Essay on optimizing operations management questions

1. Walmart, a multinational retailer, which operates in more than 15 countries across the globe, is extensively engaged in sustainability efforts. In particular, the company has set an ambitious target to operate its business using 100% renewable energy. Its solar energy initiative in California, Arizona and Puerto Rico does not only make business environmentally friendly, but also creates a significant amount of jobs in the solar energy sector and helps to reduce the cost of electricity in these regions. Hence, the sustainability program of Walmart is based on a solid economic background and it is beneficial both for the company and the society in general (Walmart, 2012).

2. Quality of the MBA program from the perspective of a student can be defined as the applicability of the knowledge and skills obtained during the program to the real-world situations, thus helping students to become more efficient and effective in their work. Faculty members, on the other hand, may define quality as the rigor of the academic materials taught in class and the alignment of the program with the latest scientific developments in the area of business administration.

3. One of the most commonly outsourced activities in organizations is IT development and support. The advantages of outsourcing in this particular area are quite significant. Firstly, the difference in labour cost overseas allows companies to reduce costs, while the rapid development of communication technologies allows transferring IT services at a very low cost. Secondly, outsourcing to countries in different time zones helps companies to establish continuous work flows and allows completing work faster and more efficiently. However, outsourcing of IT-related services has also a number of disadvantages. Thus, companies lose know-how and their ability to develop own software, becoming dependent on the overseas subcontractors. Moreover, limited control over employees abroad and cultural differences could lead to a decrease of the quality of work and create communication problems.

References

Walmart. (2012). Expanding solar power at Walmart stores. Retrieved from
http://www. walmartstores. com/Sustainability/9090. aspx