Assignment: Operations Management Short Essay
Prompt: For the first milestone of your final project, you will submit a managing operations case study analysis that uses the tools and techniques that operations managers use. This case study analysis will be incorporated into the final summative analysis. Refer to the Nissan case study, your own independent research, and the course materials to complete this milestone.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Generating Value
A. Evaluate how the company in the case study uses operations management functions to provide products and generate value for its customers. Support your claims with examples from the case study or outside sources.
B. Assess how this company achieves a competitive advantage using operations management. Provide examples found in the case study or outside sources to support your reasoning.
C. Compare and contrast service operations and manufacturing operations at the company in the case study. How are they the same? How do they differ? How does each of these operations provide value for their customers?
II. Theories and Techniques
A. Compare and contrast the critical path method (CPM) and the program evaluation and review technique (PERT). What types of projects at this company would favor PERT over CPM? Why? What types of projects at this company would favor CPM over PERT? Why?
B. Explain the steps used to develop a forecasting system. How would these steps be specifically utilized by this company? What do you predict would be the result of implementing a forecasting system for the top-selling product line at this company?
C. List the major categories of supply chain risk and associated risk reduction tactics. How could the company mitigate exposure to supply chain disruptions caused by natural disasters? For example, consider the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan.
Article: Nissan Motor Company Ltd.: Building Operational Resiliency by William Schmidt, David Simchi-Levi.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.