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Riordan Mfg

SITUATION ANALYSIS AND PROBLEM STATEMENT: RIORDAN MANUFACTURING

Situation Analysis and Problem Statement
In today's business world in order for an organization to walk the path of technological advancement, increasing profits and remain one step ahead of the curve businesses must possess the ability to solve problems effectively and efficiently. There are different ways to approach defining the problems facing an organization; the focus needs to be on defining the problem correctly (University of Phoenix, 2004). Situation analysis is a widely used tool and is often termed the "three c's" and refers to three major elements: customers, costs and competition" (Wikipedia contributors, 2006).
The context of the paper will examine the case study of Riordan Manufacturing and provide an in-depth situation analysis starting with a brief background of the scenario, identify the issues and opportunities, explore stakeholder perspectives and ethical dilemmas. Continuing through the problem definition guidelines, a problem statement will be developed and end state goals will be identified.
Situation Background (Step 1)
Riordan Manufacturing is an industry leader and global plastics producer and broken into three plants: plastic beverage containers in Albany, Georgia, custom plastic parts in Pontiac, Michigan and plastic fan parts in Hangzhou, China. They are wholly owned by Riordan Industries and employ over 550 people in the United State and China (University of Phoenix, 2006). Sharply declining sales, market share and uneven profits over the past two years has left Riordan Manufacturing in an industry of consolidation and extreme competitiveness. These industry changes has prompted Riordan Manufacturing to reevaluate their sales and manufacturing processes and they have implemented a Customer Relationship Management system, better known as CRM, and self-directed work teams. Specifically, the CRM system consists of sales teams, which includes a sales person,...