Internet Exercises

Chapter 1 - Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management

1. Look for articles related to operations management at ortune! "usiness #eek! or C$$.
%o& do they relate to the topics discussed in this chapter'
(. In)estigate the role of go)ernment in impro)ing industrial competiti)eness. Start &ith the
*.S. Council on Competiti)eness. ind a similar site for at least one other country and
compare their priorities and initiati)es. ind an interesting &e+ site related to the
operations function in a firm &ith &hich you are familiar. #rite a summary of &hat you
find.
,. -hree professional societies related to operations management are the .roduction and
Operations Management Society /&&&..OMS.org0! the 1merican .roduction and
In)entory Control Society /&&&.1.ICS.org0! and the 1merican Society for 2uality
/&&&.1S2.org0. Explore each site. #hat types of topics are discussed' #hat resources
did you find useful'
3. Choose three trade agreements from the follo&ing list4 1$5E6-1! 1.EC! 1SE1$!
1-.1! C1CM! CE-1! E*! -11! ME6COS*6! $1-1! -1-1! S17C! and
S1.-1. Search for information on the &e+ /use the acronym0 that descri+es the treaties!
tells ho& long they ha)e +een in effect! and if they8)e +een renegotiated recently.
9. -he #orld "ank ranks countries in terms of glo+ali:ation. ;o to the research section of
the #orld "ank and choose four countries to compare.
<. -he #orld -rade Organi:ation has its ad)ocates and is ad)ersaries. ind out more a+out
the organi:ation +y )isiting its &e+site at &&&.&to.org. #hat kinds of acti)ities does the
organi:ation support' #hat rules and regulations does it enforce' #ho are its mem+er
states and ho& is mem+ership achie)ed'
=. Cultural differences can make it difficult to do +usiness in other countries. #orld
"usiness Culture pro)ides a guide to +usiness culture for the executi)e &orld tra)eler.
;o to the &e+site and choose a country to explore. Share your disco)eries &ith your
professor and classmates in a one to t&o page &rite-up.
>. Much of the negotiation in trade agreements centers on ethical?legal issues such as
intellectual property protection! +ri+ery and payouts! and copyright and patent
infringement. -ransparency International pu+lishes a +ri+ery index +y country. 6eport on
&hich countries and industries are suscepti+le to +ri+ery.
@. Ethics is easier &hen there are la&s to fall +ack on. 6ead a+out the oreign Corrupt
.ractices 1ct /C.10! then search the &e+ for C.1 cases and their results.
1A. Examine this year8s ;lo+al 9AA +y industry. #hich industries are the most competiti)e'
#hich industries are the least competiti)e' 1re some industries dominated +y certain
countries' #hich industries are the most profita+le'
11. 1ccess the ;lo+al Competiti)eness 6eport and read a+out the countries that top the list.
In &hat areas does each country excel'
1(. Bisit the &e+ site of three companies &ith &hich you are familiar. #hat does the mission
or )ision statement tell you a+out each organi:ation' Is the mission or )ision reflected in
the &ay the &e+ page is presented'
1,. Bisit the &e+ sites of t&o companies in the same industry. Examine their most recent
annual reports. Can you identify ho& each company has chosen to compete' *se Cuotes
from the reports to descri+e each company8s o)erall strategy and their specific goals for
the year. 7oes their o)erall strategy match their specific goals'
13. Companies that compete on Cuality &ould certainly +e interested in determining
customer satisfaction. -he 1merican Society for 2uality /1S20 sponsors an annual
sur)ey to assess customer satisfaction. Link to this year8s customer satisfaction index and
e)aluate industry Dscores.D 1ny surprises' .ut the ra& data into a +ar chart sho&ing
progress /or change0 o)er the years +y industry. 1lso! summari:e ho& the data is
collected and &hich companies are chosen to participate.
19. ind out more a+out .olicy 7eployment /also kno&n as hoshin planning0 +y exploring
-2E8s hoshin planning site. "e sure to access the soft&are demo. .rint out the sample
hoshin forms and create a hoshin example of your o&n using -2E8s format.
1<. 6ead a+out the "alanced Scorecard at the &e+site of its creators. %o& does the scorecard
compare to hoshin planning'