Introduction The course project is a scholarly research paper on a global operations management function or practice as it relates to a country of your choosing. Your research paper should be a thorough treatment of one of the functions or practices to which operations management relates. You will select the topic for your research paper from one of the following areas and compare and contrast the unique global requirements for operational success: • Materials management. • Quality, reliability, and maintenance management. • Production planning and control. • Global operations research. • Transportation management. • Systems analysis and design. • Applied information technology. • Global sourcing. Base your research paper primarily on credible sources. Instructions For this assignment, include the following sections and be sure to note the criteria listed below the sections and instructions. These are the criteria upon which your assignment will be assessed. • Introduction. Explain the selected global business, what the purpose of your paper is, and what the main premise is, along with the sections that you will use to support the main point. • Background of selected global business. o Criterion: Evaluate selected organizations to determine preparation and capacity to function in a global environment. • Global environment. Explain to the reader the global business environmental opportunities and threats to the selected global business and point out what economic changes may help, or hinder, the selected business. o Criterion: Synthesize criteria for global organizations to sustain profitability or growth in a period of economic change. • Global operations strategies in relation to overall firm strategies. Analyze and evaluate the selected firm’s global operations strategies and show how these strategies fit with firm’s business purpose and mission. o Criterion: Evaluate a global firm’s operations strategies as an integral part of the overall firm strategies. • Current problem, opportunity, or challenge facing the selected global business. Create a solution to a current problem and support your recommendation. Or, create a strategy for the selected business firm to take advantage of an opportunity that you located. Or, create one or more strategies for the selected business firm that reduces the negative potential of a current challenge. o Criterion. Develop a solution for an operations problem, opportunity, or challenge for a global firm. • Impact of current international trade agreements on the firm’s operational functions. Analyze and evaluate the impact of one or more current international trade agreements on the firm’s operations. An example of this would the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement on operations within North America, or the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s impact on your selected firm’s interaction with supply chain members along the Pacific Rim. o Criterion: Analyze compliance to international trade agreements as they relate to operational functions. • Impact of cultural on global supply chain members’ performance. Explain to the reader how the local culture of supply chain members impacts the work performance and ethical behaviors. o Criterion: Evaluate needed changes to business practices to accommodate cultural diversity within the supply chain. • Legal and contractual obligations in the selected firm’s supply chain. Analyze and evaluate the legal and contractual concerns for the selected global business and present what you recommend to the firm as a means of protecting the firm and improving long-term relationship with supply chain members. o Criterion: Analyze the external risks for managing legal and contractual obligations in a constantly changing business environment. • Summary. Summarize the main points of your paper and show the reader how the selected global business is, or can be, prepared for the near-term and long-term to be successful in the global operations environment Requirements • Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message. • APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting. • Number of resources: Minimum of five resources. A minimum of two scholarly references and at least two nonscholarly resources, as you wish. No more than 10 percent of the paper should consist of direct quotes. • Length of paper: 2000 to 2500 words; double-spaced pages. Do not include the title page or the reference page in your word count. • Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 points.