Case Study on Corus: Continuous Improvement and Culture Development

This case study explores the concept of continuous improvement in Corus and the development of a participative culture. It discusses the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), team work, and benchmarking to drive improvement. It also highlights the benefits of continuous improvement, such as cost reduction and customer satisfaction. The case study also includes a discussion on ethical business practices and sustainability in Tata Steel.

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Task 1
Case Study on Corus
Answer 1)
Continuous improvement helps in the identification of opportunities that proves to be
helpful in streamlining work within an organization. It helps in the reduction of waste and it
is used by the companies for the identification of the saving opportunities.
The continuous improvement in Corus can be enabled with the help of Key
Performance Indicator (KPI) in the organization. The previous measurement was done on the
basis of steel that was rolled out but it did not help in showing whether it was able to meet the
demands of the consumer. The people who would be involved in the process of the
continuous improvement are the people in the top management of Corus who can help in the
setting of new Key Performance Indicator (KPI) that can be useful for the company (Boer et
al., 2017). They would bring about the improvement by ensuring that customers get
deliveries within time. The process pertaining to the continuous improvement would involve
drawing a plan that can help the employees in resisting the process of the change in the
organization. The workers can be made to support teams that can help in championing new
ways of the thinking in the organization. The continuous improvement can be brought about
in organization when the team members are empowered so that they can take up the
responsibility in the organization.
Answer 2)
The culture that Corus is trying to develop involves team work that can help in
bringing together employees of organization. The coaches in the organization being chosen
from workforce should receive the training that can help in facilitating improvements in the

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organization. The participative culture is being developed in the organization by putting
together the techniques that the coaches in the organization can use with that of managers
along with employees (Hutchins, 2016). The vision of the organization would lay stress on
the elements of team working along with learning environment that can develop the
participative culture of organization. The coaches related to continuous improvement
working with the managers can help in improving the operations of the organization. Corus
helping everyone in understanding their position and about how the employees can improve
the work can help in bringing about participative culture within organization.
Answer 3)
Corus can set the Key Performance Indicator in that would be able to help the
company in meeting the targets in relation to the rolling of the steel plate within a week. It
can help the company in measuring the operations of the company in relation to competitors
within steel industry. Benchmarking can help the company in reviewing activities which can
help the company in achieving the best practice. The sharing of important information in and
across the company can help in the process of driving improvement in Corus (Pieters, 2017).
Corus by taking recourse to continuous improvement would be able to reduce the waste with
the help of lean production. It would be able to improve the quality of the products that would
be able to help the customers in getting satisfaction. It can pave the path for the faster
response time that can provide opportunity to the customers for the orders within the time.
Answer 4)
The key benefits pertaining to CI can help Corus in acting in a more competitive
manner by driving down the costs. The customers would be able to get benefits with the help
of the innovative products along with the services. The continuous improvement would be
able to improve the quality of the products that would be able to help the customers in getting

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satisfaction. The reduction of the lead time would be able to enhance the satisfaction of the
customers. This would be able to help the company in becoming more innovative that would
be able to augment the satisfaction of consumers. It can help the company in securing repeat
sales that can work to the benefit of customers. It would be able to improve the operational
demands that can help in fulfilling the expectations of the company (McLean, Antony &
Dahlgaard, 2017). The process would be able to help company in the production of the large
volumes of the goods that can help the company in driving down on the cost of running the
huge steel plant. The production of the quality steel would be able to provide satisfaction to
customer and it can help in delivering the products within that of the right time. The process
pertaining to continuous improvement would be able to meet the demand of more steel and it
can help the company in complying with the delivery requirements.
Part B
Case Study: Tata Steel
Answer 1)
Ethical business practice helps in ensuring that highest legal along with the moral
standard are being developed within an organisation that can help organization in meeting
demand of the stakeholders. It can help in building trust in the business among the business
associates along with suppliers. The strong supplier relation can prove to be critical that can
help in making a business successful. The community wants that business should operate in
the ethical manner that can enhance image of community (Crane & Matten, 2016). Business
ethics helps in ensuring that trust exists in between the consumers and the market participants
that can help business in achieving success. Ethical business practice helps in taking care of
fact that public receives fair amount of the treatment that can pave the path for growth of an
organisation.

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Answer 2)
Sustainability can provide the business with the competitive advantage as it can gain
the confidence of the shareholders. The business undertaking the new environmental practice
can help in improving the environmental performance of the companies that can help
companies in earning profits. The managers should seek environmental actions of
competitors that can help a company in leading within the industry. The sustainable practices
can help in meeting the expectations of the procurement. The supply chain strategy of the
company being transparent can help in putting a company in a strong position that can help it
in meeting standards. The sustainability practices can act as a marketing tool that can
improve the brand reputation of a company (Trevino & Nelson, 2016). The sustainability
strategy of a company aligning with the business products can help a company in tapping into
market. It can help in keeping up with the demands of the consumer for the socially
responsible products which can provide the company with an edge within the market.
Answer 3)
The Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) can help in providing accurate analysis as compared
to that of carbon foot print of ‘usephase’ of material when judging a company. Life cycle
assessment refers to factual analysis about the lifecycle of a product in relation to
sustainability. The lifecycle can help a company in evaluation of environmental impacts that
can help in making a company transparent. The International Organisation for
Standardisation provides the standard that can help a company in rising above the
competitors. The inventory analysis of the process would be able to look at environmental
inputs along with outputs like raw materials along with energy that can help the company in
inferring about the life cycle impact assessment regarding the company (Goodpaster, 2015).
It can help a company in making better business decisions that can help in evaluation of
process of a company. It can help in integrating the results that can prove to be useful for

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development of company. It can help in the process of testing if the conclusions are on the
basis of data along with procedures that have been used.
Answer 4)
Tata Steel has contributed to the sustainable practices that has helped in growth of
company. Tata Steel plays an important role in building the ethical practices pertaining to
various areas of the operations. Tata Steel invests in the breakthrough technologies that helps
in the production of the low carbon steel. The company develops the new products along with
the services that helps in the generation of lower carbon dioxide emission with the help of
lifecycle. The company also takes a lifecycle approach in relation to the decision making that
helps in assessing regarding the manufacturing process of the products (Barry, 2016). Tata
Steel have joined the forces with that of other steelmakers that helps in production of ‘ Future
steel vehicle’ that helps in showcasing latest advance in relation to the steel technology. The
LCA studies that have been carried out by Tata Steel has revealed the fact that the focussing
on the aspect of weight reduction can help in paving the path for the sustainable packaging.
The targets on the basis of weight reduction can bring about wrong decisions. In the previous
times, timber was used for the construction of frames of the buildings and it was held that
timber would be able to act as a green resource. Tata Steel was able to find that carbon
emissions from the timber were same like that of a steel framed building. Tata Steel used the
steel frame that helps in producing less amount of the carbon dioxide over entire lifecycle as
compared to timber frame.
Assessment Task 2
Team Project
Product, current role and evolution of product

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Microprocessor helps in controlling the functions of central processing unit of the
computer. The programming of the microprocessor helps in receiving instructions from the
other components of device. The microprocessor of first generation came up in year 1971 and
currently it is the fifth generation of the microprocessor.
Need for the innovation
The behaviour of the customers are very dynamic in the present age that makes
innovation necessary for the microprocessors. They want high quality product of the lower
prices that makes innovation necessary in the present age.
Analysis of risks and developing strategies for its mitigation
The risks related to microprocessor design arises due to the fact that the innovation
can bring about problems in relation to the race condition. It takes place in the event of the
things taking place out of the order or at the varying time interval that can give rise to a
problem. There are strategies that can be developed that can help in preventing the risks. The
renaming of the registers can help in solving this problem (Helfat & Martin, 2015). It can
help in preventing hazards that arises owing to out-of-the-order execution.
Sustainability
Cache coherency should be considered in the case of multicore computing application
that can help the sustainability of the product. It can help in looking after fact that there is the
consistency of the data that is stored within the local caches.
Strategies for implementation of the new idea
The industry can make use of domain specific processor along with that of the general
purpose computing. The design process of microprocessors can be optimised along with

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design process along the multiple core SoC’s (Johne, 2018). Optimisation can help in
bringing about innovations in the product of microprocessor.
Main action items and the time frame for the implementation
The optimization strategy of the microprocessor can be done by the identification of
hotspots. It can help in identifying cause of performance bottle neck that can assess suitability
in relation to the using of the SIMD techniques. The SIMD optimization should be suitable
and the method should be selected that can help in applying it.
Specifications that should be considered in the case of evolution of microprocessor
relates to specification like AMBA 4 bus that should be developed for supporting the aspect
of system level cache coherency. This can help in ensuring the fact that there is optimum
performance along with the power efficiency within the heterogeneous SoCs.
Effect of the change and effects on people
It can help in achieving optimal performance of the microprocessors. It can help in
bringing about power efficiency in that of the complex heterogeneous SoCs. The software
developers should demand the increased visibility within the SoC designs that can help the
company in achieving the optimal performance (Prange & Schlegelmilch, 2018). The
software developers should provide the powerful modular debug that can help in addressing
greater productivity of the multicore SoC designer.
Communication Plan
The communication plan can be done with the help of the computer-assisted
conference along with the video conference. The audio conference having connection
between the computers can help in displaying document that can help in explaining the

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innovations that have been brought about in microprocessor. The live video can help people
in facilitating interaction that can help the people.
Performance Measures
The innovation can be measured with the help of clock rate that can help in pointing
out whether the changes that have been brought about in the microprocessor has been
successful or not. The performance of the new system can be measured by looking at the
amount of the work which can be completed by the microprocessor within that of the single
cycle (Rossignoli, Gatti & Agrifoglio, 2016).
Team Process
The goal of the team was to bring about innovation in the microprocessor by the
optimization of the microprocessor. The norm of the team was that the members would help
each other for carrying out the project in an effective manner. The responsibility of the team
was to co-ordinate well for ensuring the aspect of the cache coherency. It can help in
successfully bringing about multi core computing application. The goals pertaining to the
team performance would be to facilitate processing of the SIMD techniques smoothly that
can improve the functioning of the microprocessor. The creative ideas were encouraged in the
team by encouraging the young members of the team in coming forward with their ideas
along with the opinions. The interaction among the team was done in a transparent manner
with the help of video conferencing that helped every member of the group in expressing
their opinions. The evaluation of the ideas were done by taking opinion of the majority
members that helped in assessing whether the project would be successful.

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Assessment Task 3
Knowledge Test
Answer 1)
Kaizen is Japanese word that suggests improvement or change that is brought about
for better. It refers to the continuous effort that helps in bringing about improvements in
processes along with systems of a particular organization (von Thiele Schwarz et al., 2017).
The five S of Kaizen are seiri, seiten, seiso, seiketsu- seiketsu and shitsuke. Seiri
means standing out and it helps the employees in organizing the things. Seiten means
organizing that helps in relation to searching the items along with important documents. Seiso
means keeping the workplace clean that can help in identification of proper folders along
with the files. Seiketsu Seiketsu means standardization and the standard rules that are in a
company that helps in ensuring the superior quality. Shitsuke means the self-discipline that
helps the employees in respecting policies of organization.
Answer 2)
The case study of “The Toyota Way” talks about the two main principles of the
organisational learning which underlies the managerial approach of Toyota Motor
Corporation. The first principle states that right process can help in producing right results.
The production system of Toyota makes use of the concept of “jidoka” that takes care of the
fact that in the event of emerging of a problem the equipment would cease to function. It can
be useful in preventing the production of the defective products. It helps in producing
vehicles that are of high quality which helps in satisfying the requirements of the consumer
(Christensen, Raynor & McDonald, 2015). It talks about the continuous process flow that
can help in bringing problems to surface. It can play an important role in the elimination of
the waste by taking recourse to process of the continuous improvement. Toyota would make

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use of the principle of standardized tasks along with the process that can act as foundation for
the continuous improvement and bring about the empowerment of the employees. It can help
the employees in extending help that can help in growth along with improvement of
company.
Answer 3)
Disruptive innovation helps in reinventing technology along with the business model.
Disruptive innovation helps in generating the new market that disrupts the existing ones. An
example of disruptive innovation is Airbnb along with Uber. Air bnb has a business model
that helped in providing low-cost solution and it draws people away from the hotels
(Guttentag, 2015). Uber acts as an alternative to the taxi and it can hence be stated to be
disruptive innovation. Sustaining innovation helps in improving the products that are already
existing. It does not create the new markets but helps in developing the existing ones. Pfizer
can be said to be an example of the sustaining innovation as the company was able to expand
into that of the pharmaceutical company that is based on research. Sustaining innovation is
used by Apple that has taken recourse to the process of the innovation from time to time so
that they can serve needs of customer.
Answer 4)
Creativity refers to characteristics of person that helps in the generation of new ideas
along with the solutions in a manner that is different. Creativity helps an individual in
conceiving things that are original along with being unique (Kaufman, 2016). Innovation
refers to the act of applying the new ideas that helps in creating value for organization along
with government. Innovation rfers to improvement in existing product that helps in drawing
the consumers.
Answer 5)

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Total Quality Management (TQM) refers to continual process that helps in the
identification and the elimination of the errors in relation to manufacturing that can help in
improving customer experience. It takes care of the fact that all the parties involved within
the production process are accountable that helps in ensuring quality of the final product.
The eight elements of TQM are ethics, integrity, trust, training, teamwork, leadership,
recognition along with communication. Ethics is related to the good or the bad of any
particular situation. Integrity refers to honesty along with fairness when an organization
adheres to facts. Trust can be said to be a by-product of the integrity along with the ethical
conduct. Training helps the employees in being productive that helps them in utilizing the
skills in the organization (Jiménez-Jiménez et al., 2015). Teamwork can help business in
getting better solutions to the problems. Leadership in TQM helps the manager in providing
inspiring vision that helps a company in making the strategic decisions. Proper
communication taking place in between employees, suppliers along with the customers can
help in the understanding of the ideas in the organization. The recognition in the organization
helps the employees in giving their best that can help in development of the organization.

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