MGT655 Operations Management

Week 1 Discussion

DQ1 What are the different disciplines within a typical supply chain? Compare the various supply chain segments within your own sphere of influence or a company with which you are familiar.

DQ2 Why is operations management relevant to managers in other organization functions? Base your discussion on your experience of operations within your organization or an organization with which you are familiar. For example, talk with the operations manager in your organization and find out what he/she says, what he/she does, and how he/she works with the organization including the marketing, financial, personnel, and purchasing functions.

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 Discuss the strategic importance of layout decisions. How can a particular layout affect a companys strategic goals? Provide some specific examples from industry. 

DQ2 Name the five types of customer-introduced variability and discuss options that let companies offer a high level of accommodation at low cost or reduced variability without damaging the service experience. Provide your rationale and at least one source.

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 3 Discussion

DQ1 Explain the three inventory control models and the driving factor in each model. Provide examples for each one using current companies.

DQ2 Using one of the companies from DQ 1, describe how inventory planning and accuracy can be defined using the Pareto principle.

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 4 Discussion

DQ1 Being able to identify opportunities for improvement based on data and other information is a valuable professional skill. Most management and administration positions require this skill, but this can be a highly specialized employment position. This position is often referred to as a “Continuous Improvement Manager” or a slight variation of this title. The primary responsibility of this position is to drive continuous improvement in both quality and productivity while reducing cost and eliminating inefficiencies. If you were a Continuous Improvement Manager in your organization, describe some of the methodology you would apply to identify root causes. What are the tools you would use to help you achieve your primary job responsibilities? In your role as a manager, how would you identify areas of improvement from a Christian worldview and how would these decisions affect the people around you?

DQ2 Identify stakeholders and plan how manufacturing or service processes use value stream mapping. What is the benefit and why do companies do it? How would a company measure improvements?

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 5 Discussion

DQ1 What is the value of sales and operations planning in supply chain integration? What happens if sales does not communicate effectively with operations? What is the value of having medium- and long-term forecasts? How do e-commerce strategies promote growth?

DQ2 Why would a company outsource parts of its supply chain? Explain the value of this practice and why so many companies use it today. What are some operational challenges that outsourcing can present?

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 6 Discussion

DQ1 Identify all of the areas of a consumer products company in which statistical quality control can be applied. How do you measure effectiveness of processes using statistical quality control?

DQ2 Imagine you work for a breakfast cereal company that makes prepared products that are served cold. Your company wants to introduce a new hot breakfast cereal that would require some minimal preparation by the consumer. How would you propose forecasting initial demand for this product? Identify one quantitative and one qualitative technique. How do the techniques complement each other?

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 7 Discussion

DQ1 Why is project management so important in any field? How can project management be applied to implement supply chain strategies?

DQ2 Final project: Explain how you would work with your stakeholders to ensure buy-in for and feedback on the project plan.

 

 

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 8 Discussion

DQ1 Reflect on your Process Improvement Project assignment. What challenges have you experienced and how have you resolved those challenges. Are you still looking for solutions?

DQ2 Speculate what would happen if a step is not completed in the project management process? What are the consequences for all stakeholders? For example, what would be the potential pitfalls if a stakeholder decided not participate in the project implementation?

 

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 2 Assignment  

Manufacturing and Service Process Maps

Details:

A foundation of operations in both manufacturing and service environments is vital in order to drive inefficiencies and examine ways to achieve greater supply chain integration with suppliers and customers. In this assignment, you will compare one manufacturing and one service driven company through creating visual representations of how the product or service is created and delivered, accompanied by a written summary. 

Select two companies of interest, one manufacturing company (e.g., a shoe company) and one service company (e.g., a technical support company). Provide a brief summary of each company including compelling evidence illustrating the company is either a manufacturing or a service company. Avoid selecting a company that could be arguably both.

Manufacturing

Research the manufacturing process for the selected company. Create a manufacturing process map. Explain the elements of infrastructure for the manufacturing company using flow charts and be sure to provide a key. Cite three to five sources to support your process map.

Service

Research the service process for the selected company. Create a service process map. Explain the elements of infrastructure for the service company using flow charts and be sure to provide a key. Cite three to five sources to support your process map.

Summary

Provide a 750-1,000-word summary describing the differences and similarities between manufacturing and service environments. For each company, identify if customer-introduced variability is available. If not, how would you implement flexibility for customer-introduced variability? How will a deep understanding of both manufacturing and service environments help you in your future or current career? Provide an example.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 3 Assignment

 Inventory Management

Refer to the Excel speadsheet, “Inventory Management,” to complete the “Analytics Exercise: An MRP Explosion – Brunswick Motors,” at the end of Chapter 21 in the textbook. Answer Questions 1-3.

MGT-655-InventoryManagement.xlxs

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

You are not required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 4 Assignment

Internal Processes

Internal processes of a company contribute to the company’s overall effectiveness. Identifying ways to improve internal processes helps build a highly efficient organization. Root causes need to be identified. Methods to identify root causes may require substantial analysis or be apparent based on a major problem within the organization.

For example, review the assigned article, “Inside Chipotle’s Contamination Crisis: Smugness and Happy Talk About Sustainability Aren’t Working Anymore,” from Bloomberg Businessweek. Research several other sources regarding Chipotle’s food contamination crisis. Create a flowchart of the original supply chain and how Chipotle supplies each of the restaurant chains. Provide your own commentary. Create another flowchart that suggests a new way to supply the restaurant chains.

Review another restaurant chain that does not currently have a major public problem but would benefit from evaluating its manufacturing process to improve competitiveness. Specifically, provide recommendations on how to improve the company’s current supply chain. Create a flowchart to illustrate your recommendations. Provide a summary of how you came to your recommendations. Include any formal strategies and informal thought processes you used to reach your conclusions. Provide rationale for either using or not using Six Sigma methodology, ISO quality benchmarking, lean supply chain processes, or TQM.

Submit all three flowcharts and commentary for each flowchart in a single document. Provide three to five resources to support your response.

While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 5 Assignment

Benchmark – Supply Chain Integration

Supply chain integration is a major contributing factor to organizational success. The goal of supply chain integration is alignment within the supply chain. As a business leader, how can you achieve greater supply chain integration with suppliers and customers?

Amazon is a prime example of a company that has successfully managed its supply chain to achieve growth and profitability. Research the progression of Amazon’s supply chain integration. Write a 1,000-1,250-word paper that address the following questions:

How do sales and operations planning in supply chain integration impact the company overall? What would Amazon’s medium- and long-term forecast inform the operations management department? How do logistics, transportation modes, and warehouse locations impact Amazon’s competitiveness?

How does global sourcing and procurement impact the overall effectiveness of the supply chain? What are the benefits and challenges that have occurred when outsourcing logistic and other functions?

How has Amazon successfully leveraged e-commerce strategies to promote supply chain integration and boost sales and growth for the organization? Which strategies have been particularly effective and why?

Do you feel that Amazon sets an example for other companies to model regarding supply chain integration? Be sure to explain your rationale. Consider the ethical implications in your response.

Incorporate five to seven resources to support your paper.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 6 Assignment

Quantitative and Qualitative Forecasting

Complete Example 13.2: Process Control Chart Design, located in Chapter 13 of the textbook using the Excel spreadsheet, Process Control Chart Design.

Answer questions 1-8 from Case: Quality Management-Toyota, located at the end of Chapter 13 in the textbook.

Refer to the Excel spreadsheet, “Computing Trend and Seasonal Factor,” to complete Example 18.4: Computing Trend and Seasonal Factor From a Linear Regression Line Obtained With Excel, located in Chapter 18 of the textbook.

After working through the examples, write a 150-300-word paragraph explaining the following:

Comparison of the simple moving average, weighted moving average, exponential smoothing, and linear regression analysis time series models

Description of market research, panel consensus, historical analogy, and Delphi method qualitative forecasting techniques.

While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

You are not required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 7 Assignment

Benchmark – Process Improvement Project: Phase I

Complete Phase I (Improvement Opportunity) of the Process Improvement Project. Refer to the “Process Improvement Project” resource for directions and criteria regarding the completion of this phase of the Process Improvement Project.

While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

 

 

MGT655 Operations Management

Week 8 Assignment

Benchmark – Process Improvement Project: Phases II and III

Complete Phase II (Planning and Implementation) and Phase III (Evaluation) of the Process Improvement Project. Refer to the “Process Improvement Project” resource for directions and criteria regarding the completion of these phases of the Process Improvement Project.

While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.