Case Preparation Questions

Sasser, Jr., W. Earl, et al. "McDonald's Corp. (Condensed)." Harvard Business School Case. Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-681-044, December 1, 1980.

———. "Burger King Corp." Harvard Business School Case. Harvard Business School Publishing. Case: 9-681-045, December 1, 1980.

1. Draw a process flow diagram showing the major process steps, inventories and flows for hamburger production in Burger King. Where are the inventories and why?
2. For Burger King, analyze the peak hourly capacity and peak hourly demand for burger patties and sandwich production. Can they produce enough burger sandwiches to meet peak demand?
3. Post-class, self-test exercise: Same capacity calculations for McDonald's.

1. Construct a process flow diagram of the PATA visit from a patient's perspective. Calculate the capacity and utilization rate at each step in the process.
2. Use capacity analysis tools (build-up diagrams or/and queuing) to decide if and where there is a bottleneck in the clinic. If a bottleneck does indeed exist, how long do patients wait as a result of the bottleneck? (As an approximation, assume that all appointment slots were filled and patients arrived on time.)
3. Evaluate the three Task Force diagnoses - not enough time between appointments, not enough rooms, not enough physicians. Are these diagnoses valid? If so, are they primary contributors to long patient wait times? Why or why not?
4. What factors contribute to variability in PATA process flow and what control, if any, does the clinic have to eliminate it?
5. What changes would you recommend to improve PATA?

1. Using the sample data given in Exhibit 10, make a quantitative recommendation for how many units of each style Wally should make during the initial phase of production. Assume that all of the ten styles in the sample problem are made in Hong Kong (minimum order quantity 600 units per style, provided any quantity of a style is ordered), and that Wally's initial production commitment must be at least 10,000 units because of capacity constraints later in the season.

WARNING: There is no 'right' answer here. The models we have looked at will NOT cover all your bases on this problem. Be quantitative but creative; imagine it's your company on the line.

2. What operational changes would you recommend to Wally to improve performance?

1. What are the key differences between M&S and Zara from a customer standpoint?
2. Draw the entire supply chain of each company, and also describe the key steps and information sources of their respective design process.
3. How can a buyer at M&S optimize the production order decision under the current supply chain and lead-times? How do buyers make the same decision for Zara?
4. What are the relative benefits of Inditex and Zara's business models?

1. What are the deficiencies of the national consortium model for recycling, such as the Green Dot system?
2. What are the driving values of the ERP model? In what ways do they address the deficiencies of the national consortium model?
3. Should ERP expand its scope? Why or why not?
4. How does the concept of Producer Responsibility evolve? How can Individual Producer Responsibility be eventually achieved?

1. What operations capabilities and resources has Wal-Mart developed that were valuable for emergency response?
2. What's your assessment of Wal-Mart's planning system for disaster management?
3. What's your assessment of Wal-Mart's actions in the Katrina disaster?
4. What are your suggestions for improvement?

1. What problem was Just-In-Time Distribution (JITD) designed to solve? What are its underlying causes?
2. What are the key components of JITD? How is it supposed to correct or mitigate the problem you described in question 1?
3. How can Barilla implement this program?