Case Study: Hawkesbury Cabinets Pty Ltd

Assessment Task

After you have carefully read and analysed the case study, write an essay discussing the operational issues facing Hawkesbury Cabinets. The essay should identify and discuss the operational aspects that are affecting the organisation, paying attention to both medium-term and day-to-day implications. Your argument should address the following four issues with responses integrated within the essay.

1. The current production systems and processes used by Hawkesbury Cabinets (a technical analysis).

2. The effect of the new builders' kitchen line on Hawkesbury Cabinets' operations (problem definition).

3. The operational decisions that Fung Chen has to make on a daily basis to maintain effective production under the current operating protocols (day-to-day operational issues).

4. The effect the move to producing builders' kitchens might have on the company's financial structure.

Lecture recommended readings:

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Bendoly E, Donojue K & Schultz KL, 2005, 'Behavior in operations management: Assessing recent findings and revisiting old assumptions', Journal of Operations Management, vol 24, no. 6, pp. 737-752.

Chopra S, Lovejoy W & Yano C, 2004, 'Five decades of operations management and the prospects ahead', Management Science, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 8-14.

Karlsson C, 2003, 'The development of industrial networks: Challenges to operations management in an enterprise', International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 44-61.

D'Netto B & Sohal AS, 1999, 'Changes in the production manager's job: Past, present and future trends', International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 157-181.

Russell SH, 2007, 'Supply Chain Management: More than integrated logistics', Air Force Journal of Logistics, vol 31, no. 2, pp. 56-63.

Kouvelis P, Chambers C and Wang Haiyan, 2006, 'Supply Chain Management Research and Production and Operations Management: Review, Trends and Opportunities', Production and Operations Management, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 449-469.

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Kumar, N, Mishra, A & George, SA 2013, 'Gaps between inventory management theory and practice: a critical examination of emerging trends from the FMCG industry', International Journal of Logistics Economics and Globalisation, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-14.

Buxey G, 2006, 'Reconstructing inventory management theory', International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 26, no. 9, pp. 449-469.

Hewitt, R 2002, 'Siting a fire station by leveraging soft constraints and supporting science', Interfaces, vol. 32, no 4, July/August, pp.69-74.

Lapide L, 2006 'Demand management revisited', Journal of Business Forecasting, vol. 25, no 3..

Harwell J 2006, 'Sales & operations planning in the retail industry', Journal of Business Forecasting, vol. 25, no. 3.

Saeed K 2008, 'Trend forecasting for stability in supply chains', Journal of Business Research, vol. 61, no. 11.

Attachment:- Case Study.rar