Sharmori Richardson

Intro to Business
Chapter 7- Operations Management and Quality
7-1.

Describe the three forms of utility created through production.

a) Operations (production) is the systematic direction and control of the activities that
transform resources into finished products that create value for and provide benefits
to customers.
b) Service operations (productions) is a systematic direction and control of the activities
that produce intangible and un-storable services such as transportation.
c) Good operations (production) is a systematic direction and control of activities that

7-2.

produces tangible products such as equipment and clothing.

What are the major differences between goods-production operations and service

operations?
a) The differences between goods-production operations and service operations is that
service operations are a bit more complicated than goods-production operations.
Service operations involves interacting with customers, the tangible and un-sortable
nature of some services, the customers presence in the process, and service quality
7-3.

considerations.
What are the major difference between high-contact and low contact service systems?
a) The difference between high-contact and low-contact service system is that lowcontact system does not involve the customer to be a part of the system to receive
service, whereas high-contact systems involves the customer to be a part of the
system during service delivery. Examples of low-contact systems are: mail delivery,

7-4.

auto repair and lawn services. An example of a high-contact system is an airline.

What are the five major categories of operations planning?
a) The five major categories of operations planning are:
Capacity planning
Location planning
Layout planning
Quality planning; and

7-5.

Methods planning.
Although we typically use these terms with goods production, is your college a make-to-

order or make-to-stock operation? Be sure to support your conclusion.

a) It depends on what activities is taking place at the college. When it comes to
graduation, ICCI is more of make-to-order operations, due to the fact that they ask
you about your size gown and your height. When it comes to services such as the
Bodden Town beach clean up, ICCI has more of a make-to-stock operation. They
often order t-shirts without asking for your size. So in conclusion, I would say they
7-6.

are a little bit of both.

What type of business strategy is used at Disney theme parks? What specific operations

activities are most important?

a) Disney Theme park uses a quality strategy. In a quality strategy, business have highstandards for materials suppliers; just-in-time materials flow for lean manufacturing;
specialized, automated equipment for consistent product buildup; and operation
personnel are experts on continuous improvement of products, work methods and
7-7.

materials.
Develop a list of internal customers and internal suppliers for some businesses that you

use frequently (or where you work), such as a cafeteria, a dormitory or hotel, or movie
theatre. Identify areas for potential quality improvement in these internal customer-supplier
activity relationships.
a) For this question I will use my computer manufacturer Apple Inc. Apple Inc. authorized
resellers are Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. A supplier for Apple Inc. are Beats
headphones, due to the fact that apple resells them. When it comes to student discounts, I
think that all apple stores including the Cayman Islands brand should offer seeing that
students are one of apples top buyers. Also I would have strict procedures when it comes
to resellers. This is to ensure that all resellers are selling sealed and new products.

7-8.

If you were a member of a quality improvement team at you college, what would be five

specific high-impact recommendations that you would support.

a) This question is no strange thing to me as I am a apart of the International College of
the Cayman Islands Student Council. The first high-impact recommendation I am
supporting is the new school facility. With the credential like a top university we need
to look like a top university.
b) Second is installing signs that say directions to the college. This will help individuals
locate the school easier.
c) The third recommendation is fixing up the parking lot. With more student attending
the college every year we will need to fix the parking lot to accommodate the
vehicles.
d) The fourth recommendation is the use of social media. I cant stress this enough. The
only way people will know about ICCI is if they use social media more an effectively.
e) Lastly, the fifth recommendation is Turn It In training for both students and teachers.
This has been a problem since the Spring Quarter. Students are failing assignments
because they dont know how to operate Turn It In. We need to get this issue solve so
7-9.

students can be more successful in courses.

Interview the manager of a local service business, such as a restaurant or hair salon.

Identify the major decisions involved in planning that businesss service operations.
a) Since I was not able to get a restaurant or hair salon manager, I tend to stick in my
organization. Before this class my supervisor Mrs. Hollie Whitelocke told me about some
of her duties at the Cayman Islands Tourism Association. She is the eyes and ears to the
Executive Director of the non-profit association. She is the Operations Manager at the
CITA. She makes decisions that can jeopardize the membership of businesses. If she
leaves any of the business members out of publications it can ruin business relationships
between businesses and CITA.