Provide a Solid Foundation of Operations Management

. Provide a Solid Foundation of Operations
Management
Our book provides a solid foundation of OM concepts and techniques, but also covers the
latest on emerging topics such as e-business, supply chain management, enterprise resource
planning (ERP), and information technology. We give equal time to strategic and tactical
decisions and provide coverage of both service and manufacturing organizations. We look
closely at some of the unique challenges faced by service operations.
2. Provide an Integrated Approach to Operations
Management
While several excellent textbooks provide appropriate foundation coverage, we believe that
few provide sufficient motivation for students. We are aware that a major teaching challenge in OM is that students aren’t motivated to study OM because they don’t understand
its relevance to their majors. We think the course textbook can greatly support the professor in this area; therefore, a chief goal of this book is to integrate coverage of why and
vi • Preface
how OM is integral to all organizations. Interfunctional coordination and decision making have become the norm in today’s business environment. Throughout each chapter we
discuss information flow between business functions and the role of each function in the
organization.
The text also illustrates the linkages and integration between the various OM topics. Our
end-of-chapter feature entitled “Within OM: How It All Fits Together” describes how the
chapter topic is related to other OM decisions. It addresses the issue that OM topics are
linked and interdependent, not independent of one another.
As supply chain management (SCM) has taken on an increasingly important role, the
end-of-chapter section titled “The Supply Chain Link” expla