1. What are some of the criticisms of work measurement, in general, and time study, specifically, that have caused its popularity to wane in recent years? Compare the use of predetermined motion times for developing time standards instead of using time-study methods, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages. (40 points) 2. You are advised not to look at an entire company but instead may decide to focus on a particular business unit or operation. For example YOU may want to look at a large international company - but only have access to one part of the organisation - it is perfectly acceptable. You might feel tempted to answer the questions based on common sense but the professor urges you not to . The professor encourages you to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes for the course. Please do keep this in mind and try to exhibit understanding and application of theory, tools and techniques covered during the lectures (and from directed reading). a) Operations Strategy Discuss the operations strategy of your chosen organization. Does your chosen organisation have a clear operations strategy? How does the operations strategy support or complement the business strategy? How has the operations strategy developed and changed in recent years? If the organization does not have an operations strategy can you help them broadly define an operations strategy or give them guidance on what they should do to develop one? b) Product & Service Design Discuss the products and services offered by your chosen organization. Do they target the same markets, or do they have different offerings catering to different markets? What operations challenges does the product/service mix pose? Can you see evidence of effective screening processes? How good is theorganisation at developing products and services? If appropriate discuss the product or service design process. Who else is involved in product and service design (e.g. suppliers, customers, retailers)? Do they measure the impact of design and new product development? c) Process Design Discuss the processes within your chosen organization. Consider whether alternative approaches might lead to improvements in the performance of the organisation. How would you go about helping the organization to make improvements? Can you comment on the use of technology? d) Innovation and improvement How does the company encourage innovation? Is innovation something that is managed? Outline some of the tools for improvement that you wouldrecommend as being appropriate for your organisation and explain how they could be implemented. Would you say the organisation is lean or agile? e) Location Planning and Analysis Discuss the success factors for location decisions as they apply in your chosen organization. How do the major factors in location planning contribute for the competitive advantage of the company? What strategies were developed to take advantage of the strategic location of the company?