Week 1. Six Questions to answer. Management Coursework

Week 1
Student’s Name
Institution
Week 1
1 The features of services such as perishability, simultaneity, and intangibility mean that service firms face greater complexities and variability than other types of businesses. As a result of technological advancement, complexity emerges for support processes when it comes to leveraging technology to provide new value for customers (Patrício, Gustafsson, & Fisk, 2017). Furthermore, the complexity has been increased by the fact customers can network with other customers in many ways due to technology. According to Lo (2016), service firms also have to manage customer-induced variability, which is positively associated with process complexity.
2 I disagree with the statement that the US cannot support itself solely on its service industry. It is possible for the economy to solely depend on the service industry but it will be vulnerable to other countries. The country will be too dependent on the primary and secondary industries from other countries to supply it with tangible products. The US economy can survive with the service industry but it will weaken its position relative to other countries whose economies are driven by the manufacturing sector.
3 An activity map helps a firm connect its value proposition to its operations. It shows how its operations are integrated. The competitive advantage of the firm is determined by its ability to leverage and exploit the structural determinants of value. In this sense, an activity map can help a firm identify the vital sources of value creation and synergy (Rabetino, Kohtamäki, & Gebauer, 2017). This can result in a strategic fit for many of its operations and consequently attainment of sustainable competitive advantage.
4 OSCM tools and concepts are instrumental in helping keep organizational processes in check. OSCM tools and concepts contribute to reducing wastages, refining quality, and improving relationships with customers. For example, the application of TQM philosophy can help firms set effective control systems, cultivate quality improvement culture, address customer requirements, and develop good relations among employees. The emphasis on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, timeliness, and customer-centrism by OSCM tools and concepts provides a systematic means of observing organizational processes.
5 The OSCM field has undergone tremendous changes to become what it is today. From the first mankind societies such as those in Mesopotamia, the welfare of people depended on the ability to move and store goods efficiently and effectively. In the 1910s, major concepts that characterized the field included Frederick Taylor’s scientific management principles, industrial psychol...