Logistics and Operations Management Assignment
Question
COMPETENCIES
3079.1.2 : Logistics and Operations Management
The graduate explains how logistics are important to the operations of a successful organization.
3079.1.3 : Change Management
The graduate applies change management models to help an organization achieve its goals.
INTRODUCTION
Today’s business environment requires competency in logistics, operations, and change management. In this assessment, you will take on the role of an operations manager who has to manage product distribution to consumers when faced with challenges. You will choose a change management model to help you address a bottleneck or barrier in your distribution process. As you complete the assessment, use your experience as a seller or consumer to identify best practices for getting products to customers.
SCENARIO
You are the operations manager for a musical instrument manufacturing business in Mount Vernon, Washington. The company has been designing and hand finishing solid wood mandolins for over 30 years. Mandolins are fragile, stringed instruments that vary in size based on the retailer’s request, but the most popular size is just over 27 inches (0.6858 meters) in length and 10 inches (0.254 meters) in width. The average cost for a mandolin at the company is $2,500. The company has earned a strong reputation because it uses only high-quality, solid wood materials, and it prides itself on designing and hand finishing over 250 mandolins per week. When a mandolin is ready to be shipped to the retailer, great care needs to be taken to ensure that the product is not damaged or broken. The manufacturer delivers to retailers in the United States and Europe and generally receives orders between April and October.
In mid-October, when you still have 1,000 orders to fill to meet retailer demands for the holiday season, your company begins receiving low-quality raw materials from a preferred supplier that you have used for 20 years. The wood breaks when the mandolin is being manufactured, which results in a high number of defects, reduced manufacturing capacity, increased wait time between manufacture and hand finishing, and missed delivery date commitments. Retailers are very upset that they are not receiving full orders, and your company still has no commitment from the supplier on the next high-quality shipment of solid wood materials. Retailers have expressed their concerns about the company’s ability to recover from this issue in time to deliver mandolins for the holiday season.
During this time, an insurance adjuster wants to inquire about the insurability of your company’s overall operations. The insurance adjuster sends a request for information to you as listed in the requirements for this task.
REQUIREMENTS
Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. The similarity report that is provided when you submit your task can be used as a guide.
You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.
Tasks may not be submitted as cloud links, such as links to Google Docs, Google Slides, OneDrive, etc., unless specified in the task requirements. All other submissions must be file types that are uploaded and submitted as attachments (e.g., .docx, .pdf, .ppt).
A. Discuss options and considerations for transporting the product described in the scenario to the retail facilities by doing the following:
1. Identify two different product packaging options and explain why you chose them.
2. Identify two different potential risks to consider when storing your product and describe how you will mitigate each risk.
3. Describe two transportation modes to move your product from the manufacturer to the retail facilities. Then explain an advantage and a disadvantage of each chosen transportation mode.
4. Describe two different characteristics of the transportation management system (TMS) that will aid in transporting the product.
B. Discuss how you would address a barrier or bottleneck in transporting your product to the retail facilities by doing the following:
1. Describe how a barrier or bottleneck from the scenario can affect transporting the product.
2. Choose either the Lewin or ADKAR change management model and discuss how you would apply each step of the chosen model to address the barrier or bottleneck from part B1.
3. Discuss how you will address an ethical consideration for the barrier or bottleneck from part B1.
C. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
D. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.


Solution
Logistics and
Operations Management
A. Discuss options and considerations for transporting
the product described in the scenario to the retail facilities by doing the
following:
1. Identify two different product packaging options and
explain why you chose them.
The first option is to use
corrugated shipping boxes, which are sturdy and well-suited for protecting
fragile instruments during transport. This packaging option helps prevent
damage from impacts like bumps and drops during transit and protects against
moisture that could cause corrosion or molding. For example, the mandolin can
be placed in a foam insert or nestled into a mold-injected molded plastic case
to protect it from further damage.
The second option is to use custom
crating, which involves creating a specialized box or wooden crate designed
specifically for each instrument’s dimensions and shape. This packaging
approach helps ensure that the instrument is tightly secured within the box or
crate, minimizing the risk of damage from movement during transport. Again, this
option may be more expensive than other options, but it can help reduce product
breakage and ensure that retailers receive high-quality instruments.
2. Identify two different potential risks to consider
when storing your product and describe how you will mitigate each risk.
The first potential risk is that
the instrument could be damaged during transport if it is not properly secured.
For example, if the mandolin is not tightly packed in a box or crate, it could
move around during transport and become damaged. To mitigate this risk, the
manufacturer can use corrugated shipping boxes that are sturdy and well-suited
for protecting fragile instruments during transport. In addition, the mandolin
can be placed in a foam insert or nestled into a mold-injected molded plastic
case to protect it from further damage.
The second potential risk is that
the instrument could be damaged if exposed to moisture. For example, the wood
could swell and crack if the mandolin is stored in a humid environment. The
manufacturer can use moisture-resistant packaging to mitigate this risk, such
as corrugated shipping boxes with a plastic liner. In addition, the mandolin
can be placed in a moisture-resistant case or bag before being stored.
3. Describe two transportation modes to move your product
from the manufacturer to the retail facilities. Then explain an advantage and a
disadvantage of each chosen transportation mode.
One possible transportation mode to
move the product from the manufacturer to the retail facilities is air freight,
which uses aircraft to transport goods via a set route. This approach can be
advantageous in terms of speed and efficiency, as it allows products to be transported
quickly with minimal transit times. However, air freight can also be quite
costly compared to other transportation modes. In addition, it is subject to
the limitations of air travel, such as increased fuel consumption, potential
delays due to weather or mechanical issues, and higher carbon emissions.
Another transportation mode that
could move the product from the manufacturer to the retail facilities is ocean
freight, which involves using cargo ships or tankers to transport goods via an
ocean route. This approach is often more cost-effective than air freight, as it
allows products to be transported at lower costs and over longer distances.
However, ocean freight can also be slower than other modes of transport, and
the transit times may increase significantly during periods of peak demand or
inclement weather conditions. Additionally, there may be restrictions on
certain goods being transported via ocean freight, such as those that are
considered hazardous or perishable. Therefore, it is important to consider all
potential risks and benefits when choosing a transportation mode for moving
your product from the manufacturer to the retail facilities.
4. Describe two different characteristics of the
transportation management system (TMS) that will aid in transporting the
product.
One characteristic of the transportation
management system that will aid in transporting the product is route
optimization, which allows businesses to optimize the shipping routes for their
products. This can help improve efficiency and decrease costs by reducing fuel
consumption and CO2 emissions and minimizing wasted time and resources due to
delays or missed connections. Another key feature of a TMS is real-time
tracking, which enables businesses to monitor the location and status of their
products at all times. This can help improve supply chain visibility and
facilitate rapid response to potential issues or disruptions. Overall, these
features of a TMS can help ensure that your product is transported quickly,
safely, and cost-effectively from the manufacturer to the retail facilities.
For instance, the manufacturer can
use the TMS to select the most efficient shipping routes for the product and
track the shipment’s progress in real-time. In addition, the TMS can be used to
generate reports on the shipment data, which can help identify any potential
issues or delays. By utilizing a transportation management system, businesses
can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their product transportation
processes.
B. Discuss how you would address a barrier or bottleneck
in transporting your product to the retail facilities by doing the following:
1. Describe how a barrier or bottleneck from the scenario
can affect transporting the product.
A barrier or bottleneck in the
manufacturing process can significantly impact transporting the product to
retail facilities. For example, if the manufacturing process is slowed down due
to a lack of raw materials, this can lead to delays in shipping the product to
retailers. This can cause retailers to become frustrated and may cancel orders
or seek alternative suppliers. For instance, if a retailer cannot get their
full order of mandolins in time for the holiday season, they may choose to
source their products from another company next year. In addition, a barrier or
bottleneck can also affect the quality of the product that is being
transported. For example, if raw materials are of poor quality, this can lead
to more defects in the final product. This can increase shipping costs, as
damaged products may need to be repaired or replaced. In addition, it can also
lead to customer dissatisfaction if they receive a defective product.
2. Choose either the Lewin or ADKAR change management
model and discuss how you would apply each step of the chosen model to address
the barrier or bottleneck from part B1.
If I were to choose the ADKAR change management model, I
would apply the following steps:
1. Awareness: In this step,
I would conduct an assessment of the current barriers and bottlenecks in the
manufacturing process and the potential impact on shipping to retailers. This
might involve collecting feedback from suppliers, transportation providers, and
customers to identify any potential issues that may be hampering the
manufacturing process.
2. Desire: In this step, I
would work to identify strategies for addressing these barriers and
bottlenecks. For example, I might explore alternative manufacturing processes
or supplier relationships to improve quality or reduce lead times for raw
materials.
3. Knowledge: In this step,
I would implement the necessary changes to address the issues in manufacturing,
such as revising production schedules or sourcing new suppliers for raw
materials. I would also provide training and support to employees to help them
understand and adopt these changes effectively.
4. Ability: In this final
step, I would work to ensure that the changes are embedded and sustained over
time. This might involve setting up regular review meetings to assess progress,
conducting audits of the manufacturing process, or introducing quality control
measures to ensure consistent product quality.
3. Discuss how you will address an ethical consideration
for the barrier or bottleneck from part B1.
As a logistics and operations
manager, it is critical to consider the ethical implications of any barriers or
bottlenecks in manufacturing. One potential ethical consideration is ensuring
that workers are treated fairly and equitably, particularly when implementing
changes to address underlying issues in manufacturing. To address this ethical
consideration, I would work closely with employees throughout the process to
ensure that they understand the changes being made and how they may be
affected. I would also provide training and support to help employees adapt to
the new processes and procedures. Additionally, I would introduce incentives or
rewards for meeting certain milestones in implementing these changes to help
motivate and engage employees in the process.




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