1.The latest thinking in operations management: Drawing from cutting edge research findings, this edition addresses the concept that not all current practices such as Six Sigma and Lean fit all organizations. This contingency approach fits the structure of the organization to its internal and external environments. Behavioral operations management as it affects the bullwhip effect in supply chains and forecasting decisions is also covered.
2.Updated case studies: Five new cases have been added and eleven existing cases have been revised to include current information. The new cases deal with operations strategy at Galanz, the Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic at Children¿s Hospital of Western Ontario, the Mount Rundle Hotel Banff, Mattel¿s toy recall, and supply chain management and Pyrex. Additionally, in this edition, a briefing case tied to the Littlefield Technologies simulation is included, which can be easily assigned to students in preparation for playing the simulation.
3.Operations Leader boxes have been added or revised to include global and service examples, including 3M Canada, Apple iPhone, Autozone, BMW, Boeing, Brazilian Football Confederation, Harrah¿s Cherokee Casino & Hotel, New Balance, Starbucks, Target Corporation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
4.A unified decision framework organizes the material by grouping decisions into four categories: process, quality, capacity, and inventory. This framework makes it easy for students to understand the decision role of operations in relation to functions such as marketing and finance.
5.The book provides 16 case studies including three Ivey cases, two Stanford cases, and a Darden case intended to strengthen problem formulation skills and illustrate the concepts presented in the text.