Operations Management for Executives

Operations Management for Executives reviews all that managers should know to be able to turn the operations of their companies into a source of competitive advantage. Understanding operations is key to improve how any organization actually works. In fact, excellence and innovation in operations have played an essential role in many of the great success stories the business world has witnessed: Zara, Ikea, Dell, Amazon, Toyota, Alibaba, etc.

The authors explain operations management from a general management standpoint. They provide a practical guidebook focused on (i) explaining comprehensibly the key concepts and methodologies while avoiding unnecessary technicalities, (ii) analyzing the impact of operations in all areas of a company, such as marketing, finance or strategy, and (iii) revealing key levers to help managers realize the full potential of their companies.

This book covers traditional areas in operations management, such as process design, capacity analysis, inventory management and queueing theory, or quality management. It also includes advanced topics such as lean management, procurement or supply chain management. Furthermore, this volume reviews some aspects that are seldom addressed in other operations books, but that the authors consider as

very relevant: project management, human and organizational factors in operations, and operations innovation. In addition, this work does not limit itself to industrial settings, but it also covers operations in many different service environments.