1. Master schedules are expressed in three different ways depending on whether the process is continuous, a job shop, or repetitive. What are these three ways?
2. What functions of the firm affect an MRP system? How?
3. What is the rationale for (a) a phantom bill of material, (b) a planning bill of material, and (c) a pseudo bill of material?
4. Identify five specific requirements of an effective MRP system.
1. What are the typical benefits of ERP?
2. What are the distinctions between MRP, DRP, and ERP?
3. As an approach to inventory management, how does MRP differ from the approach taken in Chapter 12, dealing with economic order quantities (EOQ)?
4. What are the disadvantages of ERP?
1. Use the Web or other sources to:
a) Find stories that highlight the advantages of an ERP system.
b) Find stories that highlight the difficulties of purchasing, installing, or failure of an ERP system.
2. Use the Web or other sources to identify what an ERP vendor (SAP, PeopleSoft/Oracle, American Software, etc.) includes in these software modules:
a) Customer relationship management.
b) Supply-chain management.
c) Product life cycle management.
3. The structure of MRP systems suggests "buckets" and infinite loading. What is meant by these two terms?