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Critical thinking: literature review and research
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Recommended: Critical thinking: literature review and research
The Goal, by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox is about a man, Mr. Alex Rogo, who is a plant manager for UniCo. Unfortunately, his plant is not doing well and he only has three months to get it “back in business.” Struggling with family problems, he does not even know why his plant is not succeeding; the statistics of his company tell him that his company is efficient. Alex remembers speaking with his old physics teacher from college, Jonah, who informed him where the issues lie in his company. He contacts him again, and Jonah tells him to figure out the productivity and goal of his plant first. Then, Jonah informs him about throughput, operational expenses, and inventory, three important measurements that should be examined in the company. …show more content…
The first one is that you should identify the goal of your company so that you can do what is necessary to achieve that goal. The second one is that you should always keep record of the progress of your business so you know where you are at fault. The third stipulation is to always be a critical thinker so you are always one step ahead. The fourth would be to engage in team work because of the old adage, “two heads are better than one.” The fifth lesson is that you should never give up because your company can take a positive turn if you take the right …show more content…
It is true; there will always be obstacles and struggles in operating a business and/or company. I think the lessons from this book can be applied almost anywhere in life, even if it’s not with a specific company. In reading this book, I see the “constraints” within the company as obstacles in my life that I have to overcome. So, just because I do not own a company, does not mean that this read was a waste of time. It gives me a sense that if I work hard at something, even if it is not going how I want it, I always have a choice to amend the problems to get the outcome in my favor. I will apply what I have learned in this book to my everyday life. I will not be so easy to give up and reluctant to take another stab at something if it does not work out the first time. When I finish one goal, I will only think about what is next to accomplish. There is constantly something new to conquer, and as long as there is, I will nevertheless, be delighted to go for
Another thing that corresponds with my mindset is the 5 H's; #2 core value. What sticks in the back of my mind are being humble and hungry. Being humble and hungry are very powerful agents that make an individual or company thrive in the best and worst times.
This book is important to business students because it shows that even the most seasoned executive runs into unexpected challenges and can find themselves in uncharted territory. Jim Barton’s experiences and lessons can be lessons for anyone. Any employee, whether they are support staff or a top executive, should always maintain an open mind and be ready to learn from a situation or the people around them at any time.
“THE GOAL” by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox is about Alex Rogo, who’s not only battling family issues at home but as being a manager over a plant, has also noticed that their profits have been declining over the last few months. Alex then was told he had months to help the company to get back on track or the company will shut down. Alex then reunites with an old physics instructor from college names Jonah, who helps him realize his future goals for the company and the measures that need to be implicated, in order to save the company.
The Goal is a story about overcoming manufacturing problems that is told through the eyes of a plant manager, Alex Rojo. Alex arrives to work one morning only to discover the division vice-president, Bill Peach, showed up unannounced to see the status of a specific customer order number, discovered the order was incomplete, barked orders at employees to assemble the products, and finally informed Mr. Rojo he has only three months to improve his plant's performance before it's closed because the plant cannot get orders out the door on time. In fact, the order Bill investigated was already seven weeks late and the product not even assembled. After Bill departs, Alex heads to the floor to discover Bill's unexpected arrival has created more problems. The master machinest Bill yelled at before Mr. Rojo arrived quit but only after setting up a machine to complete the seven-week-late order that Bill demanded be shipped out today. The machinest, however, forgot to tighten two adjustment nuts on the machine so several parts must be scrapped, but even worse is that the machine, which just so happens to be the only one of its kind in the plant, is broken.
The next lesson I learned will be particularly useful when I become a manager. That lesson is to make good people want to stay in the company because it betters the company and good people help uphold important ethical standards. Also, in regards to the managerial role, is to reward ethical behavior and punish unethical behavior.
On the other hand, I believe, or at least I want to believe that it is possible to have an amazing family life and running a successful company. I did not really see that in the book because the author focuses mostly on what he was doing for his company and not his personal life. Unfortunately, I also have seen my father having difficulties adjusting to a family life while he was fighting for the future of his company. I know that conciliating both is a challenging task.
Many people believe that in order to succeed in a business that is having difficulties, it is important to focus on a particular area in order to be better productive in each of them, and be able to reach the goal. Instead, Goldratt and Jonah demonstrates that is important to focus on the company as a whole, but at the same time, it shows that it is incorrectly to only focus in an specific manufacturing department, or one plant, or a department within the plant, because people should not be concerned in local optimums.
And if it is true that the lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success then I am right. This is where my path to success really begins. It is never late to start again. Small things that aren’t so small can have a big repercussion in someone's life. We as human beings need to learn how to be more loving, respectful and compassionate. I am so proud to be who I am today because of this past experiences. I believe almost everybody has had a time in their lives in which they failed, nobody is perfect. Failure indeed can be fundamental to later success, but the expectations of success are not what people think, at least for me, but I certainly know I'm not
Next time when I pick up a book, I will try to judge it by the cover. I that the book was great. I definitely encourage others to read it. Everyone could benefit from reading it, whether they want to start their own business or not. This book teaches about self-confidence, work ethic, and
“The Goal” is a book talking about challenges and problems that can face any plant manager. The story style used was very useful. I enjoyed the reading and gain more knowledge about the manufacturing operation. Many concepts and definitions were introduced such as the goal of any company and the its three measurements which are throughput, inventory and exponential expenses. Also, bottleneck and non-bottleneck resources.
The book mainly talks about the protagonist, Alex, his superiors and his team along with his management Guru, Jonah, who changes the whole perspective of Alex’s life with his simple messages, opens Alex to brand new world of bottlenecks, variability, etc. and their effects in the working of any manufacturing firm.
business and personal goals. Keeping this aspect in mind I am keen on applying the “Four steps to
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey, 2004) has become the cornerstone of leadership and management wisdom. The habits emphasize personal responsibility and personal leadership. There is challenge in living everyday under the guidance of the habits but there is also great benefit as living the habits can influence everything we do in life. I was introduced to Covey’s seven habits through a one day seminar at my workplace several years ago. I learned some of the terminology and a few of the concepts but never really understood the power of the practical application of the habits. Reading the Covey materials has taught me that life is not about all the tasks that I accomplish but instead about accomplishing the tasks that support what is important to me. Covey has taught me that there are elemental components that are applicable across the many roles that I have in my life. Those universal elements are integrity, vision, discipline, and passion. Embracing these ideas has opened my eyes to the endless applications and benefits of living the seven habits.
Conclusion: In conclusion, as Steve said "I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance" that the secret of success. The person who wishes to success, he should recognize his weakness and formulates a plan to overcome them and he must have a clear goal for life. What's need is an idea put into action followed with proper planning and persistency.
We learned a lot of things in this course, but I think the most important lesson I learned is that it’s not easy to be an entrepreneur. I was surprised to hear in the first class that 80% of startups fail, but after reading The Art of Start and E-myth Revisited I understood why this happens more often than one might expects. Some people start their own businesses for the wrong reason and some start with wrong mindset. I’ve always thought that if someone has a brilliant business idea and hardworking they will succeed and grow their business. However, now I know that there are many things to consider before starting any business. In fact, there are many strategies that an entrepreneur could follow to achieve success, such as know your customers, work “on” the business, and how