Summary

Nasira, 25 years old and less than a year in college, works as a procurement specialist at a small

expanding pet supplies manufacturer called K9 Dura-Corp, this allows her to pay the bills and a

small study in the city. She needed to immediately find a new source for the fabric lining of her

dog cribs as they were at risk of manufacturing delays and found two sources, one in the

Midwest whose poorly durable fabric posed a chewing hazard to dogs and It was also polluting

the local water source, already having lawsuits against it and another abroad whose fabric was

cheaper to bite-proof, but it paid its workers almost nothing and exploited them in terrible

working conditions and there was almost no information about the environmental impact of their

manufacturing process so Nasira suspected they were hiding something. Nasira decided to keep

looking and replied that she still didn't have a good source to which her boss replied: “Nasira, I'll

be honest - we're operating on incredibly thin margins right now. Sales have been down, and we

can't afford a manufacturing delay. If you can't find a source, we're looking at lay-offs, at best.”

(P.2) She realizes unhappily that her job is probably at stake.

I will try to address this problem from its source using the tool: Root Cause Analysis

 Key points:

Nasira is a student and financially dependent on her work as a procurement specialist.

If she can't find a new dog crib liner fabric supplier, her job is at risk.

She finds two possible suppliers: one with a good quality of fabric but with mistreatment of their

workers and doubtful environmental impact, and the other with a poor quality of fabric and

problems due to local water pollution.

Apparently, the problem is that Nasira's job is at risk for not finding a supplier with which she

feels comfortable in time.

 

I will try to address this problem from its source using the tool: Root Cause Analysis:

Step One: Define the Problem

What do you see happening?

What is happening is that Nasira's job is at risk due to not finding a supplier in time.

What are the specific symptoms?

Nasira is very worried

Step two: collect data

What evidence do you have that the problem exists?

When she said that she did not have the provider yet, her boss told her that if she did not make

the cut, she would probably be laid off.

Since when does the problem exist?

From the moment Nasira was asked to get the supplier.

What is the impact of the problem?

Because Nasira did not have the supplier yet and she decided to continue looking for suppliers,

her boss told her that if she did not get it soon enough, they would face layoffs.

Step Three: Identify Possible Causal Factors

What sequence of events leads to the problem?

Nasira was asked to find a substitute supplier.

Nasira found two possible suppliers, but neither of them met her expectations based on ethical

actions.

 The boss, pressured by the drop in sales, demanded it immediately.

Nasira told him that she was going to look for more options.
He replied that if she was not willing to get it immediately, they would face layoffs.

What conditions allow the problem to occur?

On the one hand, the stress generated by the pressure due to the drop in sales, and on the other,

Nasira's concern when she sees that her job is at risk.

What other problems surround the appearance of the central problem?

Nasira's financial commitments and the status of the company.

Step Four: Identify the Main Cause (s)

Why does the causal factor exist?

Due to the insecurity in Nasira's personality when she sees herself as a student who wants to be

firm in her values in the face of the inability to face an immediate problem.

What is the real reason why the problem occurred?

Nasira clings to her job but has a conflict as her values are at stake.

The root of the problem is that Nasira's expectations when looking for suppliers were based on

evaluating their integrity reflected on correct actions and she was in shock when this was not the

case, causing her concern and sadness at the possibility of giving in to the pressure of her boss to

close a deal with a supplier with wrong actions in exchange for not losing her job.

Step 5: Recommend and implement solutions

What can you do to prevent the problem from recurring?

Nasira must be well-founded and put her integrity above any action that goes against her values

even in the face of pressure that puts her provision at risk.

How will the solution be applied?

Her refusing to make the deal with those dishonest providers, she remains firm in her integrity

even in the face of the possible loss of her job.

Who will be responsible for it?

Only she is responsible for her actions

What are the risks of applying the solution?

She may lose her job.

My recommendation is that Nasira remains faithful at all times and above adversity, to her

principles and values. The reason why I highly recommend this is because our principles and

values are part of our integrity and our essence and adversities are part of life itself, in the face of

which we cannot allow ourselves to lose that integrity by giving in to such pressures; far from it,

by standing firm, we win by making our identity stronger.

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Reference

Mind Tools Content , T. (n.d.). Root cause analysis: Tracing a problem to its origins. Problem
Solving From MindTools.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_80.htm.

Of the People, U., (2021). Mini Case Study: Between a Rock and a Hard Place.pdf Retrieved

September 29, 2021 from

https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1408843/mod_book/chapter/301584/Mini

%20Case%20Study_Between%20a%20Rock%20and%20a%20Hard%20Place.pdf