In order to determine the critical point in the operations cycle when the business could do this, he decided to talk to the three top executives. (which operation is the critical point and why?)

His first conversation was with Brian Chu, V.P. Production. Brian told him that catching crocodiles was the most critical activity for the business since it is difficult to trap them suckers and you can lose a few limbs in the process if you are not careful.

Norman next spoke to Marco Diaz, V.P. Sales. Marco pointed out that while catching may be a dangerous activity, no one is likely to buy a crocodile because it is risky for us to catch them. He felt the companys success this year was largely due to his clever holiday season advertising campaign with its theme of: this year give that special someone something live! Someday they can produce their own shoes, handbags, and belts.

Norman's final conversation was with Shelley Maze, V.P. of Operations. She told Norman that, in her opinion, the crucial activity for the business was cash collection. As she put it: Brian and Marco have never tried collecting cash. If they did, they would find out in a hurry that it is difficult to collect cash from people who keep crocodiles as pets. Besides, we don't have a collection agency that is willing to repossess live crocs!