Overview

The purpose of this discussion exercise is to provide you with a forum to discuss your newly discovered production and operations management concepts considering current issues and real business situations. This is a practice ground for ensuring that your reasoning and foundation of these concepts are secure. This portion of the course requires you to interact with your fellow classmates and critique their submissions.

Note that all these topics refer to the Operations function of a business, to manufacture a product or create a service. We all know that these topics may be used in other business functions, such as in marketing or finance, but for the discussions in this course, please focus on Operations examples and articles.

Refer to this sample format for an article analysis 

Title of the Analysis /concept being applied

☐  Start with a definition of the concept from the text book and how it applies to the news article.  Be sure to include a description of how operation managers are involved.

Short Summary of the News Article

☐  Continue with a short summary of the news article.  Be sure that it involves Operations management, not corporate management or one of the other business functions.  Include what is happening, who is involved and what the impact on the business will be.  Look for the 5 W's. These answer Who? What? Where? When? and Why?  This is where you provide the background against which the operations management concept will be applied. 

Analyze based upon the management concept

☐  Now add the section about how the textbook concept applies to the situation that you described above.  Use quotes from the textbook where necessary to expand upon your analysis.  Look for the textbook concepts or issues being discussed.  Ask yourself if the writer is educating you with the facts or if he is trying to get you to think a certain way or follow a given action. Look at both sides of the argument. Consider the solutions proposed if he gives any.

☐  Add your conclusions and opinions.  Based upon your readings this week do you agree with the solutions given in the article.  Do the concepts for the week conflict with the information in the article?  What is the impact to the operations function in this business in the short term and the long term?  What should operations managers within the organization do?

Identify your sources

☐  identify the source, from the approved list, that you used to prepare this assignment.  If you researched other sites to broaden the analysis be sure to include them as well.  Remember that other students or the instructor may want to go to your sources to better understand as they prepare their responses, so include the web address and other related information. 

Directions

Select one of these concepts:

• Total Quality Management analytical tools for Six Sigma Quality Systems.
• Comparison of 'Cost of Quality' from internal and/or external failures.
• Examples of Statistical Process Control methods and applications.
• Selection/application of multiperiod inventory systems, the "P" model or "Q" model.
• Selection of an inventory control methodology based upon Demand, Transaction Costs, and Obsolete Inventory Risk (Exhibit 11.2).

Then find a current event in an article from the resources below to illustrate that concept:

• Library Resources
• Wall Street Journal at wsj.comLinks to an external site.
• Industry Week Links to an external site.
• Quality MagazineLinks to an external site.
• ASQ Quality News TodayLinks to an external site.
• Global Manufacturing Links to an external site.

Analysis Post:

After reviewing and analyzing at least one of the current events articles, compose an analysis of that event or situation using the unit operations concept that you selected. Note: Remember to focus upon your selected operations concept in your analysis.