Question: Why do some executives believe that inventory

> When comparing different-life alternatives by the B/C method, the alternatives should be compared over: (a) The life of the shorter-lived alternative (b) The life of the longer-lived alternative (c) The LCM of their lives (d) An infinite time period

> If a company finances an expansion in its production facilities by issuing $6 million in preferred stock, using $3.5 million in retained earnings, and obtaining $15 million via a secured loan, it will have a D-E mix closest to: (a) 60 –40 (b) 50 –50 (c)

> Determine the economic service life of the pump. How does the ESL compare with the maximum allowed rebuilds?

> It is now 12 years after the products were developed, and the engineers invested most of their savings in an innovative idea. However, the question of “When do we sell?” is always present in these situations. To help with the analysis, determine the foll

> The top management team at your company is considering outsourcing the supply management function. Do you support this idea? Why, or why not?

> Consider the purchase of a new mobile phone. How would you determine the total cost of ownership? What are the costs that you might incur before the purchase, during the purchase, and after the purchase?

> Digital technologies are rapidly changing sourcing and supply management. What are the potential benefits and drawbacks to the adoption of digital technologies in supply management?

> In what situations should a company work with a poor performing supplier to improve its performance? Why?

> What are the costs and challenges involved with switching suppliers?

> Can you think of an organization that has benefited by extending social responsibility to its supply chain? What about one whose supply chain practices have hurt its reputation?

> One of the observations made in this chapter focuses on the relentless series of changes continuously being introduced by Amazon. How would these changes affect your firm and decision-making within the firm, as it pertains to the customer?

> The chapter offers one approach to customer management and relationship strategy based on sales volume and profitability. Can you think of other criteria that might be used to determine the most appropriate form of relationship?

> What aspects of operations management can contribute to customer success?

> Why don’t companies attempt to offer a commitment at the level of customer success with all of their customers?

> Why should metrics be regarded as primarily methods of communication? Think about the relationship between a metric, the strategy, and the task being carried out by an operations person.

> How can a company use the gap model of customer satisfaction to improve its operations management processes?

> Which market orientation would you consider for a standard product that has low, infrequent demand? What are the tradeoffs you would consider in making this decision?

> Consider products you consume. Identify purchases you have made from firms with the following market orientations:

> Consider some of your recent shopping experiences and discuss instances in which a store was out of stock of items you were planning to purchase. What did you do as a result of the stockout?

> You are a manager for a firm that sells computer and technological equipment through your stories and various on-line sites. You recently have found out that Amazon is releasing a new line of products (through its AmazonBasics line) that are in direct co

> In this chapter, we began with a discussion of Macy's and its omnichannel strategy. What are the possible implications of this strategy for the relationships between marketing and operations/supply chain management? The relationship between operations/su

> Explain the critical differences between basic customer service, customer satisfaction, and customer success.

> Under what conditions would you use a Kaizen Event?

> How would a restaurant use the 5-S program? How would an operating room using this program?

> What would happen if you tried to introduce a new strategy based on radical innovation into a facility where the organization has adopted wholeheartedly the lean culture?

> Most people have worked as “operations managers” at some time. Describe a job or experience that you had that involved the management of a process.

> Using the discussion of Lean Design, consider the design of a iPod competitor. Give examples of each of the following design wastes:

> Discuss how lean systems might apply to a fast-food hamburger stand. How will it have to be modified to deal with daily demand variation?

> You work in the marketing department of a firm that sells mountain bicycles and related gear. Its manufacturing division has decided to wholeheartedly adopt the lean systems philosophy. Will this affect your ability to delight your customers? Make a list

> Why is achievement of the following goals critical to the success of lean systems? Give an example of how each area contributes to the success of a lean system.

> Figure 8-4 illustrates the analogy of a boat hitting rocks as the level of water falls. Why is water a good analogy for inventory? Is the sequence in which rocks are encountered a good way to prioritize inventory reduction activities? How might this prio

> Imagine that your customer base is located in North America and your suppliers are located in China. Is it possible to implement lean supply chain management under such conditions? What are the challenges now facing the firm?

> Can a supply chain ever be too lean? What would happen to the supply chain if an unexpected disruption/interruption were to occur? How might you as a supply chain manager reduce the effects of such an unexpected disruption, while staying consistent with

> Where would you most successfully apply lean systems principles, during the introductory or growth stages of the Product Life Cycle?

> Can lean systems enhance a worker's quality of life? Discuss how it might or might not.

> One lean systems’ consultant has stated that “without standardization, there can be no improvement.” Why?

> Why should a firm consider the position of stakeholders when evaluating operational alternatives? Consider the role of government and its impact. (Hint: Consider working conditions and pollution.)

> What is the relationship between bottlenecks and TAKT Time?

> Why should you NOT include setup times when calculating the TAKT times?

> While Taichi Ohno was impressed by certain aspects of the Ford Production System, he was bothered by other aspects. These included: large, special purpose equipment, a focused specialized workforce, and an ever driving emphasis on cost efficiency. Why ar

> Why should one company in a supply chain consider total supply chain inventory as well as its own inventory levels?

> What steps do you think companies can take to improve the accuracy of their inventory information systems?

> Suppose you have been given the task of reducing inventory in your company, without negatively impacting customer service. What actions might you be able to take to accomplish this task?

> A firm is presently using the basic EOQ model and is considering switching to the production order quantity model (i.e., receiving gradual deliveries over time). If all the cost and demand parameters stay the same, what changes should the firm expect?

> Early in the chapter it was stated that planning inventory levels is both an art and a science. Explain in your own words why this is true.

> Why does total system inventory increase as a company increases its number of stocking locations?

> Explain the tradeoffs involved in the economic order quantity. How do these change when quantity discounts are considered?

> The following firms have long been seen as having strong competitive advantages. Read about one of these companies. Also draw from your experience as a customer to identify that company’s competitive advantage. Discuss how operations management relates t

> Explain the different types of costs related to inventory planning.

> Provide an example of automation that enhances customer service and one that reduces customer service. Why is this the case?

> Think about three of your favorite fast food restaurants. What type of layout is used in the food preparation area of each? Are these layouts a good fit with the organization? Why or why not? Should the layout be changed and if so, how?

> Some upscale restaurants have their kitchens visible to their customers changing the traditional view of front-office and back-office processes. What are the benefits and drawbacks to this approach?

> Which of the service categories would you put a large state university? Why? Would a small private university be in the same category? Why or why not?

> Are some process structures inherently safer or more environmentally friendly than others?

> Provide an example of how technology has made it possible to use processes that are not on the diagonal of the product/process matrix.

> Consider several members of the supply chain of a company that makes plastic toy cars and trucks. Which of the five processes described in the product-process matrix is likely to be used by the following supply chain members? Why?

> Think of two companies in the same industry that use different process structures. Why is this the case? Is one process structure a better choice than the other? Why or why not?

> Recall the last time you went to a fast-food restaurant such as McDonald’s. Describe all of the goods and services that make up your total product experience.

> One concern with the adoption of process automation such as self-driving vehicles and robots is the impact on society. What are the societal challenges with process automation? How might these be addressed?

> Postal services and logistics companies are experimenting with delivery using drones. What are the benefits and drawbacks with this application of technology?

> Airlines allow customers to purchase tickets, select seats, and check-in using mobile apps. How does this process differ compared to a check-in process at an airline ticket counter?

> You have probably experienced some form of “virtual reality.” Discuss the types of “realities” that might be simulated when evaluating the merits of a given product design.

> In which stages of a new product design and development project are supply chain operations managers most likely to have the greatest impact? Why?

> Discuss the roles that personnel from warranty/field service and the manufacturing shop floor might play when conducting an FMEA.

> Under what circumstances might concurrent engineering (overlapping the stages of design and development) be a bad idea?

> Discuss the pros and cons of open innovation.

> What major differences would you expect to find in the management approaches used for breakthrough innovation projects versus those used for derivative or enhancement projects?

> Why are discipline and flexibility both needed in new product/process innovation? Are these two capabilities in conflict with each other?

> Consider the following processes that you frequently encounter as a college student. Describe each process and its input, activities, and outputs. What is being converted or transformed in each process? Who are the customers, suppliers, and stakeholders

> Operations personnel tend to favor product component standardization while design and marketing personnel tend to resist it. Why is this true? What are the potential disadvantages to standardization?

> Describe a situation where the functional/sequential approach to product development might be more appropriate than the integrated/concurrent engineering approach.

> How would you define the capacity of your school? In what way does capacity influence the value of your college experience?

> Under what conditions would inspections, storages and transports be considered value-adding?

> Which of the five activity categories is represented by each of the following actions?

> Discuss the challenges that an operations manager can expect to encounter when applying the principles of process performance to the upstream (supply-based) section of a supply chain?

> Which would require a larger amount of excess capacity – a hospital emergency room or a doctor’s office? Why?

> How would you define the maximum capacity for the front desk of a hotel? What is meant by the effective capacity? Define the difference in these two terms relative to the number of customers that can be checked into the hotel in a given period.

> How can a university attain economies of scale? What impact might this have on quality and flexibility?

> What are the primary resources that determine the capacity of each of the following?

> What are the primary operations management decisions in each of the following corporations?

> If your goal is to reduce variance within a supply chain (especially if the variance is most evident in your supply), under what conditions does it make sense to focus first on the customer side of the supply chain?

> Juran’s Law in Total Quality Management states that whenever a problem occurs, 15% of the time, it is the individual’s fault, 85% of the time, it is the process’s fault. Interpret this law from a process thinking perspective.

> Why is it important to begin with the metrics rather than to start by looking at the process?

> Sonnie’s Gourmet Sandwich Café, a popular new fast casual restaurant, serves high-quality, made-to-order sandwiches. Located in a local outdoor shopping center, parking in front of Sonnie’s is limited. However, there are many parking spaces available beh

> Once considered a commodity product, many small boutique coffee companies are luring customers with promises of high quality and unique flavors. How do the processes used by the small companies compare with those of the major coffee processors? Coffee pr

> Doog’s Donuts produces five varieties of pastries, which are sold to a national grocery chain: muffins, donuts, cookies, cream puffs, and fritters. Assuming that Doog’s operates a single shift for 1,800 hours per year,

> Noble Bicycles of Glen Arbor, Michigan, is a small batch manufacturer of high-end bicycles. That is, it typically builds bicycles in batches of one to three units. Quality is high, only to be expected when the typical bicycle frame costs $2,500 and up. Y

> As the operations manager for Valley Kayaks (as described in the previous problem), you find yourself faced with an interesting situation. Marketing has informed you that they have lost a number of sales because of a lack of inventory. Kayaks, being seas

> You are the operations manager for a small kayak and canoe manufacturer (Valley Kayaks) located on the Pacific Northwest (Oregon). Lately your company has experienced product quality problems. Simply put, the kayaks that you produce occasionally have def

> For the prior problem, management wants to double the return on assets, without affecting sales, cost of goods sold, variable expenses, fixed expenses, or fixed assets. Rather it wants to focus on either inventory or accounts receivable. a. Can managemen

> Given the following information: Categories………………………………………………………………………Values Sales……………………………………………………………………………….. $32,000,000 Cost of goods sold…………………………………………………………….. $20,000,000 Variable expenses…………………………………………………………….. $ 4,000,000 Fixed expenses……

> Under what conditions would you use a Kaizen Event? Business Process Reengineering?

> The Office Interiors Company has developed a new, modern office chair. Initial sales forecasts are for 50 chairs per day. The assembly operations will run for two 8-hour shifts. The process engineer and operations manager are working together to balance

> A company that assembles high fidelity headphones needs to design an assembly line for one of its new products. The tasks needed and their relationships are shown in the following figure. To meet demand, the company must produce 80 headphones an hour. a

> Williams Motor Manufacturing assembles small motors for sale to major appliance manufacturers around the world. Average demand for its best-selling motor is 600 units per day. The assembly line operates continuously during a single 8-hour shi

> Golf Carts Inc. must set up an assembly line for golf carts. Forecasts show that 10 units per day should be produced. The plant operates one 8-hour shift each day and runs the line continuously during the shift. The tasks required, task times

> Wild Widget must set up an assembly line for widgets. Forecasts show that 50 units per hour should be produced. The tasks required, task times, and precedence relation-ships are as follows: a. Draw the precedence diagram. b. What is the takt time? c. Wh

> The Carry-on Luggage Company must set up an assembly line for a wheeled carry-on bag. Forecasts show that 60 units per hour should be produced. The tasks required, task times, and precedence relationships are as follows: a. Draw the precedence diagram.

> Swoosh Snowboard Company must set up an assembly line for snowboards. Forecasts show that 600 units per day should be produced. The plant operates two 8-hour shifts each day and runs the line continuously during both shifts. The tasks required, task time

> An insurance company uses the following tasks to process paperwork. Forty claims need to be processed in an eight-hour workday. a. What is the takt time? b. What is the theoretical number of workstations? c. Assign the tasks to the workstations to balan