Introduction to the Field
Case: Fast-Food Feast KEY POINTSA business education is incomplete without an understanding of modern approaches to managing operations. Operations management (OM) provides a systematic way of examining organizational processes. OM presents interesting career opportunities and the concepts and tools of OM are widely used in managing other functions of a business. The time frame of management decisions is discussed along with the different types of transformation processes. Services are compared to goods production with emphasis on the primary inputs, resources, the primary transformation functions, and the typical desired outputs in a variety of service and operations examples. Value-added services are also discussed along with their benefit to external customers. Operations management is identified within the organizational chart and its role in the organization is defined. Chapter one presents a concept map and outlines the textbook chapters. The chapters are grouped by the key themes of strategic planning, project management, decision analysis, quality, supply chain management, and e-commerce. The historical roots of the development of OM are traced from scientific management through the moving assembly line, the Hawthorne studies, and on to today's current manufacturing topics including supply chain management and e-commerce. This chapter concludes with current issues facing OM executives including effectively consolidating the operations resulting from mergers, developing flexible supply chains to enable mass customization of products and services, managing global suppliers, production, and distribution networks, increased commoditization of suppliers, achieving the service factory, and achieving excellent service from service firms. | ||||||
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