o support your growth as a “community of scholars,” this group-based case study analysis will depend on your ability to collaborate with others. During Week 1, each student will be assigned to a 3- to 6-person Project Group. Groups can be accessed in the Groups area of the classroom. The case study you will be using in this group project is Crocs: Revolutionizing an Industry’s Supply Chain Model for Competitive Advantage (Schroeder, Goldstein, & Rungusanatham, 2013, pp. 492–503).

During the initial formation and organization process, each group will review the project and develop an organization for success. The following lead roles will be assumed by group members by mutual consent. Group members will define these lead roles as they think necessary for complete understanding by all members of the group.

• Organizer (or the time line enforcer: assigns roles and establishes time lines)
• Researcher (all members should participate)
• Compiler (takes research results and compiles into a unified document)
• Editor and poster (edits for mistakes and submits paper)

  Requirements

  Each group will analyze the case study. During Week 1, you should read the case and think about what Crocs seems to be doing well and the issues the company is facing or may face in the future.

  Each group will produce a Group Case Study Project, which consists of an analysis report. The report should be 7–10 pages in length and respond to each subheading listed in the Case Analysis section below. The paper must follow APA style and format.

  A thorough analysis of the key issues in the case study is to be included in the paper. Make sure to employ the key concepts studied in the course text. Each group will be expected to consider and comment on questions such as the following:

• What happened?
• What was the cause(s)?
• What was the impact?
• What was the outcome?
• What concepts and theories were effective for Crocs in your analysis? Why were they effective?
• What concepts and theories were ineffective? Why were they ineffective?

  The analysis should provide a brief background or introduction for the reader; identify what the group believes to be the key issues; describe the elements of critical thinking and decision making that came into play; and include the group’s assessment of what might have been done to change the situation to a more positive outcome if necessary.

  Submit the Group Case Study Project by Wednesday 12/23/15.

  Format

• Introduction: This should be about 2 short paragraphs. The first paragraph should introduce the members of your group (make up some names) and identify the group roles. (Organizer, Compiler, Editor and Poster, Researcher) each person performed. The second paragraph should introduce the most important points of the case study. For example, what does Crocs manufacture and sell, and what are the most important issues identified in the case?
• Case Analysis (use the following subheadings in your report):

1.      Crocs’ Operation Strategy Model

2.      New Product Development and Quality Function Deployment

3.      Analysis of Crocs in the North American, European, Asian, and South American Markets and Product-Process Strategies

4.      Process Flow Analysis and Process Redesign

5.      Application of Lean Principles

6.      Management of Product and Service Quality

7.      Supply Chain and Supply Chain Management

8.      Forecasting and Capacity Planning

9.      Production Scheduling and Management

10.  Analysis and Recommendation(s) for Improvements in Crocs’ Operations

Conclusion: This portion of the report should be 2–3 paragraphs long. Demonstrate that you have indeed accomplished the Learning Objectives. Summarize your analysis of the case and your recommendations here. What are the most important points or issues or the major strengths and weaknesses of Crocs’ methods of managing operations? Discuss any overall recommendations for improvements that could be made to bolster Crocs’ operations.

Attachments:

operations_management_in_the_supply_chain.docx

crocs_case_study.pdf