The ultimate goal of operations management is to provide high-quality goods and services instantaneously in response to customer demand. Over the years, low cost often came at the expense of quality and flexibility. Furthermore, suppliers didn't always deliver when they said they would, so manufacturers had to carry large inventories of raw materials and components to keep producing. Such inefficiencies made U. S. companies vulnerable to foreign competitors who were using more advanced production techniques. As a result of new global competition, companies have had to make a wide variety of high-quality custom-designed products at a very low cost. Something had to change on the production floor to make that possible. Several major developments have made U. S. companies more competitive:. (1) computer-aided design and manufacturing, (2) flexible manufacturing, (3) lean manufacturing, and (4) mass customization.

Starting at age 30, you deposit $2000 a year into an ira account for retirement. treat the yearly deposits into the account as a continuous income stream. if money in the account earns 7%, compounded continuously, how much will be in the account 35 years later, when you retire at age 65? how much of the final amount is interest?

China's new 5 percent tax on disposable wooden chopsticks, reflecting concerns about deforestation, has been praised by environmentalists. the move is hitting hard at the japanese, who consume 25 billion set of wooden chopsticks annually. almost all of the chopsticks used in japan come from china. the reuirements for chinese manufacturers of wooden chopsticks to pay the 5 percent tax is a factor in their external environment.

Exercise 6-2 variable costing income statement; explanation of difference in net operating income [lo6-2] ida sidha karya company is a family-owned company located on the island of bali in indonesia. the company produces a handcrafted balinese musical instrument called a gamelan that is similar to a xylophone. the gamelans are sold for $970. selected data for the company’s operations last year follow: units in beginning inventory 0 units produced 200 units sold 180 units in ending inventory 20 variable costs per unit: direct materials $ 130 direct labor $ 300 variable manufacturing overhead $ 30 variable selling and administrative $ 15 fixed costs: fixed manufacturing overhead $ 63,000 fixed selling and administrative $ 25,000 the absorption costing income statement prepared by the company’s accountant for last year appears below: sales $ 174,600 cost of goods sold 139,500 gross margin 35,100 selling and administrative expense 27,700 net operating income $ 7,400 required: 1. under absorption costing, how much fixed manufacturing overhead cost is included in the company's inventory at the end of last year? 2. prepare an income statement for last year using variable costing.