Foundations of Operations Management

For the introductory Operations Management course designed to introduce students to the concepts of production, services planning, and manufacturing/delivery (at both the undergraduate and graduate levels).

This text encompasses everything from project management, product design, linear programming, and quality control to decision theory, supply chain management, forecasting, and inventory management. The majority of departments offer a common core of topics from this list, and simply add topics that suit their individual programs.

Building on the success of the first edition, the updated second Canadian edition of Foundations of Operations Management addresses the consistent demand for a more concise operations management text. At just over 500 pages, this books strikes a perfect balance by covering essential topics while providing the pedagogical framework that best serves introductory students.

Robert D. Klassen

Robert D. Klassen is a professor of operations management at the Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario, Canada. Since joining Ivey in 1995, he has taught the core operations management course in the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as electives in sustainable development, services management, operations strategy, and technology management. He has worked in the steel, oil, and consumer products industries in the areas of environmental management, product development, and technology management. Klassen's research focuses on the linkages between the natural environment and operations, in addition to related issues in international operations and operations strategy. He has papers published in Management Science, Journal of Operations Management, Academy of Management Journal, Production and Operations Management, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, and other leading journals. He has recently co-authored two textbooks, Foundations of Operations Management, Canadian Edition (Pearson Education Canada) and Cases in Operations Management: Building Customer Value Through World-Class Operations (Sage Publications). He has also written two dozen cases and simulation exercises in the areas of operations strategy, international operations, process analysis, quality management, and environmental management.