Learning Activity 1:

Global perspective/ ethical dilemma

Review the posting from the guest speaker Thomas Preston, who was a former Imaging Chemicals Global Commodity Manager for Eastman Kodak Company. Pay attention to the details regarding operations management and manufacturing in this real life case study.

• Discuss your thoughts on the various experiences Mr. Preston had in conducting business in several different countries. What challenges do you think he faced when dealing with a variety of cultures? How do you think that affected the business transactions?
• Can you foresee any ethical dilemmas he may have faced when deciding which country to purchase chemicals from? If you were the purchasing agent, would you have done anything differently? Why?

Learning Activity 2:

Consider these three positions at Starbucks: retail store manager (in charge of the day-to-day operations at one store), district manager (responsible for the operations at multiple stores), and president of Starbucks North America (in charge of operations throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico). Identify the information needs of managers at each level?