There are three primary issues that arise when attempting to quantify production (Quality, External Elements, and Precise Unit of Measure). When the units of inputs and outputs remain consistent, quality may alter. I found the book's use of televisions as an example to be exemplary. It is indisputable that the quality of these items has changed between the black-and-white televisions of the past and the HD touch-screen models of today. The second issue is external factors, such as a shift in productivity over which the system may not have entire control or responsibility. I work for the VA, where patient care might vary based on whether or not the United States is in a state of war. Today, the VA sees an increase in people requiring treatment for PTSD resulting from combat. Conversely, if there were no war, fewer individuals would need to be observed. The final issue relates to the precise unit of measurement used to quantify the inputs and outputs of a product. Particularly in the service industry, it is difficult to quantify service outputs because they are intangible. The same individual (input being salary paid and equipment utilized) could provide superior counsel to one individual over another. In addition, the book uses automobiles as an example to demonstrate that not all similar products require identical inputs. This therefore needs managers to rate the value of each item (inputs or outputs) on a scale, which can lead to difficulties of overvaluing or undervaluing an item if there are no specified pricing points. As a person new to the field of operations management reading into the history of it is extremly interesting. Learning that operations management hasn't been it's own field of study for long is strange to me since it is so essential to the operations of companies which have been around forever. I would have thought that with the Industrial Revolution or even the Scientific Management era, there would have been an increase in the need of a group to run the operations, especially considering how big these movements were and how impactful they still are. I can appreciate how the start of operations management kickstarted the understanding of more divisions of the company needing their own separate stu Collapse Post Iman Resoures getting their own study to Operations Strategy along wtih financing and marketing. I think it's truly important to understand that while all departments may have to work together, each one needs it's own standard operation system otherwise the company won't be able to function. This truly puts a whole new light on what companies have to manage and how they chose the ones that mange.