UNIT 4 Essay - Mini-Case Study Between a Rock and a Hard Place 49dd7abc50a2570fc9b86ed5b3b45dec PDF

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Mini-Case Study: Between a Rock and a Hard Place 1

Mini-Case Study: Between a Rock and a Hard Place University of the People Online education strategies Sara Mayer December 9th 2020

Mini-Case Study: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

In a difficult situation

Nasira was an employee of a Pet supplies company called ‘K9 Dura-Corp’ based in Michigan. Their marketing relied on product proudly made in the USA, but they were only assembling parts on-site not making them. She has been working there 6 months as a procurement specialist sourcing the parts for the items sold. She liked her job very much and was about to get a salary raise soon. However, she had to find a new source for the lining of a dog cot as their current manufacturer went out of business. She found two options: an oversea fabric company Fab-Right Inc., which was cheaper, chewproof, but she had concerns about the labor conditions used to produce it. The other company (All-Fabric Inc.) is in the Midwest, the fabric seemed of lower quality with potential chewing hazard for dogs, there were reports of the company contaminating local water, were resident were trying to get the government involved. She wanted to keep searching but her boss told her they cannot afford any delay in the production as the company was not doing well in sales lately and could lead to layoffs if any delay would happen.

The main key facts are: Fab-Right Inc.: - Positive points: Cheaper, Chew proof. - Negative points: located abroad, Possibility of bad working condition (not confirmed), no information available about their environmental impact. All-Fabric Inc.: - Positive points: Domestic (Midwest)

Mini-Case Study: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

- Negative points: Fabric less durable, chewing hazard for dogs, reports about contamination of local water source & residents ready to involve the government.

There are a few critical thinking options available to us: I used the 48 critical thinking questions, which consist of asking multiple questions (48) such as who? what? when? where? what? how? This helps you evaluate with more ease the different factors of this case. Then I wrote down on a paper the pros and cons of each company as described in the key points earlier (n.a., 2017). Based on the answers, it became clearer to see what was important and which company stands a little better even both are not the perfect choice. Nonetheless I also used the ladder of inference to confront my conclusion. This system would separate the facts from the assumptions through a series of questions. For example, in our case study Nasira concerns about labor conditions is an assumption and not a fact (The Systems Thinker, n.d.). While the reports about water contamination are facts. Another Critical thinking tool is Starbursting, but not applicable for this example as using group brainstorming questions to evaluate a product or situation. In this context, I was alone and so was Nasira. (Rudy, L. J., 2016).

My recommendation is to buy the fabric from Fab-right Inc. for now although not the ideal choice but it has less risks than the All-Fabric Inc. Firstly there is no official report that Fab-right Inc. is a hazard to the environment, to the contrary the other company All-Fabric Inc. has reports about contaminating the local water and the government may be involved soon by the residents, this could lead to a bad publicity for the company by using them or potential legal issues. Furthermore, the fact that the material is not chewing proof means some dogs could be injured and a high liability for the company which could cost a lot of money, not to mention the

Mini-Case Study: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

company is not financially stable these days. Accordingly, this solution would avoid delays in the production and layoffs. However, while this order is ongoing Nasira should get more details from the company Fab-Right Inc. regarding their labor conditions and ask for any official report about the environment. If these reports are confirming her assumptions she could then use the best new supplier for the next following production order.

Word count: 633

Mini-Case Study: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

References Rudy, L. J. (2016, July 28). Starbursting: How to use brainstorming questions to evaluate ideas. Envatotuts+. https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/starbursting-how-to-usebrainstorming-questions-to-evaluate-ideas--cms-26952.

Teach Thought Staff. (2018, August 23). 48 critical thinking questions for any content area. Teachthought. https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/48-critical-thinkingquestions-any-content-area/

The Systems Thinker. (n.d.). The ladder of inference. The Systems Thinker. https://thesystemsthinker.com/the-ladder-of-inference/...