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Question: The era of big data has arrived.

The era of big data has arrived. Discussions of terabytes and petabytes that were reserved for supercomputing facilities just a few years ago are common today. Companies are recognizing the tremendous value in the data they create, and they want to capitalize on that value. Manufacturing is leading the way as one of the largest producers of data from factory systems, machines, and sensors. However, the rapid evolution of big data technologies, coupled with the hype surrounding these technologies, has led to “analytics paralytics” at some manufacturers. Questions of where to start and how to implement a big data technology can be answered in the following exercise. Step 1: By yourself, place the eight steps below in the sequential order you believe will be most effective for implement- ing big data analytics in a manufacturing plant. The first step would get a “1” and the last step would get an “8.” Put your sequence number beside each item under “Your Sequence.”
The era of big data has arrived. Discussions of terabytes and petabytes that were reserved for supercomputing facilities just a few years ago are common today. Companies are recognizing the tremendous value in the data they create, and they want to capitalize on that value. Manufacturing is leading the way as one of the largest producers of data from factory systems, machines, and sensors.
However, the rapid evolution of big data technologies, coupled with the hype surrounding these technologies, has led to “analytics paralytics” at some manufacturers. Questions of where to start and how to implement a big data technology can be answered in the following exercise.
 Step 1: By yourself, place the eight steps below in the sequential order you believe will be most effective for implement- ing big data analytics in a manufacturing plant. The first step would get a “1” and the last step would get an “8.” Put your sequence number beside each item under “Your Sequence.”
Step 2: Divide into small teams of three to four members and decide as a group the correct sequence of the eight steps above to implement big data in a manufacturing plant. Record your team sequence of steps in the second column above from “1” to “8.”
Step 3: Your instructor will give you the expert’s sequence to be placed in column 3 above. Your instructor will also read the rationale for each step in the project sequence.
Step 4: Compute the absolute difference (no minus numbers) between your individual score and the expert score. Add up the differences to derive your total score. Now do the same for the team score. Which score is lower? A low score is better. Did the collective knowledge of your team produce a lower score? Discuss the dynamic within your team that might explain your team score.

Step 2: Divide into small teams of three to four members and decide as a group the correct sequence of the eight steps above to implement big data in a manufacturing plant. Record your team sequence of steps in the second column above from “1” to “8.” Step 3: Your instructor will give you the expert’s sequence to be placed in column 3 above. Your instructor will also read the rationale for each step in the project sequence. Step 4: Compute the absolute difference (no minus numbers) between your individual score and the expert score. Add up the differences to derive your total score. Now do the same for the team score. Which score is lower? A low score is better. Did the collective knowledge of your team produce a lower score? Discuss the dynamic within your team that might explain your team score.


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> Would you prefer to work in an organization with a tight or a loose culture (BookMark)? Explain why.

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> Can an organization be efficient without being effective? Can an inefficient organization still be an effective one? Explain your answers.

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> How might the top management of an organization use SWOT analysis or scenario planning to set goals and strategy? Explain.

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> What are some differences one might expect for measuring effectiveness expectations for a nonprofit organization versus a for-profit business? Do you think nonprofit managers have to pay more attention to stakeholders than do business managers? Discuss.

> What does it mean to say an organization is an open system? How is the stakeholder approach related to the concept of open systems?

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> What does contingency mean? What are the implications of contingency theory for managers?

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> Some researchers argue that the concept of exchange underlying the principle of reciprocity (trading some- thing of value to another for what you want) is the basis of all influence. Do you agree? Discuss. To what extent do you feel obligated to return a

> The engineering college at a major university brings in three times as many government research dollars as does the rest of the university combined. Engineering appears wealthy and has many professors on full-time research status. Yet, when internal rese

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> In a rapidly changing organization, are decisions more likely to be made using the rational or political model of organization? Discuss.

> Starbucks and Barnes & Noble entered into a partner- ship that places a Starbucks in each B&N bookstore. What organizational and environmental factors might determine which organization will have more power in the relationship?

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> Can you think of a decision you have made in your personal, school, or work life that reflects a stronger desire to avoid a loss than to make a gain? How about a time when you stayed with an idea or project for too long, perhaps even escalating your comm

> Why would managers in high-velocity environments worry more about the present than the future? Would an individual manager working in this type of environment be more likely to succeed with a rational approach or an intuitive approach? Discuss.

> How would you make a decision to select a building site for a new waste-treatment plant in the Philippines? Where would you start with this complex decision, and what steps would you take? Explain which decision model in the chapter best describes your a

> An organization theorist once told her class, “Organizations never make big decisions. They make small decisions that eventually add up to a big decision.” Explain the logic behind this statement.

> What are the three major phases in Mintzberg’s incremental decision model? Why might an organization recycle through one or more phases of the model?

> The Carnegie model emphasizes the need for a political coalition in the decision-making process. When and why are coalitions necessary?

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> Why do you think decision mistakes are usually accepted in organizations but penalized in college courses and exams that are designed to train managers?

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> The manager of R&D for a drug company said that only five percent of the company’s new products ever achieve market success. She also said the industry average is 10 percent and wondered how her organization might increase its success rate. If you were a

> How do the underlying values of organization development compare to the values underlying other types of change? Why do the values underlying OD make it particularly useful in shifting to a high-performance culture as described in Chapter 11 (Exhibit 11.

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