Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management Essay

1) Select a technology from 1850 to the present. Describe how it has affected productivity A technology that comes to mind is server virtualization. We use them every day in the government as we work toward going green, lower cost, increasing productivity. Since the migration to the virtual servers we were able to cut paper files by  ¾. We use a digital contract file now instead of a 6 pile folder with hundreds of page. Another reason the army has choosing to go this way is so it can spread the cost of maintenance and repair across several customers with shared servers. This results in a lower price per base. Then there is the Virtual conference, which saves millions of dollar. Now you’re asking how this affect productivity does well with virtual contract files any base has access to them with save on efficiencies, be abilities to collaborate with like minds to gain more knowledge, also to form comradely. 2)Identify the transformation that takes place in a restaurant. In a restaurant you are buying a meal but also the environment and the service. In many cases the value of inputs is measured in financial terms, which is say that organizations aim to make a profit like the Hard Rock Cafà ©. To increase efficiency managers are always seeking ways of producing more with the same level of inputs or producing the same amount with fewer inputs. Some ways to improve the productivity in the service-sector are changing working practices, investing in new technology like the ERP, motivating and inspiring staff more effectively and changing the way items are produced (Heizer & Render, 2005). With the use of ERP restaurants  wastage should be reduced at all stages of the production process. It includes Just in Time production in which items are produced to order rather than in advance (Heizer & Render, 2005). Lean production also includes a technique known as kaizen which aims to use the knowledge of employees to find ways of continuously improving the way things are done (Heizer & Render, 2005). Manages are continually reviewing what they provide better. Given ongoing changes in the competitive environment with new competitors, new demands and new technologies adding value is a dynamic process. Managers need to be looking constantly at the business environment to identify changes that could be of value to them or could possibly harm them. Interestingly any change will have different effects on different organizations. (3) The computer – especially the PC – is believed to be responsible for much of the increased productivity in the 1990s. What do think will be the â€Å"next big thing† to have a major impact on national and global productivity? The â€Å"next big thing† that will have a major impact on the national and global productivity is the advancements in wireless technology. In today’s time there are millions of mobile professionals worldwide due to the major strides that the wireless community has taken. Organizations use wireless technologies to solve every day problems and create an advantage over their companion. Using wireless technologies help them work more productively, by having better customer satisfaction, which means an increase of sales. Organization is finding that wireless has provided more flexibility to configure an office and can improve both the productivity and the moral in the work place. New standards based technologies offer improved methods to authenticate and better secure devices, helping to ensure that only authorized users can gain access to these networks. Which, I see firsthand every day working in a government agency our black berries have CAC reads sled which read our cre dentials before we can view emails. The widespread reliance on networking in business as well as the growth of the internet and online services is strong testimonies to the benefits of data and resources (Wireless Technology). Wireless solutions have advances these benefits by allowing users to access shared information, emails, and different  applications without the constraints of the wired connection. Wireless technologies have also allowed network managers to set up or add to the networks without installing or removing wires. A wireless solution offers productivity, convenience and overall cost saving then the traditional wired networks (Wireless Technology). (4) What is the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO)? Do you see it as primarily good or bad for the U.S? The role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is to oversee trade agreements including a wide range of goods and services trade and supervises all government practices that are directly related to trade, such as tariffs, subsidies, government procurement, and trade-related intellectual property rights (wto.org, 2011). Here are some reasons why the WTO isn’t good for the USA. The WTO acts as the legislature, the executive and the judiciary in matters of world trade. The WTO allows countries to sue each other. This has been primarily used by the wealthy countries to push around the smaller, less developed nations. Under the WTO, the monolithic corporations who benefit the most from free trade can easily push around the smallest and least developed nations. Under the globalized system of free trade we are all living under, all wealth is slowly but surely being transferred into the hands of the very wealthy while the rest of us are left standing around trying to figure out how th e game was rigged. The WTO forces the United States to open its doors to unsafe products. Under the WTO, labor has become a global commodity (Globalism Destroys) (5) Identify one discipline and one technology that you think will contribute in a major way to the future development of OM and describe why they will contribute According to the course text, Operations Management (OM) is described as the set of activities that creates value in the form of goods and services by transforming inputs into outputs. (Heizer & Render, 2005) OM is also a discipline that has applications in several industries including services and manufacturing. The discipline and technology I believe that will  contribute in a major way to the future development of OM is Supply-Chain Management and advances in process technologies. Advances in these areas will ease transactions between businesses thereby facilitating sustaining engineering and improvement for Operations and Management. One way is by using Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) as â€Å"wireless systems that allow a device to read information contained in a wireless device or â€Å"tag† from a distance without making a physical contact or requiring a line of sight between the two(GAO,2005). RFID provides a method to transmit and receive data from one point to another.† RFID is an automatic identification method relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. Reference Heizer, J., & Render, B. (2005). Operations Management. In J. Heizer, & B. Render, Operations Management (pp. 212-213). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. wto.org. (2012, Nov 25). Retrieved 25 November 20121, from World Trade Organization: http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/inbrief_e/inbr00_e Globalism Destroys America: 10 Reasons Why The World Trade Organization Is Bad For The United States Economy, Posted By admin On September 7, 2010 @ 3:09 am In Money Watch | Comments Disabled OM ForumThe Best Things in Life Were Free:On the Technology of Transactions,( 2012, Nov 25), Paul Zipkin (paul.zipkin@duke.edu) GAO, 2005, (2012, Nov 25). http://www.gaorfid.com/ Wireless Technology rev 3, (2012 Nov 28). h20331.www2.hp.com/Hpsub/downloads/Wireless_Technology.pdf