The goal of lean manufacturing is to: Multiple Choice become more self sufficient by producing major components rather than buying them. keep inventories of finished goods as high as possible. produce goods and services with less of everything that goes into the process. produce a very limited variety of goods.

When paul o’neill joined alcoa as ceo, he set a , that there would be zero workplace accidents. a lot of people in the organization thought this was impossible given how dangerous some aluminum-manufacturing jobs are, but alcoa’s safety record improved tremendously. as the board of governors of the american red cross considers planning, one option is to make strategic plans and then direct managers to align tactical and operational plans accordingly. another option is to have planning specialists managers across the organization make their own plans. why might this organization’s executives opt for the latter approach? check all that apply. (a) the environment is a dynamic one, and department and frontline managers can come up with more responsive plans than can central leadership. (b)resources will be better coordinated across the organization in support of the overall strategy.(c) senior leadership will have more control over the organization’s direction. (d)when managers come up with their own plans, they are likely to be more committed to following through on them.

Costco wholesale corporation operates membership warehouses selling food, appliances, consumer electronics, apparel and other household goods at 471 locations across the u.s. as well as in canada, mexico and puerto rico. as of its fiscal year-end 2005, costco had approximately 21.2 million members. selected fiscal-year information from the company's balance sheets follows. ($ millions). selected balance sheet data 2005 2004 merchandise inventories $4,015 $3,644 deferred membership income (liability) 501 454 (a) during fiscal 2005, costco collected $1,120 cash for membership fees. use the financial statement effectstemplate to record the cash collected for membership fees. (b) in 2005, costco recorded $46,347 million in merchandise costs (that is, cost of goods sold). record thistransaction in the financial statement effects template. (c) determine the value of merchandise that costco purchased during fiscal-year 2005. use the financial statementeffects template to record these merchandise purchases. assume all of costco's purchases are on credit.

R& m chatelaine is one of the largest tax-preparation firms in the united states. it wants to acquire the tax experts, a smaller rival. after the merger, chatelaine will be one of the two largest income-tax preparers in the u.s. market. what should chatelaine include in its acquisition plans? it should refocus its attention from the national to the international market. in addition to acquiring the tax experts, it should also determine the best way to drive independent "mom and pop" tax preparers out of business. chatelaine will need to explain to the federal trade commission how the acquisition will not result in an increase in prices for consumers. chatelaine should enter a price-based competition with its other major competitor to force it out of business and become a monopoly.