Amazon.Com, Six Sigma, Strategy
Six Sigma involves linking the best elements of quality initiatives in a sustained pursuit of attaining efficiency, customer satisfaction, reduced cycle times and defect rates. This report involves a case study of the successful implementation of the strategy at Amazon.com Inc., as part of its Operational Excellence program. For the success of this study, the research methodology adopted involves the conduction of interviews, observation and review of company publications. Although responses were obtained from informants involved in the Six Sigma belt structure, company publications offered essential insight to the study. An exploratory nature adopted in the study warranted use of follow-up questions to make data collection successful.
In addition, a thematic approach was engaged to analyse data collected to permit easier identification of recurring themes, and develop context-rooted descriptions. This provided a platform of explaining the challenges experienced and solutions generated in the implementation of Six Sigma at Amazon.com. Linking the findings at the discussion treats the responses to an orientation of the relevant literature, for easier interpretation. Lastly, the paper concludes in recommending various mechanisms of sustaining and improving the Six Sigma strategy at Amazon.com.
[...] Six Sigma involves combining the best components of quality initiatives in a continuous pursuit of improving quality. Highlighting its importance in the business context, Antony and Banuelas (2003) define it as business improvement strategy used to improve profitability, to drive out waste, to reduce costs of poor quality and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of all operations so as to meet or even exceed customers' needs and expectations. Implementing Six Sigma involves sustaining a disciplined culture of quality improvement that reduces process variation while focusing on the production of similar results over an extended period. [...]
[...] The TQM Magazinde, 334- Braun, V., & clarke, V. (2006). Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Reseearch in Psychology 77-101. Harry, M. J., Mann, P. S., Hodgins, O. C., Hulbert, R. L., & Lacke, C. J. (2011). [...]
[...] This arose from the foundation of Amazon as a non-manufacturing company, which relied on suppliers to complement their small stock. The company needed to generate efficiency and reduce the cycle times involved from when the customer identifies the product, places an order for Amazon to send it to suppliers, who would in turn send the product for it to ship to the customer. Ordinarily, this would take more time when defects and errors arose in the process before the customer received the delivery. [...]
[...] This provided a platform of explaining the challenges experienced and solutions generated in the implementation of Six Sigma at Amazon.com. Findings From the data obtained, it suggests the company adopted Holpp and Pande (2002) three 6 approaches when implementing Six Sigma including problem solving, business transformational and strategic improvement. Although the company publications suggested emphasis lay in solving problems arising in its processes, it included exploiting the full potential of the strategy in quality improvement and sustaining organizational efficiency. Implementation Similar to manufacturing firms who experience growing pressure in sustaining quality improvement and minimizing production costs while maximizing production volumes, service companies aim for the reduction of cycle times and improving customer satisfaction. [...]
[...] Six Sigma Fundamentals: A Complete Introduction to the System, Methods, and Tools. New York: Productivity Press. Tan, S. (2013). The challenge of Six Sigma. Retrieved December from http://www.bcs.org/content/conWebDoc/15861 Tank, K., & Charaborty, A. (2009). Room for Improvement: Hotel Giant Resorts to Six Stigma to Impropve Operations. Six Stigma Forum Magazine, 20-24. [...]
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