BUU44570: Select a manufacturing or service firm of your choice. The firm’s stakeholders have been increasingly concerned: Operations Strategy Assignment, TBS, Ireland

Select a manufacturing or service firm of your choice. The firm’s stakeholders have been increasingly concerned about the environmental and social aspects of the firm’s operations. However, senior management has been hesitant to incorporate a CSR strategy arguing that the trade-offs between environmental/social performance and economic performance are too great. Put forward a report to senior management arguing how the firm could benefit depending on your position, from implementing a CSR-focused operational strategy.

The report may take an environmental or social lens (Pick one). Think about the operational level implications and the market implications. Also, outline the environmental (or social) implications of the strategy for two of the key operational strategy decision-making areas outlined below in terms of the overall operational strategy and competitive position of the firm.

•  Capacity strategy
• Supply network strategy
• Process technology strategy
• Improvement strategy
• Development and organization strategy Also outline what resources the firm could leverage to support the operational strategy.

Depending on your position, you can incorporate theories and concepts from class to support your arguments i.e. the Hayes and Wheelwright model, the practice-based view, the resource-based view, the natural resource-based view, dynamic capabilities, stakeholder theory versus stockholder theory, Transaction Costs Economics to name but few.

You should also outline some of the challenges of implementation/nonimplementation of the CSR strategy and, finally, make overall recommendations to management to conclude.