid to be provocative while still being respectful.

6. At the end of Unit 11 submit your final Research Paper:

a. During the previous units, your group will have prepared a formal research paper that clearly explores both sides of the issue you presented.

b. During this unit, you will take the comments and feedback from the Discussion in Days 1-3 and finalize this paper for submission no later than 11:00 p.m. on Sunday of Unit 11.

c. In this paper, ensure that you clearly indicate the following:

i. As a group, were you able to come to consensus on the issue?

ii. Which side of the argument is most strongly supported by the academic literature?

Your paper should be a maximum of 2000 words (± 200 words), double-spaced, and in 12-point font (not including cover page and references). Your paper must follow APA style format. Critical thinking is important.

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