XcelleNet, a $35 million system software company based in Atlanta, was founded in 1986 to address the computing needs of a class of remote and mobile users and data that were rarely connected to a network. Though the clear first mover and leader in the remote enterprise computing segment in 1996, XcelleNet and its market had been stalled by successive waves of networking technology--remote LAN Access, Groupware, and the Internet/Intranet. The company's founder and CEO, Dennis Crumpler, must formulate a strategy for capitalizing on XcelleNet's first-mover advantage and responding to the opportunities created by these emerging technologies.
Two entrepreneurs face a tough decision when confronted with disappointing test results from the medical application they have chosen to commercialize their innovative process technology. They must decide whether to redesign the technology's current lead-application or to change applications altogether.
The dramatic shifts of the imaging industry from analog to digital technology is creating emerging markets in 1995. How can a competitor position itself to enter the market successfully? This case describes the key technologies, market segments, competitors, and strategic issues in the emerging digital camera market. Focuses on the emergence of business and consumer segments for desktop personal computer imaging--the so-called "descent to the desktop." Competitors profiled are Apple, Canon, Dycam, Eastman Kodak, Fuji, and Sony.
This note provides an introduction for a course or module covering the basic elements of production or service operations and how processes are managed. Begins by discussing the activities that take place in a "process." Analysis tools such as the process flow diagram are provided. The types of management choices involved in designing, operating, and improving processes are described. Measures of process performance and basic process analysis are introduced. The different cost structures, capabilities, and performance characteristics of alternative types of processes are touched upon. Finally, the note focuses briefly on the complexity stemming from uncertainty and variability in processes and their external environments. A rewritten version of an earlier note.
Three examples of capacity analysis are provided. Calculations for cycle time, manufacturing lead times, capacities, labor cost, labor content, and utilization are performed for three different types of processes: a bread-making process with two independent lines; a croissant-making process involving two parallel dependent lines, one for making the dough and one for mixing the filling; and an automobile component assembly operation. The impact of process imbalance, machine reliability, and scheduling on available capacity is illustrated.
When is a product ready for the market? In this case, engineers present a prototype medical device product to the CEO for approval. The product, developed under a tight deadline, is essentially identical to the main competitor's product, but that competitor is temporarily off the market due to regulatory problems. The CEO must decide whether to take the product quickly to market to take advantage of the window of opportunity, or to send the engineers back to the lab to develop a more distinctive product that could differentiate Zoll more in the long term.