These notes accompany the student handouts and film clip sections of the PowerPoint lecture slides, which can be optionally used to illustrate key themes and topics in operations management

The operations process

Films used

Le Mans (1971)

Modern Times (1936)

Dinner Rush (2000)

Overview

Use the three clips to introduce how the process of transforming inputs into outputs and customer requirements differ across a range of business environments.

Key questions

  • What is the operations process?
  • What are the key market requirements?

Clip details and learning objectives

Film clip 1 / Pit Stop
Film / Title
Director (year) / Le Mans
Lee H. Katzin (1971)
Clip / Start
Finish / 00:47:40
00:50:43
What clip shows / The pit crew decide to bring in the racing cars to put on new tyres that will drive better in the rain
Key learning objectives /
  • How an operation transforms inputs into outputs
  • The order-winners and qualifiers for a racing pit crew

Film clip 2 / Factory
Film / Title
Director (year) / Modern Times
Charles Chaplin (1936)
Clip / Start
Finish / 00:01:53
00:06:03
What clip shows / Charlie Chaplin working on a production line within a factory
Key learning objectives /
  • How an operation transforms inputs into outputs
  • The order-winners and qualifiers for a high volume factory producing a narrow range of standard products

Film clip 3 / Restaurant
Film / Title
Director (year) / Dinner Rush
Bob Giraldi (2000)
Clip / Start
Finish / 00:58:58
01:02:44
What clip shows / The chef producing a special one-off dish for a restaurant critic who is having dinner in the restaurant
Key learning objectives /
  • How an operation transforms inputs into outputs (and the difference between services and manufacturing)
  • The order-winners and qualifiers for a low volume, design-led restaurant offering high levels of service

Class activities

1. What is the OPERATIONS process?

Ask students to watch the three clips and fill out the following table, and/or discuss as a group.

Operations process / Pit stop / Factory / Restaurant
Transformed resources / Materials
Information
Customers /
  • Car
  • Rain tyres
/
  • Raw material
/
  • Raw material
  • Order details
  • Customer

Transforming resources / Facilities
Staff /
  • Pit stop
  • Mechanics
  • Spanners
/
  • Factory
  • Production line
  • Operator
  • Spanner
/
  • Restaurant
  • Kitchen
  • Equipment
  • Chef
  • Waiter

Outputs / Goods
Services /
  • Car with rain tyres
/
  • Widget
/
  • Food
  • Drink
  • Service

2. What are the key market requirements?

Ask students to list the order-winners and qualifiers for each situation:

Key market requirements / Pit stop / Factory / Restaurant
Order-winners /
  • Delivery speed
/
  • Price
/
  • Product design
  • Service Design

QU /
  • Delivery reliability
  • Quality conformance
/
  • Quality conformance
/
  • Quality conformance
  • Delivery reliability
  • Price

Developing an operations strategy

Films

The Great Escape (1963)

Big Night (1996)

Overview

The clips from these two films can be used to illustrate differing approaches to developing a strategy.

Key questions

  • What are the strategic objectives in each clip?
  • What is the strategy to achieve these objectives?
  • What approach has been used to develop and implement this strategy?

Clip details and learning objectives

Film clip / Prison Camp
Film / Title
Director (year) / The Great Escape
John Sturges (1963)
Clip / Start
Finish / 00:32:05
00:35:12
What clip shows / The British general (Richard Attenborough) arriving at the prison camp and explaining to his men that they wish to escape and letting each of them know the role they will play in implementing this strategy
Key learning objectives / How to develop and implement strategy using a planned and directive approach
Film clip / Restaurant
Film / Title
Director (year) / Big Night
Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci (1996)
Clip / Start
Finish / 00:12:12
00:14:20
What clip shows / The two brothers who own the restaurant debating if they should keep risotto on the restaurant menu as it is expensive to make and customers don’t seem to like it
Key learning objectives /
  • How to develop and implement strategy using an emergent approach
  • The difference between market-led and market-driving strategies

Class activity

For each clip ask students to list the strategic objectives, the strategy itself, and the process for developing the strategy.

Aspect / Prison camp / Restaurant
Strategic Objectives /
  • ESCAPE from the camp
  • Get 250 men out
/
  • Make money
  • Produce good food

Strategy for meeting these objectives /
  • Create smoke screen
  • Dig three tunnels
/ Primo
  • Market driving
  • Resource based
Cristiano
  • Market driven
  • Market led

Process of developing and implementing strategy /
  • Top down
  • Planned
/
  • Bottom up
  • Emergent

Essential Operations Management Lecturer Resources © Alex Hill and Terry Hill 2011