Entering the new millennium, operations management is crucial and competitive globally. MBA and undergraduate students must grasp operations, a vital business function. This new textbook on operations management focuses on how operations decisions impact companies and highlights cross-functional decision making. It covers subjects appealing to general business and operations management majors. Emphasizing cross-functional decision making, it offers a contemporary business outlook. The text is the first to feature cross-functional decision making in every chapter. A unified decision framework categorizes decisions into process, quality, capacity, and inventory, making it easier for students to understand operations' role compared to marketing and finance. It includes up-to-date content such as global operations, supply chain management, and ERP, along with traditional topics like quality management and inventory control. The book, available with 17 cases, aids in problem-solving skills and real-life applications. It is concise yet covers essential operations concepts, making it ideal for various courses. The student CD-ROM includes Excel templates for problem-solving and additional technical material for instructors to assign if desired. The book's website offers additional resources, and it includes features like Operations Leader boxes and cross-functional emphasis points in each chapter to enhance learning.