We all have our favorite store that we shop at and there are various reasons as to why we always choose to shop at those stores. Whether it’s great prices, friendly staff, or just the fact that they always have what you’re looking for, these are all due to the fact that quality control has been put in place to draw you, the consumer, in to buy their products.

When we find these desired products, we expect them to be in the best condition possible. We don’t even think twice about choosing that product because, having bought it so many times, we trust the fact that it will always be the same great quality product that we get. This is due to quality control and it is always being demonstrated in stores, restaurants, and even within the inner workings of people hired in businesses.

Our expectations are what keeps companies working so hard to keep us satisfied. They have to think of the most productive and cost-effective ways to get their products to us.

Quality control can also be seen on a more intimate level. When we go into the workplace we don’t act the same way as we would if we were spending time with our peers in a social sense. We control our emotions in different ways that we react to situations so that we come off as more professional and we remain consistent in our performance in the work place.

Whatever the case, quality control is expected and is regarded as important in our lives. This idea keeps our lives consistent and perhaps we are now dependent on consistency to ensure that we, as consumers, are receiving the biggest bang for our buck. As we saw in class with the M&M example, the packaging of the candy ensured us it would weigh a certain amount but when we actually weighed the packages individually we found slight variations. Without the exact weights, we assume quality control is doing its job and we are getting what we pay for . It sets our minds at ease.

One of the benefits of technology is knowing that quality control will be easier to keep up with, reducing the headache for companies. The biggest perk of keeping customers happy is giving them one less call to complain about some mundane defect.

 

 

 

As Management students the most basic idea we learn about becoming managers, is to know the importance of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Although these concepts are basic functions of the management realm, they are also vital for the success of an organization. While thinking of this critical step, I was able to recognize its absence while reading an article from the New York Times. The article talked about how American favorite, Hostess, the baked goods company, is filing for bankruptcy, once again.

With over $860 million of debt due to about 100,000 creditors, Hostess, has decided to file for Chapter 11. In the article, it was explained that three years ago Hostess was able to save itself from bankruptcy when a private equity firm rescued it. Yet, with all the restructuring done the company is still in trouble.

It might have been that after the restructuring of the company was complete, the economic downturn affected the success Hostess could have had, but their current annual revenue is still in the billions! With such high earnings, it makes one wonder if their true problems were really found. Did management really pinpoint their previous mistakes to avoid them again? Thus far it does not seem as though they did.

What appears to be the biggest issue for Hostess is that they have such a large debt, mostly linked to their labor force, and somehow it does go down. The article talked about Hostess pursuing the solution of revising some of their union contracts, since a large percentage of their employee’s contracts function through unions, but after initiating a revision, there was no follow through on behalf of Hostess to actually have changes made even though the company was in such a dire condition. With such lack of motivation coming from the employees is it not a surprise that Hostess is the bankruptcy position once again.

If somehow Hostess is able to survive another grueling restructuring process, their comeback plan should be extremely scrutinized. After so many serious struggles the company needs to realize that their previous leaders were unable to follow through with the basic functions of management. Without a proper foundation, how can an organization truly prosper in the long run. With 80 plus years of Hostess making their famous Twinkies, let’s hope this is not their good-bye.