The Future at Biotech Health and Life Products, Inc. 

Purpose 

The   third assignment covers the last three functions of the P-O-L-C, Organizing,   Leading and Controlling.  Students will look at the production floor   through the lens of the three elements of the P-O-L-C and write a report to   the Strategic Planning Committee.

Skill Building:

You   are also completing this project to help you develop skills related to   critical thinking, writing a report, and assessing and applying elements of   the P-O-L-C management framework. 

Skills:  Critical Thinking, Report Writing, 

Outcome Met by Completing This Assignment

· Integrate   management principles into management practices

· organize   human, physical, and financial resources for the effective and efficient   attainment of organizational goals

· develop   measures and assess outcomes against plans and standards to improve   organizational effectiveness

· Identify   the essential characteristics of decision making and indicate the range and   types of decisions a manager makes

Instructions:

Step   1: Read the Case Scenario

The Boomer Bangs projects presented to the Strategic Planning   Committee were accepted for production.  Roll out by the company is   scheduled for January of 2019.  The first product scheduled for   production is a pill that helps reduce blood sugar levels.  Market   studies predict that this pill likely will be the most successful of the   three products, which is why it is the first product Biotech has selected for   roll out.

Upper management decided that Louis Monte of the Los Lunas,   New Mexico Branch Production Team would lead this project.  The plan is   for Louis to serve, as a model for organizing that will be copied by the rest   of the branches so that roll out can be concurrent.  Louis knows that   his production floor is set up exactly like the rest of the plants. Louis has   put some thought into the fact that the new pill production will require   additional production lines requiring changes to the existing set up.    Louis believes space could be a problem.  Louis estimates he will   need 200 sq. ft. for the additional line set up.  In addition, he will   need two conveyor belts.  Louis knows that relocation of some of the   machinery or line set up is needed because the production of pills has to be   protected from direct sunlight and stored at low temperatures.

Louis has concluded that there is a need for additional   personnel – one pharmaceutically trained pill machine operator for the day   shift and two operators for the night shift.  Trained line workers cost   $3 more per hour than untrained line-workers.   Louis also knows   that these new workers will need supervising.  He may have to   restructure the floor staff.

Louis is expecting a shipment from Madras, India of the   primary pill ingredients bitt goud, spreading hogweed, Chinaberry (mostly   found in India) and burra gokhru.   Lately, sourcing of the   Chinaberry has been a little difficult for Louis.  He suspects the cost   of production will increase the estimated R&D cost by $0.075 per   pill.   Additional labor costs and costs of the rare Indian ingredients   places the overall production cost of one bottle of 60- pills at $5.65, which   includes packaging. 

Louis acknowledges that there are issues with the current   organization structure is problematic for production and is considering   making a proposal for the plants to centralize rather than the current   decentralized structure.

Biotech is known for telling workers that it want to keep   people in the Biotech family.  The company encourages employees to get   additional training and pays for college tuition for those who want to   advance their career opportunities within the company.

During the course of production, older line staffers became   aware that the pharmaceutically trained line workers made $3.00 more per hour   than they did.  The workers were unhappy as they felt that it was unfair   that Biotech hired from outside rather than provide training to existing workers   who would want to take over the jobs and earn a higher salary.  An   obvious concern began to surface among the workers.  Several workers   questioned whether Biotech was being truthful with them and wondered whether   the Company wanted workers to advance in the company.  Morale of plant   workers began to suffer. 

One floor supervisor told Louis that one of his workers   refused to help develop a new process that would increase the speed of moving   the pallets on the new floor scheme.  He said, “Why should I help   Biotech make more money if I don’t get any of the money?”  Louis knows   that this concern must be addressed and morale needs improved.  Louis   also knows that only HR in headquarters can make decisions regarding benefits   so he cannot offer pay raises.  Louis wondered what he could do to   motivate workers and build trust in the production department.

The chart below displays the results of the first year’s   production of the new pill, Boomer 1.  The table consists of data   supplied by the production department managers of the Biotech branches making   the pill.   The data was collected for controlling production   output.  Vice President of Production, Atticus Finch will use the data   to identify areas of improvement, change, or to provide kudos for the success   of the processes used by the production departments in the production of   Boomer 1. 

The chart describes the standard goal (identified as standard)   set by the department and the results of each branch.  A comparison of   the standard to the results allows the reader to form conclusions about the   success or failure of the Production Department to meet the goals envisioned   by the company.  It also allows the reader to recognize patterns from   the data so conclusions can be drawn as to the relationship between elements   (e.g. cost expended vs time expended; those who spent more time had a higher   cost).

Specifications

Standard

Wittlich

Detroit

Los     Lunas

Sao     Paulo

Melbourne

Cost     per 60 pill bottle

5.65

4.97

5.87

5.65

5.52

4.59

Time

7.36

6.89

7.46

7.31

7.32

7.70

Quality     Control Problem Ratio (per 500 bottles)

1

1.75

2

3.5

4.75

1.52

Shipping     Problems/Damage (per 10,000 bottles)

1.0

1.51

0.222

1.133

1.178

0.149

Total     Number of bottles Produced per year

450,000

600,000

500,000

650,000

401,000

750,000

Step   2:  Company Profile

Use   the Biotech Company Profile in   completing this assignment.

Step   3: Write the Introduction

The   introductory paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper but is sometimes   written after writing the body of the paper (Questions students responded to   above).  View this website to learn how to write an introductory   paragraph:  

http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html

Step   4:  Organizing

· Discuss   the advantages and disadvantages of a centralization versus decentralization   organizational structure. Use the course material to support your reasoning.

· Discuss   whether Louis should recommend moving to a centralized organizational   structure.  Explain why using the course material to support your   reasoning.

Step   5:  Leading

· Identify   and discuss the reason for the morale problem using the course material to   support your reasoning.

· If there   is no money in the budget to spend on formal training or methods of   motivation, explain what Louis can do to motivate existing employees that   would build morale while ensuring production levels stay on track or   improve.  Support your reasoning using the course material

· How will   moving to a centralized organizational structure affect Louis’ ability to   motivate employees?  Support your reasoning using the course material.

Step   6:  Controlling

Compare   the standard specifications data set with the results from each of the   results for the five branches. 

· Interpret   the results with detailed explanations for problems areas as well as positive   areas.

· Based on   the results, should Atticus Finch take corrective action?  Provide an   explanation supporting the reasoning with the course material.

· What   results present potential concern for the long-term future of the project and   company?

Step   7:  Report Requirements & Format

You   will write the report using Times New Roman, 12” font, single-spaced with   double-spaces between paragraphs and headings.  The paper should be   approximately three pages excluding the title page and reference page.    It is important to write clearly and concisely.

Use   the following Report Format. 

· Introduction   (the introduction does not have a heading)

· Organizing

· Advantages   of a centralized organizational structure

· Disadvantages   of a centralized organizational structure

· Advantages   of a decentralized organizational structure

· Disadvantages   of a decentralized organizational structure

· Louis’   recommendation

· Leading

· Morale   problem

· Motivation

· Impact   of centralized organization on motivating

· Controlling

· Results   of Data

· Corrective   Action

· Potential   Concerns

The   following requirements apply to the Report:

· Use the   grading rubric while completing the project to ensure all requirements are   met that will lead to the highest possible grade. 

· Third   person writing is required.  Third person means that there are no   words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use   of “you or your” (second person writing).  

· Contractions   are not used in business writing, so do not use them. 

· You are   expected to use the facts from the case scenario paired with the weekly   courses material to develop the analysis and support the   reasoning.  No more than two (2)   external resources can be used in completing the assignment.    You are expected to use a wide array of course material.

· Use   direct quotation marks for primary sources.  For all other source   material used in the analysis, you will not use direct quotation marks but   will instead paraphrase.  What this means is that you will put the ideas   of an author or article into your own words rather than lifting directly from   a source document.  You may not use more than four consecutive   words from a source document, as doing so would require direct quotation   marks.  This requirement include facts from the case scenario.    Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from   having quotation marks. 

·  Use in-text citations and provide a reference list that   contains the reference associated with each in-text citation.

· You may   not use books in completing this project.

· Provide   the page or paragraph number in every in-text citation presented. 

Step   8:  Complete the Report

You   will write a report addressed to Mr. Atticus Finch, Vice-President of   Production.  In answering the elements of organizing, leading and   controlling, pay particular attention to your audience, Mr. Finch.  The   report is informational only so you are not making recommendation but   providing information to Mr. Finch.  It is necessary to explain concepts   and issues supporting the reasoning.

Step   9:  Submit the Report in the Assignment   Folder

Submitting   the project to the Assignment Folder is considered the student’s final   product and therefore ready for grading by the instructor.  It is   incumbent upon the student to verify the assignment is the correct   submission.  No exceptions will be considered by the instructor.