1. Lynn is the operations manager of her business. Among her responsibilities are forecasting, inventory management, scheduling, quality assurance, and maintenance.

a. What kinds of things would likely require forecasts?

b. What inventory items does Lynn probably have? Name one inventory decision she has to make periodically.

c. What scheduling must she do? What things might occur to disrupt schedules and cause Lynn to reschedule?

d. How important is quality assurance to Lynn’s business? Explain.

e, What kinds of maintenance must be performed?

2. What are some of the trade-offs that Lynn probably considered relative to:

a. Working for a company instead of for herself?

b. Expanding the business?

c. Launching a Web site?

3. Lynn decided to offer tire students who worked for her a bonus of $25 for ideas on how to improve tire business, and they provided several good ideas. One idea that she initially rejected now appears to hold great promise. The student who proposed die idea has left, and is -currently working for a competitor. Should Lynn send that student a cheque for the idea?

4. Lynn is thinking of making her operations sustainable and environment friendly. Name one or two ideas she might consider.

Lynn had worked for the same major Canadian company for almost 15 years. Although the company had gone through some tough times, things were starting to turn around. Customer orders were up, and quality' and productivity had improved dramatically from what they had been only a few years earlier due to a companywide quality improvement program. So it came as a real shock to Lynn and about 400 of her co workers when they were suddenly terminated following the new CEO’s decision to downsize the company.