Midas” Case Study Assignment Instructions
Read the “Midas” case study in Chapter 2 of your text and respond to the guided response below in a three- to four-page paper. In this paper you must:
- Discuss the anticipated impacts (both positive and negative) upon operating efficiencies, and recommend solutions to minimize the negative impacts.
- Discuss whether or not operating practices should be changed to accommodate the tune-ups. Be sure to explain your reasoning.
- Examine the reasons why input should be gathered from the shop owners.
- Discuss the type of input that should be gathered.
- Describe the processes and steps needed to launch this new program
Midas Case Study Sample Paper
Midas shops offer total automotive care, including services such as changing oil, air conditioning, tire repairs, battery maintenance, and brake adjustment. The services are rendered by technicians with ASE certifications. Midas is renowned in the automotive industry, and highly regarded as regards meeting the automotive care needs of its clients. Midas is keen on introducing a new service, engine tune-up, to run alongside the services it has offered over the years (Dilworth, 1999; Vonderembse & White, 2004). This essay explores the impacts expected to stem from the introduction of the new service, especially with regards to process efficiencies.
Efficiencies
The introduction of the new service, engine tune-up, will assist Midas bolster its existing competitive advantages. Even then, the service may adversely affect the way the company’s business operations. The added workload associated with the service may limit the technicians’ operating efficiencies, reducing the quality of the services they offer. The increased workload may necessitate Midas to expend significant resources in increasing the capacity or number of its extant shops (Melnyk & Denzler, 1996). The company may require committing significant resources to the acquisition and deployment of particular tools to enable the company offer the new service. Midas may require sponsoring the technicians dedicated to offering the new service to get the requisite training to execute particular work procedures. The training would be essential in enhancing technician competence levels to make the technicians adept at offering the new service.
If the company resolves to offer the new service, it may face various storage-related difficulties, including loss of efficiency in store operations. The company will require providing for inventory storage as regards the equipment and materials required in offering engine tune-up as a service (Dilworth, 1999; Vonderembse & White, 2004). The equipment and materials will include spark plugs, spark points, condensers, and fuel filters. If such challenges will arise, Midas will be capable of addressing them in multiple ways, especially the challenges relating to client service operations. It will be essential to address the challenges to promote operational efficiencies.
First, Midas will be capable of addressing or mitigating the challenges, as well as the impacts of introducing the additional service, by remaining committed to continuous stakeholder engagement. Second, Midas will be capable of addressing the challenges and mitigating the impacts by recruiting employees with the requisite competencies. The company should focus on recruiting technicians capable of offering the service efficiently, as well as effectively, and building lasting relationships with the clients they will be serving. Third, Midas should continually train its technicians especially to acquire all-round skills in offering diverse automotive care service efficiently.
Operating Practice Adjustments
Midas’ extant operating practices should be adjusted, or changed, to put up the additional service, engine tune-up. There are various reasons why the practices ought to be changed. First, the additional service will be offered in the same spaces with the services offered by the company presently. The present practices should be changed to ensure that the spaces will be used optimally and efficiently.
Second, the practices ought to be adjusted since the technician offering the additional service may be required to share the tools and equipments with the technicians offering the current services. The extant practices will require to be reoriented to ensure that the tools and equipments are used optimally even in cases where they will be shared. Third, the offering of the additional service may require the company to redistribute its technician workforce, hence the related roles and practices.
Importance of Shop Owner Input
Input ought to be collected from Midas shop owners to ensure that they are adequately engaged in the operational planning for the additional service, engine tune-up. Input should be gotten from them to ensure that they are supportive of the service and the related operational processes. Gathering input from them will help establish whether or not they consent to the introduction of the service. Notably, the owners are major stakeholders in Midas’ business and thus all the non-legal, as well as legal, permits, or consents, that they should give should be sought prior to the service’s introduction. During the collection of input from the owners, the company can use that opportunity to inform them of their new responsibilities as regards the new service (Dilworth, 1999).
The input sought from the owners should include their non-legal, as well as legal, permits, or consents, concerning the new service. The input should include the availability of space, tools, and other resources required in offering the new service in the premises ran by them. As well, the input should include their recommendations regarding the new service, the expected changes in operational practices, and the expected personnel changes.
Requisite Processes and Steps in Launching the New Service
Midas should follow a number of steps sequentially to ensure that the new service is launched successfully. First, Midas should define the proposed additional service in relation to the services that its offers presently. Second, Midas should engage its stakeholders regarding the proposed additional service and identifying their requirements relating to the processes. Third, Midas should design the processes necessary in offering the service, by characterizing the service, defining the team to manage the service, and spelling out the expected outcomes. Fourth, the company should develop a flow chart of its expanded operational practices and then launch the service (Chary, 2009).
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