Advanced Operations Strategy

3 units

This course deals with operations issues having a long-term impact on the corporate strategy, and on the competitive viability of a firm. We develop a general framework for creating and analyzing strategies for managing domestic and international manufacturing and service operations. The strategic decision categories to be examined include product-process technology strategies, facilities, and capacity management, performance measurement, managing quality and productivity, and system design. The course covers productivity measurement, process choice, product profiling, interfaces with marketing, experience costs, process positioning, accounting and financial perspectives, and international operations. It gives equal attention to service operations and manufacturing operations. Emphasis is on the application of systems thinking to case studies and the design of world class operations. It is valuable for students with an operations or general management focus, as well as for finance and marketing students.