Read this preview and watch the video to get an overview of what you'll learn about in this chapter. As you watch the video and prepare to read the chapter in the textbook, consider the questions below.
The fundamental business of any company is to provide a product or service that people want. It is the job of the operations manager to see that this gets done.
We begin this chapter with an overview of operations management-the activities involved in the conversion of resources into products. In this section, we also discuss competition in the global marketplace and careers in operations management. Next, we describe the conversion process that makes production possible and also note the growing role of services in our economy. Then we examine more closely three important aspects of operations management: developing ideas for new products, planning product design and production facilities, and effectively controlling operations after production has begun. Next we discuss changes in production as a result of automation, robotics, and computer-aided manufacturing. We close the chapter with a look at productivity trends and ways productivity can be improved.
- Assume that you are the operations manager in charge of producing three-ring notebooks. In what ways do planning, scheduling, purchasing, inventory control, and quality control affect the production process for your product?
- According to this video segment, "The key to good operations management is keeping in step with the market and listening in a timely manner to the needs and demands of the customer." How can this philosophy help a business increase customer satisfaction and increase its number of customers?
