B7532 Advanced Operations Management Week 7

Assignment 2: Required Assignment 2—BPR Case Study

For this assignment, you will create and present a case  study based on the information gathered for your literature review  developed for RA 1. You may also include any other resources that you  consider relevant. Your case study should demonstrate the impact of  information technology (IT) on business process reengineering (BPR)  processes and illustrate the relationship between the two in  international operations. Write a 10–12-page report that addresses the  items listed under the Directions section.
 

Background: 

A business process includes activities and tasks that  cross functional or organizational boundaries. BPR is a structured  approach to analyzing and improving fundamental activities such as  manufacturing, marketing, communications, and other major elements. It  is expected from the redesign of the business processes to foster  sustained improvements in quality, cost, service, lead time,  flexibility, and innovation. BPR delivers radical and incremental  business improvements through the identification and removal of waste  and inefficiency. IT is the most important factor to enable newly  redesigned processes; however, BPR does not refer to automating poor  processes.

Directions:

1. Revisit the literature you synthesized in RA 1, taking into account  the feedback received from your instructor. Identify at least five other  relevant articles that will help you develop your BPR recommendations.
2. Identify a company with international operations for which you will  be developing your case study and the business process(es) in need of  improvement.
3. Your case study should provide the context for BPR by discussing all of the following aspects of the business:  
   1. Facilities, location(s), and capacity (including corporate headquarters, satellite facilities, warehouses, etc.)
   2. Business strategy
   3. Types of products or services offered
   4. Target markets
   5. Supply chain characteristics
4. Analyze the business process(es) that need improvement. Refer to the following:

1. The place in the value chain and the importance to the organizational performance
2. Current operations and performance
3. Human resources
4. Current technology as it is related to the addressed business processes
5. Identify and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of at least  two options for improving business performance through BPR and  associated technology needs.
6. Recommend a technology for improving business performance based on  your case analysis. Consider the human resource implications of your  solution. Justify your recommendation.

Write a 10–12-page paper in Word format. Use at least  five scholarly articles in addition to those used in RA 1 to complete  your research. Your writing should be clear, concise, and organized;  demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and  attribution of resources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and  punctuation.

Apply APA standards to citation of sources. 

     Assignment Components  Maximum Points    Include at least twelve scholarly sources relevant to the topic.  12    Identify a company with international operations and the business process(es) in need of improvement.  8     

Discuss seven aspects of the business (facilities,  locations, capacity, product mix, target markets, business strategy,  and supply chain characteristics).

42     

Analyze the business process(es) that need  improvement, including place in the value chain, contribution to the  organizational performance, current operations and performance, human  resources, and technologies used.

42     

Identify and evaluate at least two options for improving business performance through BPR and associated technology needs.

88     

Recommend technology for improving business  performance, based on the case analysis. Consider the human resource  implications of your solution.

40     

Justify your recommendation.

36    Academic Writing    Write  in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical  scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources (i.e.  APA); and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.  32    Total:  300