Career Relevancy
All businesses face strategic issues they must overcome. The industries and issues may vary, but dealing with operational concerns affects everyone. Learning how to recognize common issues will put you in a better place to deal with them.
Background
Pretend you are an operations manager for ABC Corporation that produces bicycle handlebars. What kinds of issues might you encounter in your role? What do you have to consider when helping to develop the strategy for the company? What kinds of factors can influence the edge against your competitors?
There are several challenges you will face consistently. You will have to keep certain concerns in mind while making decisions:
Sustainability
Are there enough resources available to sustain our future? How will what our company is doing impact the social, environmental, and economic footprint? What do we need to do to ensure we are not negatively impacting our resources?
Globalization
Globalization is the interaction among people, governments, and companies across various nations. What does our company need to do to stay relevant and competitive in a global market? What trends and technology do we need to be aware of? What policies do we need to adopt to have a competitive advantage?
Effective Communication
Communicating with key stakeholders in multiple departments across different locations can be difficult. What is the best way to make sure all parties have the necessary information? How do we coordinate our tasks to achieve the same business goals?
Ethical Conduct
Operating with core values and standards is essential to doing business. How do we make sure we are not damaging society or individuals? What processes do we put in place to stay ethical across all business functions?
As an operations manager you to have to keep all of these factors at the forefront of your mind to make the most informed decision for your organization.
Find an article on a specific company’s strategic issues to summarize and discuss. What are some of that company’s strategic issues? What operating strategies do you think they utilize?
For your citation, you might use articles that show examples of companies in different industries and their operational challenges.
