Posted: April 11th, 2016

Wal Mart is known for its mastery of cross docking. Cross docking avoids placing materials in storage and processes them immediately for outbound shipment?

1.
The U.S. is transitioning from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy, relying on human capital, workers skills, and commitment to add value to the assets of the organization. This has created strong pressure on the collective bargaining process and labor management relationships to adapt to meet the needs and interest of today s workers and the employers business environment. Participatory processes are often involved in these changes.
Respond to the following questions, supporting your answers with references to the course materials, Web sites, or other resources cited in APA style:
Explain why you think participatory processes important or not important in today s economy. Do you think they will grow or diminish in importance in the next decade?

Do you think that participatory processes help or hinder union strength and power? What is their effect when an organization is employee owned?
Your response should include the following:
A brief description of the debate surrounding participatory programs.

Your view on the importance of participatory processes in today s economy and on the potential growth or diminishment of participatory processes in the next decade.

Your view on whether participatory processes, including but not limited to employee ownership, help or hinder union growth and power.

2.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: The basic nature of the conflict between labor and management and the impact of the environment on the collective bargaining process and outcomes is not essentially changed when a company does business in more than one nation. Support your view with references to the course materials, Web sites, your personal experience, and other resources cited in APA style.
In your response, include the following:
A definition of a multinational firm, in your own words.

One of the pressures on the company when doing business in more than one country.

One of the pressures on the union when the company is multinational, specifically in terms of responding to managements advantages.

One example of multinational unionism.

One of the difficulties unions face in coordinating their efforts across national borders.

Cited all resources using proper APA style.

3.
Wal Mart is known for its mastery of cross docking. Cross docking avoids placing materials in storage and processes them immediately for outbound shipment.
Why do you think cross docking is appropriate for some forms of warehouse layouts? Do you believe that cross docking would work for all types of products? Why or why not? In your opinion, does using cross docking in a warehouse affect any other operations or functions within an organization? Why or why not?
Justify your answers using examples and reasoning.

4.Linear programming is a decision making tool to help allocate resources. A recent application of linear programming is in scheduling television commercials during program breaks. Managers determine the optimal mix of commercials that meet the requirements. For example, Company B s commercial will be shown twice during Program Y.
Assume that you are the manager responsible for determining commercials. You have run the linear program and have a solution. There appear to be multiple solutions in the feasible region. How would you choose which commercials to air during a particular program? How would you justify this solution to the management? If a new constraint was added to your program, what would you do?
Justify your answers using examples and reasoning.