Watch these LinkedIn Learning videos from the series Giving Your Elevator Pitch with Todd Dewett (use your student login for LinkedIn.com if prompted): Benefits to an Elevator Pitch. Making an Initial Connection. Structuring Your Pitch. Read Robert W. Bly's article, The 3-Part Elevator Pitch Formula You Need to Know. This Week’s Discussion Post For this week’s discussion, please respond to the following: Develop a 30-second elevator pitch for your selected company (whether you're working with the snack food company scenario or the company of your choice), using the tips provided in the videos and article. Enclose your elevator speech within quotation marks. Provide a rationale for the components included in your pitch. Optional: Week 9 Video Response Challenge You may choose to make a video of your elevator speech if you wish, but this is not required. This will give you excellent practice for doing a "live" elevator speech someday! Reminder: If you do choose to make a video of your speech, you still need to provide your written elevator speech that includes a rationale for the components included in your pitch. You will find this resource, Kaltura Help [PDF], useful when recording your video and uploading it to the discussion thread. Post at least one substantive comment to another student's post.

I. Executive Summary: In this section, explain the purpose of your brief and highlight key information and findings that will aid the understanding of the more in-depth analysis and recommendations to follow. II. Demand Forecasting: In this section, first assess the supply and demand side of Walmart’s product flow, including the customer’s needs and the supplier’s capabilities, in order to then identify potential alignments that will keep cost and waste at a minimum. A. Evaluation 1. Analyze Walmart’s suppliers in terms of their abilities to meet the demand of customers during steady-state and peak operations. How effective are each supplier’s inventory reorder points and economic order quantities? Support your analysis with quantitative examples. 2. Additionally, describe demand-forecasting constraints that exist within the supply chain. For example, consider the distance of the stores and the compatibility of the products in terms of shipping, storage, and so on. B. Recommendations: Based on your evaluation, recommend strategies for better aligning the supply and demand side of Walmart’s product flow that will keep cost and waste at a minimum. III. Sourcing: In this section, first evaluate the network sourcing strategy of Walmart in order to then identify possible areas in need of improvement that will leave room for future expansion. A. Evaluation: Assess the current network sourcing strategy and determine whether or not the number and quality of suppliers is the optimal mix for the operation. To what extent do the current suppliers meet steady-state and peak demand? Are they consistently providing products that meet or exceed Walmart’s quality standards? Defend your assessment with examples. B. Recommendations 1. Recommend a strategy to optimize the sourcing network that takes into account current operations and leaves room for future expansion. Be sure to consider any alternative sources of materials available to the organization in your response. 2. Recommend a standard procedure for vetting suppliers to ensure that they are compliant with the corporate social responsibility guidelines of Walmart. 3. Make sure that you have recommended the best sourcing practices for Walmart using appropriate quantitative methods. IV. Transportation: In this section, first consider the effectiveness of Walmart’s transportation network in order to then determine possible cost savings without sacrificing performance. A. Evaluation 1. Identify constraints within the transportation network and discuss the impact they will have on the overall supply chain operation. Be sure to provide specific examples to illustrate. 2. Analyze the transportation network and determine whether or not the correct modes of transportation are being used based on time, cost, and quantity. B. Recommendations: Make recommendations on how to improve the transportation network given the constraints you identified, using specific examples to illustrate and justify your claims. V. Warehousing: In this section, first analyze Walmart’s warehousing network to in order to then determine requirements and develop recommendations for adequately meeting current and future storage needs. A. Evaluation 1. Analyze the current warehousing infrastructure to determine if the current warehousing network adequately meets storage needs. Additionally, consider eventual expansion requirements of Walmart’s operation. What are the constraints or restrictions involved in the possible locations? 2. Identify considerations for special handling of hazardous materials and describe their impact on warehousing for the current mix of products that Walmart’s SCM is handling, using specific examples. B. Recommendations 1. Determine warehousing requirements that will ensure adequate availability of resources for the organization. Support your proposed requirements with given production and demand elements from the scenario. 2. Based on your determination of requirements, recommend a warehouse design that will minimize movements between functions and reduce costs. Explain how your recommendation will drive this improvement throughout the network, considering facility costs, inventory carrying costs, personnel costs, and equipment costs. VI. Conclusions: In the final section, take a critical look at your various recommendations in order to develop final conclusions for Walmart. A. Prioritize your demand-forecasting, sourcing, transportation, and warehousing recommendations based on efficiency gain, cost, and sustainability. B. Discuss the feasibility of your recommendations based on supply chain constraints of Walmart in the case study. Justify your claims with specific evidence.

assess how lean and Six Sigma management strategies are used to improve quality in health care environments. Continuous quality improvement offers a structured way of thinking about how to influence and transform operations and processes across the health care spectrum. A key component of improving quality is increasing efficiency and reducing waste. lean management systems (LMS) and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methods encourage this type of streamlining to improve leadership, management, and innovation processes by encouraging a more effective flow of operations within a health care system.  In this assignment, you will be assessing the purpose and use of these methods in a health care context. Prepare a  PowerPoint presentation that addresses the following: Differentiate between lean management systems (LMS) and Lean Six Sigma (LSS). What are the benefits and uses of each system? How and why are lean and Six Sigma systems used to streamline processes within a health care environment? How do lean management systems and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) influence the ways a health organization allocates and distributes its budget? How do the financial considerations of a health care organization relate to its strategies to improve and sustain quality care? Evaluate the relationships between lean management, Lean Six Sigma, and continuous quality improvement. How do these models impact, encourage, or influence the ability of a health care organization to provide continuous quality care?