The Operations Function Discussion Questions  

1. Why study operations management?

2. What is the difference between the terms "production management" and "operations management"?

3. What is the difference between operations management and supply chain management?

4. What are the key decisions made by purchasing and logistics managers?

5. How does the work of an operations manager differ from the work of a marketing manager or a finance manager? How are these functions similar?

6. How is the operations management function related to activities in human resources, information systems, and accounting?

7. Describe the nature of operations management in the following organizations. In doing this, first identify the outputs of the organization and then use the four decision types to identify important operations decisions and responsibilities.

a. A college library

b. A hotel

c. A small manufacturing firm

8. For the organizations listed in question 7, describe the inputs, transformation process, and outputs of the production system.

9. Describe the decision-making view and the view of operations as a process. Why are both views useful in studying the field of operations management?

10. Write a short paper on some of the challenges facing operations management in the future. Use newspapers, business magazines, or the Internet as your sources.

11. Review job postings from various sources for management positions that are available for operations management graduates. Summarize the responsibilities of these positions.

12. How do changes such as demand changes, new pollution control laws, the changing value of currency, and price changes affect operations? Name specific impacts on operations and the supply chain for each change.

13. Find examples of well-run and poorly run operations in recent business periodicals such as Business Week, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal. What do you learn from these examples?

14. Identify some of the current trends in operations and supply chain management that you think are of critical importance.

15. Describe how the view of operations as a process can be applied to the following types of work:

a. Acquisition of another company.

b. Closing the books at the end of the year.

c. Marketing research for a new product.

d. Design of an information system.

e. Hiring a new employee.

Process Selection Discussion Questions

1. Classify the following types of processes as continuous assembly line, batch, job shop, and project:

a. Doctor's office

b. Automatic car wash

c. College curriculum

d. Studying for an exam

e. Registration for classes

f. Electric utility

2. Why are assembly-line processes usually so much more efficient but less flexible than batch processes? Give three reasons.

3. The rate of productivity improvement in the service industries has been much lower than in manufacturing. Can this be attributed to process selection decisions? What problems would be involved in using more efficient processes in service industries?

4. The project process typically is used for sky-scraper construction. Does this lead to higher costs? Could more efficient processes be used? If so, how?

5. Several industries-including those that produce furniture, houses, sailboats, and fashion clothing-have never progressed down the diagonal of the product-process matrix to become highly standardized and efficient. Why do you think this is so? Is this a serious problem?

6. Compare the expensive restaurant, fast-food restaurant, and cafeteria in terms of process characteristics such as capital, product type, labor, planning, and control systems.

7. An entrepreneur is planning to go into the food business. How would he or she decide whether to open a cafeteria, fast-food restaurant, or fine restaurant? What factors should be considered in this decision?

8. A company is in the business of making souvenir spoons to customer order. The customers select the size of the spoons and may specify the design to be embossed on them. One or more spoons ordered. The company is considering going maybe be to the make-to-stock spoon business for souvenir spoons and everyday tableware as well. What will it have to do differently? How is the business likely to change?

9. What are the possible consequences of defining a marketing strategy independently of the process strategy?

10. What are the strategies of the following organizations? Is the strategy defined in terms of product or process or both?

a. McDonald's

b. AT&T Telephone Co.

c. General Motors

d. Harvard Business School

11. Suppose that a firm is considering moving from a batch process to an assembly-line process to better meet evolving market needs. What concerns might the following functions have about this pro process change: marketing, finance, human resources, accounting, and information systems?

12. A new business is considering starting up a new plant to produce low-volume, standard products, They are hoping that the business will grow and the products eventually will become successful and sell in high volumes.

a. How should the business configure its processes so that it can meet both current and future needs?

b. What are the financial and human resource implications of your answer to part (a)?

13. Give an example of mass customization not discussed in the chapter.

14. What techniques or approaches can be used to achieve mass customization in practice?

15. What is the difference between economies of scale and economies of scope? How do firms consider these when investing in processes?

16. What are some of the classic signs of an unfocused operation?

17. What are the pros and cons of organizing a plant-within-a-plant?

18. In what circumstances would you recommend not using a focused operation?

19. Why should operations be concerned with environmental issues?

20. What are the main ways in which processes are managed to, accommodate environmental regulations?