Question 1: What may be the causes of the global computer chip shortage? Discuss at least 2 causes.

Hint: With the COVID-19 pandemic, people stayed at home and bought new computers, appliances, and other electronics. At the same time, the production of semiconductors was halted abruptly due to lockdown, creating a huge gap between supply and demand in the supply chain.

Question 2: What are the impacts of the global computer chip shortage problem? Discuss the impacts to both the consumers and the manufacturers.

Hint: For consumers, the imbalance between supply and demand causes prices of many products to increase. For companies, higher component costs and lower production volumes have led to increased prices and profits in the short term, but how about the long term?

Question 3: If you were the CEO of TSMC, what strategies or tactics would you consider to solve or mitigate the chip shortage problems?

Hint: Think about several topics: operations strategy, process strategy, forecasting, operations planning, resource planning, inventory management, and quality management.