Operations management books often become more valuable after students have struggled with them once. Concepts around matching supply and demand, process design, inventory, forecasting, and capacity can look straightforward in lecture and much less straightforward in actual problem solving. That is one reason the decision around ISBN 9781266156649 deserves more care than a generic textbook search.

If you only need the buying answer

The current new print listing is $58.96, which is slightly below the sampled used print route at about $60.19 and below one sampled new print listing around $69.15. The visible digital path is not cleanly cheaper in the current snapshot, with the related eText path showing around AUD $79.95. That makes this a strong print case, at least on the clean ownership routes visible here.

Price comparison

Store	Format	Condition	Price	Link
Merybook	Paperback	New	$58.96	Check price
Used print	Print	Used	$60.19	Check used market
New print	Print	New	$69.15	Check new market
VitalSource	eTextbook	Digital	AUD $79.95	Check digital option

What this price means in practice

This is a cleaner print case than it first looks. The current listing is already below the used route and below the sampled new print market. The only caution is that one digital comparison in the visible snapshot is in another currency, so I would not force a direct numeric claim beyond noting that print is already strong on the clean ownership routes.

For an operations book that many students may revisit later, that matters a great deal.

What this book actually teaches

Matching Supply with Demand: An Introduction to Operations Management teaches how demand, capacity, inventory, forecasting, process design, and operational choices interact. Its value comes from giving students a framework for thinking through business systems, not just definitions.

That is why the book often remains useful after the course. Students in business and operations settings may want to return to these concepts when later work becomes more analytical.

Who should buy print

Buy print if you need the book. In the clean ownership routes visible here, current print is already the strongest value option.

I would only hesitate if your course specifically requires a digital path not captured by the print ISBN. Otherwise, print is the best buy in this snapshot.

Sources checked

Sources checked: Merybook listing search for ISBN 9781266156649, sampled used and new print pricing, and VitalSource digital pricing tied to the related eText path. Pricing reviewed April 19, 2026.