Operations Strategy

Catalog description

There is an increasing awareness that operations should contribute to the global competitive stance of a business and not merely be a place where the firm's products or services are produced. This can be done by contributing distinctive competence or capability to the business, and continually improving the products and process of the business. In the OM core course, students study the basic aspects of how firms produce their products and services to gain a competitive advantage, and take a tactical or short-term look at operations. This course is a natural follow-up to the core course. Students examine the strategic and long-term policies of the firm, and learn how the operations strategies and policies are developed to be consistent with corporate and overall business strategies. To do this effectively, students examine, through case studies, how firms' operations play an important role in building and shaping their competitive posture. This course helps students to (1) recognize the strategic and policy implications that can be gained from managing operations; (2) develop a framework for allocating resources and managing the operations function in ways that distinguish firms from their competitors; (3) analyze, develop, and formulate operations strategies to exploit competitive opportunities; (4) visualize how operations strategies can and must be linked to overall business strategies, as well as the financial and marketing strategies; and (5) highlight effective examples involving continuous improvement and implementation of operations strategies.