In many business sectors today, focus on quality as a competitive tool is being replaced by a focus on innovation. Research exploring connections between quality management, innovation, and company performance suggests that quality is ‘necessary but insufficient’ in business today. In short, managers need to know how to adapt their...
The forest products industry has faced numerous challenges in remaining innovative: outside forces such as industry culture and policy provide few incentives while poor communication among industry actors impedes creative growth from within. This article outlines results gathered from personal interviews with industry professionals and an industry survey on key...
Flowcharts graphically represent the steps in creating a product
or service. The process of creating a chart is often beneficial
because personnel may be unaware of all the “nitty-gritty” details
involved in producing the product. Also, people often are surprised
to learn of the differences between the ideal process flow...
Published June 1997. Reprinted October 1997. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
A key problem faced by managers is how to allocate scarce resources among activities or projects. Linear programming, or LP, is a method of
allocating resources in an optimal way. It is one of the most widely used operations research (OR) tools. It has been used successfully as a decision...
The objective of this series is to help improve the competitiveness of
Oregon’s wood products manufacturers. This can be achieved by fostering a companywide focus on and dedication to continuous quality improvement.
W. Edwards Deming (1982) described the “chain reaction of quality.”
1. Quality is improved.
2. Costs decrease due...
A key problem faced by managers is how to allocate scarce resources
among activities or projects. Linear programming, or LP, is a method of
allocating resources in an optimal way. It is one of the most widely used operations research (OR) tools. It has been used successfully as a decisionmaking...
A key problem faced by managers is how to allocate scarce resources
among activities or projects. Linear programming, or LP, is a method of
allocating resources in an optimal way. It is one of the most widely used operations research (OR) tools. It has been used successfully as a decision...
According to the Operations Research Society of America, “Operations
research is concerned with scientifically deciding how to best design and
operate man-machine systems, usually under conditions requiring the allocation of scarce resources.” This publication is the first in a series describing operations research (OR) techniques that can help forest products...
The goal for Part 2 is to build management understanding and
confidence in SPC as a profit-making tool. It is unreasonable to expect
managers to commit to and support SPC training and implementation
if they do not understand what SPC is and how and why it works. This
publication discusses...