Case 2

1. Why is it important for Cleveland Hospital to get a patient’s assessment of health

care quality? Does the patient have the expertise to judge the health care she
receives?

At the same time, healthcare also faces many quality and safety issues. These issues are as
equally important to patients as the cost of healthcare. In healthcare, the agents of change are the
clinicians who provide patient care. One thing clinicians really care about is the quality of care
they deliver to the patients they serve. Like many other professionals, clinicians tend to be
competitive. They want to believe they are exceeding the standards for performance, and they
think they are committed to continuously improving.

It is now increasingly possible to measure systematically a variety of outcomes, including

patient-centered measures of health status, ratings, and reports about their care.

While measuring patient satisfaction has become increasingly important for organizations
seeking to improve quality and maximize reimbursement, using patient satisfaction data
effectively presents a variety of challenges. Organizations must collect the data, distribute it to
multiple audiences and integrate it with data from other sources efforts that often consume
significant time and resources.

2. How would you build a culture of quality in an organization, such as Cleveland

Hospital?

The Cleveland Clinic learned that change is possible, though, when it is for the right reason:
outstanding patient and employee experience. What’s more, we learned that change needs to start
at the top. 

In fact, leadership realized that if Cleveland Clinic was to continue to be a world-class

organization, the culture would need to change. Improving patient experience and employee
engagement required a commitment to deep-seated change that would transform Cleveland
Clinic’s culture, and fundamentally its leadership framework.  
 3. What techniques does Cleveland Hospital practice in its drive for quality and
continuous improvement?

The decision of Cleveland Clinic was its discovery that provided first definite tool for diagnosing
coronary disease before a heart attack or any noticeable event that leads towards a heart attack.
The decision led towards a dramatic improvement in cardiac diagnosis and treatment.

This was an innovation towards an improvement of the hospital and an improved care to the
patients. This innovation was in the favor of the mankind and it has served the mass. The
innovation also led towards an improvement in the clinical industry as many other hospitals
followed this innovation and served the humanity.

4. Develop a fish-bone diagram illustrating the quality variables for a patient who just
gave birth at Cleveland Hospital (or any other hospital).
 Case 4

1. What advantage and disadvantages does each potential location offer?

Singapore

Advantages

Labor relatively cheap,

Good transport infrastructure

Incentives offered to stay.

Disadvantages:

Increasing labor costs

Increasing utility costs.

Hong Kong

Advantages:

Labor consistently cheap and

Good transport infrastructure

Malaysia

Advantages:

Access to raw materials and natural resources

Inexpensive labor

Disadvantages:

Concern with frequency of ship visits.

Transportation cost increased

 2. What other relevant factors that are not mentioned in the case study might play a
role in this decision?

The education of the workforce

Political stability will impact the decision

3. Why is transportation infrastructure so important in this decision?

Transportation costs will doubtlessly have a large impact on the decision.

4. This is a long-term strategic decision; what factors might change in the next ten to
twenty years? How will this influence the decision?

Examples of costs which are likely to change and whose change would make or break the
decision

Case 5

1. What is the maximum number of applications per hour that can be handled by the
present Configuration of the process?

The process times and activities for each activity are identical because all have only one station.
The maximum output of renewals will be limited to 60 renewals/hour (3600 sec/hr + 60
sec/renewal) by the bottleneck or longest process time.

If each step in the process is handled by one person. it can be seen that each station will be
waiting for the clerk who checks the file for violations. This is because this step takes the longest
(60 seconds). The task of "check file" will be the bottleneck, and a line will build up in front of
this station. The c1erlc and expensive equipment for the photographic step will be idle
approximately 113 of the time (20 seconds + 60 seconds).

A balanced line process is one in which the process times of each step are the same. The process
time is defined as the activity time (the time required to perform the activity) divided by the
number of stations or locations performing the activity. The cycle time is the longest process
time and dictates the tate at which the whole process produces output An obvious way to balance
the line is to add stations to the bottleneck activity. However, this may not be the most efficient
solution. In some cases, it is possible to combine activities creatively and make more productive
use of workers.

2. How many applications can be processed per hour if a second clerk is added to
check for violations?

If a second file c1erlc is added to the activity of checking files, the process time for this activity
is reduced to 30 sec/location (60 seconds 2 locations). The bottleneck now becomes the eye test.
The maximum output of renewals becomes 90 renewals/hour (3600 sec/hour + 40 sec/renewal).

3. If the second clerk could be added anywhere you choose (and not necessarily to
check for violations, as in question 2) what is the maximum number of applications
the process can handle? What is the new configuration?

If activities 1, 2, and 3 can be successfully combined to form a new activity taking 105 seconds
that is accomplished by the same three people, the process time of the new combined task is 35
seconds. So without adding any personnel, as was done above, it is possible to process up to 90
renewals per hour.

Creative rearranging and combining of tasks can produce other cycle times. The only limitation
is: (2) the facilities and equipment must be available for the tasks.

4. How would you suggest modifying the process to accommodate 120 applications per
hour? What us the cost per application of this new configuration?

In the capacity for handling 120 renewals per hour, at least 120 licenses are processed per hour.
Solution B combines jobs such that the process time at most stations equals the bottleneck
process time (or cycle time). Although this reduced the number of employees from 8 to 7. one of
these is an additional photographer with another camera. So the total costs is increased. Solutions
C and D produce the same costs per renewal, $0.2375. And both employ 7 persons.
 Case 6

1. Name and justify several factors that Hoffman could use in forecasting weekly rates.

Hoffman could use forecasting for menu items according to season (types of food people
generally eat depending on time of year), forecast developing areas where new cafes could be
build, and forecast changes in retail as fashion changes.

2. What can be done lower turnover in large restaurants?

Providing a bonus is computed for Staff and Adapt the necessary workforce according expected
demand. Staff member Determination is necessary roles on each section of the restaurant.

Hire Right the First Time. That person who is “good enough” may not be the right person for
your open position, Increase Their Pay, Start an Employee Loyalty Program, Train and Cross
Train, Schedule Well, Provide the Ladder, Be a Dedicated Team Leader.

3. Why is seniority important in scheduling services?

Workplace seniority is generally a principle of a unionized workforce. However, its usage can be
helpful in nonunionized work environments as well. Seniority can be used to justify giving
choice work assignments, making shift changes and rewarding employees for long-term service
to the company.

In special circumstances, employers excuse the break in service, which means they restore the
employee’s seniority. Employers who adopt this practice generally explain it in the employee
handbook, during new hire orientation or within the company’s standard operating procedures.

4. How does the schedule impact on productivity?

Efficient workforce scheduling in any business organization is usually evident in its operations,
profit generation and employee satisfaction. On the other hand, inefficient workforce scheduling
can be seen in form of increased absenteeism, lack of collaboration, poor retention of employees,
reduced profits, etc.

Unfortunately, most business owners and managers often fail to understand the importance of
proper workforce scheduling. As a result, they end up losing huge benefits that usually
accompany an effective scheduling process. Skill utilization and meeting business demands are
just a few of the many benefits of effective workforce scheduling that eventually lead to
increased profits.

Case 7

As a production manager I will perform the following activities

 Define, propose and implement the annual production.

 Cost management of products and assist with new product costing models.

 Analyze budgets and continuously control production costs and identify/rectify waste
measures.

 Manage all activities within the production process, including maintenance and the
workforce.

 Handle logistics, warehousing and stock of raw materials used in production.

 Manage all teams within your production department (contracts/leave/pay).

 Create and implement organizational/production changes on an operative level.

 Focus on growing business and revenue by implementing necessary changes to

product/production line to enter new markets or grow existing territories.