Jack Meredith and Scott Shafer abandon the traditional approach for operations management books and focus on business processes and spreadsheets to solve problems. They provide readers with an applied and contemporary introduction to operations management as well as a solid foundation in its theory. With this text, readers will discover the latest trends currently being used in business. They'll learn about the additional skills needed to succeed in an extremely competitive environment. This includes the trend away from vertical hierarchical organizations toward horizontal process-centered ones creating a need for individuals who can also work as part of a team and who understand how technology can be used to better meet customer needs.