Operations Strategy: Principles and Practice

ISBN: 0975914669

Author: Jan A. Van Mieghem

Condition: New

Operations Strategy: Principles and Practice provides a unified framework for operations strategy. The book shows how to tailor the operational system to maximize value and competitive advantage. Conceptual thinking and financial optimization yield guidelines for implementation. This dual emphasis on principles and practice is reflected by analytical models that are illustrated with detailed examples and a dozen case studies of real business situations.The book uses three complementary views of operations--the competency, resource, and process view--and contains integrating case studies. Consequently, the book has four parts:* Part 1 describes the concept of operations strategy and illustrates how trade-offs among operational competencies (such as cost, quality, responsiveness, and flexibility) can provide competitive advantage.* Part 2 introduces the resource view and shows how to tailor real assets to business strategy. Four chapters analyze four important resource decisions: sizing (how much capacity is appropriate?), timing (when to expand or contract?), type (what kind of flexibility is needed?), and location (where do we place assets in a global network?)* Part 3 considers the process view and shows how to tailoring activity networks to business strategy. Four chapters analyze four important processes in any operation: strategic sourcing (managing inputs), demand and revenue management (managing outputs), risk management and operational hedging, and improvement and innovation management (preparing for the future).* Part 4 presents three business cases that integrate various elements of the book. The Harley-Davidson case investigates the four resource decisions, the Seagate Technology case studies operational hedging, and the Peapod case illustrates demand and revenue management and mass customized services.