Questions:

01. Operations at Whirlpool

a. Whirlpool launched several initiatives in operations management in the 1990s
and early 2000s, as a result of which by the early-2000s, its product availability,
inventory, and lead times improved. Give a brief description of operation at
Whirlpool. Critically discuss the initiatives taken.
b. Whirlpool launched several e-initiatives to streamline its operations. How far
did these initiatives contribute the success of Whirlpool? Also discuss the
importance of integrating e-initiatives with other organizational processes.
02. The Ford Production System
a. Examine the mass and assembly line production system at Ford, which helped
it gain recognizing as an innovator in automobile industry.
b. What do you understand by lean manufacturing? In an attempt to re-engineer
its operations, Ford introduced the Ford Production System (FPS) in mid-1990s.
Explain the key elements of FPS and discuss how Ford implemented the principal
of lean manufacturing through FPS.
03. Toyotas JIT Revolution
a. The JIT production system was one of the most significant production
management approaches of the port World War II era. Using JIT, Taiichi Ohno
revolutionized the production system at Toyota. Discuss in detail the concept of
JIT and its advantages with reference to Toyota. Some analyst however, pointed
out that JIT had many drawbacks. Briefly explain the disadvantages of JIT. How
can they be solved?
b. Kanban was as important component of Toyotas JIT system. Explain the
concept of Kanban used in Toyota. What are the advantages of Kanban over the
western manufacturing system?
04. Toyotas Kaizen Experience
a. Kaizen means improvement in work life, social life, personal life of a person.
Drawing from the experience of Toyota, explain how Kaizen can be useful to
organizations in improving there operation efficiency and competitive edge.
b. In the early 1990s, Toyota employed Kaizen costing for cost reduction.
According to analysis, this was imposed on workforce, leading to labor crisis.
What steps should an organization take to avoid such problem in adopting
practices such as Kaizen?
05. Infosys Global Delivery Model
a. Examine and comment on the factor that compelled Infosys to develop its
own model for delivering IT services. Explain the working of Infosys Global

Delivery Model (GDM) in detail. Explain how GDM is a source of competitive

advantage to Infosys.
b. What are the possible disadvantages of GDM? Do you thing this model will be
viable in the long term? What changes are you propose to GDM to adapt it to the
changing business environment in the near future?
06. RFID at the Metro Group
a. What are advantages and disadvantages of using RFID technology? Answer
the question with specific reference to the Metro Group.
b. Critically analyze the Future Store Initiative at Metro Group.
07. Amazon.coms Inventory Management
a. Managing inventory is one of the most important tasks of a retailing company.
If there are not enough goods in stock, some of the customers might be
disappointed. Stocking too many will reduce the profit margins. Do you think
Amazon.com adopted the right strategy while trying to manage its inventory?
Was it successful in executing this strategy?
b. When it managed its own inventory, Amazon earned the reputation of
providing superior customer service. Despite this it decided to outsource
inventory management. Do you think Amazon took the right decision in
outsourcing this key area of business?
08. Titan The Outsourcing Journey
a. Explain the concept of outsourcing and the reason for its growing popularity in
the manufacturing industry. Briefly comment on the pros and cons associated
with outsourcing the manufacturing function. Explain why Titan had to decide in
favor of outsourcing its manufacturing activities despite having the state-of-theart manufacturing setup.
b. Is outsourcing a viable option for Titan? Does this operation strategy
contribute to competitive advantage? Discuss with respect to both domestic and
international markets.
09. Wal-Marts Supply Chain Management Practices (B) Using
IT/Internet to Manage the Supply Chain
a. Wal-Mart used information technology (IT) comprehensively in managing all
the functions of supply chain. Explain how the company used IT in procurement,
warehouse & logistics management, and inventory management. What benefits
did the company reap by using IT?
b. Briefly describe the process followed by the company to implement
collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR). Why do you think

the company was not able to widen the supplier base willing to implement CPFR?
10. Fords E-Business Strategy
a. In 1999, Ford built an integrated e-business strategy. Discuss the brief Fords
e-business strategy and its components that sought to transform the company
and help it gain competitive advantages. Evaluate its e-business strategy and
comment on the gaps if any.
b. One of the biggest challenges in online retailing is potentially explosive
channel conflict. What steps did Ford take to avoid such conflict?