CRADLE-TO-CRADLE DESIGN AT HERMAN MILLER
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
“At best, the view of sustainability as an endless journey of incremental steps does a disservice to managers seeking to square economy with ecology sooner rather than later. At worst, it serves as an excuse for inaction when it comes to building a truly sustainable business.” – Gregory Unruh
To quote a great operations professor, “It’s not just about doing things right, it’s also about doing the right thing.” We believe that Herman Miller lives by this statement and that it is the main reason why it chose to undertake the strategic environmental initiative. Therefore, Herman Miller must use the TPU instead of the PVC for the Mirra Chair.
The ‘Cradle to Cradle’ initiative launched by Herman Miller encompasses what all companies should be doing; not just looking at better materials for their products, but also revisiting business processes in engineering, supply chain management, and manufacturing and design, to ultimately institute meaningful and lasting change. Once all emerging economies are developed, it will place unprecedented pressure on the already strained resources. Taking this into account, we need to pave the way to search for more effective and efficient ways of achieving sustainability.
Operations Case Analysis: Herman Miller
This is a graduate level analysis written for a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) course at a top-tier US private graduate school. This paper, Operations Design Analysis: Herman Miller, represents my personal analysis combined with course knowledge and in-depth research. The report received top marks. This report could be used as a guide for research, a sample analysis for reference, or for direct reference with proper citation.
Word Count: 2150-2200