EMBA 615 Spring 2020 Case Study: Productivity and Ethics

This document presents a comprehensive solution to an EMBA 615 case study, addressing key business management concepts. The solution begins by examining the impact of global competition on productivity, emphasizing the role of human capital and market share dynamics. It then delves into a quantitative analysis of productivity, comparing the multifactor productivity of current and proposed manufacturing processes, and recommending the optimal choice. The assignment further explores mission statements of Saudi companies, analyzing stakeholder considerations and providing a rationale for the preferred mission statement. The solution includes flowchart analysis, evaluating the sales-call process and identifying potential areas for improvement. Additionally, it addresses the negative impacts of unethical behavior on businesses. The document also includes CPM network path analysis and critical path calculations, identifying the critical path and project duration. Finally, the solution provides a network diagram, path analysis, and crash cost analysis to optimize project timelines and costs. References are included.

Running head: QUESTIONS 0
EMBA 615
APRIL 11, 2020
STUDENT DETAILS

QUESTIONS 1
Contents
Answer 1:.........................................................................................................................................2
Answer 2:.........................................................................................................................................2
Answer 3:.........................................................................................................................................2
Answer 4:.........................................................................................................................................3
Answer 5:.........................................................................................................................................3
Answer 6:.........................................................................................................................................3
Answer 7:.........................................................................................................................................4
.........................................................................................................................................................4
Answer 8:.........................................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................6

QUESTIONS 2
Answer 1:
There is great connection between global competition as well as productivity. The human
capital, particularly in technological industries, helps in developing productivity. The global
competition confirms that organisations that are more productive enhance their shares of market
at the less productive expenses. The low productivity organisations may exit the marketplace, to
be replaced by high productivity organisations, with succeeding positive cross-entity influence
on the productivity (Tallman, Luo & Buckley, 2018).
Answer 2:
(a) Calculation of multifactor productivity of current procedure -
Multifactor productivity of current process = (200 * $20) / [(10*$10) + $120+ (1.4*10*$10)]
= 11.11 unit per dollar spent
(b) Calculation of multifactor productivity of new procedure -
Multifactor productivity of new process = (300*$20)/ [(14* $10) + $150 + (1.4 * 14* $10)]
= 12.35 unit per dollar spent
(c) It is found that new procedure enhances multifactor productivity, as it is more productive. It
can see that it enhances productivity from 11.1 units/$ to 12.34 units/$. In this way, the new
process should be chosen rather than current process.
Answer 3:
Mission statement and analysis of mission statement of Saudi Companies -
1. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group: it is stated in the mission statement of company
that the mission of company is to render unique as well as comprehensive medical care.
The company focuses on the improvement of quality of lives of the individuals from
every walk of the life. In addition, it states that it is devoted to bring most improved
technologies related to medical field. It also hires best qualified as well as innovative
medical experts and management team. Thus, it maintains higher quality of services
provided to patients. It puts focus of different stakeholders like patients, practitioners, and
management team.
2. SADAFCO: the mission statement of company says that it focuses on the development,
production, and marketing of great range of nutrition foodstuff proposition. It considers
all age group and creates maximum value. It does work through team. In this way, the
company considers the values of different stakeholders like managers, workers, food
chain suppliers, and customers.
3. National Water Company: it is mentioned in mission statement of company that it
renders exceptional services of water and wastewater. It follows cost effective manner to
render services. It focuses on the satisfaction of stakeholders such as, consumers,
employees, as well as communities.
Analysis: In my opinion, the mission statement of Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group is best
because it focuses on the quality services to be provided to patients. It provides services with

QUESTIONS 3
honesty as well as respect. It also focuses on the improvements of different stakeholders like
doctors and team (De, Souza, 2018).
Answer 4:
The flowchart traces flow of customer, employee, tools, materials as well as data
throughout the procedure. In this relation, I may count the numbers of symbol stating
investigation, conveyance along with delay, since the steps of procedures are characteristically
not value added. There can also be a check for loop in a procedure and take decision about why
there is requirement to re-circulate clients, data, materials, or employees throughout certain
significant steps of procedure. It is a question to be considered that were the loops added for the
reason that steps of process are not always executed properly at first time. Other common factor
of flowchart to evaluate is a level diverging. It is required to know that whether the decisional
points evidently stated and is there the unmistakeable methodology for workers as well as
customers to understand which branch is relevant to consider as they move-forward through the
procedure? In this way, it needs to know that the group made the flow chart. It is probably not
accustomed to flow-charting (in any case, they are in sale). I may affirm that procedure that has
charted is actually the "as is" presentation of procedure and not the "hoped for" or "as per policy"
representation (Cormier, et. al, 2018).
Answer 5:
The poorest effect of unethical behaviour on the businesses is that the company fails in
maintaining the long-term relations with the clients because of the bad services. In addition, it
becomes susceptible to longer and costly litigation processes. It can see that the unethical
practices have serious concern on the quality of services as well as products. The customers will
not buy these products and services from the company practicing unethically. It can see that
every company should have raw material suppliers and clients who buy the finished goods.
Certain organisations make the payment to suppliers at very low rate. In this way, these suppliers
lack the value of the effort, which they input in the work. As if it is not sufficient, certain
organisations go ahead to make lower quality or insecure product (Cova, et. al, 2018).
Answer 6:
The CPM network path is mentioned below –
Answer 7:
The critical path is mentioned below –
A
B
C
D
E

QUESTIONS 4
B (2) E (5)
A (4) D (4) E (5)
C (7) E (5)
Calculation of duration of critical path –
Path-I = 4+2+5
= 11 weeks
Path-II = 4+4+5
= 13 weeks
Path-III = 7+5
= 12 weeks
In all, it is found that path-II takes more time of 13 weeks. Consequently, path-II is
critical path.
Answer 8:
Following is network diagram for provided project with normal cost –
C (2)
A (5) E (5) F (2)
B (5) C (2) E (5) G (3)
H (5)
D (3)
Following are the four paths -
Path-I = 5+2+5+2
4
5
1
2
3
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

QUESTIONS 5
= 14 days
Path-II = 5+3+5+3+5
= 21 days
Path-III = 5+2+5+3+5
= 20 days
Path-1v = 5+3+5+2
= 15 days
As a result, Path II is critical path because it takes maximum time of 21 days. The critical
activities include B, D, E, G, H.
The crash cost per unit time for the activities in the project are provided in the following
table –
Activity Normal
Time
(days)
Normal
Cost ($)
Crash
Time
(days)
Crash
Cost
($)
normal
time –
crash
time
Crash
cost-
norma
l cost
Crash
cost
per
unit
Immediate
predecessor(s)
A 5 1000 4 1200 1 200 200 -
B 5 800 3 2000 2 1200 600 -
C 2 600 1 900 1 300 300 A, B
D 3 1500 2 2000 1 500 500 B
E 5 900 3 1200 2 300 150 C, D
F 2 1300 1 1400 1 100 100 E
G 3 900 3 900 0 0 0 E
H 5 500 3 900 2 400 200 G
It needs to select one activity among B, D, E, G, H to crash. A least among them is zero.
Thus, it is required to select activity G to crash. The period of G by 1 day will be reduced by
without spending extra amount (Ball & Basu, 2016, July)
The revised time for Path II = 5+3+5+2+5 = 20 days
Time for path-I = 5+2+5+2 = 14 days
Time for path-III = 5+2+5+3+5 = 20 days
Time for path-IV = 5+3+5+2 =15 days
Maximum of {20, 14, 20, 15} = 20 days

QUESTIONS 6
References
Ball, F., & Basu, K. (2016, July). Performance Evaluation of Time-Critcal Smart Grid
Applications. In INC (pp. 13-18).
Cormier, S. M., Zheng, L., Hill, R. A., Novak, R. M., & Flaherty, C. M. (2018). A flow-chart for
developing water quality criteria from two field-based methods. Science of The Total
Environment, 633, 1647-1656.
Cova, B., Gaglio, G., Weber, J., & Chanial, P. (2018). Organizational sensemaking of non-
ethical consumer behavior: Case study of a French mutual insurance company. Journal
of Business Ethics, 148(4), 783-799.
de Souza, R. A. (2018). Indigenism and the Search for Brazilian Identity: European Influences
and National Roots1. Brazilian Literature as World Literature, 272.
Tallman, S., Luo, Y., & Buckley, P. J. (2018). Business models in global competition. Global
Strategy Journal, 8(4), 517-535.