DRAFT SYLLABUS

B01.2314.00Competitive Advantage from Operations

 COURSE DESCRIPTION

Operations is concerned with the systematic design, management and improvement of the processes that transform inputs into finished goods or services. Operations is one of the primary functions of a firm. As marketing induces the demand for products and finance provides the capital, operations produces the product (goods and services).

This course provides a foundation for understanding the operations of a firm. My objective by the end of the course is to provide you with the basic skills necessary to critically analyze a firm's operating performance and practices. Such knowledge is important for careers in a variety of areas, including general management, entrepreneurship, investment banking (e.g. business restructurings, mergers and acquisitions), venture capital (e.g. evaluating new business plans) and management consulting (business restructuring improvement).

Unlike many courses in the core, which tend to treat the firm as a "black box", we will be primarily concerned with "opening up" the black box and discovering what makes a firm "tick" - or, for that matter, "stop ticking". In contrast to your management courses, our focus is on the technological rather than human dimension of a firm's internal operations - though there are obvious connections between the two that we will explore. In contrast to the measurement focus of your accounting courses, our concern is understanding what elements of a firm's operations enable it to produce quality outputs at a competitive cost structure. That is, we will focus on how the "physics" of material, work and information flows and the design and management of a firm's processes interact to determine a firm's cost structure and its ability to compete effectively in terms of non-cost measures such as quality, variety and speed.

Because the operations of a firm vary widely from one industry to the next, a course like this cannot cover all topics that are relevant to any given industry. Rather, I have selected a set of topics that are fundamental to understanding operations in a wide range of industries. These concepts are then illustrated using cases from a diverse set of businesses. The specific course objectives are to teach you to:

Identify the operational capabilities needed to support a business strategy; Define and characterize key business processes; Establish clear performance objectives and process measures; Understand the impact of demand and process variability; and Use data and tools to evaluate and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of processes.

Course Objectives

Appreciate the importance of operations and its strategies, concepts and tools as a critical function of business

Create an operations strategy to support the business strategy Identify the operational capabilities needed to support a business strategy Define and characterize key business processes Establish clear performance objectives and process measures Effectively manage demand and process variability Use data and tools to evaluate and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of processes

Methods and Materials The course uses a variety of teaching methods and materials. Classes will consist of lectures, discussions, exercises and video presentations. Fundamental concepts are contained in lecture notes and readings. Analytical tools are presented in notes, discussed in lectures and reinforced by case and homework assignments. Cases are also used to illustrate the context and complexity of operations issues.

Text and Readings

Assigned material should be read before class to facilitate comprehension, discussion, and coverage.  Readings are contained in a customized textbook and a casebook, both available in the bookstore and in material that will be distributed in the class. Use the syllabus as a guide for reading. You are also required to read:

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, Second or Third Edition, Goldratt & Cox, North River Press. 

The Goal is a novel about plant operations. It provides an entertaining glimpse of life within a plant and teaches some important management concepts along the way. We will refer to it periodically throughout the first half of the course.

Groups

You should form groups of three or four students for doing the case executive summaries.

Class Preparation

I have made a sincere effort to keep the amount of reading for each class reasonable; in turn, however, I expect you to read the required materials and be well prepared for each class. Cases, in particular, typically require a detailed reading and will often require analysis of relevant data. You should bring your analyses to the class so that we can explore various alternatives.

TEXTBOOKS

Goldratt, E. M., "The Goal" Second or Third Edition, North River Press, Great Barrington, MA, . Available in the bookstore, most booksellers and online.

Optional Custom textbook with selected chapters from Operations Management for Competitive Advantage, Chase Aquilano and Jacobs, 12th Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin.  Available in the bookstore

Online case packet for Professor Silverman containing:

Competing on Capabilities: the New Rules of Corporate Strategy

Barilla SpA Case

Toyota Motor Co. Case

National Cranberry Cooperative (Abridged) Case

Additional material to be distributed in class.

COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Microsoft Excel

Solver add-in

 ASSIGNMENTS

I have made a sincere effort to keep the amount of reading for each class reasonable; in turn, however, I expect you to read the required materials and be well prepared for each class. Cases, in particular, require a detailed reading and will often require analysis of relevant data to support your conclusions. Questions related to the cases and The Goal may appear on the final examination.

Since class participation is part of your course grade, it is important that you strive to be a vital contributor to such discussions. In an effort to encourage class participation, we will occasionally call on people and solicit contributions. The quality of your participation in discussions will be judged based on the content and depth of your comments, their relevance to the discussion, and your ability to move the class discussion forward.  We will play "The Beer Game."  Your attendance during this session is required and will be counted toward your participation grade.

 Executive Summaries and Case Statements

Executive summaries:  Specific questions and issues to be addressed are listed in the syllabus. The executive summary should be prepared and written as a group effort and may consist of no more than three pages of text plus 1-5 pages of attachments consisting of supporting analyses and exhibits. These must be done in groups of three to four students. All assignments should be typed. However, attachments containing diagrams may be (neatly) done by hand.

Case statements and homework assignments:   You will prepare these but will not have a full executive summary due. You will be required to write a one to three paragraph description of the key problem and/or issue presented in the case. These are to be done on an individual basis. This means that these assignments are completely your own work.

All assignments are due at the start of class, and late assignments will not be accepted. EXAMINATIONS

There will be an in-class, open-book final exam. 

If you have a qualified disability and will require academic accommodation during this course, please contact the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD, 998-4980) and provide me with a letter from them verifying your registration and outlining the accommodations they recommend.  If you will need to take an exam at the CSD, you must submit a completed Exam Accommodations Form to them at least one week prior to the scheduled exam time to be guaranteed accommodation. 

GRADING

Your grade in the course will be based on your individual, as well as group efforts and performance as follows:

 Class Participation 5%

 

Cases Statements 25%

Executive Summaries 30%

Final Exam 40%

 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Class Topic Reading and Due

1 Topic 1Course introduction and overview. Operations strategy and business strategy.The process perspective.

In class we will discuss the following questions:

1.      What exactly are a firm's operations? What do they entail?

2.      How do operations affect a firm's short-term and long-term financial performance?

3.      What techniques can be used to make a process efficient? What tradeoffs are involved?

Industry Examples

Read: Competing on Capabilities: The New Rules of Corporate Strategy

Read: Kristen Cookie case in OM Ch. 6

2 "Some distance below, down across the highway, is my plant. It sits in a field, a big gray steel box without windows. Inside, I know there are about 400 people at work on day shift. Their cars are parked in the lot. I watch as a truck backs between two others sitting at the unloading dock. The trucks bring the materials which the machines and people inside will use to make something. On the opposite side, more trucks are being filled with what they have produced. In simplest terms, that's what's happening. I'm supposed to manage what goes on down there." [The Goal, pp. 36]

Questions for class discussion on The Goal:

1.      What is "the goal" according to Jonah? What are "throughput," "operational expense" and "inventory".

2.      What problems does Alex (more generally, any firm) face in achieving "the goal"?

3.      Think of an example of a firm that has a successful operating strategy (other than those I discussed.) What do they do that is innovative or different? Why do they operate this way? What benefit do you think they gain?

Read:

The Goal, through Chapter 10

Read:

OM Ch. 6

Read:XTM Bike Corporation

Due: Individual assignment forKristen’s CookiesAnswer questions1–6 in the class

Kristen’s Cookies

We will continue with our analysis of Kristen’s Cookie Company.  In class we discussed Kristen’s cookie operation with her roommate using one oven.  As we discovered, one oven limits Kristen’s production capacity.  Now suppose that Kristen has obtained a second oven (just like the first one.)  Answer the following questions:

1. For orders of one dozen cookies at a time, what are the cycle times and capacities for each operation?

2. What is the new bottleneck?  What is the capacity of the process?

3. What is the throughput time for an order? 4. What is the maximum number of orders that can be satisfied in

one (4 hour) evening?  Don’t forget the startup and shutdown time as discussed in class.

5. How much additional profit was contributed by the second oven assuming that Kristen sells 1 dozen cookies for $3.40?

6. Repeat the analysis for orders of two dozen cookies (of the same type) at a time.

Topic 1Types of operating processes. Product-process matching and technology choice.

Questions for class discussion:

1.      What are production line, batch and job-shop processes? What advantages and disadvantages do they have?

2.      What strategic challenges does a firm using each technology face?

3.      How does a firm chose which operating technology to use? What affects this choice? What is the consequence of choosing the wrong technology?

Topic 2Process Analysis

Read the assigned description of XTM Bike Corp.

Cannondale is the company that XTM Bike Corp. is patterned after.

Consider the following questions for class discussion:

1.      What trade-offs does XTM Bike face in the example described in the note? 

2.      What is the relationship between inventory and throughput time?

3.      What are the advantages and disadvantages of batch production?

outline.

Download: XTM spreadsheet

 

 

3 Topic 1Continuous Flow Process

Case: National Cranberry Cooperative (NCC)See the Ocean Spray website showing cranberry harvesting.

Your assignment is to develop a process flow diagram for NCC and use it to analyze the fruit processing operation at Receiving Plant #1. The purpose of the assignment is to provide an exercise in using process flow analysis to both diagnose an operating problem and analyze various options for solving the problem.

Read the case and answer the questions below in an executive summary due in class. Attach a process flow diagram and supporting calculations to your report.

Draw a process flow diagram showing the major process steps, inventories and flows. Indicate the capacity at each of the process steps. You should assume:

a. 16,400 barrels per day is the average of deliveries over the 20 days from 9/20-10/9. b. Each truck carries 75 barrels on average. c. Trucks arrive uniformly over a 12-hour period starting at 7am. d. The plant starts operating at 11am but could start earlier. e. Trucks carry 70% wet berries and 30% dry berries.

1. Which operation (or operations) is the bottleneck?

2. How much overtime is required during this peak season? Determine this in total man-hours over the 20 day peak period. The receiving and processing departments each schedule their own workers.

3. How bad is the truck delay at the loading dock during this peak season?

4. What are the basic options for improving the operation?

5. Which options would you recommend and why? Determine how much overtime will be saved using your recommendations. Then calculate the dollar savings from this reduction in overtime over the 20 day peak period. Assume that the average overtime pay for all workers is $7.88.

Note that you should analyze flows of berries, not amounts at discrete points in time. For example: 16,400 berries divided by 12 yields 1367 barrels of berries arriving per hour. 70% of this means that 957 barrels of wet berries arrive per hour. All flows are uniform throughout the day. Consider inflow of wet berries and the capacity to process them. Also consider the storage capacity for wet berries. There is no storage for

Read:

National Cranberry Cooperative (NCC)

Read:

OM Ch.8A

Due: Group Executive Summary: NCCAnswer questions 1-5 in the class outline. 

Download: mms.xls spreadsheet

berries inside the plant.

In class, be prepared to discuss and defend your recommendations.

Topic 2Variability in processes: Introduction to capacity planning and waiting lines.

Questions for class discussion:

1.      What are the inputs required by the queuing model described in the note?How can these data be obtained?

2.      What are the outputs of the queuing model?How are these used to make operating decisions?

3.      What are the key insights and implications for this model?

4 Topic1 First City National Bank case

Questions for class discussion:

1.      Considering the data supplied for arrival and service times, how would you calculate an average arrival rate and service rate? Should you group the hours in the day into different periods of consistent arrival rates?

2.      As Mr. Craig, what characteristics of this queuing system would you be most interested in observing?

3.      Calculate the waiting time for a customer (time in the queue before service) for each line configuration, and determine which of the two line configurations you would recommend. Support your result with the appropriate quantitative queuing analysis using data from Superpeak days in Exhibit 4. Use the mms.xls spreadsheet. You do not need to submit all computer output. The relevant results and the answer to the question will suffice.

4.      Determine the best number of tellers to use during the different periods of the day?

Topic 2The Goal continuedQuestions for class discussion:

1.      What are the problems Alex's plant is facing in terms of response time to customers?

Read:FCN Bank

Read:OM Ch. 9

Read:The Goal through chapter 31. (Reading the remainder of the book is optional.)

Due:Group Executive Summary:FCN Bank Answer questions 1-4 in the class outline.

What is the effect on his market?

2.      How important is response time in the businesses that you are familiar with? What are the causes of the response time problems in these businesses?

3.      How can a firm effectively manage response time?

4.      According to Jonah, what is wrong with concept of exactly balancing capacity and demand? Why is excess capacity needed?

Topic 3Introduction to Total Quality Management. Taguchi’s seven quality tools. Quality implementation programs.

We will discuss the following questions.

1.      How do you define quality?

2.      When and why is quality important to you as a consumer?

3.      What costs might poor quality impose on a firm and their customers?

Programs for implementing TQM:

1. Six sigma

Click here to see GE’s 6 sigma program

2. Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award

Click here to go to Baldrige Award website

3.      ISO 9000: 2000

Click here to go to ISO website

5 Topic 1Hank Kolb case

Read:Hank Kolb: Director

Questions for class discussion:

Delivering consistent quality is often an elusive goal. This case will help us begin to understand the myriad obstacles to achieving quality in a complex operation. Consider the following questions for class discussion.

1. What are the quality problems facing Hank Kolb? In your opinion, which is the most serious? Why?

2. What are the causes of the problems? Focus particularly on what you consider to be the most serious problems.

3. If you were Hank, what would you do to improve quality in the Greasex Division? What are the barriers to your plan and what can be done to overcome them?

Topic 2Statistical Process Control

We will discuss the following issues?

1. What is statistical process control and why is it important? 2. What are special and common cause variations? 3. Why is it important to distinguish between the two?

We will be doing all of the quantitative calculations and graphs using Excel.

Quality Assurance in OM Ch. 9

Read:OM Ch. 9A

Due:Individual assignment for Hank Kolb case:Answer questions 1-3 in the class outline.

Download: sample SPC spreadsheet

6 Topic 1: Service Quality

Case: Ritz Carlton Hotel

The Excel file ritz1.xls contains a listing of a subset of all defects reported in the DQPR (Daily Quality Problem Report) for the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead over the period from January 1997 to November 1997. The subset contains all defects for twelve categories of defects that directly impact the customer and are identified as causes for customer dissatisfaction.

I suggest you look at the Ritz Carlton web site to find additional information.

Analyze this data file and answer the following questions in an executive summary due at the start of class:

1. What is Ritz-Carlton’s business strategy? What is its operations strategy? How does its operations strategy support its business strategy?

Read:Ritz Carlton Hotel

Read:Toyota Motor Company case

Read:OM Ch. 12

Due: Group Executive Summary: Ritz Carlton HotelAnswer all 7 questions in the course outline. 

Download the Ritz1.xls spreadsheet

2. Does the data in the ritz1.xls file indicate any significant quality problems?

In analyzing the data you should do the following:

a. Make a p-chart for all days from January through November for all defects

b. Make a p-chart for all days from January through November for room clean defects

c. Create Pareto charts for:

i. all defects by keyword ii. all defects by day of the week iii. room clean defect by day of the week iv. all defects as a percent of occupancy by day of the weekv. construct any other Pareto charts that will help you to analyze the data

d. Give special attention to the 14 days that were out of control. What days were out of control? What defects occurred on these out of control days?  

3. If you were to select a category of defect to address from the DQPR data, which category would you address? Why? 

4. Using the data and your common-sense knowledge of hotel operations, generate hypotheses about the possible root causes of the defect category that you selected.  

5. Is there any other data that you think would be helpful to your analysis?  

6. What initiatives did Ritz-Carlton take in order to make enough further improvements to win the Malcolm Baldrige Award for the second time?  

7. What improvements does Ritz-Carlton have to make to its operations strategy or the implementation of the strategy? 

Explanation of fields in the ritz1.xls file:

Field Name 

Explanation 

ID 

Unique ID number assigned to each defect in report  

Date1 

The date the defect was recorded in the DQPR 

Date2 

The date the defect occurred 

Time 

The time the defect occurred 

Count 

The number of defects of this type 

Keyword 

The category of defect type that the defect is assigned to 

Memo 

Detailed description of the defect 

Source 

Source of information of this defect to the DQPR  

Room 

The room number of guest 

Department 

Department where suspected cause of the defect 

Topic 2

Just-In-Time Inventory Models

We will discuss the following questions in class:

1. What are the key characteristics of the Just-In-Time production system?

2. What sources of waste and inefficiency are reduced through Toyota's JIT methods?

3. What is unique about Toyota's relationship with its suppliers? 4. What shortcomings, if any, do you see in the JIT system?

What shortcomings, if any, do you see in the JIT system?

7 Topic 1

Project Management

We will examine tools for managing projects. These tools include Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Critical Path Method (CPM) and project crashing.

Questions for class discussion:

1. Why is it difficult to manage projects? 2. How can a project be represented in a diagram? 3. How can we use project management tools to determine the

earliest time that a project can be completed? How can we use these tools to focus management attention on the critical tasks in the project?

4. How can tradeoffs be made between increasing costs to reduce project completion times?

Read:OM Ch. 3

Due:Individual assignment for Toyota Motor Manufacturing:

Answer JIT questions 2-3 in the class outline for class 6.

Download:Project management network cases and

FCN project cases

8 Introduction to Supply Chain ManagementThe Beer Distribution Game

Please arrive in class a 10 minutes before the beginning of class. I need everyone to attend on time in order for this to work smoothly.

This should be an enjoyable morning.

We will have pizza and drinks after the game. 

Read Barilla case

9 Topic 2Supply Chain Management

Tools for Managing Supply Chains: EOQ and Periodic Review Inventory Models.

We will have a lecture with in-class exercises. Bring your calculators or computers.

Based on the readings, think about the following questions:

1. What are the pipeline, cycle and safety stocks?Why do they occur?

2. What is a fill rate?

3. How is it defined and why is it important?

4. What is the trade-off between fill rate and inventory levels?

Topic 2:

Effects of Centralization on Inventory Costs

Read the Xenon Drives case. We will go over the analysis is class, together. Consider the following questions:

1. Why does consolidation help Xenon?

2. What other factors might you consider in doing a full-fledged cost/benefit analysis of this situation?

Read:OM Ch. 10

Read:HP Deskjet Supply case in OM Ch. 17

Read:Xenon Drives case

Due:

Individual assignment to answer Project Management cases:

Allied Distributing Specialty ContractorsAerospace Components

 

10 Topic 1

The Power of Postponement

Case: HP Deskjet Supply Chain  Click here to go to HP webpage

Read the case and answer the following questions. Submit your analysis in the form of an executive summary due at the start of class. (You should attach 1-2 pages of calculations in exhibit form.) NOTE: The analyses are easier if you use weeks as a unit of time in your calculations and use a spreadsheet.

1.     Evaluate the various alternatives available to Brent Cartier to address the inventory and service problem? Specifically, consider the airfreight option by examining the cost of inventory for all models in Europe (ignore Asia and North America), using a 98% fill rate and the data given in Table 1. (Each model corresponds to a unique language-power-supply combination.)

2.     If the lead-time is 5 weeks with sea freight and 1 week by air, and if the review period is 1 week because of production cycles at the Vancouver plant, what savings in average inventory are available? Assume that the product’s selling price is $667 (from page 1 of the case) and the product’s cost is $400. Assume airfreight adds an additional cost of $10 per unit and that the annual inventory holding cost rate is 12% of the unit cost. (You can assume this 12% primarily reflects the cost of capital.)

3.     The generic printer option involves redesigning the product to make a universal voltage power supply with a detachable power cord.  Under this option, partially assembled printers could be shipped to the European D.C. and stored in generic form. Then, as orders come in, printers could be packaged with the appropriate power cord and manuals as needed to meet demand in individual countries (D.C. localization). Evaluate the inventory savings from using a D.C. localization strategy.

4.     If you were the general manager of the division, how would you evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of these options? Which, if any, would you recommend and why?

Topic 2

Introduction to resource allocation using Linear Programming

Read: OM 2A

Due:Group Executive Summary:HP Deskjet Supply Chain

Use Data from course outline and HPdata.xls file

Answer questions 1-4 in course outline.

11 Topic 1

Using Excel’s Solver add-in to get linear programming solutions.

Topic 2

Re-read: OM 2ADue:Individual assignment on linear programming problems - To be assigned

Course Review

12 The final exam is the full class period and is open book and notes.It covers material from the entire semester. Review entire course material up to this point including all cases and "The Goal."