Background
Your leadership appeared impressed with the role of an operations manager. They have always suspected of knowing what an operations manager is responsible for; however, your background paper provided the insight they needed to make a decision. There was a purpose to each departmental visit, and that was to identify which department was the most deserving of innovative funds. You later realize the funds are also used to pay for the extra time dedicated to research and any solution that makes sense (i.e., results in significant ROI, improves efficiency, improves quality, increases profit).
Instructions
The key to this assignment is to ensure that the problem being addressed is an operational issue and not strategic or so large in scale that it would take years to address. Operations Management (OM) deals with the day-to-day processes of running efficiently, so focus on something that can have measurable results on a short-term basis. Using your organization, critically think about an OM problem that could improve.
This is a rough draft. The takeaway is to formulate a problem statement that you can use to write your paper, which is essentially a research question. You are composing a research question that drives an explanation for the necessary change that drives improvement. The question should start with “What can be done…”?. Avoid using questions that begin with “How will” or “Will.” These types of questions merely provide part of an explanation for a solution or a Yes or No answer. A proper solution digs deep into the root cause and is justified with evidence-based, actionable plans to incorporate change. Note: the instructor expects a rough draft, not a finished product.
List some issues and metrics that pertain to potential problems in your organization. Explain your organization's transformation process by providing the inputs, transformation, and outputs (see the transformation process diagram, page XXX). Note any concerns in the transformation process and devise a few (3-5) topical questions to get you thinking about the term paper. Try to note metrics that can be used and measured between the as-is and to-be conditions. These metrics are how you will determine success. Note that metrics can pertain to financial and non-financial measures. Submit your 3-5 slide presentation rough draft by the end of module 1.
You are expected to provide the following information:
• Describe the organization
• Introduce the as-is operations condition
• Construct 3-5 problem statements
• Draft a research question: What can be done….?
• Provide any notable metrics that you could use to measure performance.
• Reference list (note: Consider concepts and theories discussed in the text, grey literature (i.e., company metrics), and other peer-reviewed sources).
Key Themes: Perceptions often include deep-seated, though sometimes subconscious, biases known as implicit bias. This affects everything from hiring and lending to policing, perpetuating a perception of racial hierarchy where whiteness remains the norm against which all others are measured.
Class
Perception: American society largely adheres to the myth of meritocracy—the idea that hard work alone determines one's success and class position. This perception minimizes the impact of inherited wealth, opportunity hoarding, and systemic barriers.
Key Themes:
Upper Class: Perceived as successful, intelligent, and deserving, often enjoying a positive social status.
Middle Class: Viewed as the normative ideal and the "backbone" of the country, yet it is a shrinking category defined more by aspirations (home ownership, college education) than by economic security.
Lower/Working Class: Often perceived through a negative lens, associated with "lack of effort" or "dependence" rather than structural economic displacement or exploitation.
Gender
Perception: Gender is generally perceived in a binary fashion (male and female), with traditional, often rigid, gender roles still influencing expectations regarding behavior, career, and family life. While feminism and social change have challenged these roles, a structural perception of inequality persists.
Key Themes:
Hegemonic Masculinity: The expectation that men be dominant, competitive, and emotionally restricted.
Traditional Femininity: The historical expectation that women be nurturing, subordinate, and primarily responsible for domestic life, which creates the "second shift" for working women.
Gender Bias: Leads to phenomena like the "glass ceiling" in corporate leadership and the gender wage gap, showing that gender perceptions translate into concrete structural disadvantages.
Impacts on Psychological Development
These societal perceptions and resulting structural contexts profoundly shape an individual's psychological development, influencing self-concept, social identity, and well-being.
Sample Answer
Societal Perceptions of Race, Class, and Gender in the U.S.
U.S. society views race, class, and gender not as neutral descriptive categories, but as foundational axes of identity, hierarchy, and power. These perceptions are shaped by historical, cultural, and structural factors, often resulting in systemic inequalities.
Race
Perception: Race in the U.S. is fundamentally a social construct, though it is often mistakenly treated as a biological reality. The prevailing perception is one rooted in a Black/White binary that has historically centered on the legacy of slavery and civil rights. Contemporary views also grapple with the concept of the "model minority" (often applied to some Asian groups, creating pressure and masking internal diversity) and the stigmatization of other groups (e.g., Latinos, Native Americans) tied to issues of immigration, land rights, and citizenship.