PRODUCTION AND

OPERATIONS
MANAGEMENT
Ch. 1: Operations and
Productivity
SUMMARY
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BASIC POINTS

Definition of operations management

Equilibrium between
Time
Cost
Quality
Flexibility
Importance of OM
OM managers tasks
Plan
Organize
Staff
Lead
Control
POM - J. Galvn

BASIC POINTS (II)

Action areas of OM managers

TASKS-AREAS MATRIX
OM in different industries
Characteristics of goods and services
Challenges of OM
Productivity
Definitions
Ways to measure it
Productivity in manufacturing and services

POM - J. Galvn

QUESTIONS

What is production management? Discuss the major shortterm decisions of production management.
Which of the following statements would you choose as your
own if you are the OpMan of a company?
I can produce anything you ask me to, with the best quality in the market
and at the lower cost
I can produce for tomorrow, with the best quality any number of units you
demand
I can produce very quickly at the lower cost any number of units you
demand
I can launch a quick production of a limited lot of low cost products with a
high quality score

In relation with human resources, as an area heavily

influencing OM, illustrate the tasks of managers when
Planning. Organizing, Staffing, Leading and Controlling
Imagine you create a new small software company producing
computer games. Describe the role of the operations manager
POM - J. Galvn

QUESTIONS (II)

How could you define the productivity of a student? Could

you define any measure of the productivity of educational
institutions
Unions like to index salaries with the cost of living, but
employers like better to index it to labor productivity.
Discuss the possible effects and fairness of both
alternatives
Define production operations management in your own
words. Will your definition accommodate both
manufacturing and service operations?
Consider the potential contribution of information sciences
to P/OM. Why is the management of information of such
great importance in the management of "production"?

POM - J. Galvn

QUESTIONS (III)

The marketing, operations, and finance accounting

functions can be outlined . Prepare a chart outlining the
same functions for:
a large metropolitan newspaper
a local drugstore
a college library
a local service organization (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
Rotary International, Lions, Grange etc.)
a doctor's or dentist's office
a jewelry factory
Identify three disciplines that will contribute in a major way
to the future development of P/OM.
What departments might you find in the P/OM function of a
home appliance manufacturer?

QUESTIONS (IV)

Organizations that produce something other than physical products

are called
Transformation organizations
Data transfer groups
Service organizations
Cultural organizations
Which of the fo llowing is NOT a characteristic of service operations
Intangible output
Perishable products
Labour intensive
Low customer contact
What would be the productivity if 9 workers installed 650 square
yards of carpeting in 6 hours?
12.03 square yards/hr
72.20 square yards/hr
108.30 square yards/hr
5850 square yards/hr

THIS IS PRODUCTIVITY!

POM - J. Galvn