Assignment 1: Vice President Of Operations, Part 1 Du 650235

Assignment 1: Vice President of Operations, Part 1 Due Week 3 and worth 200 points

Scenario: Imagine that you are the vice president of operations at a production or service organization. You have noticed that your organization’s current operations strategy is not supporting the challenges that the organization is presently facing. In order to maintain a competitive edge, you must address these challenges with your Chief Executive Officer immediately. Select an existing production organization. Analyze the organization’s current vision, mission, business strategy, operation strategy, supply chain, total quality management, just-in-time philosophy, forecasting method, statistical technique, facility location, work design, project life cycle, and project management.

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1. Evaluate key elements of the selected production or service organization’s operational efficiency with its operational strategy. Determine three (3) tasks that do not align with the operational strategy. Determine the weaknesses that are evident in each task.
2. Formulate a new operations strategy for the selected organization based on the four (4) competitive priorities (i.e., cost, quality, time, and flexibility).
3. Analyze both the structure of the competitive priorities and infrastructure of the production process. Develop three (3) new enablers that are aligned with the long-term plan of the selected organization. Evaluate three (3) pros and three (3) cons of the new enablers.
4. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

In the contemporary competitive business environment, organizations must continuously evaluate and refine their operational strategies to sustain growth and maintain a competitive edge. This paper critically examines Amazon Web Services (AWS), a leading cloud computing provider, with the aim of identifying areas where its current operations strategy may be misaligned with operational challenges. Based on this analysis, the paper proposes a new operations strategy aligned with the four competitive priorities—cost, quality, time, and flexibility—and discusses innovative enablers to support long-term organizational goals.

Current Operational Strategy and Efficiency Assessment

AWS’s operational strategy is primarily service-oriented, emphasizing a robust global infrastructure, hardware reliability, and capacity for infinite storage and processing. These elements have contributed significantly to AWS’s market dominance, enabling it to uphold competitive advantages related to cost and quality. AWS’s focus on scalable cloud services, global data centers, and partnerships with local telecommunication providers underpins its efficiency. However, certain tasks such as analytics, application testing, and security management display internal incongruences with the overall operational strategy.

Task 1: Data Analytics

While AWS offers data analytics services, processing large datasets incurs high computational costs and network lag, leading to delivery delays. The weaknesses include inefficient resource utilization and scalability limitations during peak demands.

Task 2: Application and AI Testing

Research and development in AI involves experimentation with futuristic technologies that do not generate immediate profit, straining resources and diverting focus from core services.

Task 3: Security Management

Maintaining security involves redundant software and multi-layered defenses, yet vulnerabilities persist due to reliance on client-side data sanitization, creating potential gaps and inefficiencies.

Formulating a New Operations Strategy

To better align with these challenges, a revised operations strategy should prioritize the four competitive dimensions: cost, quality, time, and flexibility.

Cost: Implement tiered pricing models, allowing customers to select service packages based on their needs, thus improving affordability and attracting a broader customer base.

Quality: Expand and upgrade global data centers, especially targeting underserved regions, to ensure consistent service quality and reliability, integrating local telecommunications for improved connectivity.

Time: Enhance network infrastructure by investing in satellite communications and possibly space-based internet services to achieve near-instantaneous data access worldwide.

Flexibility: Develop an online feedback system to facilitate real-time customer interactions, enabling rapid adjustments to services based on user needs and preferences.

Structural Analysis of Competitive Priorities and Infrastructure

The structure of AWS’s competitive priorities reflects a strength in cost leadership and quality assurance. Its low-cost pricing strategy gives it a considerable advantage, especially for price-sensitive customers. However, AWS’s infrastructure reveals limitations regarding flexibility and responsiveness, as its open-source policies and licensing models could hinder rapid customization for clients demanding licensed, proprietary software solutions.

Developing Enablers for Long-term Success

Enabler 1: Expansion of internet connectivity in Africa through fiber-optic infrastructure.

Enabler 2: Establishing AWS as a globally recognized cloud brand, investing in marketing and branding strategies.

Enabler 3: Advancing research and development in AI and machine learning (ML) to innovate and automate complex operations.

Pros and Cons of Enablers

• Expansion of Internet Connectivity
• Pros: Expands market reach, enhances service accessibility.
• Cons: High deployment costs, regulatory hurdles, potential security vulnerabilities.
• Brand Establishment
• Pros: Increased market visibility, customer trust, and loyalty.
• Cons: Intense competition, high marketing expenses, potential brand dilution if not managed properly.
• AI and ML Advancements
• Pros: Innovation leadership, automation of processes, improved service personalization.
• Cons: Technological uncertainties, ethical concerns, potential job displacement.

Conclusion

By identifying operational inefficiencies and aligning the strategic framework with organizational goals, AWS can reinforce its market position. Emphasizing technological innovation, expanding global infrastructure, and creating flexible, customer-centric services are pivotal for future success. Implementing these enablers with careful risk management can offer sustainable competitive advantages aligned with the company’s long-term vision.

References

• Amazon Web Services. (2014). Overview of Amazon Web Services. Retrieved from https://aws.amazon.com/overview/
• Amazon Web Services. (2017). Cloud Service Pricing. Retrieved from https://aws.amazon.com/pricing/
• Emolument. (2017). Amazon Employee Salaries. Retrieved from https://emolument.com/salaries/amazon
• Varia, J. (2011). Architecting for the cloud. Amazon Web Services White Paper.
• Portfolium. (n.d.). Amazon Web Services: Architecting for the cloud. [Video].
• Amazon Web Services. (2017). Infrastructure and Operations Strategy. Retrieved from https://aws.amazon.com/enterprise/
• Smith, J. (2020). Cloud computing strategies and innovations. Journal of Operations Management, 45, 102-115.
• Lee, T. M. (2019). Strategic management of technology and innovation. Routledge.
• Chang, Y. (2018). Supply chain integration for cloud service providers. International Journal of Logistics Management, 29(2), 583-603.
• O'Neill, M., & Murphy, S. (2021). The impact of AI on organizational strategy. Harvard Business Review, 99(3), 21-25.