CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

Teaching Notes
Many students come to this course with negative feelings, perhaps because they have heard that the
course includes a certain amount of quantitative material (which many feel uncomfortable with), or
perhaps because the course strikes them as "how to run a factory." Others seem to have very little idea
about what operations management is and types of jobs available. The initial meeting with the class, and
this first chapter, are opportunities to address some of these points, and to generate enthusiasm for the
course, as well as give an overview of the course.

Highlights of the chapter include the following:

1. Overview of operations activities and decisions.

2. Careers in operations management.
3. Understanding production systems using input-transformation-output.
4. Importance of services and service content of the course.
5. Different approaches to decision-making.
6. The historical evolution of operations management.
7. Current trends in business and operations management.

Reading: "Agile" Manufacturing

1. An agile manufacturer is able to switch quickly and economically from one product to another
with very little disruption. It goes beyond just-in-time or lean production. It attempts to extend
mass production to more than just assembled products. A good reference is M. Robertson,
Application of Lean Production and Agile Manufacturing Concepts in a Telecommunications
Environment, International Journal of Agile Management Systems, 1(1), 1999, pp. 14-16.
2. It provides flexibility to switch quickly and economically from one product design to another
with little disruption. This characteristic, in turn, enables faster response to changes in customer
demand. The result is far more business and lower operating costs.
3. A sophisticated computerized inventory control system allows the plant to keep track of large
number of parts.
4. Keys to being an agile manufacturer are:
a. Reduction in inventories
b. Reduction in turnaround (i.e., lead) times
c. Availability of automated flexible machinery
d. Rapid collection and processing of information

Answers to Discussion and Review Questions

1. The term operations management relates to the management of systems or processes that create
goods and/or provide services. These processes involve the planning, coordination, and execution
of all activities that create goods and services.

Instructors Manual, Chapter 1 1

2. The three primary functions are operations, finance, and marketing. Operations is concerned with
the creation of goods and services, finance is concerned with provision of funds necessary for
operation and investment of extra funds, and marketing is concerned with promoting and/or
selling goods or services.
3. The operations function consists of all activities that are directly related to producing goods or
providing services. It is the core of most business organizations. Its essence is to add value
during, transformation process (the difference between the cost of inputs and price of outputs). An
operations manager manages the transformation function. Other jobs in operations are purchasing
agents, schedulers, warehouse supervisors, etc.
4. Among the important differences between manufacturing and service operations are:
(1) Customer contact, use of inventories, and demand variability.
(2) Uniformity of input.
(3) Labour content of jobs.
(4) Uniformity of output.
(5) Measurement of productivity.
(6) Quality Assurance.
5. a. The Industrial Revolution began in the 1770s in England, and spread to the rest of Europe and
to North America in the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century. A number of
inventions such as the steam engine, the spinning Jenny, and the power loom helped to bring
about this change. There also were ample supplies of coal and iron ore to provide the
necessary materials for generating the power to operate and build the machines which were
much stronger and more durable than the simple wooden ones they replaced.
b. Frederick W. Taylor, who is often referred to as the father of scientific
management, spearheaded the scientific management movement. The science of management
was based on observation, measurement, analysis, improvement of work methods, and
economic incentives. Management should be responsible for planning, carefully selecting and
training workers, finding the best way to perform each job, achieving cooperation between
management and workers, and separating management activities from work activities.
c. Parts of a product made to such precision that each part would fit any of the identical
products being produced. It meant that individual parts would not have to be custom-made
(they were standardized).
d. Breaking up a production process into a series of tasks, each performed by a different worker.
It enabled workers to learn jobs and become proficient at them more quickly, and avoid the
delays of shifting from one activity to another.
6. a. The service sector now accounts for more than 70 percent of jobs in Canada and that figure
continues to increase.
b. Manufacturing is important in that it supplies a large proportion of exports, and many service
jobs are dependent on manufacturing because they support manufacturing.
7. Models provide an abstraction and simplification of reality. Mathematical models are the most
abstract and most used in operations management. These models are used to assist in various
decision-making scenarios. One of the main reasons for building mathematical models is that the
experimentation with the model enables the decision-maker to analyze the problem and make
inferences about a problem without actually manipulating the real situation. The experimentation
with the mathematical model rather than the actual problem is less time consuming and
expensive.
8. No, operations function consists of all activities directly related to producing goods or providing
services. Therefore operations management is a core function for any type of business and it

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 exists in manufacturing and service organizations including government institutions and not-for-
profit organizations regardless of the type and nature of the business.
9. a Initial cost, convenience, parking, taxes, time, repairs, upkeep, etc.
b. Cost, technology, productivity, convenience, software applicability, etc.
c. Initial cost, repairs, warranty, upkeep, monthly payments & interest, dependability, insurance
costs, etc.
d. Control of the situation, class participation, perception, image, etc.
10. Craft production involves producing high variety of customized goods, low volume output with
skilled workers, and utilizing general-purpose equipment. The main advantage is the flexibility
to produce a wide variety of outputs providing many choices for the need of customers. The main
disadvantage is its inability to produce at low cost. Examples: tailoring, machine shop, print
shop, and landscaping
Mass production: involves producing a few standardized goods at high volume of output with low
skilled workers utilizing specialized equipment. The main advantage is low cost, efficient
production. The main disadvantage is that it does not allow easy changes in volume of output,
product or process design. Examples: automobiles, computers, mail sorting, appliances, paper,
soft drink-bottling, etc.
11. Answers vary depending on the business/organization chosen. Although challenging, this
question forces the students to study and understand the topics included in the book. It is
especially useful if there is an opportunity to analyze a business as a class project.
12. Undoubtedly, the technological changes have affected all of us. Use of computers for work and
communications, cell phones, and microwaves have had positive effects on most peoples lives.
Even though many of the technological changes had positive impact on society, there have been
downsides to some of the technological changes. One of the changes that negatively impacts
society is general health. As a result of automation, many of us are less active, and the lack of
activity results in less calorie consumption and possibly problems associated with undesirable
weight gain, which may lead to various medical problems. Another is the elimination of certain
types of jobs.
13. E-business supply chain management,, quality technology, globalization, environmental issues,
and time-based competition.
Despite the busting of the Internet bubble, more and more companies are using the Internet. Use
of supply chains is increasing as companies such as Mal-Mart become more efficient in logistics.
Computers double in speed every year. As Eastern European countries enter the world trade, pace
of globalization has increased. The Kyoto agreement has brought environment into the forefront.
Time-based competition is being used by more companies, such as Dell Computers.
14. The reasons for doing unethical things vary from person to person and from one situation to
another. Some of the possible reasons are listed below:
a. The decision-maker can not recognize their action as unethical because of lack of morals or
understanding or lack of sensitivity towards a given issue.
b. Even though the decision-maker recognizes his or her behaviour or action as unethical, he or
she justifies it based on self-rationalization. For example the decision-maker may think that
the consequences of his or her decision is not going to hurt other people or organizations.
c. The decision-maker knows that his or her action is unethical. However, ethics in general is
not important to him or her.
d. The decision-maker does not think he or she will be caught.
e. The self-interest of the decision-maker outweighs the ethical considerations.

Instructors Manual, Chapter 1 3

Memo Writing Exercises
The second paragraph of the memo should contain some of the following points:
1. Having joint meetings with Marketing and Finance will allow:
a. Different departments to have a mutual understanding of each others roles and functions;
b. The firm to break down barriers between departments;
c. The departments to cooperate on problems of mutual interest;
d. Improved employee morale.
2. The following factors must be considered.
a. The cost of the new computer system;
b. The service contract and support systems associated with the new system;
c. Training requirements of the new system;
d. The features and capabilities of the new system as compared to the old one;
e. The perceived user satisfaction;
f. The complexity of transition from the old system to the new system;
g. The need for greater capability.
h. The trade off involves extra cost vs. benefits of greater capabilities.
3. An environmentally responsible manufacturing companys response to the situation would be:
a. we need to inform our neighbours about what happened;
b. we need to investigate the affects of the spill and estimate the funds and resources necessary
to clean it;
c. we need to make specific plans to clean it up;
d. we need to investigate the reasons why the spill occurred and fix the causes so that it will not
happen again;
In the short run, the cleanup will most likely have adverse affect on our profits. However, in the
long run the investigation/clean up will provide us with the following:
a. Environmentally conscious reputation/image.
b. Protection from lawsuit/litigation/investigation from our neighbours or the Ministry of
Environment.
c. The knowledge about the reasons for the spill so that it can be prevented in the future.
4. Answers vary.
Answers to Lynn Case
1. a. Demand for her services, number of yards, number of mowers needed, number of workers
needed, time to mow a given area, regular maintenance schedule, weather, length of growing
season, time between necessary mowing.
b. Mowers, parts, fuel, lubricants, fertilizer, chemicals, tools, etc.; replenishment decisions.
c. 1. Lawns, type of work, regular maintenance, workers.
2. Weather, illness, rush orders, emergencies, breakdowns.
d. Very important. Repeat business would be greatly affected and new business depends on
word of mouth and reputation.
e. Oil change, blade sharpening, motor tune-up, mower and filter clean-up, etc.
2. a. Responsibility, possibly security, fringe benefits, regularity of work hours, can't pass the buck
to someone else, decision-making, etc.

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 b. Responsibility, financial investment, work load, hiring of more employees, possibility of
greater government regulation; personnel problems tend to increase and a general increase in
all administrative work.
c. Risk involved in starting a new type of business using new technology and making it
successful, learning curve involved in the area of e-commerce, additional work load, hiring of
more employees in the area of web design, computer programmers, etc.
3. She could start a new pick-up service and/or a new composting service.
Advantage: Could increase the business.
Drawback: It may complicate and/or increase the cost of her operations.
4. Yes, since Lynn promised the part-time workers a bonus of $25 for good ideas and since this idea
appears to hold promise, Lynn should honour her promise and pay the student $25. However, in
the future she might want to make the bonus offer contingent on continuing employment at the
time of implementation of the idea because after becoming aware that the idea was successfully
implemented, the idea may become an attractive option for the competitor. In addition, she might
want to include a confidentiality clause or a statement in the employment contract of the workers
regarding not sharing propriety information that may be useful to competition.

Case: Total Recall

Answers to Questions:
Problems related to:
Product Design: When Firestone designed the tire, there may have been problems with lack of sufficient
testing of a prototype tire under different experimental conditions. Ford Explorers high centre of gravity
made it easy to roll over when there was a tread separation. Also, other Firestone allegations regarding the
suitability of tire for Explorer, Fords recommended tire pressure, etc. are related to product design.

Quality Control: Since all of the tires were manufactured at the particular plant in question, it is very
possible that the quality control at this Firestone plant was insufficient or the quality control methods
were applied incorrectly. However, a defective rate of approximately 50 per million is the general norm
for tires. The fact that Explorer was prone to roll over resulted in deaths.

Ethics: There appears to be serious ethical issues that need to be addressed both by Ford and Firestone. If
the specific tire in question was recalled in South America, why did Firestone not issue a recall of this tire
in North America and other countries around the world? Since both companies settled a lawsuit involving
an accident caused by tread separation, both were well aware of the potential problem. However, it
appears that both companies decided to keep quiet, indicating ethical problems.

Operations Tour: Sobeys

1. Loblaws superstores are larger, carry other products, such as furniture and clothes, and
emphasize low cost as their competitive advantage. Sobeys or IGA stores carry prepared
meals and emphasize quality, customization (e.g. value-added meals, deli), and customer
service.
2. a. Customer satisfaction is the major key to the success of any operation, without them the
company cannot survive.
b. Forecasting allows the company to plan the workforce levels, purchase quantities, inventory
levels and capacity.

Instructors Manual, Chapter 1 5

 c. Capacity planning allows the company to balance the trade-off between shortages and excess
inventories and between waiting lines and idle time.
d. A good location can have significant impact in attracting customers, thus improving sales.
e. Planning and controlling levels of inventory will assist with avoiding stockouts and avoiding
excess inventory levels.
f. Good layout of the store can assist in maximizing customer service and sales by strategically
directing customers through the store. An effective layout can also improve the efficiency of
the operations.
g. Effective scheduling of company workers and work hours can improve both customer service
and efficiency. An effective schedule provides convenient store hours, minimal customer
waiting lines and minimal employee idle time.

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