Puja

Dr. Gailey / 6 Sep 2014

Operations Improvement Report

Objective

Analysis the industry agreed upon.

Evaluate at least three close competitors.

Identify a one firm within the industry that needs to become more efficient. Consider all competitors

including non-US based competitors.

Identify what improvements need to be made.

Establish a plan of making improvements including priority and timing (e.g., months, years).

Basic requirements (Failure to meet these requirements will result in a loss of 10 points, minimum.)

 Your finished report must be at least six pages of your written content, not counting tables, charts,

graphs, or analysis. The executive summary counts toward the six page minimum.

o Tables, charts, graphs, or analysis go in appendices.

 You need at least six independent references, other than the textbook; at least two related to your

firm and at least two on your industry.

o All sources must have an author; individual(s) or organization.

o One source that you are required to use is Datamonitor’s SWOT Analysis for your firm.

 All references must be properly identified and cited (APA & Dr. Gailey’s slides).

 Ease of understanding information is important in reports; clarity of your writing, understandability of

your analysis, and use of proper operations terminology are required.

 Use consistent font style and font size 11or 12.

Your operations improvement report (28 points) must include (see pp. 563-565 for additional

explanations):

1. Executive summary: This is a full page, but do not exceed one page.

2. The _____ industry

a. Your industry analysis in the format provided in class (within paper or in appendix).

b. Explain the competitive situation in your chosen industry.

3. Improved operation and major goals of the organization (2 or 3)

a. What does the firm need to change to become more efficient and why?

b. Are the goals consistent with addressing the needed changes?

c. Are the goals consistent with the firm’s SWOT analysis? Provide and refer to a Datamonitor

SWOT analysis for the firm (an appendix).

4. How would this change be implemented

a. Address order of change.

b. Address timing of change; providing a detailed schedule.

2

This report requirement document takes priority over the text if differences exist.

The following is the order of your report with the required headings.

[First page: Title Page]

[Second page] Executive Summary

[Third page] Table of Contents

[Fourth page starts your report]

1. The _____ Industry; – 8 points

a. Your industry analysis in the format provided in class (within paper or in appendix).

b. Explain the competitive situation in your chosen industry.

2. Improved operation and major goals of the organization (2 or 3) – 12 points

a. What does the firm need to change to become more efficient and why?

b. Are the goals consistent with addressing the needed changes?

c. Are the goals consistent with the firm’s SWOT analysis? Provide and refer to a

Datamonitor SWOT analysis for the firm (an appendix).

3. How would this change be implemented – 8 points

a. Address order of change.

b. Address timing of change; providing a detailed schedule.

Appendices (optional)

References (APA & Dr. Gailey’s slides)

Looking for Data: There are many good sources of data. If you are having difficulty finding data, I

recommend running an Internet search. Using Internet search engines effectively depends on picking the

best search words and often involves multiple attempts.

Be sure to use credible sources, such as government agencies, major research firms, and reputable news

agencies. Do not use blogs or other websites which are providing information based on opinion, not

verifiable facts. Also, if you find a website that is analyzing other sources’ data, such as Wikipedia, go to

the source for the actual data. Useful research is based on complete and accurate data.