1

Introduction to
Operations
Management

Copyright © 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education (Asia). All rights reserved.

 Learning Objectives
 Define the term operations management
 Identify the three major functional areas of
organizations and describe how they
interrelate
 Compare and contrast service and
manufacturing operations
 Describe the operations function and the
nature of the operations manager’s job

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 Learning Objectives
 Differentiate between design and operation
of production systems
 Describe the key aspects of operations
management decision making
 Briefly describe the historical evolution of
operations management
 Identify current trends that impact operations
management

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 Operations Management
 Operations Management is:
The management of systems or processes
that create goods and/or provide services

 Operations Management affects:

 Companies’ ability to compete
 Nation’s ability to compete internationally

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 The Organization
Figure 1.1

The Three Basic Functions

Organization

Finance Operations Marketing

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 Value-Added Process
Figure 1.2
The operations function involves the conversion of
inputs into outputs
Value added
Inputs
Transformation/ Outputs
Land
Conversion Goods
Labor
process Services
Capital
Feedback

Control
Feedback Feedback

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Value-Added and Product Packages
 Value-added elements make the difference
between the cost of inputs and the value or
price of outputs.
 Product packages are a combination of
goods and services.
 Product packages can make a company
more competitive.

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 The Goods–Service Continuum
Figure 1.3

Goods Service

Surgery, teaching

Song writing, software development

Computer repair, restaurant meal

Automobile repair, fast food

Home remodeling, retail sales

Automobile assembly, steel making

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 Food Processor
Table 1.2

Inputs Processing Outputs

Raw vegetables Cleaning Canned
Metal sheets Making cans vegetables
Water Cutting
Energy Cooking
Labor Packing
Building Labeling
Equipment

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 Hospital
Table 1.2

Inputs Processing Outputs

Doctors, nurses Examination Treated
Hospital Surgery patients
Medical supplies Monitoring
Equipment Medication
Laboratories Therapy

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Manufacturing or Service?

Tangible Act

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 Production of Goods
vs. Delivery of Services
 Production of goods – tangible output
 Delivery of services – an act
 Service job categories
 Government
 Wholesale/retail
 Financial services
 Healthcare
 Personal services
 Business services
 Education
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 Key Differences
1. Customer contact
2. Uniformity of input
3. Labor content of jobs
4. Uniformity of output
5. Measurement of productivity

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 Key Differences
6. Production and delivery
7. Quality assurance
8. Amount of inventory
9. Evaluation of work
10. Ability to patent design

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 Goods vs. Service
Table 1.3

Characteristic Goods Service

Customer contact Low High
Uniformity of input High Low
Labor content Low High
Uniformity of output High Low
Output Tangible Intangible
Measurement of productivity Easy Difficult
Opportunity to correct problems High Low
Inventory Much Little
Evaluation Easier Difficult
Patentable Usually Not usually
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 Scope of Operations Management
 Operations Management includes:
 Forecasting
 Capacity planning
 Scheduling
 Managing inventories
 Assuring quality
 Motivating and training employees
 Locating facilities
 Supply chain management
 And more . . .
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 Types of Operations
Table 1.4
Operations Examples
Goods Producing Farming, mining, construction,
manufacturing, power generation
Storage/Transportation Warehousing, trucking, mail
service, moving, taxis, buses,
hotels, airlines
Exchange Retailing, wholesaling, financial
advising, renting or leasing
Entertainment Films, radio and television,
concerts, recording
Communication Newspapers, radio and TV
newscasts, telephone, satellites

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Figure 1.4a

U.S. Manufacturing vs. Service Employment

Year Mfg. Service
45
90 79 21
50 72 28 Mfg.
80
55 72 28 Service
70
60
60 68 32
65 64 36
Percent

50
70
40 64 36
75
30 58 42
80 44 46
20
85 43 57
10
90 35 65
0
95 25 75
45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 00 02 05
00 30 70
02 25 75 Year
Figure 1.4b

Singapore Manufacturing vs. Service Employment

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 Decline in Manufacturing Jobs
 Productivity
 Increasing productivity allows companies to
maintain or increase their output using fewer
workers
 Outsourcing
 Some manufacturing work has been outsourced
to more productive companies

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 Challenges of Managing Services
 Service jobs are often less structured than
manufacturing jobs
 Customer contact is higher
 Worker skill levels are lower
 Services hire many low-skill, entry-level workers
 Employee turnover is higher
 Input variability is higher
 Service performance can be affected by worker’s
personal factors

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Key Decisions of Operations Managers
 What
What resources/what amounts
 When
Needed/scheduled/ordered
 Where
Work to be done
 How
Designed/Resources allocated
 Who
To do the work

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 Operations Management Decision
Making
 Models
 Quantitative approaches
 Performance metrics
 Analysis of trade-offs
 Systems approach
 Establishing priorities
 Ethics

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 Decision Making
 Models
 Quantitative approaches
 Performance metrics
 Analysis of trade-offs
 Systems approach
 Establishing priorities
 Ethics

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 Models
A model is an abstraction of reality.
– Physical
– Schematic
– Mathematical Tradeoffs

What are the pros and cons of models?

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 Models Are Beneficial
 Easy to use, less expensive
 Require users to organize
 Increase understanding of the problem
 Enable “what if” questions
 Consistent tool for evaluation and
standardized format
 Power of mathematics

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 Limitations of Models
 Quantitative information may be emphasized
over qualitative
 Models may be incorrectly applied and
results misinterpreted
 Nonqualified users may not comprehend the
rules on how to use the model
 Use of models does not guarantee good
decisions

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 Quantitative Approaches
 Linear programming
 Queuing techniques
 Inventory models
 Project models
 Statistical models

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 Performance Metrics
 To control different aspects of operations
 Many: Profits
Costs
Quality
Productivity
Assets
Inventory
Schedules
Forecast accuracy 1-29
 Analysis of Trade-Offs
 Decision on the amount of inventory to stock
 Increased cost of holding inventory
vs.
 Level of customer service

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Systems Approach
“The whole is greater than
the sum of the parts.”

Suboptimization

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 Establishing Priorities
 Pareto phenomenon
 A few factors account for a high
percentage of the occurrence of some
event(s).
 80–20 Rule: 80% of problems are caused
by 20% of the activities.
How do we identify the vital few?

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 Ethical Issues
 Financial statements
 Worker safety
 Product safety
 Quality
 Environment
 Community
 Hiring/firing workers
 Closing facilities
 Worker’s rights
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 Overlap of Business Functions
Figure 1.5

Operations

Finance Marketing

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 Operations Interfaces
Figure 1.6

Legal
Public
Relations

Accounting
Operations

Personnel/
Human
resources
MIS

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 Historical Summary of
Operations Management
 Industrial revolution (1770s)
 Scientific management (1911)
 Mass production
 Interchangeable parts
 Division of labor
 Human relations movement (1920–60)
 Decision models (1915, 1960–’70s)
 Influence of Japanese manufacturers

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 Trends in Business
 Major trends
 The Internet, e-commerce, e-business
 Management technology
 Globalization
 Management of supply chains
 Outsourcing
 Agility
 Ethical behavior

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 Management Technology
 Technology: The application of scientific
discoveries to the development and
improvement of goods and services
 Product and service technology
 Process technology
 Information technology

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 Simple Product Supply Chain
Figure 1.7

Suppliers’ Direct Final

Producer Distributor
Suppliers Suppliers Consumer

Supply Chain: A sequence of activities

And organizations involved in producing
And delivering a good or service

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 A Supply Chain for Bread

Stage of Production Value Value of

Added Product
Farmer produces and harvests wheat $0.15 $0.25
Wheat transported to mill $0.08 $0.33
Mill produces flour $0.15 $0.48
Flour transported to baker $0.08 $0.56
Baker produces bread $0.54 $1.00
Bread transported to grocery store $0.08 $1.08
Grocery store displays and sells bread $0.21 $1.29
Total Value-Added $1.29

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 Other Important Trends
 Operations strategy
 Working with fewer resources
 Revenue management
 Process analysis and improvement
 Increased regulation and product liability
 Lean production

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