Operations Management - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Bed Bath & Beyond Goes Bankrupt

April 26, 2023

On Sunday, the once mighty home goods retailer Bed Bath & Beyond declared bankruptcy after years of poor sales and mounting debt. The company will start closing its 360 locations today and has stopped accepting the big blue coupons that made the brand famous in better days that have long gone. In recent times, Bed Bath and Beyond faced increasingly choosy consumers who avoided the retailer in favor of competitors with better selections and e-commerce capabilities. The company enjoyed a Continue reading →

Entrepreneurship, Product Development, Promotions, Product Distribution, Bankruptcy, E-commerce, Supply & Demand, Marketing, Operations Management

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How Delta Makes 3,200 Meals Per Day

April 5, 2023

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In the last few months, we’ve posted videos focusing on small businesses that produce mouthwatering foods by hand, from tasty chocolates to delicious hand-rolled bagels. Today’s video looks at another sort of commercial kitchen, however, a facility owned by Delta Airlines that pumps out more than 3,000 meals daily by relying on robotic machines.

Questions:

Why does Delta rely on automated cooking machines at its Atlanta facility?
Do you think small businesses producing food by hand could benefit Continue reading →

Automation, Food & Drink, Airlines, Operations Management, Global, Manufacturing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

[VIDEO] How The Oldest Chocolate House In New York Manages to Thrive

March 30, 2023

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The video below takes a long look at Li-Lac Chocolate, the oldest chocolate house in New York that thrives by doing things the old fashioned way. Along with observing their unique production processes, this video examines how Li-Lac made it through the pandemic to continue its century-long tradition.

What value do the antique chocolate molds owned by Li-Lac Chocolates give to the company?
How did the pandemic affect business at Li-Lac Chocolate?

Marketing, Product Development, Operations Management, Entrepreneurship, Product Distribution, Manufacturing, Food & Drink, Supply & Demand, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

[VIDEO] How Commodity Markets Work

March 3, 2023

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Florida’s orange crop is shrinking year after year, sending commodity prices skyrocketing for orange juice concentrate. This video examines the intricacies of commodity markets through the lens of concentrated OJ, looking at concepts like futures contracts and how they affect both farmers and retailers.

Questions:

Why has Florida’s plummeting orange production caused juice prices to increase significantly?
What are the benefits of futures contracts for farmers and manufacturers?

Food & Drink, Supply & Demand, Retail, Pricing, Product Distribution, Operations Management, Agriculture, Commodities

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Videos

[VIDEO] Making 100,000 Bagels a Week by Hand

February 22, 2023

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While last week we looked at how Domino’s relies on automation to mass produce its pizza dough, today’s video examines the operations at a company that takes the opposite approach. At Utopia Bagels in New York City, a well-trained staff of specialists make thousands of bagels by hand every day, all driven by a passionate owner whose love for his craft comes through in this video.

Questions:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of making bagels entirely by hand?
What Continue reading →

Marketing, Motivation, Operations Management, Entrepreneurship, Product Development, Training, Product Distribution, Supply & Demand, Specialized labor

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

[VIDEO] How Domino’s Became The World’s Biggest Pizza Chain

February 17, 2023

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With thousands of locations across more than 90 international markets, Domino’s has become a global powerhouse thanks largely to its innovative production and distribution methods. This video takes an extensive look at how Domino’s makes pizza, focusing especially on a dough-making facility that relies heavily on automation to succeed.

Questions:

Why did Domino’s install automated systems in its Indiana dough-making facility?
Do you think more food companies should rely on automation like Domino’s? Why or why not?

Product Development, Operations Management, Automation, Global, Product Distribution, Domino’s, Food & Drink

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

Egg Prices Continue to Soar as Inflation Starts to Fall

January 27, 2023

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Food prices hiked by inflation have taken a toll on Americans’ wallets for more than a year, although economists say that costs for a number of commodities are finally starting to fall. But that has not been the case with eggs: the average U.S. price per dozen hit $4.25 in December 2022, up from $1.79 a year earlier. The situation is especially bad in costly markets like California, where 12 Grade A large eggs go for an average of $7.37. Continue reading →

Pricing, Regulation, Product Distribution, Operations Management, Food & Drink, Ethics, Supply & Demand

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

[VIDEO] The Artificial Flower Factory that Serves Celebrities

January 20, 2023

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This video dives deep into the story of M&S Schmalberg, the last artificial flower factory in the U.S. that crafts beautiful blossoms by hand. Located in the heart of Manhattan, this family-owned business serves everyone from top fashion designers and celebrities to individual clients with personal projects in mind. The video below delves into the history of M&S Schmalberg and its artisanal production methods while also examining the rise and fall of the American artificial flower industry over the span Continue reading →

FAA Computer Outage Delays Thousands of Flights

January 13, 2023

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Last week, we looked at how bad weather and an overloaded scheduling system led to disastrous consequences for Southwest Airlines as it canceled more than 13,000 flights over the holidays. But while this disaster could at least be partly blamed on a rough winter storm, airports had no such excuse on Wednesday when a computer outage led to another massive wave of cancellations and delays. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a damaged database file corrupted the agency’s system Continue reading →

Airlines, Marketing, Branding, Operations Management, Regulation, Ethics, Travel, Supply & Demand

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 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

[VIDEO] How Retailers Deal with Returns

November 30, 2022

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The National Retail Federation says that customer returns are increasing across the industry, driven primarily by online returns that have more than doubled in the last few years. Contrary to what many consumers may think, these products don’t simply boomerang back onto store shelves. As the video below shows, returned items take a complicated journey from warehouse to warehouse that frequently ends either at a secondary resale center or a landfill.

Questions:

Why do many returned products end up in Continue reading →

Amazon, Marketing, Operations Management, Product Distribution, Ethics, E-commerce, Product Returns, Supply & Demand

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos