Question 1 Why should one study Operations Management? Give at least four reasons with detailed explanations. Question 2 AU.S company has two manufacturing plants, one in the United States and one in another country. Both produce the same item, each for sale in their respective countries. However, their productivity figures are quite different. The analyst thinks this is because the U.S. plant uses more automated equipment for processing while the other plant uses a higher percentage of labor. Explain how that factor can cause productivity figures to be misleading. Is there another way to compare the two plants that would be more meaningful? Question 3 A company has introduced a process improvement that reduces processing time for each unit, so that output is increased by 25% with less material, but one additional worker required. Under the old process, five workers could produce 60 units per hour. Labor costs are $12/hour, and material input was previously $16/unit. For the new process, material is now $10/unit. Overhead is charged at 1.6 times direct labor cost. Finished units sell for $31 each. What increase in productivity is associated with the process improvement