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Procter & Gamble's (P&G) Pringles potato chips have been a very successful brand. This case reviews the development and first launch in the United States, then in markets around the world. Italy is one of the last countries where Pringles will be launched. Should P&G Italy employ the successful laun... More

Considers decisions facing the leader of a manufacturing staff project team assigned to a plant where yields have deteriorated sharply. The process is complex: the plant organization is not cooperative, and there are deep disagreements about what is wrong and how to fix it. Provides an opportunity t... More

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Two competitors in the Northeast steel service center industry have made very different choices with regards to logistics and operating strategy. One distributes from a large central location; the other operates seven widely scattered warehouses. Students can diagnose and discuss the significant imp... More

Describes the continuous flow process used to process cranberries into juice and/or sauce. Requires student to analyze process flows to determine where the bottlenecks are and to decide how, and whether, to expand capacity. Original version written by J.G. Miller and R.P. Olson.... More

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 ... More

Provides an introductory note to production processes and the use of flow diagrams.... More

Second set of exercises meant to be used with ExtendSim, a simulation package created by Imagine That, Inc. of San Jose, California, that allows students to investigate the impact of adding buffers to simple in-line processes with uncertain processing times. Unadvertised per Case Records.... More

Solutions and detailed discussion of exercises from the (B) case. Unadvertised per Case Records.... More

Organizations without the means to improve rarely can keep up with competition. Improvement requires a deep understanding of underlying operating processes and an ability to assess their performance. The essence of process analysis is the ability to answer the questions, "How is this process doing?"... More

This Reading expands on the basic concepts of Process Analysis. It begins with explanations of generic types of processes: the job shop, the worker-paced line, cellular manufacturing, the machine-pace assembly link, and the continuous flow process. Each process type has different characteristics and... More

It is often assumed that a quality inspection for a product or service comes at the end of a process. For example, an article of clothing may include a sticker that reads "Inspected by #12." Total Quality Management places greater emphasis on monitoring individual steps within an entire production p... More

First set of exercises meant to be used with ExtendSim, a simulation system created by Imagine That, Inc. of San Jose, California. These exercises allow students to investigate the impact of variable processing times on the performance of simple in-line processes. Unadvertised per Case Records.... More

Solutions and detailed discussion of exercises from the (A) case. Unadvertised per Case Records.... More

Reading Rehab Hospital has experimented with a popular concept in health care--patient-focused care--intended to increase quality and reduce costs by organizing care delivery around particular diagnoses or "service lines," rather than around the functions or disciplines of the care providers. It is ... More

Bose Corp. is evaluating an unusual plan to manage relationships with vendors that supply components for Bose speakers. The company must decide: 1) which planning and ordering activities should be performed by Bose and which can be performed by vendors, 2) how much access vendors should have to Bose... More

Supplements the (A) case.... More

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A printer and paper converter produces customized packaging used by industrial customers to deliver promotional materials, software, luxury beverages, and gift food and candy. The company specializes in creating innovative packaging solutions for its customers and providing full service from design ... More

This case follows Toyota's remarkable growth and geographic expansion from 1990 to 2010 and, in the recalls of 2009 and 2010, poses questions about the impact of that growth. Issues of increasing technological complexity also play a part.... More

Designed to be used with ExtendSim Simulation Exercies in Process Analysis (A) and (B). Unadvertised per Case Records.... More

This chapter examines how social entrepreneurs are partnering with the poor, helping empower growing numbers of bonsai (or BOP-bottom of the pyramid) consumers. The authors insist that these entrepreneurial projects are not alternatives to public and private sector action, but early indicators of th... More

Delwarca Software provides business software to large corporate clients around the world. The firm serves customers who prefer to assemble corporate solutions using a combination of software programs from various suppliers rather than implementing a single enterprise resource planning system. Conseq... More

Dr. Julia Connors has a busy, successful cataract clinic and wants to expand to meet demand. She is considering two alternatives: keeping her physical facility as it is and extending office hours, or renting additional space within her current building. The first appears to be less disruptive to ope... More