Chapter 10 Content

Description:

Nearly every type of business organization needs to find the most efficient and effective methods of producing the goods or services it sells to its customers. Technological advances, ongoing competition, and consumer expectations force companies to rethink where, when, and how they will produce products or services.

Purpose:

Manufacturers have discovered that it is no longer enough to simply push products through the factory and onto the market. Consumers demand high quality at reasonable prices. They also expect manufacturers to deliver products in a timely manner. Firms that can’t meet these expectations often face strong competition from businesses that can. To compete, many manufacturers are streamlining how they make their products—by automating their factories, developing new production processes, focusing on quality-control techniques, and improving relationships with suppliers.

What to gain:

After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer these questions:

1. Why is production and operations management important in both manufacturing and service firms?
2. What types of production processes do manufacturers and service firms use?
3. How do organizations decide where to put their production facilities? What choices must be made in designing the facility?
4. Why are resource-planning tasks such as inventory management and supplier relations critical to production?
5. How do operations managers schedule and control production?
6. How can quality-management and lean-manufacturing techniques help firms improve production and operations management?
7. What roles do technology and automation play in manufacturing and service-industry operations management?
8. What key trends are affecting the way companies manage production and operations?

Upcoming activities:

Weekly discussion board, assignment, and Chapter 10 quiz.

How to access:

Read Chapter 10 - Achieving World-Class Operations Management.