Operations Management - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

[VIDEO] How Bilateral Trade Agreements Are Obstructing the Global Vaccination Process

April 29, 2021

The current vaccine rollout that is going strong throughout the country is largely the result of multi-billion dollar deals struck between economic powers like the U.S. and U.K. with pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and Moderna. But while bilateral trade agreements across the globe allowed for the largest vaccine rollout in history, this video looks at why these deals are also delaying the vaccination process in struggling countries like Brazil and India.

Questions:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of bilateral Continue reading →

Supply chains, Operations Management, Global, Product Distribution, Ethics, Coronavirus, Pandemic, Trade Agreements

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Videos

How Supply Chain Delays Are Hurting Small Businesses

April 22, 2021

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Earlier this week, we looked at how pandemic lockdowns led to increased consumer demand as well as supply chain problems that are delaying deliveries around the world. Large-scale disruptions such as the Suez Canal blockage and the traffic jam at the Port of Los Angeles have resulted in wide-ranging financial damage to all sorts of small operators who cannot get their hands on vital merchandise. For instance, one restaurant in Oklahoma must pay $200 for a case of gloves that Continue reading →

Pandemic, Transportation, Product Distribution, Operations Management, Shipping, Entrepreneurship, Supply & Demand, Coronavirus

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] Supply Chain Problems Lead to Traffic Jam in Port of L.A.

April 20, 2021

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On any given day since mid-2020, the Port of Los Angeles has had as many as 30 container ships anchored outside and waiting to eventually dock. This video looks at how the pandemic inspired a boom in online purchases while also causing a shortage of shipping workers, leading to the transportation crisis currently taking place at ports across the world.

Questions:

How did the pandemic lead to supply chain problems that caused traffic jams at major ports around the Continue reading →

Transportation, Product Distribution, Shipping, Operations Management, Supply & Demand, Global, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

Godzilla vs. Kong Brings Optimism Back to the Box Office

April 8, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Movie theaters across the country closed for months last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then struggled to recover once other businesses began to reopen. After Tenet disappointed at the box office during the summer, other would-be blockbusters like Wonder Woman: 1984 and Raya and the Last Dragon were simultaneously released in theaters and on streaming services. This radical change in distribution made industry observers and uneasy theater owners wonder if moviegoers would continue to remain at home as Continue reading →

Product Distribution, Movies, Coronavirus, Pandemic, Marketing, Entertainment, Operations Management, Streaming, Global

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

200,000-Ton Container Ship Blocks the Suez Canal

March 25, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

On an average day, at least 10 percent of global trade passes through Egypt’s Suez Canal aboard more than 50 ships. That hasn’t been the case since Tuesday, however, when a 200,000-ton container ship ran aground and became lodged in the narrow canal. Although tugboats and earthmovers have attempted to remove the enormous obstruction, so far their efforts have failed as trade on this vital waterway has come to a halt.

“I have never seen a container vessel this Continue reading →

Transportation, Product Distribution, Shipping, Suez Canal, Operations Management, Global

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution

How the Pandemic Changed Drive-Thrus and Takeout

March 9, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

As dining rooms closed across the country in 2020 because of the pandemic, restaurants started focusing their efforts on takeout and drive-thru orders. Many companies added new technology and logistical plans for their takeaway operations that will likely remain in place after the pandemic is over. For instance, Starbucks sent employees with hand-held devices through lines of cars to gather orders quickly and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. New Chipotle locations will feature “Chipotelanes” where customers Continue reading →

Product Development, Fast food, Marketing, Product Distribution, Operations Management, Food & Drink, Artificial Intelligence

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] Behind Costco’s Treasure-Hunt Shopping Strategy

March 5, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

The wholesaler Costco is one of the most successful retailers in the country due in large part to its unique approach to doing business. This video looks at the strategies that Costco uses to keep prices low while still offering many items in bulk.

Questions:

How does Costco’s membership plan drive its business?
Why are items at Costco kept on pallets rather than laid out neatly on shelves like in supermarkets?

Promotions, Retail, Product Distribution, Marketing, Costco, Operations Management

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Why Some Texans’ Electricity Bills Went Through the Roof

February 25, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

A couple of weeks ago, Texas’ power grid failed after a historic snowstorm and cold snap overwhelmed the state. As millions struggled without electricity or heat, those who had power potentially faced exorbitant electric bills because of changes Texas made to its utility system more than 20 years ago. Back then, much of the state switched from using regulated utilities to a deregulated market where customers could choose from a variety of power providers. As a result, nearly 60 percent Continue reading →

Product Development, Regulation, Operations Management, Utilities, Ethics, Entrepreneurship

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Grocery Chains Pay for Workers to Get Vaccinated

February 4, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

With vaccines from major pharmaceutical companies becoming more widely available every day, it is imperative that as many people as possible get vaccinated in order to finally contain the pandemic. Grocery store employees have been especially vulnerable to the virus over the last year, with at least 28,000 workers being exposed to a positive case of Covid-19. That’s why grocery chains like Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and Dollar General are paying their employees to get vaccinated when they are able to. Continue reading →

Product Distribution, Coronavirus, Operations Management, Vaccination, Ethics, Human Resources, Benefits

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] How 715,000 Pounds Of Cargo Moves Through DFW Airport

January 22, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Even during the pandemic, the nation’s airports still manage to move tons of cargo across the country every day. This video takes a close look at how Dallas Fort Worth International Airport transports everything from live animals to human remains in this challenging, fast-paced environment.

Questions:

How has the pandemic changed transportation and cargo procedures at American Airlines?
Do you think cargo-only flights will continue after the pandemic? Why or why not?

Pandemic, Operations Management, Global, Transportation, Travel, Airlines

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos