What are some of the ways Wegmans uses technology to gain an edge over its competition?
> A new machine will cost $18,000, but result it will in savings of $2,400 per year. What will the payback time be in years?
> Why is the degree of customization an important consideration in process planning?
> A new piece of equipment will cost $12,000 and will result in a reduced operation cost of $1,500 per year. What will the payback time be in years?
> For laundry service, what might have been the rationale for asking another hospital to join it?
> In the housekeeping situation, why not just forget about outsourcing, especially since the hospital ended up rehiring its employees anyway?
> Does restaurant outsourcing increase capacity? Explain.
> What are some important disadvantages or limitations of outsourcing for restaurants?
> What advantages are there when restaurants outsource?
> Any increase in efficiency also increases utilization. Although the upper limit on efficiency is 100 percent, what can be done to achieve still higher levels of utilization?
> What is the purpose of establishing control limits for forecast errors?
> Contrast design capacity and effective capacity.
> What is the benefit to a business organization of having capacity measures?
> Briefly discuss how uncertainty affects capacity decisions.
> Hazel is thinking of making some of her operations sustainable. What are some ideas she might consider?
> How do capacity decisions influence productivity?
> How can a systems approach to capacity planning be useful?
> Give some examples of building flexibility into system design.
> How do long-term and short-term capacity considerations differ?
> Why does service management present more challenges than manufacturing?
> What managerial challenges do services present that manufacturing does not?
> When a new business is started, or a patent idea needs funding, venture capitalists or investment bankers will want to see a business plan that includes forecast information related to a profit and loss statement. What type of forecasting information do
> Prepare a table similar to that shown in Problem 7b for cookies sold in a bakery. List what you believe are the three most important customer requirements (not including cost) and the three most relevant technical requirements (not including sanitary con
> a. Refer to Figure 4.4. What two technical requirements have the highest impact on the customerrequirement that the paper not tear? b. The following table presents technical requirements and customer requirements for the outputof a laser printer. First,
> Construct a list of steps for making a cash withdrawal from an automated teller machine (ATM). Assume that the process begins at the ATM with your bank card in hand. Then identify the potential failure points (i.e., where problems might arise in the proc
> List the steps involved in getting gasoline into your car for full service and for self-service. Assume that paying cash is the only means of payment. For each list, identify the potential trouble points and indicate a likely problem.
> What evidence is there of the importance of manufacturing innovation?
> Prepare a service blueprint for each of these post office transactions: a. Buy stamps from a machine b. Buy stamps from a postal clerk
> Prepare a service blueprint for each of these banking transactions: a. Make a savings deposit using a teller b. Apply for a home equity loan
> Can you think of other companies that have used new colors to extend or grow the market for their products?
> What capability would an organization have to have to not need forecasts?
> What functions in the organization are impacted by the differencesin product offerings among different countries?
> What effects do cultural differences have on the design of fast-food offerings in this reading?
> Explain the term “three Rs” and how the three Rs relate to sustainability.
> What is the purpose of value analysis?
> What is reverse engineering? Do you feel this is unethical?
> Can you suggest some actions the government (federal, state,or local) can take to stem the job loss?
> Contrast applied research and basic research.
> What are some of the factors that cause organizations to redesign their products or services?
> Who needs to be involved in preparing forecasts?
> Timely Transport provides local delivery service for a number of downtown and suburban businesses. Delivery charges are based on distance and weight involved for each delivery: 10 cents per pound and 15 cents per mile. Also, there is a $10 handling fee p
> Identify the three major functional areas of business organizations and briefly describe how they interrelate.
> From the following graph, determine the equation of the linear trend line for time-share sales for Glib Marketing, Inc. Annual Sales, Glib Sales, Inc. 600 500 400 300 200 100 3 5 6 7 8 10 Year 00 4) 2. Sales (units)
> A cosmetics manufacturer’s marketing department has developed a linear trend equation that can be used to predict annual sales of its popular Hand & Foot Cream. Ft = 80 + 15t where Ft = Annual sales (000 bottles) t is in years a. Are annual sales increas
> A dry cleaner uses exponential smoothing to forecast equipment usage at its main plant. August usage was forecasted to be 88 percent of capacity; actual usage was 89.6 percent of capacity. A smoothing constant of .1 is used. a. Prepare a forecast for Sep
> How might an executive’s comments to Wall Street analysts affect demand forecasts, and what are the consequences of doing so?
> Why might a company executive make bold predictions about future demand to Wall Street analysts?
> What are some of the consequences of poor forecasts? Explain.
> Contrast the terms sales and demand.
> Explain how using a centered moving average with a length equal to the length of a season eliminates seasonality from a time series.
> What factors enter into the choice of a value for the smoothing constant in exponential smoothing?
> Who needs to be involved in formulating organizational strategy?
> How does the use of standard shipping containers and flat rate mailers help competitiveness?
> What effect does the increased use of e-mail have on postal productivity?
> What caused productivity to increase?
> Discuss the importance of the Dutch growers’ supply chain.
> Explain the rationale of an operations strategy that seeks to increase the opportunity for use of technology by reducing variability in processing requirements.
> Contrast the terms strategies and tactics.
> What is the Balanced Scorecard and how is it useful?
> List the key ways that organizations compete.
> In what ways are Hazel’s customers most likely to judge the quality of her lawn care services?
> While it is true that increases in efficiency generate productivity increases, it is possible to get caught in an “efficiency improvement trap.” Explain what this means.
> A U.S. company has two manufacturing plants, one in the United States and one in another country. Both produce the same item, each for sale in their respective countries. However, their productivity figures are quite different. The analyst thinks this is
> How would you formulate the constraint for material A if it was determined that there is a 5 percent waste factor for material A and equal quantities of each product are required?
> What is a possible qualitative issue that may very well influence productivity levels that the productivity ratios fail to take into account?
> What does sliding an objective function line toward the origin represent? Away from the origin?
> What is an iso-cost line? An iso-profit line?
> Explain the term redundant constraint.
> What is meant by the term feasible solution space? What determines this region?
> Should there be additional overtime and, if so, how much?
> Should additional wood be purchased and, if so, how much?
> Should additional laminate be purchased and, if so, how much?
> Who needs to be involved in assessing the cost of customers waiting for service if the customers are (a) the general public (b) employees of the organization?
> In a multiple-channel system, what is the rationale for having customers wait in a single line, as is now being done in many banks and post offices, rather than multiple lines? (Hint: The average waiting time is unaffected.)
> Under what circumstances would a multiple-priority waiting system be appropriate?
> Briefly describe the company’s strategy.
> Contrast finite and infinite population sources.
> What effect would decreasing arrival and service variability have on the effective capacity of a system?
> Why do waiting lines form even though a service system is under loaded?
> In what kinds of situations is queuing analysis most appropriate?
> What benefits do psychological approaches to waiting lines have over other approaches?
> Who needs to be involved in assessing the cost of a project?
> What trade-offs are associated with time and cost estimates for a proposed project?
> What is a work breakdown structure, and how is it useful for project planning?
> What is the main benefit of a project organization over more traditional forms of operations management for project work?
> Was Linderman Industries’ adoption of project organization an appropriate one for getting the Mexican subsidiary started?
> What advantages and what limitations stem from the company’s not using preservatives in cookies?
> Who needs to be involved in setting schedules?
> Explain the term makespan.
> What factors would you take into account in deciding whether to split a job?
> Explain forward and backward scheduling and each one’s advantage.
> What problems not generally found in manufacturing systems do service systems present in terms of scheduling the use of resources?
> What are the main decision areas of job-shop scheduling?
> Aside from cost reduction, what major value does IBM envision for its interaction with suppliers?
> What advantage did IBM’s use of the Internet have for small suppliers?
> Explain the benefit of cross-docking.
> Describe vendor analysis.
> As a consumer, what things do you consider in judging the quality of cookies you buy in a supermarket?
> Discuss the importance of RFID for supply chain management.
> Describe what purchasing managers do.
> Why is managing returns important?
