1. Imagine you are working for Kitchen Magic, an appliance manufacturer that produces dishwashers. A competitor introduces a new dishwasher that uses sound waves not only to clean even the worst burned-on food but also to sterilize dishes and silverware. You need to develop a similar offering fast, or your company will lose market share. Describe a memo to management outlining the problem and explaining your rationale for recommending use of a cross-functional team to respond quickly. Explain the ideal cross-functional team for this situation (names of roles, skills...).

2.Workers on the manufacturing floor are being replaced by robots and other machines. On the one hand, this lets companies compete with cheap labor from other countries. On the other hand, automation eliminates many jobs. To what extent to you believe automation could increase unemployment or underemployment in the United States and around the world? Justify your response. How should companies handle the challenge of keeping production costs low in order to be competitive?

Reference: Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. A., & McHugh, S. M. (2022). Understanding Business (13th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. ISBN: 9781260894851

Chapters 7, 8 & 9