What are some obstacles to creating a flexible workforce? What are the benefits?

Discuss why the use of subcontractors to handle peak demand can often allow a company to meet demand at lower cost even though the subcontractor price is higher than the average unit cost of the company.

In which industries would you tend to see dual facility types $($some facilities focusing on only one type of product and others able to produce a wide variety$)?$ In which industries would this be relatively rare? Why?

Discuss how you would set up a collaboration mechanism for the enterprises in a supply chain.

What are some product lines that use common parts across many products? What are the advantages of doing this?

Discuss how a company can get sales and operations to work together with the common goal of coordinating supply and demand to maximize profitability.

How can a firm use pricing to change demand patterns?

Why would a firm want to offer pricing promotions in its peak$-$demand periods?

Why would a firm want to offer pricing promotions during its low$-$demand periods?