Operations management (ОМ) has been a key element in the improvement in productivity in businesses around the world. Creating a com реи'live tulvtmutge through operations requires an understanding of how the operations function contributes to productivity growth. However, our intent in this book is to do more than just show you what companies arc doing to create competitive advantage through OM. Our overriding goal is to create a competitive advantage for you in the marketplace by conveying a set of skills and tools that you can actually apply.
Three hot topics in business today are Supply Chain Management. Six Sigma, and Enterprise Resource Planning Systems. These topics arc studied in the book from the view of the operations function with up-to-date high-level managerial material to clarify the "big picture" of what these topics are and why they are so important to business today. Applications that range from high-tech manufacturing to high-touch service are used in the balanced treatment of the traditional topics of the field. Operations management requires a global perspective for many of the topics. Operations management is best done with significant cross-functional integration. Accounting, finance, marketing, human resources management, purchasing, logistics, and engineering impact how firms arc run operationally. To highlight our emphasis on services, globalization, and cross-functional integration, we've used the logos you see here in the text margin next to these discussions.