Rondell Data Corporation Study Question Analysis
Issues and Discussion Questions
1.What are the goals and subunit orientations of the different functions in Rondell?
The five principal functions in Rondell that must work together to produce new products are production, sales, research, engineering services (part of engineering), and the control department (containing accounting, purchasing, and materials control). Each function contributes something unique and has adistinct subunit orientation.a. Production minimizes manufacturing costs. The goal is to obtain products from the engineering designdepartment for easy and inexpensive manufacturing. The manager in charge of production, Dave Schwab,is concerned about protecting his turf, and resists attempts by other departments to interfere withmanufacturing. Production’s orientation is short-term technical efficiency. b. Sales’ goal is to supply customers with new and innovative products to retain their business. It alsowants new products on time without shipping delays. Sales has a history of optimism about deliveringnew products quickly, and that optimism pressures other functions. Sales is to supply information toR&D for use in product development. Its orientation is toward meeting the changing needs of Rondell’scustomers—it is focused on the environment.c. R&D’s goal is to find innovative ways of improving existing products and creating new products.Some R&D functions try to improve the manufacturing process to reduce costs or increase reliability, butR&D is purely new product oriented. R&D causes problems by introducing new innovations into thedesign process at an advanced stage. Its orientation is toward long-run product development.d. Engineering service’s job is to coordinate and integrate activities. Engineering services takes the inputsfrom sales and R&D—new customer requests or improved component designs—and builds the final product design with production specifications. It sends these plans to production, which designs theassembly process to produce
1.What are the goals and subunit orientations of the different functions in Rondell?
The five principal functions in Rondell that must work together to produce new products are production, sales, research, engineering services (part of engineering), and the control department (containing accounting, purchasing, and materials control). Each function contributes something unique and has adistinct subunit orientation.a. Production minimizes manufacturing costs. The goal is to obtain products from the engineering designdepartment for easy and inexpensive manufacturing. The manager in charge of production, Dave Schwab,is concerned about protecting his turf, and resists attempts by other departments to interfere withmanufacturing. Production’s orientation is short-term technical efficiency. b. Sales’ goal is to supply customers with new and innovative products to retain their business. It alsowants new products on time without shipping delays. Sales has a history of optimism about deliveringnew products quickly, and that optimism pressures other functions. Sales is to supply information toR&D for use in product development. Its orientation is toward meeting the changing needs of Rondell’scustomers—it is focused on the environment.c. R&D’s goal is to find innovative ways of improving existing products and creating new products.Some R&D functions try to improve the manufacturing process to reduce costs or increase reliability, butR&D is purely new product oriented. R&D causes problems by introducing new innovations into thedesign process at an advanced stage. Its orientation is toward long-run product development.d. Engineering service’s job is to coordinate and integrate activities. Engineering services takes the inputsfrom sales and R&D—new customer requests or improved component designs—and builds the final product design with production specifications. It sends these plans to production, which designs theassembly process to produce