Manufacturing - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

The Myth of the Labor Skills Gap

August 26, 2014

Economists have long argued that a skills gap is growing among the American workforce. Hundreds of businesses both large and small have echoed this sentiment, claiming that there aren’t enough qualified people to perform certain jobs. However, in most cases this line of thinking simply doesn’t add up. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of unemployed people exceeds the number of jobs available in every industry. In durable goods manufacturing, for instance, there are approximately 576,000 idle Continue reading →

Ethics, Training, Manufacturing, Labor Relations, Unemployment, Compensation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management

Bored Young Men Cause Big Problems for Foxconn Factories

July 11, 2014

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A few years ago, a rash of employee suicides at Foxconn Technology prompted investigations into the working conditions at the Chinese manufacturing giant. As the maker of such in-demand items as the iPad and Hewlett-Packard servers, Foxconn employs tens of thousands of people who work long shifts and live on-site. The monotonous work and the dorm-like living quarters can make for a grey life on the Foxconn campus, leading to depression and worse.

Foxconn responded to this bleak state Continue reading →

Ethics, Foxconn, Manufacturing, Labor Relations, Management, Global, China

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

[VIDEO] Penciling in the Future

April 3, 2014

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Take a look inside this stately German pencil factory, one of the oldest family-owned manufacturers in the world.

https://nyti.ms/1dOrJOc

Questions:

How is the German economy different from the U.S. economy?

Will the pencil go the way of the buggy whip and become obsolete?

From The New York Times

Manufacturing, Germany, Management, Operations Management, Entrepreneurship

Videos

Honda Becomes an American Exporter

March 31, 2014

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The slow reemergence of American manufacturing has been touted by politicians on both sides of the aisle as an essential force in the recent economic recovery. But in many cases, the manufacturers driving production across the nation aren’t American at all. In fact, Honda recently announced that it built and shipped more cars from the U.S. than it imported here from Japan.

According to Honda executives, the company’s current status as an American exporting power wasn’t the intention when it Continue reading →

Global, Manufacturing, Cars, Transportation, Exporting, Honda

Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management

Ford Goes Global with New Subcompact Car

January 23, 2014

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As emerging markets like India and Brazil continue to grow, more and more of their citizens will enter the middle class. This relatively untapped consumer group presents plenty of lucrative opportunities for companies across the globe. However, finding the right products to sell to this expanding class is not so simple, even for companies operating in their home countries. For instance, Tata Motors launched its ultra-cheap Nano model as an introductory vehicle for Indian consumers. But with a price tag Continue reading →

Product Development, Cars, Transportation, Marketing, Ford, Global, Tata, Manufacturing

Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Crash Testing Cars with Computers

December 3, 2013

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Research and development has long been an expensive element of the auto industry. For decades devising even the smallest addition to an engine could cost millions of dollars and take as long as eight months to accomplish. But thanks to advances in technology over the last five years, engineers can now test dozens of designs within a virtual environment. As a result, automakers are at last seeking affordable innovations in fuel efficiency and overall vehicle performance.

For instance, in 2010 Continue reading →

Product Development, Innovation, Cars, Transportation, Ford, Manufacturing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Pleasing Everybody with Mass Customization

November 19, 2013

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For many image-conscious consumers, product customization provides a way to stand out from the crowd without searching high and low for something totally unique. At Big Shot Bikes, for instance, customers can choose the color and shape of up to 10 parts of the Colorado company’s fixed gear bikes. Once customers select their preferences, Big Shot assembles the bicycles and ships them to the buyers for under $500. With such a relatively reasonable price tag, the company wants consumers Continue reading →

Product Development, Retail, Customization, Manufacturing, Cycling, Transportation

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] Inside Budweiser’s Largest Brewery

October 15, 2013

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This video takes a close look at the day-to-day operations of A-B Inbev’s century-old brewery in St. Louis, MO.

Questions:

Does Anheuser-Busch InBev use a continuous or intermittent manufacturing process?

Why did Anheuser-Busch InBev choose St. Louis for their largest brewery?

From CNN Money

Operations Management, Food, Manufacturing, Product Development, Budweiser

Videos

Manufacturers Make Do with Old Equipment

October 6, 2013

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As American manufacturing continues to improve, news reports about industry inevitably focus on the technological advances that drive many modern facilities. But not all of the nation’s factories are teeming with robots and high-powered computer systems. Due to razor thin operating budgets, a number of plants across the country use the same machinery they’ve relied on for decades. For instance, an Alcoa plant in Cleveland still presses aluminum alloys with a 50,000-ton forging machine that arrived on American soil from Continue reading →

Global, Manufacturing, Alcoa, Factory Equipment, Operations Management

Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management

Legislators Question the Penny’s Necessity

May 6, 2013

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There are many today who feel that the time has come to retire the penny even though it has been a mainstay of American currency for centuries. The venerable Abraham Lincoln-emblazoned coin has without a doubt seen better times. In 1913 it possessed 25 times more purchasing power than it does currently. The penny also used to be profitable to produce. In 1990 it cost 0.6¢ to make one of the copper-coated coins, resulting in a yield of 0.4¢ Continue reading →

Economics, Manufacturing, Pricing, Currency, Penny, Coins

Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 17: Accounting, Chapter 20: Money and Financial Institutions