HBR OPS Chase Jacobs Aquilano
HBR OPS Chase Jacobs Aquilano
HBR OPS Chase Jacobs Aquilano
Abstract
Examines the coming of mass production (continuous and large-batch
processes and those involving fabricating and assembling of Scientific
interchangeable parts), and relates the beginnings of modern factory
management to the needs and opportunities created by the new
technology. Besides focusing on the interrelation of technology and
management, it examines issues created by the responses of
management and labor to the new machines and methods.
Subjects: Automation; Business history; Labor relations; Management
of change; Manufacturing; Production planning; Technological change
Abstract
Describes how Amazon's distribution system evolved from the
company's inception. In 2003, Amazon Europe must decide how to
reconfigure its distribution network in light of expected growth, products
proliferation, and geographical expansion in Europe. Examines how
characteristics of suppliers and customers differ across the markets
Amazon serves in Europe. The protagonist must consider the degree of
centralization appropriate for the European network, where inventory
should be held, what fulfillment models should be used, and how to
manage risks of supply disruption.
Subjects: Inventory management, Order management cycle, Order
processing, Order quantity, Warehousing, Globalization, Distribution,
Expansion, Plant location, Electronic commerce, Online retailing,
Supply chain management, Supply chains.
Fresh Connections
Jonathan West, Susan S.
Harmeling, Christian G. Kasper
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 11/18/1999
Product #: 600022
Length: 23p
Teaching Note: 600108
McDonald's Corp.
David Upton; Joshua D.
Margolis
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 10/9/1992
Product #: 693028
Length: 22p
Teaching Note: available
Chapter 3: Design of
Products and Services
Abstract
Describes IDEO, the world's leading product design firm, and its
innovation culture and process. Emphasis is placed on the important
role of prototyping and experimentation in general, and in the design of
the very successful Palm V handheld computer in particular. A studio
leader is asked by a business start-up (Handspring) to develop a novel
hand-held computer (Visor) in less than half the time it took to develop
the Palm V, requiring several shortcuts to IDEO's legendary innovation
process. Focuses on: 1) prototyping and experimentation practices at a
leading product developer; 2) the role of playfulness, discipline, and
structure in innovation processes; and 3) the managerial challenges of
creating and managing an unusually creative and innovative company
culture. Includes color exhibits.
Subjects covered: Creativity; Design; Organizational management;
Outsourcing; Product development; Prototypes
Innovation as a Learning
Process: Embedding Design
Thinking
Sara L. Beckman, Michael
Barry
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 11/1/2007
Product #: CMR377
Length: 33p
Teaching Note: none
Chapter 4: Project
Management
A&D High Tech (A): Managing
Projects for Success
Mark Jeffery, Derek Yung, Alex
Gershbeyn
Type: Kellogg School of
Management
Pub. Date: 1/1/06
Product #: KEL156
Length: 20p
Teaching Note: available
Abstract
Based on a real $25 million project at a major U.S.-based computer
manufacturer. For confidentiality reasons the company has been
disguised as A&D High Tech. The Web-based online ordering system
project is required by sales and marketing for the fall holiday season. If
the project misses this window, the firm will lose substantial market
share to competitors. Examines how to create and analyze a project
plan in Microsoft Project. Specifically, data is given to build the project
plan step-by-step and then analyze the plan using the Microsoft Project
management tool. In order to make manageable for students, we
reduced the size of the project, and the corresponding number of
resources, to approximately $1 million, but retained all of the features
of the original project. The project plan that students construct from the
data given in the case is fraught with risks, and students must apply
risk management techniques to diagnose the plan. Ultimately, students
must answer the management question: Will the project be completed
for the holiday shopping season?
Subjects: Digital technology, Emerging technologies, Nanotechnology,
Technology, Operations, Operations management, Project
management, Project planning, Project strategy, Evidence based risk
management, Risk management, Marketing, Outsourcing, Browsers,
Internet, Web-enabled application, Websites, Sensors.
SchmidtCo (A)
John S. Hammond III
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 5/24/2004
Product #: 904080
Length: 4p
Teaching Note: available
The head of the key account team at Ai Li Industrial Company Ltd. (Ai
Li) was discussing the possibility of bidding for a new account with a
major North American department store. The account would involve
the manufacture of compact cosmetics kits for the upcoming holiday
season. Although the potential benefits from the considerably large
order would be significant, it would require one third of Ai Li's nearly full
manufacturing capacity.
Subjects: Capacity analysis, Competitive bidding, Outsourcing.
While facilitating a complex clinical approval process over the next two
to three years for a family of new cancer drugs, Genentech must
develop a long-term capacity plan for a major class of new cancer
products. Adding to the complexity and uncertainty is the fact that the
lead time for planning, building, and certifying a new $600 million plus
production-scale facility is five years. In addition, ensuring that the best
process technology is incorporated into such a new plant makes the
task facing David Ebersman, the senior vice-president of products
operations, and his management team a daunting one. Frames the
issues Ebersman and his team face and outlines the approach to date.
Subjects: Capacity planning, Capital budgeting, Facilities, Operations
management, Product development, Technology & operations.
Considers the situation facing David Barger, President and CEO of
JetBlue Airways, in May 2007 as he addresses the airline's need to
slow its growth rate in the response to increasing fuel costs and the
effects of major operational crisis for the airline in February 2007. In
2005, JetBlue-typically viewed as a low-cost carrier (LCC)-made a
move that is often considered antithetical to the LCC model.
Specifically, JetBlue moved from a single aircraft type (i.e., the Airbus
320, or A320) to a fleet with two types of aircraft by adding the smaller
Embraer 190, or E190. Students are initially asked to consider the
impact of this decision on JetBlue's operations strategy and business
model. They are then asked to consider how the reductions in aircraft
capacity growth should be spread across the two plane types. This
discussion hinges not only on issues of aircraft efficiency but also on
those of operational focus and the ultimate competitive priorities of the
airline as a whole.
Subjects: Business growth, Growth, Growth management, Organic
growth, Capacity planning, Airlines, Growth strategy, Strategic
management, Strategy, Strategy & execution.
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 10/10/2008
Product #: 708021
Length: 24p
Teaching Note: available
Faced with growth exceeding 100% per year, James Davis, president
of New Balance, must decide how to meet the need for additional
capacity. Several factors contribute to a climate of extreme uncertainty.
Several options are considered, ranging from a second shift to
acquiring a plant in Ireland. Sufficient information is provided to allow
an analysis of forecasted demand as well as the strategic financial and
organizational implications of alternative courses of action.
Subjects: Forecasting, Sales forecasting, Business growth, Growth,
Growth management, Organic growth, Facilities planning, Location
decisions, Location of industry, Assembly lines, Manufacturing,
Capacity planning, Demand analysis.
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 10/2/2009
Product #: 606043
Length: 2p
Teaching Note: none
Shouldice Hospital Ltd.
James L. Heskett
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 4/25/1983
Product #: 683068
Length: 18p
Teaching Note: 686120
In February 2005, Jeffrey Tarrant (HBS '85) and Ted Seides (HBS '99)
considered their strategy for Protege Partners, founded in July 2002 as
a fund of hedge funds (FOHF) specializing in small hedge funds.
Protege's assets under management had grown to $1.1 billion, and
Protege's development almost exactly mirrored the founders'
expectations from 2001. Although the founders saw benefits to growth,
they remained committed to the integrity of managing a small fund and
wanted to continue generating superior performance for their clients.
Should they close the Protege FOHF to new investors and focus on
managing the existing assets as they originally intended? Could they
continue to increase assets under management without taking on more
top-level professionals? Should they hire additional analytical staff to
help them grow Protege? Should they leverage Protege's special
relationships with seeded managers to create a multistrategy hedge
fund? Perhaps most important, how would their valued clients react to
change?
Subjects: Entrepreneurial management, Organizational design,
Business model innovations, Business models, Capacity planning,
Capacity analysis, Financial institutions, Financial services.
Scharffen Berger, a premium brand chocolate, is growing rapidly and
must decide where and when to add capacity in the production line and
with what technology. The company must consider the demands of
marketing, the impact on quality and reputation, and the economics of
alternative approaches to increasing output in both the short term and
long term. Provides an opportunity for students to examine the existing
process technology and flow, to understand the determinants of
product quality, and to make recommendations about changes that will
expand the capabilities of the firm in supplying its premium products to
a rapidly growing market segment.
Subjects: Process analysis, Process improvement, Factories, Quality
control, Capacity planning.
Various proposals are set forth for expanding the capacity of the
hospital. In assessing them, serious consideration has to be given to
the culture of the organization and the importance of preserving it in a
service delivery system. In addition to issues of capacity and
organizational analysis, describes a well-focused, well-managed
medical service facility that may well point the way to future economies
in the field.
Subjects: Capacity planning, Expansion, Market segmentation,
Organizational behavior, Services, Social enterprise, Word-of-mouth.
Chapter 7: Manufacturing
Process
Abstract
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 10/25/1995
Product #: 696071
Length: 10p
Teaching Note: none
Supplement #: 696093
Clayton M. Christensen,
Rebecca Voorheis
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 9/22/1995
Product #: 696061
Length:14p
Teaching Note: available
Metreke Cards
Steven C. Wheelwright
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 1/8/1992
Product #: 692073
Length: 8p
Teaching Note: none
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 1/22/1992
Product #: 692023
Length: 20p
Teaching Note: 693004
Samsung International, Inc.
Alice H. Amsden
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 3/12/1986
Product #: 686123
Length: 13p
Teaching Note: none
Pharmacy Service
Improvement at CVS (A)
Andrew McAfee
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 12/14/2005
Product #: 606015
Length: 11p
Teaching Note: available
Abstract
Discusses the development of a chain of "theme" restaurants. The
student is asked to evaluate the current operating strategy and suggest
a long-term expansion strategy.
Subjects: Corporate strategy, Expansion, Multinational corporations,
Food, Natural foods.
Describes the operating system of a Burger King unit. The case does
not have a decision focus; it is designed for use with McDonald's Corp.
Students are asked to compare the operating systems of these two
fast food hamburger chains. Careful analysis will detect the subtle and
not so subtle differences between the two operating systems selected
by these two firms.
Subjects: Operations research, Systems design, Work force
management.
With the global focus on service-led growth has come increased need
for practical techniques for service innovation. Services are fluid,
dynamic, experiential, and frequently co-produced in real time by
customers, employees, and technology, often with few static physical
properties. However, most product innovation approaches focus on the
design of relatively static products with physical properties. Thus, many
of the invention and prototype design techniques used for physical
goods and technologies do not work well for human and interactive
services. This article describes one technique-service blueprinting-that
has proven useful for service innovation. Service blueprinting is
securely grounded in the customer's experience and it allows the clear
visualization of dynamic service processes. The technique is described
in detail including real case examples that illustrate the value and
breadth of its applications.
Subjects: Brainstorming, Innovation, Innovations, Technological
innovation, Call centers, Customer self-service, Customer service,
Customer relations, Customer relationship management, Customer
relationships.
The marketing director of a fast-growing firm must make some
decisions about the customer service department. The volume in the
department has been rising steadily, eye doctors are waiting longer for
orders to be filled, and morale in the department is slipping. With
pressure on the firm to make a profit, the marketing director must
carefully justify any request for additional people or equipment.
Subjects: Capacity analysis, Customer relations, Customer service,
Employee morale, Scheduling, Systems analysis, Work force
management.
Totalline Transport
Larry Menor, Ken Mark, Jordan
Mitchell
Type: Richard Ivey School of
Business
Pub. Date: 6/3/2005
Product #: 905D01
Length: 22p
Teaching Note: none
Abstract
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 9/14/1993
Product #: 694039
Length: 3p
Teaching Note: available
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 9/27/1988
Product #: 689030
Length: 14p
Teaching Note: available
Abstract
The management of a small manufacturer of circuit boards faces a
number of production and operations management problems. The first
day on this case is used to analyze the production capacity of various
stages in the process and to examine bottlenecks and key production
flow decisions. The emphasis is on physical flows. The second day the
emphasis is on information flows. We look in detail at the problems
faced by the company, discuss the tools and techniques of process
analysis that can be used to determine the relative importance of those
problems, identify solutions, and discuss implementation issues.
Subjects: Performance measurement, Performance measurement
systems, Process analysis, Capacity analysis, Electronics.
Kamalini Ramdas
Type: University of Virginia
Darden
Pub. Date: 2/2/2004
Product #: UV0426
Length: 21p
Teaching Note: none
Addresses how flow times and capacity calculations can be made for a
service process such as the Bariatric Surgery Center at a clinic.
Highlights how these calculations can be made for a service process
just as in any manufacturing setting. Discusses the notions of critical
paths and bottlenecks and what factors affect both time and capacity.
Also, discusses the relative profitability of two types of bariatric
surgery, the goal being to link product profitability to the process.
Subjects: Profitability, Profits, Operations, Operations management,
Process analysis, Capacity analysis, Service management, Cardiac
surgery, Health care providers, Health care systems, Healthcare
systems.
Abstract
Gives an account of how a ship management company was able to set
itself apart from competitors and from its clients' own in-house
technical and crew management capabilities by embracing a culture of
continuous improvement and implementing Total Quality Management
systems. The shipping industry was not alone in being regulated, but
its distinctly international nature made ship managers, as cost-cutting
practitioners, particularly open to criticism. A ship management
company's very existence hinged upon its ability to convince ship
owners that it would preserve their valuable assets and maximize
revenue-earning potential--demonstrating that its collective skills were
superior and more cost effective. As a result, an effective quality
assurance system that continuously improved the organization's
human and business systems could enhance efficiency and have a
significant marketing impact.
Subjects: Change management, Customer relations, International
business, Total quality.
Intended for distribution during class, this case contains one set of
answers to the (A1) case. It introduces the concept of a Gantt chart
and discusses issues raised by the case such as the value of labor
flexibility. The open-ended questions in the (A1) case are only partially
answered to encourage further student creativity.
Subjects: Learning curves, Pricing strategy, Process analysis,
Production scheduling, Capacity analysis.
Kamalini Ramdas
Type: University of Virginia
Darden School Foundation
Pub. Date: 2/2/2004
Product #: UV0426
Length: 21p
Teaching Note: none
Paul Chesler, Director, Quality
Assurance
Frank S. Leonard
Type: HBS
Pub. Date:7/13/2006
Product #: 607002
Length: 3p
Teaching Note: none
Chapter 13:
Abstract
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 1/29/1996
Product #: 696084
Length: 12p
Teaching Note: available
Sunil Chopra
Type: Kellogg School of
Management, Northwestern
University
Pub. Date: 1/1/2004
Product #: KEL028
Length: 3p
Teaching Note: available
Chapter 14: Lean Supply
Chains
Esterline Technologies: Lean
Manufacturing
Richard L. Nolan, Karen A
Brown, Subodha Kumar
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 5/3/2006
Product #: 906417
Length: 23p
Teaching Note: available
Abstract
Raises the issue of the appropriate role of IT in lean manufacturing.
Most large manufacturing companies have implemented ERP IT
systems to support lean manufacturing practices. The Kerry plant of
Esterline Technologies attempted an ERP implementation and then
terminated it. Now the Kerry plant is revisiting the appropriate use of IT
in an environment of highly innovative lean manufacturing.
Subjects: ERP, Information technology, Innovation, Toyota production
system.
In 2000, Dr. Gary Kaplan became CEO of the Virginia Mason Medical
Center in Seattle, Washington. The hospital was facing significant
challenges: It was losing money for the first time in its history, staff
morale had plummeted, and area hospitals presented ardent
competition. Considerable change was imminent. Within his first few
months, Kaplan had rallied the organization around a new strategic
direction: to become the quality leader in health care. What Kaplan and
his administrators lacked was an effective tool to execute their
strategy. Soon thereafter, a series of serendipitous events led to the
discovery of the Toyota production system, and the Virginia Mason
Medical Center became entrenched in an overwhelming challenge:
how to institute a production model in health care.
Subjects: Models, Leadership, Strategic leadership, Operations,
Operations management, Cardiac surgery, Health care providers,
Health care systems, Healthcare systems, Toyota production system.
Abstract
Describes the operations of Aldi, a privately owned German company.
With estimated sales of 37 billion euros in 2005, Aldi is the largest hard
discounter worldwide and one of the top 15 retailers today. Gives a
detailed description of Aldi's historical development, with a clear focus
on in-store and supply chain operations.
Subjects: Logistics, Retailing, Sales & marketing, Supply chains.
In early 2005, the market for cement in Mexico was changing. The
market, particularly in northern Mexico, had traditionally consisted
primarily of sales of bagged cement, which was common in developing
economies. There appeared to be a shift to bulk cement, more typical
of developed economies. CEMEX, the third largest cement company in
the world, and the dominant company in Mexico, had developed a
strong brand identity for its bagged cement. Bulk cement, however,
was harder to differentiate. Describes the Mexican cement industry
and dramatic changes that CEMEX had made in 2000-2005 to focus
on customer needs, particularly the needs of its distributors. These
changes involved a wide range of activities, including dramatic
improvements in logistics, creating a retail network among its
distributors, and developing a suite of software applications to ensure
that the right product was delivered to the right place at the right time.
What lessons could the company adopt from its branded business and
its success with building its distributor network, if the market turned
more toward commodity bulk cement?
Subjects: Brands, Change management, Corporate strategy,
Distribution channels, Industry analysis, Logistics, Marketing strategy,
Networks, Software, Supply chain.
Haier, the first Chinese consumer durable brand in the United States,
succeeded in the compact refrigerator, freezer, and air conditioner
markets and then built a U.S. factory to enter the full-size market.
Issues include the value of a local entrepreneur to the Asian
manufacturer entering the United States; brand building and price
positioning; the sourcing location decision trade-off between production
costs and logistics costs; the role of change in the U.S. appliance
distribution channels; global and regional competitive analysis; the
response of U.S. competitors to the global sourcing evolution; and the
time horizons of Chinese company management.
Subjects: Cost analysis, Globalization, Market entry, Brands,
Corporate brand, Logistics, Plant location, Appliances.
In 2006, Rio Tinto Iron Ore (RTIO) faced a number of challenges. The
iron ore business had traditionally been dominated by a few large
suppliers, who sold to a relatively few large steel producers. The
business environment was changing, however, with the rapid
development of China. Demand was growing faster than supply,
causing increased prices, particularly on the spot market. Most of
RTIO's production was committed to fulfilling long-term contracts, so it
could not fully benefit from the high spot market prices. New entrants,
however, were not committed to long-term contracts and were
attracted by these high prices. In addition, many new Chinese iron and
steel mills were small operations, geographically disbursed, and did
not secure their iron ore supplies before building their plants. An
important part of the iron ore supply chain was transportation.
Traditionally, customers were responsible for shipping, but this did not
meet the needs of small, remotely located Chinese mills. In addition to
these changes in the marketplace, RTIO had developed new
steelmaking technology that enabled the use of lower quality iron ore
and also generated substantially fewer greenhouse gas emissions than
conventional technology. There were a number of possible approaches
to commercializing this technology, ranging from vertical integration to
licensing.
Subjects: Logistics, Mining, Supply chains.
Synnex International:
Transforming Distribution of
High-Tech Products, Shih-Fen
Chen, Lien-Ti Bei
Type: Ivey School of Business
Pub. Date: 12/1/2008
Product #: 908A19
Length: 22p
Teaching Note: available
Abstract
ECCO A/S (ECCO) had been very successful in the footwear industry
by focusing on production technology and assuring quality by
maintaining full control of the entire value chain from "cow to shoe." As
ECCO grew and faced increased international competition, various
value chain activities, primarily production and tanning, were offshored
to low-cost countries. The fully integrated value chain tied up
significant capital and management attention in tanneries and
production facilities, which could have been used to strengthen the
branding and marketing of ECCO's shoes. Moreover, an increasingly
complex and dispersed global value chain configuration posed
organizational and managerial challenges regarding coordination,
communication and logistics. This case examines the financial,
organizational and managerial challenges of maintaining a highly
integrated global value chain and asks students to determine the
appropriateness of this set-up in the context of an increasingly marketoriented industry. It is suitable for use in both undergraduate and
graduate courses in international corporate strategy, international
management, international marketing, supply-chain management,
cross-border strategic management and international business studies
in general.
Subjects: Vertical integration, Global business, Global economy,
Operations, Operations management, Executive education,
Management development, Marketing, Value chains.
In November 2005, Microsoft prepared for a global launch of its nextgeneration game console, the Xbox 360. Microsoft's original Xbox had
been introduced a year after Sony's Playstation, but would beat Sony's
next-generation system to market by a substantial amount. It would
also play an important part in Microsoft's future strategy, where the
home entertainment system was seen as a major growth opportunity.
Describes the evolution of the video game console business and the
evolution of the Xbox, both from a design and manufacturing
perspective. Microsoft's decisions for the original Xbox supply chain
are described, together with the changes in the supply chain that were
made for the Xbox 360. Asks questions about the motivation for
changes to the supply chain, the risks and benefits of global rather
than regional launch, and the use of contract manufacturers. Prepares
students for discussion of how supply chains must evolve to support
changing business strategy.
Subjects: Competition, Product design, Product introduction,
Sourcing, Strategy formulation, Supply chains.
Robert D. Austin
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 3/3/1999
Product #: 699198
Length: 9p
Teaching Note: 601172
Li & Fung 2006
F. Warren McFarlan, William C.
Kirby, Tracy Yuen Manty
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 2/20/2007
Product #: 307077
Length: 17p
Teaching Note: none
In 2005, Erez Meltzer, the president and CEO of Netafim (the world's
leading manufacturer of drip irrigation equipment), was wondering
whether Netafim's supply chain was strong enough to support the
change in strategy he was planning for the company: migrating from
selling products to selling solutions. When Meltzer stepped into office
three years earlier, the company was struggling with flat sales, an outof-date supply chain, and no global synergies. In just three years,
Meltzer turned around the company, restructured its supply chain, and
reinvigorated its growth. The question was whether the newly
restructured supply chain would support the new strategy--one that
would require new supply chain-related competencies from the
organization.
Subjects: Globalization, Marketing strategy, Reorganization, Strategy
formulation, Strategy implementation, Supply chain, Turnarounds.
Describes a supply chain with very quick (i.e., two week) response
times and allows students to explore how such short response times
are achieved. Allows students to explore why other supply chains, with
much longer response times, might not be able to replicate this
performance.
Subjects: Inventory management, Supply & demand, Supply chains,
Time to market.
Abstract
Formed in late 1996, Boeing Australia Ltd. (BAL) was a relatively new
company and a global extension of the U.S. firm, the Boeing Co. BAL
developed capabilities in the areas of space and communications, site
management, and the upgrade and maintenance of military aircraft and
equipment. As BAL grew, so did the legacy information system it used
for both internal communications and external dealings with customers.
BAL, however, faced difficult decisions as it sought to upgrade its
procurement systems and processes to improve operations. In early
1999, BAL recruited a new national procurement manager, Russell
Menere, whose immediate task was to look for gains in productivity by
improving procurement processes, either through cost savings or by
reduced processing time. To meet this objective, Menere initiated a
number of short-term improvements. These included the rationalization
of a large number of BAL's suppliers, improving BAL's relationships
with its key suppliers; the introduction of a credit-card purchasing
system for low-value, large-volume consumables; and the adoption of
electronic ordering processes with BAL's larger suppliers. In 2002, with
new opportunities available through e-business technology, Menere
needed to decide what BAL's next step should be. Should BAL invest
in a new system that would simplify the procurement process across
different divisions and support complex interfaces with suppliers?
Should BAL continue to sit on the fence and seek short-term
improvement tools for integration with its existing legacy systems?
Subjects: Aircraft, Electronic commerce, Information systems,
Operations management, Process analysis, Suppliers.
Campbell Soup, like most food manufacturers, faced grocery chain and
wholesale demand for its goods driven by Campbell's own promotional
pricing structure rather than retail consumer demand. Former policies
to encourage overstock created huge swings in production and
inventory levels. Campbell's introduced continuous product
replenishment (CPR) under which they would manage inventory for
their customers, enabled by electronic data interchange to link supply
to actual demand. Implementing this channel shift required a
restructuring of relationships with its customers and a radical
restructuring of its promotional policies.
Subjects covered: Data processing; Information technology;
Organizational change
i2 Technologies, Inc.
Ananth Raman, Jasjit Singh
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 12/7/1998
Product #: 699042
Length: 21p
Teaching Note: 601143
Handleman Co.
Janice Hammond, Kevin Dolan
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 4/14/2005
Product #: 605024
Length: 30p
Teaching Note: none
Abstract
Linda Metzler, newly appointed production planning manager, is
drafting an aggregate production plan for the company's refrigerators,
freezers, and air conditioners for the next year. She has considered
three plans. Students are asked to devise better plans and to evaluate
the quantitative and qualitative factors favoring them. Ultimately, the
use of linear programming to construct aggregate plans will be
introduced.
Subjects: Linear programming, Tradeoff analysis, Aggregate planning,
Planning.
This case depicts the supply-management practices--including
planning, production, and distribution--at Pioneer Hi-Bred International,
the world's leader in the genetically engineered hybrid crop-seed
industry. Set in the context of a supply-management planning meeting,
it reveals conflicting considerations in setting policies for production
(what, how much, and where to plant) and distribution. Since the
issues are viewed from three independent perspectives--planning,
production, and distribution--the case lends itself to role playing.
Subjects: Agribusiness, Forecasting, Inventory management, Linear
programming, Operations management, Production planning,
Sourcing, Supply & demand.
Illustration of the two main types of errors resulting from use of the
economic order quantity (EOQ) as a tool in production scheduling.
Designed to permit class discussion to begin with a consideration of
one common type of mistake, errors in calculation of the EOQ volume
resulting from use of incorrect data for the input parameters of the
formula. The analysis can then shift to a more general discussion of
the second type of error, the misapplication of EOQ and re-order point
(ROP) techniques to a given system. Class discussion can conclude
with student recommendations of alternative techniques which may be
better suited to the Blanchard operation than the EOQ/ROP method.
Subjects: Beverages, Inventory management, Order quantity,
Production scheduling, Wholesaling.
CarMax
Rajiv Lal, David Kiron
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 6/15/2005
Product #: 505080
Length: 29p
Teaching Note: none
David Berman
Ananth Raman, Vishal Gaur,
Saravanan Kesavan
Type: HBS
Pub. Date:4/12/2005
Product #: 605081
Length:19p
Teaching Note: available
Elite Rent-a-Car
Gregory S. Zaric, Jordan
Mitchell
Type: Richard Ivey School of
Business Foundation
Pub. Date: 4/23/2007
Product #: 907E11
Length: 6p
Teaching Note: none
Northco (A)
Ananth Raman, Bowon Kim
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 10/16/1996
Product #: 697017
Length: 11p
Teaching Note: 697125
Paper and More (A)
Noel Watson
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 7/19/2005
Product #: 606023
Length: 11p
Teaching Note: available
Abstract
Abstract
Concerns the selection and scheduling of orders by a small industrial
titanium fabricator that in recent months has been plagued by poor
deliveries and a lack of capacity. Four orders are offered, from which
the student must select one. Each order represents different ordermix/customer situation issues. The case forces the student to choose
among the four orders, given conflicting estimates of capacity
available, other business likely to come along, and the requirements of
each order. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
Subjects: Competitive bidding, Order management cycle, Order
processing, Order quantity, Industrial markets, Market selection, Target
audiences, Target markets, Price discrimination, Pricing, Production
scheduling, Chemicals.
Chapter 23:
Competing for Development
(A): Fuel Efficient Stove for
Darfur
Oana Branzei, Samer
Abdelnour
Type: Richard Ivey School of
Business Foundation
Pub. Date: 9/10/2008
Product #: 908M61
Length: 18p
Teaching Note: available
Abstract
The new country director of CHF International (CHF), a U.S.-based
organization that initiated operations in Sudan with USAID funding,
must review the successes of CHF's early interventions, and its
strategic interest in the fuel efficient stoves project. The practical
decision concerns a US$65,000 investment in a local manufacturing
facility that would allow CHF to scale up the production of a stove
design endorsed by the Lawrence Berkeley National lab using locally
tested prototypes with USAID support. Students are asked to
contemplate whether and how economies of scale would bring the
costs down to a tipping point where internally displaced persons (IDPs)
in Darfuri camps could afford the benefits of greater efficiency and
convenience. They also need to balance cost cutting considerations
with alternative decision criteria for local development: the success of
this project depends on IDPs' preference among alternative stove
providers - which encompasses, in addition to fuel economies, the
characteristics of the stoves themselves (i.e. quality, fuel efficiency),
the engagement of the community in their production, and the ability to
use and repair the stoves. The role play supplements M0862A to
M0862F will highlight several aspects of the competitive dynamics
among the key players. A summary of the dynamic interaction between
the players is provided in the supplement Competing for Development
(C): Success, Bittersweet.
Subjects: Simulation, Base-of-the-pyramid markets, Emerging
markets, Community development, Economic development, Nonprofit
sector, Nonprofits, Business & society, Corporate responsibility,
Corporate social responsibility, Externalities, Social responsibility,
Sustainability.
ForeFront Manufacturing:
Production Processes and
Change Management in
Mainland Chin
Chapter 24:
Abstract
Pharmacy Service
Improvement at CVS (A)
Andrew McAfee
Type: HBS Premier Case
Collection
Pub. Date: 12/14/2005
Product #: 606015
Length: 11p
Teaching Note: available
Abstract
P.K. Scherle, R.N., founder, president, and owner, struggles with her
successful business and focuses on either growth or enhanced
profitability.
Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Growth management, Reengineering,
Service management.
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 4/28/1992
Product #: 692102
Length: 22p
Teaching Note: none
Deloitte & Touche Consulting
Group
David Upton, Christine
Steinman
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 4/4/1996
Product #: 696096
Length: 12p
Teaching Note: 697085
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 9/24/2004
Product #: 305048
Length: 20p
Teaching Note: available
Rosenbluth, the third largest U.S. travel agency, uses the Internet to
serve new customers with a high-service strategy. Rosenbluth
acquires Biztravel.com and integrates the customer support and
logistics aspects of service delivery.
Subjects: Economies of scale, Electronic commerce,
Entrepreneurship, Human resources management, Internet, Service
management, Travel.
Webvan
Andrew McAfee, Mona Ashiya
Type: HBS
Pub. Date: 9/25/2001
Product #: 602037
Length: 28p
Teaching Note: 602052