Firms in both the manufacturing and service industries depend on inventory being available when needed to support operations. While it might be tempting to order a large volume of inventory to minimize the risk of running out, this is seldom an efficient solution. Fortunately, many analytical models exist to facilitate the most important question in inventory management: determining how much to order. The choice of which analytical model to use is .....more

Teaching note for product W46900.

Nick worked as the weekend shift leader at the fulfillment center of Lee Valley Tools. in Ottawa. The company operated three shifts—a day and night shift on weekdays and a weekend shift on Saturday and Sunday. Reviewing performance statistics, Nick noted that members of the night shifts in the warehouse seemed to be achieving higher performance in order fulfillment and line item fulfillment. On the other hand, the members of the weekend shifts were .....more

Teaching note for product W36174.

Spreadsheet to accompany product W36174.

In March 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global supply chains. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus affected the entire world, including the scenic Prince Edward County in Eastern Ontario. Three co-owners of the boutique distillery Kinsip House of Fine Spirits (Kinsip) were inspired to contribute to their community’s efforts to limit further spread of the virus. As a distillery, Kinsip was aptly able to produce the principal ingredient .....more

Teaching note for product W26537.

In May 2020, the three cofounders of Kinsip House of Fine Spirits (Kinsip), a craft distillery located on a farm in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada, felt a great sense of accomplishment. The distillery had a varied product mix that included light and dark spirits, a broad variety of bitters, and cask-aged maple syrup. However, in March of 2020, the business had retooled to produce hand sanitizer in response to the shortages resulting from the .....more

Teaching note for product 9B21A017.