{"id":612,"date":"2018-01-29T17:14:04","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T06:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/casestudyhelp.com\/sample-questions\/?p=612"},"modified":"2018-01-29T17:14:04","modified_gmt":"2018-01-29T06:14:04","slug":"analytical-business-report-writing-help-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casestudyhelp.com\/sample-questions\/analytical-business-report-writing-help-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Analytical Business Report Writing help"},"content":{"rendered":"

Assessment task 2<\/strong>\u2014Analytical report (alternative B)
\nDue date<\/strong>: 1PM AEST, Thursday of Week 10 (October 8) ASSESSMENT
\nWeighting<\/strong>: 50% Length: 3000 words \u00b110% (excluding front matter and reference list) 2
\nObjectives
\nThis assessment task relates to course learning outcomes numbers 1 to 5.
\nBefore starting this assessment read the marking criteria (below) and information about business report
\nwriting on the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) website:
\nhttps:\/\/moodle.cqu.edu.au\/course\/view.php?id=1497 (Choose the \u2018Academic Communication\u2019 door.)
\nThe course website also provides useful information in regard to the development of this assessment item. In
\nparticular, you must read the Assignment Writing Requirements document on the course website. This
\ndocument outlines course specific assignment requirements in some detail.<\/p>\n

Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n

The primary purpose of this assessment task is to help students develop skills in the use of OM principles,
\ntheories and models in the analysis of the current operations of a service industry organisation. The
\nassignment requires you to analyse the current situation, identify the operational problems within the
\norganisation, and develop a set of recommendations that, when implemented, will overcome the identified
\nproblems without creating new ones. In this assessment piece you are expected to provide a solution,
\nrecommendations and action plan.<\/p>\n

The secondary purpose of this assignment is to give students the opportunity to further develop analysis and
\nproblem identification and problem solving skills, as well as skills in presenting an argument for change
\nwithin the framework of a business report.<\/p>\n

Description<\/strong><\/p>\n

Assessment task 2 requires the writing of a business report. The report should explain what the current
\nsituation is, what problems are in evidence and how those problems should be addressed. As a business
\nreport it should be concise, accurate and actionable. At the same time, the report should be founded on
\nappropriate Operations Management principles and theories, and be supported by appropriate evidence and
\ndiscussion from relevant academic literature.<\/p>\n

Details<\/strong><\/p>\n

The assessment item is based on the case study titled Silvaro Motors (a fictitious company). You should
\nread, and carefully analyse, the case and respond to the issues presented at the end of the case study within
\nthe context of a short business report. The objective of the case study is to provide an operations
\nmanagement situation that can be studied and analysed. You will need to put yourself in the role of a
\nmanagement professional who is asked by the organisation to identify the nature of the problem(s), why or
\nhow the problem happened or evolved, and make recommendations that will resolve it.<\/p>\n

MGMT20085 2 Term 2, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Case study<\/strong>: Purchasing and Inventory at Silvaro Motors
\nHelen Silvaro, CEO of Silvaro Motors, has just returned to her office after visiting the company\u2019s newly
\nacquired automotive dealership. The new dealership was the fourth Silvaro Motors dealership in a
\nnetwork that served a metropolitan area of over two million people. Beyond the metropolitan area, but
\nwithin a 45-minute drive, was another half a million people. Each of the dealerships in the network
\nmarketed a different make of car and historically had operated autonomously.<\/p>\n

Silvaro was particularly excited about this new dealership because it was the first \u201cauto supermarket\u201d in
\nthe network. Auto supermarkets differ from traditional car dealerships in that they sell multiple makes
\nof cars at the same location. The newly acquired dealership sold a line of Daewoos from Korea,
\nMahindras from India and Cherys from China. This brought the total number of brands sold by the
\ngroup to six.<\/p>\n

Since the purchase of a bankrupt Mitsubishi dealership 15 years ago, Silvaro Motors had grown
\nsteadily. As the city was relatively small, it was difficult to expand within a single brand, so eventually
\nSilvaro purchased a rundown Mazda dealership, and shortly afterwards, a small Hyundai dealership as
\nwell. Under her direction, all three dealerships saw rapidly improving sales figures and the Silvaro
\nMotors network grew in strength and reputation.<\/p>\n

Silvaro attributed this success to three highly interdependent factors. The first was volume. By
\nmaintaining a high volume of vehicle sales and turning over inventory rapidly, economies of scale could
\nbe achieved, this reduced costs and provided customers with a large selection. The second factor was a
\nmarketing approach called the \u201chassle-free buying experience.\u201d Listed on each automobile was the \u201cone
\nprice\u2014lowest price.\u201d Customers came in, browsed, and compared prices without being approached by
\npushy salespeople. If they had questions or were ready to buy, a walk to a customer service desk
\nproduced a knowledgeable sales person to assist them. Finally, and Silvaro thought perhaps the most
\nimportant, was the after sales service. Silvaro Motors had established a solid reputation for servicing,
\ndiagnosing, and repairing vehicles correctly and in a timely manner\u2014the service division\u2019s motto was
\n\u201cdo it once, do it right\u201d.<\/p>\n

High-quality service after the sale depended on three essential components. First was the presence of a
\nhighly qualified, well-trained staff of service technicians. Second was the use of the latest tools and
\ntechnologies to support diagnosis and repair activities. And third was the availability of the full range of
\nparts and materials necessary to complete the service and repairs without delay. Silvaro invested in
\ntraining and equipment to ensure that the fully trained personnel and the latest technology were
\navailable at all sites. What she worried about, as Silvaro Motors grew, was the continued availability of
\nthe right parts and materials. She knew there was a fine line between too much and too little stock. With
\nthe new dealership, the complexity of inventory control had increased dramatically. This concern caused
\nher to focus on the purchasing function and management of service parts, accessories and materials
\nflows at both a supply chain level, and as an internal function.<\/p>\n

Silvaro thought back on the stories in the newspaper\u2019s business pages describing the failure of
\ncompanies that had not planned appropriately for growth. These companies outgrew their existing
\npolicies, procedures, and control systems. Lacking a plan to update their systems, the companies
\nexperienced myriad problems that led to inefficiencies and an inability to compete effectively. She did
\nnot want that to happen to Silvaro Motors.<\/p>\n

Each of the four dealerships purchased its own service parts and materials. Each location had its own
\npurchasing officer and parts manager. Some purchases were based on forecasts derived from historical
\ndemand data, which accounted for factors such as seasonality. Batteries and alternators had a high
\nfailure rate in the winter, and air-conditioner parts were in great demand during the summer. Similarly,
\ncoolant was needed in the spring to service air-conditioners for the summer months, whereas antifreeze
\nwas needed in the autumn to winterise cars. Forecasts were also adjusted for special vehicle sales and
\nservice promotions, which increased the need for materials used to prepare new cars and to service other
\nvehicles.<\/p>\n

MGMT20085 3 Term 2, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

One thing that made the purchase of service parts and materials so difficult was the tremendous number
\nof different parts that had to be kept on hand. Some of these parts would be used to service customer
\nvehicles, others would be sold over the counter to retail customers, whilst others (particularly genuine
\nreplacement parts) were on-sold to trade customers. Some had to be purchased from the car
\nmanufacturers (genuine replacement parts and accessories) as most customers expected genuine
\nreplacement parts to be used, or because that was the only source of supply. Non-genuine replacement
\nparts and accessories were purchased from a variety of suppliers and other parts and materials such as
\noils, lubricants, fan belts and other generic service parts and materials, could be purchased from any
\nnumber of suppliers. In her mind, Silvaro considered that there were three main classes of inventory
\ninvolved in the business (apart from vehicles), genuine spare parts, non-genuine spares, and generic
\nparts, materials and consumables. Thus, she felt that there were three basic supply lines that needed to
\nbe managed. She was also concerned that the purchasing department maintained an awareness that the
\nsuccess of the dealership depended on (1) lowering costs to support the hassle-free, one price\u2014lowest
\nprice concept, and (2) providing the right parts at the right time to support fast, reliable after-sales
\nservice.<\/p>\n

\"Hire<\/a><\/p>\n

As Silvaro thought about the purchasing of parts and materials, two concerns were evident: the amount
\nof space available for parts storage and the level of financial resources available to invest in parts and
\nmaterials. The acquisition of the auto supermarket dealership put an increased strain on both finances
\nand space, with the need to support three different car lines at the same facility. Silvaro was acutely
\naware that inventory holdings cost money and reduced profits. She also knew that without proper
\ninventory management, the company\u2019s strategy could not be successful. Investment in excess inventory
\nhad to be avoided at all costs, and as space across all the locations was at a premium, a more systematic
\napproach was needed. Silvaro wanted a \u2018whole of organisation\u2019 solution, and wondered what could be
\ndone in the purchasing, supply chain, and inventory areas to address some of these concerns and
\nalleviate some of the pressures.<\/p>\n

Task<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a newly appointed Purchasing Manager at Silvaro Motors you are required to prepare a report for Ms
\nSilvaro that addresses the following questions:
\n1. How might purchasing and inventory management policies and procedures differ because the
\ndifferent types of service parts and materials (e.g. genuine parts; non-genuine parts; generic parts,
\nmaterials and consumables) were purchased from different supply lines?
\n2. What appear to be the main weaknesses of current purchasing and inventory management practices
\nat Silvaro Motors, and how could these weaknesses be affected by the new acquisition?
\n3. How can purchasing, supply-chain and inventory management concepts help Silvaro Motors reduce
\ninvestment and space requirements whilst maintaining adequate service levels?
\n4. What recommendations would you make to Ms Silvaro with respect to restructuring the purchasing
\nand inventory functions for the Silvaro Motors dealership network?
\nThe report should be a confidential report for the CEO, and be presented as a suitably professional document.
\nIt is expected that your discussion will refer to appropriate models and theories covered in this course, but
\nyour research should extend the theoretical discussion beyond the course material. The assessment criteria
\nshould give you a clear indication of what you need to include in this assignment. The report should include
\nan effective introduction and conclusion; an executive summary of no more than one page to preface the
\nreport; and a table of contents to give guidance to the reader. The report should be accompanied by a letter of
\ntransmittal.<\/p>\n

This assessment item involves researching your assigned topic to enhance your understanding of Operations
\nManagement concepts and utilisation of academic literature. If you are not familiar with the retail motor
\nindustry, some field and\/or desk research would be advisable. Whilst you should AVOID using only
\ntextbooks, the prescribed textbook for the course must be cited in regard to broad operations management
\nprinciples highlighted by the case. You are expected to present information and evidence from, and cite, at
\nMGMT20085 4 Term 2, 2015<\/p>\n

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