Discussion Posting Expectations
Before starting your first discussion, please review the following discussion posting expectations for the course:
- Actively participate in discussions. To do this, you should create one initial substantive post for each of the discussion topics. Each post should demonstrate your achievement of the participation criteria.
- Respond to the posts of at least two of your fellow learners for each discussion question per week—unless the discussion instructions state otherwise.
- These responses to other learners should also be substantive posts that contribute to the conversation by asking questions, respectfully debating positions, and presenting supporting information relevant to the topic.
- Also, respond to any follow-up questions the instructor directs to you in the discussion area.
In summary, each week you will have:
- One initial post for each discussion question.
- Two response posts to other learners for each discussion question.
Activity Objective
The objective of this discussion is to aid you in mastering the following course competencies:
- Apply theories, models, and practices of global operations management to address business problems.
- Integrate operations management analyses into general business management planning and decision making.
More specifically, you will:
- Examine the role of operations in the organization’s internal and external environment.
- Apply operations management analysis techniques to arrive at ethical recommendations in business decision scenarios.
- Examine information sources and systems that support or affect operations.
Activity Instruction
For this discussion, review the case study Toyota: The Accelerator Crisis (Greto, Schotter, & Teagarden, 2010), then respond to the following questions:
- Based on strategic, structural, and cultural challenges, discuss the drivers of Toyota’s accelerator crisis. Why was Toyota facing a recall crisis?
- How well are Toyota’s management, employees, and external stakeholders able to support their corporate brand?
- Has Toyota effectively managed ethics and public relations in the United States? Who should be accountable for this activity? How could Toyota’s crisis management be improved?
- What should Mr. Akio Toyota, Toyota’s president, do now to restore Toyota’s reputation and position Toyota for sustainable competitive advantage?
- Has the company lost sight of its long-term philosophy, a key principle behind the Toyota Way?
- How many dimensions of quality defined in Chapter 2 of the textbook are not properly addressed in Toyota?