Managing Communication Knowledge and Information Essay

Managing Communication Knowledge and Information - Essay Example The department focuses on integrating operations and supply chain strategy with a firm’s operations capabilities. This involves decisions that relate to the design of the processes and infrastructure needed to support these processes. Process design includes selecting the appropriate technology, sizing the process over time, determining the role of inventory in the process, and locating the process (Schultz, 2011, pg, 49). The infrastructure decisions involve the logic associated with the planning and control systems, quality assurance and control approaches, work payment structure, and organisation of system quality assurance and control approaches, work payment structure and organisation of operations and supply chain functions. This department’s operations capabilities can be viewed as portfolio best suited to adapt to the changing product and or service needs of a firm’s customers. Starbucks’ location strategy-its clustering of 20 or more stores in each urban hubwas viewed as enhancing the experience both in creating a local â€Å"Starbucks buzz’’ and in facilitating loyalty by Starbucks’ customers. Starbucks’ analysis of sales by individual store found little evidence that closely located Starbucks stores cannibalized one another’s sales. Recognizing that convenience of location was critical to driving sales; Starbucks began adding drive-through windows to some of its stores and locating stores specifically to capitalize on drive-through customers (Miles & Friedman, 2006, pg. 100). For this reason, the manager requires information to do with the corporate social responsibility (Phillip & Freeman, 2010, pg. 33). This implies that the manager requires understanding what the community around as well as the consumer perceives of the products from the company. In addition, the management in this department requires information on employee perception on the decisions being undertaken in the company. This will ensure that operations are efficient and therefore, the supply chain is up to date. As such, the manager is supposed to