Operations Management

Work systems and the “human” component are important aspects of operations management. High performance work systems are characterized by an increased opportunity for all employees to participate in decision-making, an established routine of training, appropriate employee incentives, as well as an infrastructure for communicating and sharing information.

A. Please draw on your experiences, business news, management aspects with which you are familiar, etc. and your knowledge of a real company to address the following issue: Can managers simultaneously give workers the satisfaction they want from their work and still give the organization the productivity and efficiency to survive economically? Why or why not? If yes, how? If no, what should be the main priority of an organization?

The primary goals, focus, and priorities of a company determine and are shaped into an overarching strategy for the company. The strategy determines what resources are needed and what methods of activities and operations are needed to effectively and efficiently utilize these resources (for more, please see Chapter 1). Resources are costly and limited, therefore, it is important to carefully evaluate what and how they are utilized. Performance measurements are essential in order to monitor and measure how and if the company is successfully utilizing these resources to fulfill the strategy to accomplish the goals of the company (quantitative and/or qualitative).

Operations managers (and managers in general) of most organization monitor performance data frequently and establish reasonable (but challenging) targets for their plans. Software can be used to create/view/evaluate performance. The links below provide introductions, trials and demos for Performance Dashboard Software:

http://www.dundas.com/dashboard/online-examples/

http://www.corda.com/performance-dashboard-article-advice-cio.php

http://www.corda.com/build-a-performance-dashboard.php

http://www.inetsoft.com/info/business_performance_dashboard_package/?utm_vendor=google&utm_source=northamerica&utm_campaign=dashboard&utm_medium=search&utm_content=7803873242&utm_term=%2Bperformance%20%2Bdashboards&gclid=CNDsg5vq_KwCFYPc4AodV0eewg

A. Please explore the software packages and address any of the following alternatives:

– Create a performance dashboard for an organization on which you have knowledge (e.g., your workplace). Your dashboard may be more simplistic than the examples above and may include just one operational performance measure (e.g., productivity).

– Evaluate which one of the example dashboards would apply best for an organization of your choice.

– Describe one pro and one con of using Performance Dashboards.

Operations Management
Create a decision tree for the implementation of ERP software. Research two brands of ERP software that a Pharmaceutical company could use to improve its performance. In the decision tree, analyze the possible effects that the implementation of each brand of ERP software may have on the company’s operations. In a single word document, address the following:

Provide an overview of two brands of ERP software to the executive.
Create a decision tree diagram that includes both brands of ERP software, analyzes key implementation questions, and describes the action outcomes for the executive.

Using the decision tree diagram that you created, choose one brand of ERP software to recommend to and describe why it should be implemented.