Ethics

Management is an important element in any business or organization. If we look at the word "management" translated from the Old French word mйnagement means "the directing" and if we look at the Latin translation "manu agree" means to "lead by the hand"(YahooAnswers.com, 2006). Both of these translations characterize the process of directing or leading an organization or a business organization. Whatever the origin, the functions of management are variably the same: design, plan, organize, direct, and control.

The book defines operations management as "the design, operation, and improvement of the systems that create and deliver the firm's primary products and services" (Chase, 2006). Wikipedia.com describes operations management as an "area of business that is concerned with the production of goods and services, and involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient and effective" (Operations Management, 2006).

Simply put, operations management is comprised of many facets of a business's mode-of-operations. It is the goal of every company to produce high quality products and services efficiently and effectively. Operations management is comprised of three main categories: cost, service, and quality.

Companies main cost objective is to produce and deliver products and services with the minimal amount of cost expended. The main service objective typically encompasses time; delivering quality products and services to customers in a timely manner or within an agreed upon time-frame. Quality objectives typically encompass adhering to an established tolerance threshold of quality control product standards of performance.

Consumers expect products to do what they say they can do. If a company produces a product that they say can do XYZ and consumers purchase that product, that product better be able to do XYZ. In business, you do not make promises you cannot keep. "It's important for leaders to align what they say with what they do because others are watching. It's typically called walking the talk" (McKay, 2006).

It is imperative for employees and consumers to have a certain level of confidence associated with the company or organization associated with the products or services employed.

Recent events within our organization have shaken the confidence level of the employees associated with our operations management team. Our organization is comprised of several