Strategic operation management- case study Essay

Strategic operation management- case study - Essay Example ontracted to provide the garments was the need to specify the dyeing colors earlier, because they used dyed yarn to knit the garments rather than dyeing the garments after the knitting process was complete. (Stevensons:4). As a result, much of the dyeing business that Stevensons once carried out was shifted offshore, as a part of the overall garment manufacturing process. The positive consequences of off-shoring the garment production is the reduction in costs that was achieved. The average cost of dyeing and assembly of a garment by overseas suppliers was 35 pence less than the garment dyeing process. (Stevensons:6). This produced cost savings for the retailers. Moreover, the savings of 2 and a half pounds which the retailer could purportedly save of the 2 pounds and eighty five cents charged by Stevensons, required verification and working on with the ecru garment supplier, therefore the cost savings could not be verified. The problem of whether to assemble the knitted garment before or after dyeing was also eliminated by sending the garments to the offshore suppliers because the yarn itself was dyed before knitting the garment. Hence retailers were no longer subjected to the pressures of allocation of costs between the knitting factory and the finishing factory, and dealing with the uneven demand profile that was created by the need to assemble the garment before the dyeing process. One of the negative consequences for retailers was in the timing of the coloring decisions. Due to the variability in customer demand factors, retailers gained an advantage from being able to delay the coloring decision as long as possible, up to 4-5 weeks before actual sale and CV’s policy of completing the dyeing after the garment was assembled was helpful in making flexible color selections to respond appropriately to peaks in demand. . In order to be responsive to changing customer tastes, especially in the fashion and retail industries, the entire supply chain needs to be

Was Ford Ethically Right in Its Decision to Design Improvements and Th Assignment

Was Ford Ethically Right in Its Decision to Design Improvements and Thereby Risk the Lives of Its Consumers - Assignment Example Ford was ethically wrong in its decision to forego the improvements and thereby risk the lives of its consumers. In any case, it certainly appears that Ford was rushing against time to capture the market and overcome its competitors in the compact car industry. On ethical and moral judgments, a decision informed by material benefits at the expense of human lives is certainly wrong and misguided. Worse still, the cost-benefit analysis conducted by Ford amounted to involving its consumers in a deal of which they were totally oblivious. For such a decision to qualify on ethical grounds, the automaker would have made public its decisions on the faults of the vehicle and the subsequent cost-benefit analysis so as to inform the potential buyers of Pinto. In such a case, the company would be exonerated from the faults that came as a consequence of the defect in the vehicle. Moral conduct regards human lives as totally absolute and should never be quantified with other material products.Huma n beings are generally risk-averse and would not really partake into evitable instances where their lives are put to risk. The passing on of the $11 to the customers comes after the maintenance has been made and the vehicle is devoid of the risk. In this case, the rationality of the customer does not, therefore, come in. their decision to buy the car is therefore pegged upon another thing like cost and taste but not a risk. It is therefore certainly much different from the case of the airbags which are optional and the consumer has to make a decision.