Operations Strategy for Competitive Advantage

6549 CHQ02 UG 3/27/02 6:21 PM Page 4
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discussion questions 1 through 7 appear in the text.
8. Define mission.
9. Define strategy.
10. Describe how an organization’s mission and strategy have different purposes.
11. What are some of the operations management strategies that support missions and implement strategies.
12. There are three primary ways to achieve competitive advantage. Provide an example, not included in
the text, of each. Support your choices.
13. Describe PIM’s five characteristics of high return-on-investment (ROI) firms.
14. Given the discussion of Southwest Airlines in the text, define an operations strategy for that firm.
15. How must an operations strategy integrate with marketing and accounting?
CRITICAL THINKING EXERCISE
Defining an effective mission and developing that into a coordinated implementation is difficult, but necessary.
Discuss the critical point of coordination and integration when developing an effective mission and its
implementation in a manufacturing plant. Now discuss the critical points in a service organization. How are
they different? Is there any difference between the focus of the VP for operations in a manufacturing plant
and in a service organization?
PROBLEMS
2
CHAPTER
Problems 2.1 through 2.6 appear in the text.
Operations Strategy for
Competitive Advantage
2.7 The text provides three primary ways—strategic approaches—to achieving competitive advantage.
Provide an example of each not provided in the text. Support your choices. (Hint: note the examples
provided in the text).
Q-4 Heizer/Render/Operations Management

6549 CHQ02 UG 3/27/02 6:21 PM Page 5
2.8 Within the food service industry (restaurants that serve meals to customers, but not just fast food),
find examples of firms that have sustained competitive advantage by competing on the basis of (1)
cost leadership, (2) response, and (3) differentiation. Cite one example in each category; provide a
sentence or two in support of each choice. Do not use fast food chains for all categories. (Hint: a “99
cent menu” is very easily copied and is not a good source of sustained advantage.)
Heizer/Render/Operations Management Q-5