Chapter 1

Introduction to Operations Management

Overview
y Introduction y Historical Milestones in OM y Factors Affecting OM Today y Different Ways of Studying OM y Wrap-Up: What World-Class Producers Do

Introduction
y Operations management is the management of an

organizations productive resources or its production system. y A production system takes inputs and converts them into outputs. y The conversion process is the predominant activity of a production system. y The primary concern of an operations manager is the activities of the conversion process.

Organizational Model
Finance Sales HRM

OM
Marketing MIS QA

Engineering

Accounting

Entry-Level Jobs in OM
y Purchasing planner/buyer y Production (or operations) supervisor y Production (or operations) scheduler/controller y Production (or operations) analyst y Inventory analyst y Quality specialist

Historical Milestones in OM
y The Industrial Revolution y Post-Civil War Period y Scientific Management y Human Relations and Behaviorism y Operations Research y The Service Revolution

The Industrial Revolution

y The industrial revolution developed in England in the 1700s. y The steam engine, invented by James Watt in 1764, largely

replaced human and water power for factories. y Adam Smiths TheWealth of Nations in 1776 touted the economic benefits of the specialization of labor. y Thus the late-1700s factories had not only machine power but also ways of planning and controlling the tasks of workers.

y The industrial revolution spread from England to other European y y y y y

The Industrial Revolution

countries and to the United Sates. In 1790 an American, Eli Whitney, developed the concept of interchangeable parts. The first great industry in the US was the textile industry. In the 1800s the development of the gasoline engine and electricity further advanced the revolution. By the mid-1800s, the old cottage system of production had been replaced by the factory system. . . . more

Post-Civil War Period

y During the post-Civil War period great expansion of

production capacity occurred. y By post-Civil War the following developments set the stage for the great production explosion of the 20th century:
y y y y

increased capital and production capacity the expanded urban workforce new Western US markets an effective national transportation system

Scientific Management
y Frederick Taylor is known as the father of scientific

management. His shop system employed these steps:

y Each workers skill, strength, and learning ability were

determined. y Stopwatch studies were conducted to precisely set standard output per worker on each task. y Material specifications, work methods, and routing sequences were used to organize the shop. y Supervisors were carefully selected and trained. y Incentive pay systems were initiated.

Scientific Management
y In the 1920s, Ford Motor Companys operation embodied

the key elements of scientific management:

y standardized product designs y mass production y low manufacturing costs y mechanized assembly lines y specialization of labor y interchangeable parts

Human Relations and Behavioralism

y In the 1927-1932 period, researchers in the Hawthorne

Studies realized that human factors were affecting production. y Researchers and managers alike were recognizing that psychological and sociological factors affected production. y From the work of behavioralists came a gradual change in the way managers thought about and treated workers.

Operations Research
y During World War II, enormous quantities of resources

(personnel, supplies, equipment, ) had to be deployed. y Military operations research (OR) teams were formed to deal with the complexity of the deployment. y After the war, operations researchers found their way back to universities, industry, government, and consulting firms. y OR helps operations managers make decisions when problems are complex and wrong decisions are costly.

The Service Revolution

y The creation of services organizations accelerated sharply y y y y y

after World War II. Today, more than two-thirds of the US workforce is employed in services. About two-thirds of the US GDP is from services. There is a huge trade surplus in services. Investment per office worker now exceeds the investment per factory worker. Thus there is a growing need for service operations management.

The Computer Revolution

y Explosive growth of computer and communication y y y y y

technologies Easy access to information and the availability of more information Advances in software applications such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software Widespread use of email More and more firms becoming involved in E-Business using the Internet Result: faster, better decisions over greater distances

Today's Factors Affecting OM

y Global Competition y Quality, Customer Service, and Cost Challenges y Rapid Expansion of Advanced Technologies y Continued Growth of the Service Sector y Scarcity of Operations Resources y Social-Responsibility Issues

Studying Operations Management

y Operations as a System y Decision Making in OM

Operations as a System
Production System

Inputs of an Operations System

y External
y Legal, Economic, Social, Technological

y Market
y Competition, Customer Desires, Product Info.

y Primary Resources
y Materials, Personnel, Capital, Utilities

Conversion Subsystem
y Physical (Manufacturing) y Locational Services (Transportation) y Exchange Services (Retailing) y Storage Services (Warehousing) y Other Private Services (Insurance) y Government Services (Federal)

Outputs of an Operations System

y Direct
y Products y Services

y Indirect
y Waste y Pollution y Technological Advances

Production as an Organization Function

y US companies cannot compete with marketing, finance,

accounting, and engineering alone. y We focus on OM as we think of global competitiveness, because that is where the vast majority of a firms workers, capital assets, and expenses reside. y To succeed, a firm must have a strong operations function teaming with the other organization functions.

Decision Making in OM
y Strategic Decisions y Operating Decisions y Control Decisions

Strategic Decisions
y These decisions are of strategic importance and have long-

term significance for the organization. y Examples include deciding:

y the design for a new products production process y where to locate a new factory y whether to launch a new-product development plan

Operating Decisions
y These decisions are necessary if the ongoing production of

goods and services is to satisfy market demands and provide profits. y Examples include deciding:
y how much finished-goods inventory to carry y the amount of overtime to use next week y the details for purchasing raw material next month

Control Decisions
y These decisions concern the day-to-day activities of workers,

quality of products and services, production and overhead costs, and machine maintenance. y Examples include deciding:
y labor cost standards for a new product y frequency of preventive maintenance y new quality control acceptance criteria

What Controls the Operations System?

y Information about the outputs, the conversions, and the

inputs is fed back to management. y This information is matched with managements expectations y When there is a difference, management must take corrective action to maintain control of the system

Wrap-Up: World Class Practice

y OM important in any organization y Global competition forces rapid evolution of OM y Decision based framework focus of course
y Strategic, Operating, and Control

End of Chapter 1