Operations Management - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Etsy Eyes Expansion with Mass Produced Items

March 14, 2016

In 2005 the website Etsy launched as an online marketplace where artisans across the country could sell their wares. The Brooklyn-based company quickly established itself as a destination for handcrafted items that shoppers wouldn’t find in any stores. As the years progressed Etsy’s army of craft sellers grew into the thousands, with women accounting for a whopping 85 percent of them. The company marked a major milestone in 2012 when it became a certified benefit corporation. By 2015 Etsy’s stock Continue reading →

Marketing, Operations Management, Ethics, Manufacturing, Product Development, Etsy, E-commerce

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Fast Food’s Intensifying Battle for Breakfast

March 11, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

After enjoying decades of almost constant growth, the last few years have seen many fast food chains become stuck in a sales rut. Not only have consumer tastes changed dramatically, but people also have an array of affordable dining options to choose from. This increased competition has left the industry scrambling for ideas. Taco Bell took action in 2014 by introducing a breakfast menu, a move that some at the time viewed as unappetizing and desperate. The gamble worked, however, Continue reading →

Operations Management, Food, Product Development, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Product Distribution, Breakfast

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

China Prepares for Massive Layoffs

March 2, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

For decades China’s industrial economy grew at a breakneck pace thanks to heavy investment from the state. This expansive age may be at an end, however. Over the last few years, demand for Chinese goods has dropped and its stock market has become increasingly unpredictable. Analysts say that China built up far too much manufacturing infrastructure that has now become an excessive drain on resources. As a result, last week the Chinese government announced the drastic measures it would take Continue reading →

Operations Management, Global, Ethics, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Labor Relations, China, Regulation, Layoffs

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Regulators Reveal Presence of Wood Pulp in Parmesan

February 24, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

For many modern eaters, food doesn’t necessarily have to be healthy as long as it’s authentic. After all, people don’t eat at popular burger joints like Shake Shack because their food is more nutritious than McDonald’s. Today’s fast casual chains draw in customers by focusing on how their ingredients are genuine and sustainable rather than simply healthy. As Chipotle’s recent troubles show, though, maintaining high quality standards in the vast food industry is a lot more difficult than advertised. Not Continue reading →

Marketing, Operations Management, Ethics, Food, Product Development, Regulation, Packaging, FDA

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Working Side by Side with Adaptive Robots

February 19, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

For years manufacturers around the world have taken advantage of the efficiency and speed of robotic labor. But these mechanical monstrosities aren’t polite or funny like the droids in a Star Wars movie. Instead, industrial robots are big, clunky pieces of equipment that have no regard for humans. As a result, most factories have separate rooms for robots that people are prohibited from entering. Many countries have even passed laws requiring the separation of automated and human labor. After all, Continue reading →

Operations Management, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Product Development, Automation, Robots

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] Guns, Drugs and Money

April 15, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

From The New York Times

Growers and sellers in Colorado’s legal marijuana industry may only deal in cash, leading to major problems with banking and security.

https://nyti.ms/1zchdUI

Questions:

With cannabis legal in Colorado, why can’t banks deal with merchants?

Is there a double standard merchants face in the cannabis industry?

From The New York Times

Operations Management, Ethics, Security, Marijuana, Colorado

Videos

Inside the Guts of Macy’s Herald Square

March 15, 2015

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

At Macy’s flagship store, it takes a lot of action behind the scenes to keep this iconic retailer running smoothly.

https://nyti.ms/1wUBqAl

Questions:

What utilities are critical to Macy’s success in the retail market?

Why is the women’s shoe department at Macy’s such a massive size?

From The New York Times

Operations Management, Retail, New York, Macy's

Videos

Disney Bets $1 Billion on Wristbands

April 24, 2014

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

The “Happiest Place on Earth” may also be one of the priciest: last year Walt Disney increased the cost of a one-day pass for its Magic Kingdom theme park to $99. The $4 uptick came just eight months after Disney’s previous price hike, but customers don’t appear to mind. In 2013 theme park income rose by 17 percent to $2.2 billion as crowds continued to pack the company’s $14.1 billion entertainment empire.