Operations management is a vital topic that every business student needs to understand because it is at the heart of the creation of wealth for businesses and the improvement in the living standard of citizens of all countries. Operations managers are responsible for the production of services and products in an ethical and environmentally responsible way while being responsive to the market. Sound like a challenge? Add to it the need to manage supply chains of materials, information, and funds reaching to all areas of the world. While challenging, there are concepts, tools and methods that managers use to deal with operating problems in a global environment. The mission of this text is to provide you with a comprehensive framework for addressing operational and supply chain issues. We accomplish this mission by using a systemized approach while focusing on issues of current interest to you. It is important to be efficient and capable with respect to internal processes; however, it is critical for organizations to be able to link those processes to those of their customers and their suppliers to provide competitive supply chains. This text is unique in that it builds the concept of a supply chain from the ground up. Starting with the analysis of business processes and how they relate to the overall operational goals of a firm, our text proceeds to show how these processes are integrated to form supply chains and how they can be managed to obtain efficient flows of materials, information, and funds. This approach reinforces the concept that supply chains are only as good as the processes within and across each firm in them. This text has been thoroughly revised to meet your needs regardless of your major. Any manager needs to know the global implications of supply chains and how to make decisions in a dynamic environment. We address these contemporary issues of interest through opening vignettes and managerial practices in each chapter. We show you the essential tools you will need to improve process performance. Irrespective of the industry in which you are seeking a career, processes and supply chains are analyzed from the perspective of service as well as manufacturing firms. Our philosophy is that you will learn by doing; consequently, the text has ample opportunities for you to experience the role of a manager with challenging problems, cases, a library of videos customized to the individual chapters, simulations, experiential exercises, and tightly integrated online computer resources. With this text, you will develop the capability to analyze problems and support managerial decisions