Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400-600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas:
Additional Information: Because the decision about relocating manufacturing operations to the United States is so important, the board of directors at AutoEdge continues to systematically discuss every aspect of the situation.
The following week, CEO Lester Scholl meets you for coffee to discuss next week’s board meeting.
“I’m hearing good things about you,” he says. “Ingrid and George tell me you’ve been very responsive and helpful.”
“That’s good to hear,” you say. “I’ve enjoyed working with them.”
“We’re both busy, so I’ll get right to the point,” he says. “One of the main objectives of any business is to be efficient. Without efficiency, the company is essentially losing money. Am I right?”
“Absolutely,” you say.
“What must AutoEdge do,” he says, “to obtain economies of scale with production? How do we know that it has achieved economies of scale? Conversely, how do we know if it is achieving diseconomies of scale?”
“That’s a good question,” you say. “I can understand why you ask.”
But before you can respond, Lester’s cell phone rings. After a minute, he ends the call and stands.
“I have to get back to the office to handle an emergency,” he says. “Would you send me an e-mail with an answer to my questions, please?”
“No problem,” you say. “I’ll get it to you before I leave work this afternoon.”
“I appreciate it,” he says. “Thanks.”
REFERENCE:
Lessons From Experience: SWOT Analysis
Introduction
The story that you are about to read is from actual events that occurred in the field. Its purpose is to provide you with a real-world example from a seasoned professional in the business world.
SWOT Analysis
One of the most important tools to use when making a business decision is the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats (SWOT) analysis; that is, a method to assess an organization’s strengths and weaknesses and the internal and external opportunities and the threats it faces. When I was asked to evaluate whether it made sense for a stockbroker to market to a new territory, I immediately began to provide my own opinions and preconceived notions. As I prepared for my presentation to disclose my evaluation, I noticed that my opinions were slanted—even untruthful to some degree. I recognized an opportunity to apply what I’d learned in school and gave SWOT a chance. It took me 2 hours to develop a well-rounded analysis and to make a more informed decision. Doing a SWOT analysis saved me from making a big mistake—one that could have cost the company thousands of dollars and likely cost me my job.
It is important to take away the following from this scenario:
• A SWOT analysis should be conducted for all major decisions in business.
