MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
MAN 351 Operations Management
Instructor: Prof. E. Greene
TERM PROJECT ASSIGNMENT
Each student is to prepare a typewritten report on one (1) of the assignments indicated in the attached sheets. The report should be no less than five (5) typewritten pages not including the cover sheet, table of contents or reference list.
Each report should contain a cover sheet with the following information:
Title of Report
Course Number
Student's Name
Date Report is Submitted
Each report should contain a table of contents to identify the main elements of the report and a reference list to identify the sources of information. Students are expected to utilize outside source materials to research the necessary information. These sources can include the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, New York Times (past and present issues), Fortune, textbooks, reference books, etc.
Copied reports will not be accepted.
ASSIGNMENT 1 – Operations Management in Services
- Give one example of a business following each of these approaches. Describe each business – name, what the service is, who are target customers.
- Production line approach
- Customer involvement approach
- Personal attention approach
- For every business you listed above, identify two important operations management challenges.
- Describe how technology is being used in service production by every business you listed above.
MAN 351 Operations Management- Term Project Assignments
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ASSIGNMENT 2 – Product & Process Design
- List all parts of the production process at SUBWAY SANDWICH shop. What kind of process is it – continuous, intermittent, batch or project? Can technology be used to improve the process?
- Give an example of a new service, from your observation. Was this a completely new service or improvement of an old one? Was there a change in the service or only in its delivery? Was technology used in the service innovation, how?
- Give an example, from your experience of a product with robust design and a product with modular design.
ASSIGNMENT 3 – Aggregate Planning
- Consider BILLY’s Pizza across the street.
- What is the production process at Billy’s?
- Does Billy’s follow Level Strategy or Chase Strategy for production?
- Consider Billy’s purchasing from suppliers – would you recommend Billy’s to follow Level or Chase strategy for purchasing?
ASSIGNMENT 4 – Supply Chain Management
- Consider the example of COFFEE. Describe as much of the SUPPLY CHAIN of this product as you can. You can do independent research – look up reliable publications (NOT Wikipedia) for information. Add diagrams if you choose.
ASSIGNMENT 5 - New Product Introduction
The following companies are known for their strong ability to introduce new products quickly. Go to the websites for the firms below and
- Identify and describe the new products that are being offered to the public.
- Determine whether the new product(s) fall into the category of (a) incremental or derivative, (b) next generation or platform, (c) breakthrough or radical.
- Explain and justify your choice.
Samsung
Hewlett-Packard
MAN 351 Operations Management- Term Project Assignment
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ASSIGNMENT 6 - Quality Management
- Compare the ISO certification process with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria. What are the main differences?
- Explain why some quality initiatives fail in American Organizations?
- Explain the concept of Six Sigma and its relationship to ISO certification and the Malcolm Baldrige Award system.
ASSIGNMENT 7 - Technology
Advances in technology in recent years have had a significant effect on the operations management function. Discuss how such technologies as: CAD/CAM, Management Information Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Electronic Data Interchange and Enterprise Resource Planning, allow organizations to mass customize their products and services to meet the needs of individual customers and place them where and when they are needed to supply demand.