How can online research help organizations evaluate suppliers, locations, regulations, technologies, and quality programs?

"Meier and Danielle Ivory, “Worker Safety Rules Are Among Those Under Fire in Trump Era,” The New York Times , https://www.nytimes.com, March 13, 2017; Kenneth Cheng, “Senior Managers Could Be Taken to Task for Workplace Safety Violations,” Today Online , http://www.todayonline.com, March 7, 2017. Working the Net 1. Use the Google search engine, http://www.google.com , to conduct a search for “supplier information,” and visit the websites of several firms (for example, Walmart, Northrop Grumman, Verizon, etc.). Compare the requirements companies set for their suppliers. How do they differ? How are they similar? 2. Visit Site Selection magazine, http://www.siteselection.com . Click on Area Spotlights for information about the manufacturing environment in various U.S. locations. Pick three to four areas to read about. Using this information, what locations would you recommend for firms in the following industries: general services, telecommunications, automotive manufacturing, and electronics manufacturing? Explain. 3. Manufacturers face many federal, state, and local regulations. Visit the National Association of Manufacturers at http://www.nam.org . Pick two or three legislative or regulatory issues discussed under their Policy sections, and use a search engine such as Yahoo! ( http://www.yahoo.com ) to find more information. 4. Using a search engine to search for information about technologies such as ERP, CAD/CAM systems, or robotics. Find at least three suppliers for one of these technologies. Visit their websites, and discuss how their clients are using their products to automate production. 5. Research either the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award or the ISO 9000 Quality Standards program on the internet. Write an executive summary that explains the basic requirements and costs of participating. What are the benefits of participating? Include a brief example of a company that has participated and their experiences. Include a list of relevant website links for further reading."