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Service Systems Management And Engineering Creating Strategic Differentiation And Operational Excellence 1st Edition Ching M. Chang - Solutions
11.1 Organizational culture defines the ways people behave in different situations and make decisions following their deeply held values, beliefs and assumptions. Organizational culture is said to be a key factor that affects the success of any knowledge management program. Why is it so and how
10.7 Company A recently bought a rock-crushing unit from Company B. The unit was expected to produce 750 tons of crushed rock per hour but has in practice been producing only 500 tons per hour. Paul, president of Company A, complains to Gordon, sales manager of Company B, about the fact that he is
10.6 Jane is a member of the board of directors of Power Company Z, which is considering the construction of a new power plant. Coal-fired power plants emit sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. Ambient air containing a high-concentration of sulfur dioxide is known to create acid rain, which damages
10.5 Quick Meal is an international fast-food chain that operates in a number of countries. Company management wants to apply a uniform standard of business ethics, modeled after U.S. practices, to all of its stores worldwide. When Quick Meal opened a new store in Country X, initially the local
10.4 Sara King is a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers. Through the union, she has secured a new job to operate a truck with an end loader at the XYZ Construction Company. About two hours into her new job, the truck began to boil because of a leaky radiator. She stopped the
10.2 As the business manager of your company, you are visiting several companies in Africa to promote new business. At the tail end of several successful rounds of negotiation, you are invited to attend a family banquet hosted by one of your potential business partners. This invitation represents a
10.1 Smith, an unemployed engineer who recently received certification as an engineer intern from the State Board of Registration for Engineers and Land Surveyors, was seeking employment with a consulting firm. Engineer A, a principal with a large consulting firm, contacted Smith. After a long
9.14 How can engineering managers make the best use of tools such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to assist in selecting project leaders or assigning employees to teams to ensure the likelihood of avoiding personality conflicts that could otherwise hinder team success?
9.13 It was suggested by a number of researchers that a SSME educational program should have three elements: (1) behavioral—people skills, motivation, team building, communications, and delegation, (2) cognitive—production, marketing, finance, and control, (3) environmental—markets,
9.12 In your own words please describe the principal lessons you have learned from this chapter.
9.11 Recently, you have been promoted to the position of engineering manager in a company known to be progressive in developing new services. You are under some pressure to quickly come up with service concepts that could be developed as new services to enter the marketplace, as a periodical
9.10 In your opinion, what are the characteristics common to many future engineering leaders? Please explain.
9.9 Some engineers and managers are known to have more difficulties in interpersonal relations than others. These difficulties may arise due to personality, chemistry, value system, priority, tolerance, competition, and other such factors. How can they improve their interpersonal skills?
9.8 There are “unwritten laws of engineering” that recommend acceptable conduct and behavior for engineers in industry. How important are these unwritten laws to individual engineers, and where can these laws be located?
9.7 What rules and principles can guide managers to have successful people management skills?
9.6 Does the job of managing a high-technology function (e.g., an engineering design department) differ from that of managing a low-technology function (e.g., a hotel)? Explain the specific details of the jobs.
9.5 How does a manager or leader become a good superior? What should the superior do and not do?
9.4 How is engineering management different from management in general?
9.3 Hoffman (1989) believes that a management education program should have three elements: 1. Behavioral —people skills, motivation, team building, communications, and delegation 2. Cognitive—production, marketing, finance, and control 3. Environmental —markets, competition, customers,
9.2 Engineering managers may be called on to resolve conflicts between employees, departments, vendors, and business partners, as well as to handle customer complaints. What are the recommended guidelines for handling complaints? Please elaborate.
9.1 Nissan Motor’s CEO Carlo Ghosn became a world-renowned automotive executive because he was credited for having successfully turned around Nissan a few years back. That turnaround efforts were was described in the Harvard Business School case “Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, 2002” Case # 9-303-042
8.11 Over the years, Company XYZ spent a considerable amount of efforts in developing and testing a new drug intended for reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) and raising HDL (good cholesterol) of patients with cardiovascular disease. After having passed the Phases 1, 2, and 3 trials, Company XYZ
8.10 What are the bases for tradeoffs between conflicting wants and needs of different customers with respect to the same product? How important is it to emphasize service quality when a new and unique service is launched?
8.9 Organizational effectiveness is necessary for any corporate leader to attain company leverage and hence strategic differentiation in the marketplace. Explain in your own words how corporate leaders should go about realizing this much-needed organizational effectiveness?
8.8 The company wishes to sell its current service in a new market segment. At the same time, it wants to launch a new service in the existing market segment. How should the company handle the service promotion?
8.7 The company wants to produce a new service for a high-end consumer market. It is known that customers in this market are difficult to identify and are geographically dispersed. How should the company plan for service distribution and promotion?
8.6 A company makes a range of services and sells to several large, loyal customers to achieve a healthy market share. A new competitor has emerged to offer equivalent services at much lower prices. What should the company do?
8.5 ABC Company wishes to enter a new market arena on the basis of its strength in core technologies and financial staying power. However, the market arena in question is currently dominated by a major competitor with 80 percent of the market share, and a number of smaller competitors are each
8.4 Is it better to market a new service quickly and then upgrade the design later or to incorporate all possible design modifications or improvements before launching the service?
8.3 How can service-development costs be minimized by entering the market late?
8.2 Study the Harvard Business School Case “Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service,” Case # 9-504-016 (Rev. July 10, 2006), and answer the following questions. The case materials may be purchased by contacting its publisher at www.custserve@hbsp.harvard.edu or at 1-800-545-7685.A. What is this
8.1 Study the Ivey Business Case #98A006 “Fastlane Technologies, Incorporated” (Rev. November 1999), and answer the following questions. The case materials may be purchased by contacting its publisher at www.custserve@hbsp.harvard.edu or at 1-800-545-7685. A. What is this case about? B. What
7.24 Michele Brown started up a new consulting firm to offer design and testing services to industries. During the first three months of its operation, the firm has recorded a number of transactions, shown as follows: A. Michele Brown initiated the business by investing $35,000 in cash; $1,200 for
7.23 As the vice president of engineering of the Best Company in Buffalo, you need to make a decision regarding how a new product is to be manufactured. You have been offered two specific proposals. Proposal A is to set up an assembly operation in house and to outsource the production of all
7.22 Buffalo Best is currently financed by common stock equity. The company is considering a couple of alternative ways of financing in order to increase the return on common equity. Table 7.A15 presents the two options under consideration, along with the base case. The company’s capitalization
7.21 Buffalo Best Company has been performing reasonably well over the last several years. Table 7.A14 exhibits an abbreviated set of its financial data for the years 1998 to 2003. For 2004, the company needs an influx of $60 million to finance business expansion. Which financing option should the
7.20 Company X is planning to introduce a new service that is expected to reach sales of $10 million in its first full year, and $13 million of sales in the second and third year. Thereafter, annual sales are expected to decline to two-thirds of peak annual sales in the fourth year, and one third
7.19 Company B is currently financed by common stock equity. It is considering two alternative ways of financing in order to increase the return on common equity. Table 7.A13 displays the two options under consideration, along with the base case. The company’s capitalization and EBIT (earning
7.18 Company A has been performing reasonably quite well over the last several years. Table 7.A12 exhibits an abbreviated set of its financial data for the years 1998 to 2003. A. Analyze the company’s dividend-payout ratio to common stockholders and comment on the suitability of this dividend
7.17 Using the data from Question 7.6, conduct an evaluation of Superior Technologies’ common stock in 2002, using the three different methods specified, as follows: A. The market value of the company’s net property has risen and it is now about two times the value reported in the balance
7.16 XYZ Company plans to install a new production line consisting of several precision machines costing a total of $800,000. The installation of these machines requires another $150,000. The products made by the machines are projected to deliver a net income after tax of $400,000 per year for the
7.15 XYZ Company receives a contract from one of its major customers. The contract calls for 20,000 hours of work billed at $75 per hour to be completed within one year. The normal billable work for each engineer is 2,000 hours per year. Thus, the contract requires the involvement of ten full-time
7.14 XYZ Company is financed by debt (50 percent), preferred stocks (20 percent) and common equity (30 percent). Its common stock price is $43 per share. It pays a dividend of $3.00 and has a growth rate of –2 percent. Its annual preferred stock dividend is $82 per $1,000 share with a flotation
7.13 The company has 10,000 shares of common stock outstanding, and the current price of the stock is $100 per share. The company has no debt. The vice president of engineering discovers an opportunity to invest in a new technology project that yields positive cash flows with a present value of
7.12 Company X manufactures technology products. It plans to expand its manufacturing operations. Based on past data, management anticipates the first project year of the as-yet-tobe-expanded operations to match the data in Table 7.A11. A. Compute the working capital requirement during this
7.11 The 2000–2001 income statement and balance sheet for Buffalo Best are presented in Tables 7.A9 and 7.A10. The WACC for Buffalo Best is 10 percent for both years. Review and comment on the performance of the company based on the following: A. Liquidity, activity, and profitability B. Uses and
7.10 Define the economic value added (EVA) of XYZ Company. (See income statement and balance sheet of Question 7.2 for the years 2001 to 2002.) Assume that the WACC is 12.35 percent for both years. Discuss the EVA results and contrast them with the EVA results for Superior. Technologies in 2001 and
7.9 One of the company’s technology patents is about to expire, inducing a likely rush of product entries from the competition. Currently, the product line is projected to have stagnant sales of 1 million units for the next seven years from 1998 to 2005. The unit price is expected to decrease
7.8 The company’s vice president of marketing proposes a new program to significantly increase the product sales by 250,000 units per year throughout the 1998 to 2004 period. Specifically, it is suggested that the company takes the following actions: 1. Spend $2.5 million over the period of 1998
7.7 For the current fiscal year that starts on January 1, 2002, Buffalo Best Company projects its financial performance as shown in Table 7.A7. In fiscal year 2002, the products of the company are priced at $10,000 each. The company president predicts that, because of the generally anticipated
7.6 The income statement and balance sheet of Superior Technologies are exhibited in Tables 7.A4 and 7.A5. Conduct a ratio analysis and observe major trends and deviations from the available historical company information and industry data. (See also Table 7.A6.) Answer 7.6 Selected answers for
7.5 The XYZ Corporation has current liabilities of $130,000 with a current ratio of 2.5:1. Explain whether the individual transactions specified next increase or decrease the current ratio or the amount of working capital and by how much in each case. Treat each item separately. 1. Purchase is made
7.4 The company is considering the introduction of a new product that is expected to reach sales of $10 million in its first full year and $13 million of sales in the second and third years. Thereafter, annual sales are expected to decline to two-thirds of peak annual sales in the fourth year, and
7.3 The XYZ Company supplies products to a number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). It employs 5,000 mostly unionized workers and generates about $2.2 billion in revenue annually. In 2002, it won an “Excellence Award” from one of its major client companies for having supplied an OEM
7.2 For the years 2001–2002, the financial statements of XYZ Company are given in Tables 7.12 and 7.13. Prepare a funds flow statement that delineates the sources and applications of funds for the XYZ Company during 2001 and 2002. Tables 7.12 and 7.13. Prepare a funds flow statement that
7.1 Study the case "Whirlpool Europe," Harvard Business School Case # 9-202-017 (Rev: November 22, 2002) and answer the following questions. The case materials may be purchased by contacting its publisher at www.custserve@hbsp.harvard.edu or at 1-800- 545-7685.A. What is this case about? B. Cash
6.13 The company is evaluating two specific proposals to market a new product. The current interest rate is 10 percent. Proposal A calls for setting up an in-house manufacturing shop to make the product, requiring an investment of $500,000. The expected profits for the first to fifth years are
6.12 Employee A is about to retire. Based on his long tenure with the company, he is entitled to use his unused sick leave to pay for health insurance upon retirement. His current sick leave benefit is estimated to be worth $3,156 annually. The health insurance premium is estimated to be $2,532 a
6.11 Monte Carlo simulations is a mathematical tool often used in engineering and business to solve complex problems involving uncertainties or risks. A. Explain the technological foundation of this tool. B. How can it be applied? Discuss the inputs to and outputs from Monte Carlo simulations
6.10 Buffalo Best Company markets three products for sales. Product A, Product B and Product C. Its production plant, which is located in the city of Buffalo, occupies 20,000 square feet of space. The use of this space is carefully planned as follows: 1. Product Assembly: 5,000 square feet 2.
6.9 Company X produces two products, A and B, respectively. Table 6.A12 summarizes the cost structures of these two products over a three-month period. The company’s manufacturing operation is limited to 30,000 machine hours available over a three-month period. Furthermore, because of a previous
6.8 Company X manufactures automotive door panels that can be made of either sheet metal or plastic sheet molding (glass-fiber-reinforced polymer). Sheet metal bends well to the high-volume stamping process and has a low material cost. Plastic sheet molding meets the required strength and corrosion
6.7 You are considering a good-looking Toyota hybrid car priced at $28,000 or an elegant GM luxury car at $24,000. The fuel efficiency is rated at 50 miles per gallon for the Toyota and 25 miles per gallon for the GM. The annual maintenance cost for both cars is about 0.5 percent of the car price.
6.6 A company makes and sells three technology products: A, B, and C. It has a production plant with 17,000 square feet of floor area, consisting of machine setup (2,000 square feet), machining operation (9,000 square feet), assembly (4,000 square feet), and inspection, packaging, and shipping
6.5 A manufacturing company makes three products, A, B, and C. The fixed factory overhead is $60,000, consisting of $10,000 for material handling, material waste, and procurement; $30,000 for rent and utilities; and $20,000 for safety and canteen costs. Other costs are presented in Table 6.A9. A.
6.4 The NPV equation (Eq. 6.24) is described as follows: NPV = −P + n m=1 C(m) (1 + i)m + CR (1 + i)n (6.24) m = 1 to n (6.24) The NPV equation is important for evaluating project-based investments. It is also a basic equation for defining the concept of “value addition,” having a broad
6.3 A dam is being considered on a river that periodically overflows. Each time the river overflows, it causes about $600,000 in damage. The project horizon is 40 years. A 10 percent interest rate is being used. Three different designs are available, each with different costs and storage
6.2 The company’s warehouse has been busy taking in and shipping out vendor-supplied automotive parts. Table 6.A6 illustrates the warehouse’s activities in eight consecutive periods, during which time the price of the parts has steadily increased. A. Determine the total LIFO prices for each
6.1 Study the case “Kanthal (A),” Harvard Business School Case # 9-190-002 (Rev. April 27, 2001) and answer the following questions. The case materials can be bought by contacting its publisher at www.custserve@hbsp.harvard.edu or at 1-800-545-7685. A. What was the Kanthal president,
5.13 A number of years ago, ISO Standards 9000 series was introduced to promote work quality by standardizing engineering design, testing, production, and other procedures. How many ISO standards are there, and how well have these standards been accepted in the United States?
5.12 The manufacturing manager of Company X had installed a wage incentive program. She happily reported six months later that the system was a success because production was up and unit costs were down. A quality control manager said, however, that the percentage of rejects had increased markedly
5.11 John Elrod founded the Elrod Manufacturing Company 50 years ago. Vernon Scott is the vice president of plant engineering, reporting to George Elrod, who took over as the company president from his father, John five years ago. Vernon Scott and John Elrod have been good friends for many years.
5.10 Some foreign countries, particularly those in the early stages of industrial development, are known to illegally copy product designs and technologies that originated from developed countries. What are the best ways for small businesses to protect their technical know-how in foreign countries?
5.9 At present, the company is running at full capacity in advancing a new product for a major customer. The sales director has unexpectedly secured a small, but highly profitable, order, which requires some low-level development work and a minor change to the current production process. Should the
5.8 Two junior members of the production department unexpectedly come in to see you, the production director, to complain that their manager, who reports to you, commits discrimination, practices favoritism, and misuses company facilities for possible personal gain. How would you handle this
5.7 The production department is undergoing an upgrade of its automation program. It has a conflict that needs to be controlled and managed. The line supervisor wants to standardize machines supplied by an American vendor, as his people will eventually use them. On the other hand, the automation
5.6 The company president has noted a constant increase of reports passed on to her, a number of them through the mail, some come through the company’s Intranet. Most of these reports remain unread, although the company president when traveling for business does find time to browse through some
5.5 Bill Carter is an excellent hardware designer, but he wants to move into management to broaden his experience. His manager is supportive and encourages Bill to go to evening classes on management. Bill works hard for two years and graduates first in his class. Soon there is a management opening
5.4 Motivation in the assembly shop is high. However, the shop manager notices that, although the daily production is above average for the shop, it drops down to a low during the first hour after the lunch break. It is further diagnosed that the operators tend to continue socializing until well
5.3 A key engineer in the department handed in her resignation notice; her reason for leaving was that she was offered a much higher salary from a competitor. The manager recommends to the director that the company match the competitor’s offer, even though this would allow the engineer to earn
5.2 A company decides to offer an average annual raise of 8 percent, although the current inflation rate is 10 percent. Each engineering manager decides on the best way to distribute the salary increases to his or her staff. However, if everyone gets an increase of 8 percent, then there will be no
5.1 Study the case “Growth at Stein, Bodello & Associates, Inc.,” Babson College # BAB080 (Revised April 23, 2004) and answer the following questions. The case materials may be purchased by contacting its publisher at www.custserve@hbsp.harvard.edu or at 1-800- 545-7685. A. What is this case
4.16 Preparation of the company product that was promised to a major customer is running late, and there is intense pressure on the production team to deliver the product. The director of production is eventually told by the company president to deliver, “or else.” The director therefore
4.15 Joe Engineer has just graduated from the University at Buffalo. He earned a 3.8 GPA for his Master’s of Engineering degree. Before he finished all academic work, he sent out numerous job applications and received three specific job offers, A, B. and C, All of them require him to make a
4.14 As the department head you urgently need to find an experienced person to fill a vacancy. The work involves close cooperation and coordination with others inside and outside of the department. Candidate A has exactly the experience required, but appears to be very unsociable. Candidate B has
4.10 A regional sales manager suspected that one of her customers was having financial troubles. However, she was reluctant to mention it to her superior because she felt that she could be wrong. She kept quiet for several months, continuing to take large orders from this customer and hoping that
4.9 The project was running late and the section manager thought that it was time for a pep talk with his staff. He realized that he was considered to be somewhat autocratic by his staff, but this time he thought that he would impress on them that he was really one of the members of the team and
4.8 The plant manager noticed a need to lessen the amount of waste materials, which occurred in the production process. A task force was set up, composed of the plant manager herself and two of her supervisors, to examine the problem. They met for three months and regularly published the task force
4.7 What are some important characteristics of effective leaders? Which of these characteristics are more difficult for engineers to acquire?
4.6 The board of directors receives a proposal from a business partner to jointly set up an assembly plant in a developing country. This new plant will assemble final products with key components made by the company. Financial terms are attractive and the future marketing outlook is bright. There
4.5 Jerry Lucas is the division director. As branch chief, Bob Sanford reports to Jerry Lucas. Bob Sanford has four section chiefs reporting to him. Bob Sanford is technically competent, with extensive experience in solid rocket propulsion; he is also regarded as the best expert in this field. He
4.4 The marketing department needed to submit a proposal to a global customer, and it called a review meeting the next morning. By the time Bill Taylor, the design manager, was informed in the late afternoon, all of his design staff had left for the day and there was no one available. Bill Taylor
4.3 The engineering director of the company is called on to send one engineer abroad to assist in the installation of equipment. There are three qualified candidates, each working for a different manager under the director. The director knows that all three engineers will want to go, but their
4.2 As advised by the company president, the sales department received a set of specific recommendations provided by an outside management firm to reorganize for maximum effectiveness the sales manager believes that a few of the sales staff may disagree with the recommended changes. The sales
4.1 Study the data given in Harvard Business School Case “GM Powertrain” #9-698-008 (Rev. April 2000) and answer the following questions. The case materials may be purchased by contacting its publisher at 1-800-545-7685 or www.custserve@hbsp.harvard.edu. A. What is this case about? B. Joe
3.13 What type of organizational structure is best suited for developing a new product that requires a high level of specialization in several functions and for which the time to market represents a critical factor?
3.12 Organizing is a powerful tool that managers should employ to achieve an optimum utilization of company resources (e.g., funds, people, equipment, know-how, relationships, and others) in achieving corporate objectives. Among a variety of value-adding activities managers regularly oversee, two
3.11 The organization chart of Company X reveals that different numbers of employees report to its five departments, as indicated in Table 3.A1. Why do the numbers differ?
3.9 Sally Lee, the engineering manager, delegates tasks as a good manager should. However, Mark Hayes, the engineering director, has the bad habit of calling up Sally unexpectedly to get detailed reports on various ongoing activities in Sally’s department. Sally does not want to hold daily staff
3.8 A loyal and high-volume customer has warned the company’s marketing department that project X is extremely critical to their needs and that if this project is late, they may be forced to buy elsewhere. The project manager knows that the best estimates available to date from various in-house
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