Operation management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Operation management - Essay Example From this research it is clear that although OM is usually thought to be concerned with day-to-day operations of a limited number of resources and functionalities of a business, it is still an all encompassing field of study and more so in today’s fast paced business environment that demands that businesses brace up their operations strategies to face the highly competitive marketplace. While short-term goals of a business are important to be achieved in terms of efficiency and increased productivity, it is the business’s ability to achieve these results in the long-term that determines its success in the market, making it imperative that it tie its short-term efforts strategically for sustainability and profitability. Technological advancements and innovative approaches to business have constantly changed the face of the market for any business across the world, opening new avenues and options for implementing change in the way business is done. The sole focus being to increase productivity and reduce cost to attain a competitive advantage for survival in the long run. Different methodologies have been available through sets of frameworks for implementing the change strategically for operations of a firm and these will be explored and in the report. Research methodologies that are a best fit for implementing operations strategy will also be studied while exploring the concepts of soft systems methods like lean management, Six Sigma, etc. that help understand the relevance and success of operations strategy in OM.... that help understand the relevance and success of operations strategy in OM. Further, the process of OM itself will be understood with reference to the various development stages of a business in any market. 2. Defining Operations Management â€Å"OM is defined as the process of design, planning, controlling and executing operations in manufacturing and service industries† (Will et al., 2002). The management of a firm’s operations can be found to deal with a wide variety of activities including the design and management of products, services, processes and supply chains through acquisitions, development and utilization of resources at strategic, tactical and operational levels to deliver value to customer while increasing profitability for all the stakeholders of the business. OM encompasses tactical issues ranging from plant layout and structure, project management methods to equipment selection and replacement, operational issues like inventory management, process and production scheduling and controlling, quality control, and policies related to equipment handling and maintenance, etc. (MIT Sloan, 2011). 3. Strategy in Operations An operations strategy reflects what a firm does in the market and is one of the functional strategies of a firm that reflects its decisions which determine the direction of its operations. As the term operations refers to activities or functions of the firm that relate to the producing of products and services, operations strategy is well concerned with the long-term management of resources that are required to produce these products and services (Slack et al., 2010). 4. Importance of operations strategy a.

Justification Of Violence Essay -- essays research papers

Justification of Violence Violence and the justification of it has been an issue for as long as the world has been in existence. There are many conflicting opinions on the subject, many in favor and many opposing the idea. I am personally split on the issue; I believe that in some cases, violence can be justified; however, I also believe that in others, it cannot be. In my opinion, the only instance in which violence can be justified is self-defense. I believe that if an innocent person is attacked for some reason and their life is put in danger, they have the right to fight back to save themselves. How can a person let themselves be attacked and do nothing to help themselves survive? It's almost unreasonable to believe that. There are plenty of situations that fit this example. One of them is rape. If a woman is being attacked and sexually forced to do something she did not consent on doing, she has the right to fight back and prevent it from happening. Rape does not only involve sexual assault; there is much physical assault involved, also. Many women are held at gunpoint, knife, tied or beaten by their attackers, and this is not right. Any woman under these circumstances should fight back and do what they have to do to save themselves before it's too late. Other situations which call for justifiable violence, in my opinion, are robbery at gunpoint and any other type of unprovoked violence. Other than self-defense, I do not believe violence should be tolerated at any cos...

BTEC BUSINESS LEVEL 2 UNIT 11 P1-P5 Essay

Businesses that are well known for providing superb customer service have several characteristics in common: they understand what customer service really means they understand their customers and aim to fulfil their needs in every way every single person in the organisation wants to achieve this aim. Customer service is the customer’s complete experience, from the second they enter a business or view a website, to the after-sales service, such as spare parts or repairs. Superb customer service means providing services that customers did not even know they wanted, but are delighted to find are provided. Identifying Customer Needs Effective customer service involves satisfying customer needs, so the first step is to find out what these are. All customers contact a business because they want something. Businesses use several methods to identify the needs of their customers quickly. E.g. restaurants, supermarkets, Argos, Thomas Cook how do you think Chelsea FC identify the needs of their customers? Common customer needs: Make a purchase Order a product or service Obtain information Ask for advice Enquire about an order Change an order Report a problem Ask for assistance or help Return or exchange goods Complain Presentation Skills What do other people see when you approach them? Someone who looks smart and professional, or someone who looks like they fell out of bed 10 minutes ago? Presentation skills have nothing to do with good looks, but everything to do with a welcoming smile, appropriate clothes and a smart appearance. Personal presentation  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ uniforms, guides on hairstyles, jewellery, discrimination Body language  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ posture, facial expressions, gestures working environment  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ tidy work area, cooperation and politeness towards staff Interpersonal Skills These relate to your attitude and behaviour towards other people. Attitude –  Be positive, leave problems behind Behaviour –  Courteous, respectful, honesty, thoughtful First impressions and greetings –  Nice reception areas, formal and polite greetings Interpersonal skills –  Listening carefully, note taking, asking questions,  positive  responses, courtesy, concern, confidence, interest, thoughtfulness, respect, tact, efficiency Responding to customer behaviour –  Watch customer body language, listen for their mood, choose words and timing carefully, see the whole picture Communication Skills You need to speak to your customers and how you do this is important. You must take into consideration: Tone of voice – The way in which you say something, expressing yourself when you speak Pitch – The sound that you make when you speak, high/low, loud/quiet Language – Use appropriate language, avoid slang and jargon Pace – The speed at which you speak, speak slowly and clearly Listening skills – Active listening (concentrating on the speaker, notice their feelings), Reflective listening (restating what you hear at points during the conversation to check your understanding) Scope of job role – Staff should know what they can and cannot do as part of their job and the type of issues they must refer to a supervisor. This should not stop them using their own initiative to resolve a straightforward problem quickly, providing they do not make arrangements or promises that are outside their authority Knowledge of Products/ Services – You can only give customers accurate information and advise them about the best options to suit their needs if you have a good knowledge of the products and/ or services available. Because you cannot always memorise these, you also need to know where to find the information, such as in a catalogue, brochure or database. Type and Quality of products/services Businesses monitor and evaluate  their  customer service so that they can remedy problems and introduce improvements. This can be done in various ways. The methods used usually depend upon the size and type of business. Informal customer feedback  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ easy and cheap; an example is a waiter asking you how your meal is when you are eating Customer questionnaires/comment cards  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ issued by many businesses e.g restaurants; these give the business an idea of how effective their customer service is.  Question) – What do you think a disadvantage of this form of monitoring might be? Staff feedback  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  this is invaluable, and not just because it is free; many staff receive or overhear customer comments, both positive and negative. In addition, if staffs are unhappy and leave to work elsewhere, it is sensible to find out why. Mystery customers  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ employed to visit stores to assess staff. They may also check competitor’s stores to compare service levels.  (Question) – What things do you think a mystery shopper will be looking out for? Complaints and compliment letters  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ encouraged by many organisations as a form of feedback; If several simi lar complaints are received, there is  obviously  a problem that needs immediate attention. This is why organisations record the complaints they receive and then check to see if there are any common factors.

Essay on Basic Cultural Norms - 1198 Words

The discussion of culture and the aspects of individual cultures, the religious affiliations, world views, and groups that each culture prescribes to are as varied as the crystals of ice are in a snowflake. No one culture is exactly the same and no singular person of the culture is identical. However, basic cultural norms shape the behaviors and ideologies of those who identify with a specific culture. In the works of Nanda Warms â€Å"Cultural Anthropology†, (2011), culture is the road map for which individuals follow to provide an understanding of their social construct and provide the basis for meaning to their environment (p. 2). It is discussed that Ethnography is the manner in which the researcher observes cultural activities to gain†¦show more content†¦He is a tall man approximately six-foot-one, bald and very well dressed. In order to describe his physical appearance, I would relate him to the physical characteristics of Gru a character in the Disney Pix ar movie â€Å"Despicable Me† (2010), without the evil ideologies, displayed early in the movie. He loves children, is very open and friendly, he accepts people for who they are and is rarely judgmental. He is a gentle soul, who carries his emotions close to the surface, which is problematic in a cold world. Being Hispanic, he and his siblings were raised under a strict Catholic observance. Conversely, I am a white, Caucasian female of American dissent, while my ancestry can be traced back to Native American and German descent; I was raised as American with no cultural connection to either lineage. My family was Baptized Methodist; however, participation in religion was not mandatory. I am 43 years old, divorced and remarried to an African American male. I am a mother of two children, a boy and a girl, and I have four grandchildren of white Anglo-Saxon dissent. John has limited groups he with whom he feels comfortable being associated. As a strict Catholic, his self-identification with being Homo-sexual has been difficult. The emic, that is the practices and beliefs that impact a culture run in direct contradiction to his Catholic upbringing (p.2). His mother was his strongest advocate and his one solid supportShow MoreRelatedChild Labor As A Cultural Norm1251 Words   |  6 PagesEffect on Child, Causes, and Remedies to the Revolving Menace,† defines child labor as referring to â€Å"children who miss their childhood and are not able to have the basic amenities which a child should have.† There are many different reasons and causes for child labor. For some countries, child labor is considered to be a cultural norm. 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