Assignment Questions for Case Analyses

Assignment Questions for Case Analyses

Case: Stermon Mills Incorporated

1. Evaluate the Strategic and (where possible) the financial implications of the four flexibility improvement options being presented to Stan Kiefner.

1. How does the marketing information contained in Exhibit 10 change your evaluation of option 3?

1. What recommendations would you make to Mr. Kiefner? On what basis would you try to persuade him that your proposal is best for Stermon Mills?

1. How will you know if Stermon has made progress on its manufacturing flexibility improvement plan?

Case: Flow Line in a Job Shop – The Story of Ace Designers

1. How do you rate the success of Ace Designers vis-à-vis the growth of Indian machine tool industry? What is the impact of “low-cost–high-volume” strategy on Ace Designer’s evolution?                                                                        

1. What in your opinion would have been the main challenges faced by the Task Force, during flow-line implementation at Ace Designers? How do you think they addressed these challenges? What capabilities did Ace develop in the process?        

1. Assuming Ace Designers would have to invest $2 million in a manufacturing plant to begin large scale production of CNC controllers, do you think in-house CNC controller production is a viable option for Ace Designers? Note that Ace has forecasted a 15% annual growth rate for Simple turn machines from 2010-11 onwards, based on the growth rate of Indian automotive industry. How long, according to you, would it take for Ace to break-even in the CNC controller business?  

1. Assume Mr. Shirgurkar asked you to prepare an action plan for large scale production of CNC controllers in 2012. List down all steps that need to be taken during the next one year before the production begins, with appropriate reasoning.                 

Case: Activity-Based Management at W.S. Industries (A)

1. What are the main differences between the old cost system at W.S. Industries and the new ABC system?

1. W.S. Industries used ABC to drive continuous improvement projects (CIPs). Was it a good idea to link incentives to CIPs? Did W.S. Industries need ABC to execute CIPs? Wouldn’t workers dream up CIPs based on their local knowledge as long as their incentives were linked to savings from CIPs?

1. Is it useful to classify activities as value added and non-value added for CIPs?

Case: Hank Kolb, Director of Quality Assurance

1. What are the causes of the quality problems on the Greasex line?
2.  Why was Hank hired?
3. What should be the responsibility of the quality department for the Greasex product?
4. What should Hank do?

Case: Deutsche Allgemeinversicherung

1. Why is DAV using SPC? What are the primary challenges in applying statistical process control to a service industry compared with manufacturing?

1. If you were to explain the concept of a p-chart to a group of bank tellers without a background in SPC, in about 30 minutes, how would you do it?

1. How large should each sample be for the experiment Schoss and Kluck describe on page 7?

1. The first 12 weeks of the data in Exhibit 4 represent  the diagnostic period for the Policy Extension Group. What are the 3 sigma control limits for the process? In which of the subsequent weeks is the process out of control (if any)?

1. Develop specific implementation plans for solving the problems facing Annette Kluck that are described on page 9 of the case.

1. How would you now begin improving the performance of the operation?

Case: Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Strategy

1. Consider the experiences that you (or your friends or members of your family) have had in buying a car; compare this with the experience of buying a computer online (if you have never done this, go to Dell’s website – www.dell.com – and explore how online computer buying works). What do you think explains the differences?

1. What advantages does Dell derive from virtual integration?  How important are these advantages in the auto business?

1. What challenges does Ford face that are not also faced by Dell? How should Ford deal with these challenges?

1. If you were Teri Takai, what would you recommend to senior executives? To what degree should Ford emulate Dell’s business model?

Case: Polyface: The Farm of Many Faces

1. Reflect on the differences between the operating systems of Polyface and the Industrial model of food production. How would you characterize the key differences between the two?

1. What are the challenges of managing and growing economies of scale and economies of scope operations?

1. How would you measure the productivity of Polyface Farm?

1. Outline the most salient aspects of Polyface, from Designing Processes for Improvement point of view.

Case: Corning Z-Glass Project

1. What caused the decline in yields at the Harrisburg plant?

1. Assume the position of David Leibson, VP of M&E. What is your evaluation of Eric Davidson’s approach to his assignment?

1. What explains MacTavish’s reaction to Davidson?

1. What should Davidson do now? If you were MacTavish, what would you do? Finally, what (if anything) should Leibson do?

Case: Micom Caribe (A)

1. What accounted for quality crash in 1987? To what extent was the geographical location of manufacturing relevant, and what would you have done differently, as MCC, to avoid the crisis? why were MCC unable to see your solution?

1. What were the most important steps taken to reconfigure MCC’s Puerto Rican manufacturing operation and what capabilities did each build?

1. What specific capabilities does Caribe now have, and as Moschetti, how would you develop MCC’s manufacturing strategy?