Operations Management (OM) is the set of activities that creates goods and services by transforming inputs into outputs. Activities creating goods and services take place in all organizations. In manufacturing firms, the production activities that create goods are usually quite obvious. In organizations that do not create physical products, the production function may be less obvious. Today’s challenges in OM include the need for a global perspective, just-in-time performance, supply-chain partnering, rapid product development, mass customization and empowered employees.