Category «Operations»

Using Data to Uncover Operational Inefficiency

On October 8, 2018, Glenn Peterson, President of Primo Flight Parts, Inc. (PFP), faced an important deadline: In one week, he needed to finalize his 2019 proposed budget so that supporting materials could be assembled and sent to the Board of Directors in advance of its October 23 meeting, when (he hoped) the budget would …

How to Fill the Holes in Mining Inventory?

JoAnn put down the inventory reports of four Mosaic mines that she had been contemplating. Much of the raw material for the company’s phosphate fertilizer production was mined and processed at these Florida facilities. Keeping track of the vast array of equipment, parts, and supplies required to operate the mines had become an issue.

Secure Data Integration in a Cloud Environment

Honeywell was an industry leader in the aerospace market for both government and commercial needs, and had a proud history of making best-in-class products for a wide range of customers. Mike Brutsman, senior project manager, thought, “We have great data, great analysts, and great products. Why can’t we provide better and timelier project data to …

The Ethics of Conducting Research Using Social Media: A Discussion Case

In 2015, Samuel who was registered for a master’s programme in the Department of Business Management, housed within the Faculty of Management and Commerce at a prominent university located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, decided on a research topic in the area of social media service quality using the E-S-SERVQUAL model. Once …

Transforming Higher Education Through ICT and Transport Infrastructure Development

The Head of Institutional Planning at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Mr. Stevens, was working with the 2016 UWC Institutional Operational Plan (IOP) White Paper. He was using this document in his planning. One of the goals of the IOP was the development of the campus and surrounding areas, which required his executive …

Ecosandals.Com: The Digital Transformation of a Social Enterprise

The Wikyo Akala Project (WAP) was a cooperative set up as a social enterprise that sought to pool the efforts of the sandal makers in the Korogocho area, Nairobi, Kenya, in order to improve their sales revenue using the internet platform. WAP struggled to survive as a “bricks-and-mortar” social enterprise in the first six years …

Tapping into Opportunity beyond South Africa for Small Business Expansion

Masana Twala and Emily Brown, the co-founders of ME Data Services (MEDS), believed they had identified an excellent opportunity in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) domain. They were excited to set their idea in motion and, as many technology services entrepreneurs do, they feared that if they did not act promptly they could lose this …