Discussion Thread & Reply/Project Outline

1. (Discussion Board Post)

(

References

must not be 5 years old)

(Must use this book reference: Meredith, J. R., & Shafer, S. M. (2023).Operations and supply chain management for MBAs (8th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 9781119898696.)

(Bibllical integration of scripture as it relates to the topic is a must)

(Key topic to discuss: Kaizen Philosophy of business)

The student will post one thread of at least 800 words plus the associated annotated bibliographyby 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the assigned modules

Select a key topic to research and discuss.  Key topics are the major concepts addressed within each chapter. Concepts that have their own sections consisting of several paragraphs and begin with a bold font heading are appropriate key topics. You may choose the same topic as a peer, but the topics must be addressed from different vantage points (perspectives).

After you have selected your key topic, use the Internet to search for at least 5 scholarly resources that relate to the topic and have been published within the last 5 years. Academic articles and journals must be reputable and obtained from professional websites that address the content of this course. Popular magazines and online sources such as Wikipedia are not permissible.

After reading the articles, select 1 article relating to your key topic that you wish to use in your thread. Your thread must be posted in the text box and in addition to posting the thread in the text box, attach a Word file of your thread.  Adhere to the following format:

Key Concept

Explanation

: Define your key topic by using a source other than the textbook. Give a clear, concise overview of the essential elements relevant to understanding your key topic. In addition, explain why you are interested in this topic (e.g., academic curiosity, application to a current issue related to employment, or any other professional rationale).  This section must be at least 100 words.

Comparison

: Compare your research with what you have studied during the module in which the key topic/thread is assigned. Note differences or commonalities about your key topic, providing evidence that you have extended your understanding of this topic beyond the textbook readings. This is an opportunity for you to cite the additional articles you originally researched. This section must be at least 200 words.

Article Summary

: In your own words, provide a clear and concise summary of the article you selected. This section must be at least 200 words.

Biblical Integration

: Include at least 3 appropriate biblical references. Explain the relevance of your key topic to God’s law and how it can be applied in a Christian context. This section must be at least 100 words.

Application

: Specifically state how your key topic has been applied to real-world businesses or describe the potential your key topic has to influence today’s business world. Your application must possess a professional rationale that demonstrates the significance of your key topic. This section must be at least 100 words.

Annotated Bibliography

: Cite the articles you researched in current APA format. An annotation must accompany each citation. Each annotation will consist of a descriptive and evaluative paragraph that is at least 100 words. The annotations are designed to help your classmates in their understanding of your topic. In addition, provide a persistent link for each article.

2. (300 words per reply)

(Must include biblical integration into topic)

(APA citations)

(in-text citations are a must)

Value Stream Map

Key Concept Explanation

The key concept value stream map stuck out as it is not a term that is familiar. Wanting to learn more about it, this is the concept that was chosen. “Implementation of lean thinking with value stream mapping (VSM) increases the overall quality of the system and reduces the inventory and processing time.” (Dixit, A., et al., 2022. Para. 1). Value stream mapping assists organizations in identifying a set of activities in their value stream. “Activities within a value stream map are broadly categorized as; value added, nonvalue added, but necessary, and nonvalue added, but not necessary.” (Meredith, J. R., & Shafer, S. 2023. Pg. 347).

Comparison

The key concept value stream map is exactly how it sounds, it is a map of the value stream and what brings or does not bring value to the organization. The textbook categorizes these as activities into three separate categories. The articles found in research focus on one main organization and the value stream of that organization while the textbook defines and gives broad examples of what it is. In one article, the authors look at a value stream approach to digitizing health services. The authors propose mapping current and future value streams with digitization of health services. The study found that “establishing priorities for digitally transforming health services might also prevent wasting human resources and capital expenditure capacity in adopting H4.0 digital applications less likely to contribute to the value stream improvement.” (Tortorella, G. L., et al., 2022. Para. 49). All the articles found relating to the value stream map focused on one industry utilizing a value stream map. The textbook goes into greater detail on how to identify the customer-valued output. The textbook also identifies challenges and provides illustrations on what a value steam map should look like. Based on findings from the textbook and external sources, the textbook proves to be more valuable and understandable as opposed to the external research findings.

Article Summary

The main article used to study is another article that focused solely on one industry. This article sought to create a value stream map for improving the medication synchronization process. “The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate potential medication synchronization process improvements to reduce nonvalue-added actions, (2) assess fidelity to the medication synchronization core components, and (3) identify the best process for medication synchronization for an independent community pharmacy with multiple locations.” (Renfro, C.P., et al., 2022. Para. 2). This article was selected because it illustrates the activities defined in the textbook as the broad categories of value stream mapping. The authors created a study where the results can be observed, time tested, and used in real time. The article concluded that value stream mapping, in this case, proved to be a valuable tool. The value stream map was able to identify inefficiencies and reduce waste. It was able to reduce time in packaging and created a process that can be implemented across multiple pharmacies. In theory, this should also reduce hospital admissions. In this case study, the value stream map has found multiple ways to become profitable in the pharmaceutical industry by reducing time on tasks and reducing waste.

Biblical Implementation

The Bible presents many values; An inherent value, value of life, generosity, courage, love, respect, hope, and peace to name a few. Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in his own image; male and female created he them.” (King James Bible, 2017). Here we see God is the author of life, which is priceless. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou came forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (King James Bible, 2017). Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are they works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” (King James Bible, 2017). Here we see the value our of life pre-mapped out, before we were born, in God’s eyes.

Application

All articles reviewed demonstrate how the value stream map can be utilized in a real-world example. Each article focuses on the healthcare industry, but various aspects of it. One article focuses on the supply chain, another focuses on the pharmaceutical industry, and the other focused on digitizing the healthcare services. The most interesting was the article selected for the summary that created value by eliminating waste, reduced packaging time, and created a policy to be implemented in several pharmacies to continue to do the same. The value of creating a value stream map is a process every organization in every industry should implement.

Annotated Bibliography

Dixit, A., Routroy, S. and Dubey, S.K. (2022), “Development of supply chain value stream map for government-supported drug distribution system”, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 39 No. 5, pp. 1151-1169. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM- 12-2020-0399Links to an external site.

This article was used to define the key concept and expound on further analysis of how a value stream map for government-supported drug distribution can reduce inventory and production time. This article displays the importance of a value stream map in terms of how it can save an organization money by identifying inefficiencies. Key findings in the article determined ways to eliminate waste. The authors concluded that the framework provided within the article can be utilized by educators and healthcare providers to identify operational bottlenecks and provided methods with how to eliminate those. This article helped fulfill the requirements within this study.

3. (300 words per reply)

(Must include biblical integration into topic)

(APA citations)

(in-text citations are a must)

Change Management

Key Concept

In today’s world there is constant change and company leadership along with their employees’ must be willing to adapt their jobs to help keep the company successful. Change management interventions (CMI’s) are tools/ intentional activities that managers use to facilitate change (Hagl et al., 2024). CMI’s are used to target employees’ responses to the change and influence their behavior toward the change. Organizations need to know how to implement change effectively and if a company doesn’t know how to do that it can lead to ineffective changes or staff morale issues. The reason I am interested in change management is because I have been part of teams where I am responsible for implementing changes to procedures or processes. I think it is important for all leaders to understand how the way they communicate or present changes in a way that can impact the way their coworkers or employees receive it.

Comparison

There are a lot of reasons that an organization will need to implement a change, some of those reasons can be new technology, more efficient processes or even new competitors in the industry (Meredith & Shafer, 2023). When we think of change management dealing with processes but it can deal with transition of employees. During the pandemic companies had to make a lot of changes very rapidly and may not have followed their change management processes exactly as they had to adapt on the fly for getting employees’ set up for telework (Makar, 2021). Outside of the pandemic technology is always changing and organizations must be able to adapt their IT services to help keep up with their competitors. When it comes to change management in the IT sector is extremely important to make sure that employees are trained on new IT equipment and have the ability to ask questions before the change is implemented (Trzeciak, 2024).

One of the articles, that I found in my research identified 6 change management interventions which are, “communication, support, involvement, reinforcement, social involvement and coercin” (Hagl, 2024). These interventions are key to influencing staff responses to change. When companies let employees know of upcoming changes there can be many responses but if the leadership is supportive and willing to have open communication it can increase the success of implementing the change. Another key point deals with building an ethical working culture where employees are open to changes and apart of the implementation process. All organizations have to make changes but not all companies know how too effectively lead and implement those changes. When companies make change management part of their culture is sets the tone for what to expect and allows employees to have a say in creating and implementing change into the company (Payne et al., 2023). Most companies use John Kotter’s 8-step change model, which has been the leading tool for companies to use when implementing change management into their business (Meredith & Shafer, 2023).

When it comes to change management there are a lot of things to think about other than just the change that is being implemented. It is important for leaders to monitor the financial changes that occur, how employee morale is impacted by the change and it is important to monitor how the change impacts the efficiency of the employees (Meredith & Shafer, 2023). When a company makes a change, it is important to follow all the processes put in place but also to reflect on the process after completion to see where the company can improve. No change should be made unless it is going to improve the company.

Article Summary

In the article Change Management Communication: The Role of Meaningfulness, Leadership Brand Authenticity and Gender, it was focused on how communication is key to the successful implementation of changes in the hospitality industry (Shulga, 2021). For the hospitality industry there are always some sort of changes occurring and managers must know how to successfully communicate change to create buy in from employees. Prior research has shown that about 70% of change management programs fail due to employees’ resisting and negatively reacting to the change (Shulga, 2021). The author of the article focused their research to look at the following three points which were; message meaningfulness as a measure of message effectiveness, understanding employees’ reactions to the initial communication of change and gender differences of how each gender interprets the communication on the upcoming change (Shulga, 2021).

The author found thru the research that message meaningfulness is key to improving buy in from employees’ and positively affecting the employees’ work engagement. Message meaningfulness bundled with leadership brand authenticity also had a positive relationship with employee engagement (Shulga, 2021). When it came to gender there was a difference found between how males and females deal with the communication of upcoming change. Females focused more on leadership brand authenticity when it came to impacting work engagement while males focused more on the messages meaningfulness when it came to impacting work engagement. In the end the researchers concluded that especially in the hospitality industry for a company to be successful in implementing any change there has to be employee involvement and buy in.

Biblical Integration

When it comes to Jesus’s life on earth, he was all about creating change and testing people to be willing to change and follow him. Even after his resurrection from the dead his disciples and followers continued his message of turning from sin and turning to follow Jesus. In 1 Peter 5:2, Peter states, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;” (English Standard Version, 2001). I think this lines up with the topic of change management because without Christ-like leaders, that are willing to act ethically and do what is good for the company and not themselves it can create issues. Peter calls us to not move toward shameful gain and leaders that act hastily can have a negative impact on their company.

I believe that change management is an important part of a company’s culture and should not just be one persons’ responsibility. In Hebrews 13:7, it is said, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith (English Standard Version, 2021). This verse I believe hits change management right on the nail, because when employees’ trust leadership and are able to express new ideas, it benefits the company. Company leadership should role model for their employees and their employees should respect their leaders. When there is respect between leaders and employees it doesn’t make change any easier but it usually opens up avenues of discussion for how to improve rather than just having leadership make all the decisions without any feedback.

One final biblical verse that I think is relatable to change management is Psalm 78:72. It says, “With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand” (English Standard Version, 2001). This relates to change management because leaders of the organization need to be able to lead their employees thru the change and have an open mind to being flexible, if need be, in the process of the change. When leadership is acting in the best interest of the company and its employees it is like a shepard protecting their flock of sheep. In a modern sense leadership is protecting their employees and business by willing to step outside of their comfort zone and make a change that will hopefully have a positive impact on the company.

Application

In the article written by Shulga (2021), she discussed how a hotel company worked on improving their communication with employees to gain their acceptance of the change but also to create employee involvement in implementing the change. Companies constantly have some sort of change to implement and it is important to have employee buy in but also make sure that there is a standardized process for implementing change. John Kotter created an eight-step model that most companies use today when working thru implementing changes within their organization (Graves et al., 2023). The three key areas that Kotter’s model focuses on are “adopting, implementing, and sustaining change, engaging dedicated partners and developing a climate of change” (Graves et al., 2023). No change is easy and if employers don’t get employee feedback or buy in it can end badly. But it is also important for companies to look into cost and processes of implementing changes so that they are well prepared to discuss the change with their employees.

Annotated Bibliography

Graves, L., Dalgarno, N., Van Hoorn, R., Hastings-Truelove, A., Mulder, J., Kolomitro, K., Kirby, F., & van Wylick, R. (2023). Creating change: Kotter’s change management model in action.Canadian Medical Education Journal, 14(3), 136-139.

https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.76680Links to an external site.

In this article the authors created a pain management curriculum for undergraduate medical students using the Kotter’s change management model. This curriculum was in response to the growing opioid crisis occurring in Canada and around the world. The authors talked about how they built their team of volunteers to build their curriculum and how those volunteers helped shape the vision and strategic objectives of the curriculum. The authors talked about how as a team they had to work together to remove barriers that were impeding the process of implementing this curriculum and making available to the medical students. The article focused on Kotter’s eight step process and how it was a positive influence in the process of creating this curriculum.

Hagl, C., Kanitz, R., Gonzalez, K., & Hoegl, M. (2024). Change management interventions: Taking stock and moving forward.Human Resource Management Review, 34(1), 101000.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2023.101000Links to an external site.

In this article the researchers talked about change management interventions which are activities that managers can use to help implement change within their organization. The method of the research was a literature review reviewing articles that focused on the implementation of organizational change between 1990 and 2021. According to the research there are 6 categories and 14 subtypes of CMI’s. From the research that was conducted it was found that there are 3 mechanisms that impact the employees’ response to the implementation of CMI’s and they were ability, motivation and opportunities to contribute. From the results of the study the researchers recommended that more research be completed that focuses on intervention and context sensitive approaches to organizational change.

Payne, D., Trumbach, C., & Soharu, R. (2023). The values change management cycle: Ethical change management.Journal of Business Ethics, 188(3), 429-440.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05306-8Links to an external site.

In this article the researchers focused on understanding the importance of culture in the workplace and how it is important for leaders to act ethically to effectively implement change. Barriers to effective change are mistrust, failure of communication and fear of uncertainty are identified in the study and these barriers can be reduced by having an organization culture that acts ethically. The researchers found that any change is hard in an organization but when an organization has a culture that is built to act ethically there is a higher rate of success in implementing the change. Another conclusion that was found thru the research was the importance of having check points during implementation of change to get feedback from employees’ and help leaders effectively implement the change.

Shulga, L. V. (2021). Change management communication: The role of meaningfulness, leadership brand authenticity, and gender.Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 62(4), 498-515.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965520929022Links to an external site.

The researchers in this article studied the designs and the importance of effective communication on the success of the change in a recognizable hotel brand. The study looked at how the company communicated the upcoming change and how receptive the employees’ were to the change. With organizations in the hospitality industry always changing this study is important for understanding how changes impact employee engagement. The study found that employees bundled the message meaningfulness and the authenticity of leadership could impact work engagement of employees’ which also impact the employees’ job satisfaction. There was a difference found between how Men and Women were influenced by the message of change. Women focused on leadership authenticity while men focused more on the meaningfulness of the message. In the end the research showed how important it is for managers to use effective communication to implement changes at their organization.

Trzeciak, M. (2024). Factors of success in the change management process of IT programs.Journal of Organizational Change Management, 37(1), 58-74.

https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-04-2023-0110Links to an external site.

This article focused on the IT industry and the success change management has had on the industry. The researchers in this article surveyed over 200 managers in the IT industry and got their opinions on what factors have made their company successful when it came to implementing change management into their company. In total thru the research there were a total of 38 factors that were found to have an impact on the implementation of change management in the IT industry, of those 38 only 9 were found to have a significant impact on the implementation of change management processes. From the research, a few of the factors that were found to be important was starting off with the correct resources when implementing change management and to make sure that the resources stay available for the employees. These two factors were key to change management processes being sustainable in the IT industry.

References

English Standard Version, (2001).

https://www.openbible.info/topics/change_in_leadershipLinks to an external site.

Makar, S. V., Rustamova, I. T., Iamalova, E. N., Bogdanova, Y. Z., & Minakov, I. P. (2021). Changes in human resource management practices in a pandemic: Insurance companies.Webology, 18(Special Issue 04), 653-664.

https://doi.org/10.14704/WEB/V18SI04/WEB18156Links to an external site.

4. (Original content only)

(outline must contain pertinent topics according to instructions and structure of paper)

(Topic of Research: Papa John’s International, Inc)

Integrative Learning Project: Outline Assignment

Instructions

You will create a well-developed outline including all paper headings and subheadings. Review the Integrative Learning Project Assignment Instructions.  Use it as a guide for what headings need to be included in this outline.  At a minimum, the APA level 1, 2 and 3 headings should be in the outline and it must show which Key Chapter Concepts will be in your Integrated Learning Project as well as the titles of the appendices.  Please review the Integrated Learning Project General Instructions.  Current APA format must be used.

The Outline assignment provides a high-level overview of each required component of the project.  The

Introduction

assignment provides an opportunity to introduce the topic of the project, identify the chapter concepts that will be explored, and provide expectations for the reader.  The Integrative Learning Project Final Assignment incorporates all of these assignments.  The outline will be converted into a

Table of Contents

(the format will need to be updated).

Instructions

For the Integrative Learning Project Assignment, you will research a particular, authentic company/industry or a fabricated company/industry.  (No one in this course should write anything regarding their government or organizational relationship that could create doubt about crossing lines that would disclose confidential information of any kind.  It would be better to create a fictional situation.  It is up to you to use your informed judgment.)  The ILP must be written in current APA format and must include the following major elements:

Title Page

Table of Contents

Abstract

Introduction

It should be no more than ½ page in length.

Reference the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition, section 3.4 for suggested components of an introduction and section 2.27 for formatting.

Organizational Setting

In at least 2 pages:

Describe the mission of your organization (e.g., what product or service is provided, to what intended markets, and how the product or service is distinct from those offered by competitors)

Define your customers are (internal and external)

Identify what value you add to the organization (how you help the organization achieve its mission)

Highlight the role Christianity currently plays in this organization (if it is a secular organization, what Christian values are built into the organization?).

The student must clearly state if the company/industry is fabricated (not statement required for authentic company/industry.

Integration of Chapter Concepts to the Organizational Setting

Conclusion

It should be no more than ½ page in length.

Provide major recommendations and summative conclusion for the organization.

References:      You must include at least 15 scholarly sources formatted in current APA      style. Each reference must be current, having been published within the      last 3 years, or, if older, must contribute important information relevant      to historical background.

Appendices:      Include at least 3 well-developed      and professional documents. Appendices often include information that is      somewhat confidential, detail-oriented, and/or tends to change often. Some      examples include:

Action Planning: This specifies       objectives, responsibilities, and timelines for completion of objectives.

Description of Strategic Planning       Process Used: This describes the process used to develop the plan, who       was involved, the number of meetings, any major lessons learned to       improve planning, etc.

Strategic Analysis Data: This includes       information generated during the external analysis (e.g., environmental       scan) and internal analysis (e.g., SWOT analysis). It also includes a list       of strategic issues identified during these analyses.

Goals for Board and Chief Executive       Officer: Goals of the board and CEO must be directly aligned with goals       identified during strategic planning. This appendix will list goals for       the board and can also include recommendations for redesigning board       committees associated with strategic goals. These can be used (along with       the CEO job description) to form the basis for performance evaluations of       the CEO.

Budget Planning: This depicts both the       resources as well as the required funding for obtaining and using the       resources needed to achieve the strategic goals. Budgets are often       depicted for each term of the year of the strategic plan.

Operating Plan: This describes the       major goals and activities to be accomplished over the coming fiscal       year.

Financial Reports: These include last       year’s budget (with estimated expenses and the actual amounts spent),       this year’s current budget (again, with estimated amounts and actual       amounts spent), a balance sheet (or, in the case of a nonprofit       organization, a statement of financial position), an income statement (or,       in the case of a nonprofit organization, a statement of financial       activities), etc.

Monitoring and Evaluation of Plan: This       includes criteria for monitoring and evaluating as well as the       responsibilities and frequencies of monitoring the implementation of the       plan.