Chapter
1
Part 1 Competing with Operations
USING OPERATIONS TO COMPETE

Discussion Questions

1. It is often not a good idea for a company to try to excel in all of the competitive priorities because it is generally impossible to do so. Mediocrity is a predictable result. The choice and the minimum level of one or more of the competitive priorities are set by the order qualifiers for the particular product or service. The choice of the competitive priorities that the company should emphasize is usually governed by the company’s strategy driven by its mission statement and the core competencies that the company wants to harness to seek the best competitive advantage.

2. Answering this question demonstrates that processes underlie all
The latter competitive priority comes from the capability to assemble unique “baskets” of food items for each customer. There may be a need to coordinate a given basket between two different stores. Capabilities to develop would include information systems and Web page design, efficient scheduling of delivery trucks (which must first collect the items in the basket and then deliver them to the customer’s door), and an adequate fleet of trucks with drivers.

10. Grandmother’s Chicken.
a. Kathryn Shoemaker’s strategic plans include the following: q Product and service plans: Should the new location offer a new mix? q Competitive priorities: If the product mix and service mix are different at the new location, the thrust could be on low volumes and high quality. q Quality management: Should the goal be reliability or top quality? q Process strategy: What processes will be needed to make chicken dinners in the addition or new facility? q New technologies: Is it time to automate? Is this why there is a problem in service times? q Capacity: How large should the addition or new facility be? q Location: Should we locate in Uniontown or expand in Middlesburg?

b. Attitudes toward nutrition could change the demand for chicken. Competitors such as Boston Market may be planning to move to Uniontown or even Middlesburg. There may be a trend toward