Questions from General Operations Management


Q: Think about the last time you used a high-customer-

Think about the last time you used a high-customer-contact service such as a clinic, a hotel, or a restaurant. Sketch the service process, and try to determine which elements were subject to high leve...

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Q: A transport services company provides a whole range of services to railway

A transport services company provides a whole range of services to railway operators. Its reputation for quality is a valuable asset in its increasingly competitive market. We are continually looking...

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Q: Some organizations believe that the well-known approaches to improvement (

Some organizations believe that the well-known approaches to improvement (such as TQM, etc.) are, in fact, pre-packaged ‘solutions’ made up by selecting from a set of common ingredients. So, does this...

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Q: Re-read the case example on Four Seasons and Zara.

Re-read the case example on Four Seasons and Zara. In terms of being either ‘better’ or ‘different’, how would you classify IKEA, the most successful furniture retailer ever, and Amazon, with whose we...

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Q: Lucy is the COO of an outsourcing business that provides ‘back

Lucy is the COO of an outsourcing business that provides ‘back-office’ services to a range of companies. She believes that: Everything we do can be broken down into a process. It may be more straightf...

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Q: Banking customers often suffer digital banking failures and shutdowns, either because

Banking customers often suffer digital banking failures and shutdowns, either because of security alerts or because the bank’s systems have failed. What is the damage to a bank’s reputation when such...

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Q: Re-read the Counterpoint box that claims that how a business

Re-read the Counterpoint box that claims that how a business responds publicly to complaints or criticisms can easily descend into cliché. How valid are such views, and what could companies do to prev...

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