Select a US-based firm that has made the decision to outsource some portion of its manufacturing operations offshore (i.e., not in the United States). Assume the role of the business unit manager with overall responsibility for the outsourced function(s). Create a case analysis for the Chief Operating Officer (COO) that critically evaluates the outsourcing decision. Select two peer-reviewed articles and two industry-generated articles to support your analysis. Be sure to structure your paper in a way that clearly addresses the following five elements:
- Introduction- Summarize the internal and external factors leading to the firm's decision to outsource the function(s) offshore. Keep in mind that this exercise offers you the opportunity to demonstrate a high level of critical thinking in all aspects of the assignment.
- Literature Review - Identify published opinion within each of the four required articles that substantiates your support of the decision to outsource.
- Analysis- Review the decision to outsource the function offshore. Discuss potential long-term impacts of this outsourcing decision, including the impact on employees based in the US, quality of the outsourced product(s), and company sales, profit, and reputation.
- Synthesis- Identify and recommend strategies to move the company not only to a position of maintaining current levels of quality and sales, but toward improvements in each of these measures of success.
- Conclusion-Summarize the essence of the information discussed and recommend solutions that incorporate the outsourcing decision into an overall successful corporate strategy for sustainability and implementation.
Support your assignment with at least four resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be included. Remember to cite your sources within the text of your document. If you have in-text citations, they must appear on the references page.
Length: 5-7 pages, not including assignment coversheet, title page, and reference page(s). Use topic section headings for each of the five elements listed above.
Your response should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should also reflect professional business writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
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