The Role of Operations Manager in the L-W-Gym Workout - Example

Critically Analyses the Role of Operations Manager in Our Business Plan Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Main Body 5 Conclusion 16 References 17 Bibliography 19 20 Introduction There are a number of pertinent roles in the business plan. Correspondingly, my role is related to operations management i.e. the role of operations manager in the L-W-Gym workout. Operations management plays an important role in the service sector. The implication of operations management is to provide better quality service and convert the prospects into the clients of the organisation. In this regard, it is important to state that the operational activities are controlled and monitored by the operations manager. The role of an operations manager is to coordinate plans and control the activities, along with systems for better services. It can be stated in other way that the role of the operations manager is to manage the input along with the output in order to achieve success and profitability in the long run. Operations manager functions under the management domain for proper coordination and control of the required resources. The resources involve the people, equipment, information along with technology. The role of the Operations manager is wide with various functions and designs. With regard to the planned business activity i.e. L-W-F gym, which is full time service delivering gym, the role of the operations manager, is vast and multifaceted. The business idea of opening a comprehensive gym facility in Cardiff, South Wales is ascertained to be viable from the fact that as per market research in Wales a significant proportion of individuals in their early 40s are overweight or obese and can benefit majorly from enrolling a gym to perform required physical activity. Subsequently, the gym has decided to appoint one operations manager as it is in the early phase of the business to ensure that required activities are performed competently without any disturbances. Moreover, the operations manager is appointed in order to ensure that the customers of the gym are provided with proper services and equipment. Besides, the members are given proper exceptional service from the staff and well-maintained facilities. However, it is noteworthy that it is hard to describe or differentiate the role of the manager. The operations manager of the L-W-F gym will have to formulate plans for the policies, which imply that proper set of guidelines will be, formulated which will be followed on a regular basis in the gym by the co-workers. The main objective of the gym and the operations manager is to have proper communication and service so that people tend to join their gym. Correspondingly, the thesis statement for the essay is to critically explore the role of the operations manager in the L-W-F gym. The strengths and the weaknesses of the operations manager with regard to the gym will be defined so that the business plan of the gym achieves its objective by leveraging profitability. The activities of the operations manager will be explained through the use of pertinent theories. The business plan will be structured through the use of a proper road map wherein the role of the operations manager will be evaluated with relevant theories, which will be followed by the critical analysis for better understanding of the business plan. The responsibilities of the operations manager with regards to the operations management include production planning, supply chain management, customer service and support, management information and reporting systems along with contingency planning for the benefit of the gym and to gain a large market share. The focus of these points is to bring out the effectiveness of the business in relation to my activities. Main Body I as the operations manager in the L-W-F gym will play a vital role in maintaining the resources effectively and attracting customers to provide them with health benefits. My role as a manager is to strategize the policies, design operations along with controlling the operations effectively. The Total Quality Management (TQM), Supply Chain Management and Inventory Planning and Control will be taken care of by me. I will follow the guiding principles of operations management which states that it is well organised approach in order to address the various problems relating to the transformation procedure which assists in converting some inputs into outputs that are beneficial, and possibly will fetch revenue to the establishment (Hill, 2012). Owing to the fact that a gym is a service sector based operations, the main aim of this sector is to provide quality customer service through proper deliverance of quality service with effective planning. The job role I have as an operations manager is to responsibly manage the daily activities and as the gym is in its initial years of business it is of importance to manage the equipment and other resources effectively. I as an operations manager in the gym will hold a strong position and contribute in the improvement along with the development of the process in order to attract the people and promote it as a healthy way to stay fit. As reflected in the business plan that the gym will incorporate fitness exercises, nutritional meals services as well as dance classes along with yoga classes, there will be a requirement of ensuring proper supply chain to have effectiveness on a regular basis (Walker and Jones, 2012). Having provided with an overview of the operational jobs and the responsibility of the operations manager, it is appropriate to review the performance and duties I will be conducting with relevant theories and practices. In terms of maintaining the quality of a gym, its domains of hygiene and equipment require continuous improvement and enhancement to meet the demands and the changing needs of the people. In this regard, I will have to focus on the management approaches in order to gain success in the long run for enriching customer satisfaction. In this regard, TQM is related to continue improvement and the role of mine will be to improve the quality and performance of the customers through high-end techniques in order to meet the customer expectations and growing demands. The service I as a manager will have is to add value to the growing demand of the customer in Newport Road, Cardiff, CF23, South Wales as it will be the only gym wherein proper training and performance are evaluated through TQM. Consequently, it can be stated that TQM is an approach wherein quality is given high significance. My role as an operations manager will be to evaluate the needs of the gym, to understand and to analyse the requirement as per the customer requirement keeping in view the high quality standard (Talib et al. 2011). Similarly, in order to maintain the total quality effectively, it is important to have proper production planning. I as an operations manager will manage the production domain through proper planning. I will look after quality of the gym where my role will be to keep a track of the quality products that are used in the gym in order to incorporate yoga classes and cardio exercises. My role as a manager will be to upgrade the gym process by ensuring superior quality products so that more people enrol in the gym and get benefitted from the services. Moreover, TQM requires proper planning and higher degree of research so that the quality of the gym invariably remains high which in turn would enable to achieve the mission of the company. In this context, I as the operations manager of the gym will take care of the resources to the fullest so that the gym attains success. I in order to abide by the responsibilities will supervise the subordinates to check the equipment used in the gym to avoid any kind of mishaps. Regular observation of the equipment and its mechanism will be one of the key roles I will have in relation to the total quality management. This task will incur certain amount of cost but the output and regular quality check will make the productivity of the gym high. I will be in charge of the budget allocation for the quality management of the gym equipment. Not only will I as an operations manager take care of the equipment but will also supervise the cooks in order to provide quality food to the member. These activities performed by me will be effective for the business to succeed in the long run. TQM is one of the long run business strategies, which is initiated in the beginning of the business as it acts as a main change agent in respect of the quality improvement on a continuous basis. For the process of quality management to be smooth, it is important for the operations manager to make the people knowledgeable regarding the core concept of the total quality management (Talib, 2013). The dimension of TQM in the gym business will be effective with the assistance of the gym trainer and other employees. In accordance with TQM theory, the quality of a gym is dependent largely on me as I will act as a facilitator and a supervisor monitoring the task and quality of the product procured in the business process. TQM concept is one of the most important processes and is followed in every business organisation majorly to satisfy the wants of the customers with the help of the products and the services delivered as per the needs of the people. TQM is an important process as it helps in controlling the function of the business in the form of reliability and satisfaction. I as an operations manager of the gym am responsible for the quality control of the gym and the customer satisfaction process. Therefore, in this regard TQM is a procedure that include maintainability, appearance along with efforts to achieve error–free certification and systems, and uncountable aspects contributing to the complete value to the operations for both internal or the external customer. My motive for the implementation of the TQM will be to promote growth and to incorporate the changing expectations of the customers. As per the concept TQM, it is a procedure where people are provided with services which have value in order to meet the growing demands of the people and their consciousness towards health. In order to render the services related to the quality and reliability, I as the operations manager of the gym will implement the six sigma operational excellence initiative (Besterfield, 2011). The implementation of the six sigma concept by me will help the gym in providing a breakthrough performance in the service sector. Six Sigma implies the measurement of quality in the business organisation. It is a procedure which is used to improve the quality techniques and processes (Parast, 2011). I as an operations manager of the gym will monitor the product quality and ensure regular verification of the equipment by a technician so that the chances of accident are reduced by a considerable extent. Keeping in view the aspect of TQM, another element of my role is to have proper control over the issue of procurement with the help of a strong supply chain. Supply chain management is a wide concept that relates to the procurement of the required products for the successful running of the business. Supply chain is important concepts that will be controlled by me in order to provide value to the customer and gain a competitive advantage. The supply chain will be managed by me as an operations manager in the gym in order to have quality and ethics in the business. The facets of quality and supply chain are closely related, as procuring quality products and having safe distributers are important dimensions of the business. Correspondingly, my role will be to maintain a strong ethical supply chain wherein the supplier will have the same vision and mission as the business so that the supplier provides high quality product. The decision making process of me as an operations manager will be an important aspect. I will identify the best supplier in the region and follow an ethical supply chain. Moreover, I will maintain a long-term relation with the best supplier identified from the market so that the gym is provided with the best quality equipment and it gets certain discounts from the supplier. This decision will help the business in maintaining the finances. Supply chain management is not a very essay task as it requires analysis for the selection of the partners or suppliers, maintenance of the nature of relationship with the supplier and the decision regarding long-term business partnership. I as an operations manager of the gym will look to each of these aspects. Local supplier will be a key part of the supply chain to make the business sustainable and effective. Moreover, in case of any issue, the supplier will be asked for a replacement by me the operations manager of the gym. There are various sections of the business such as the food section wherein I will supervise the raw materials brought. The raw materials will be supplied from the local suppliers; which will help the gym to maintain the corporate social responsibility (CSR). Gym is responsible for the fitness and health of the people therefore I will take decision based on the strategic analysis. I as an operations manager will analyse the demand of the market and the changing trends to evaluate a strong supply chain. A proper procurement planning, control and inventory planning will be done by me so that there is an optimal usage of the resources. The management of the transportation and the relation with the supplier will be well maintained by me as the operations manager. I will add value to the services delivered to the customer by maintaining a strong supply chain and quality. The role of the operations manager is very important for the gym as the manager will take care of the major parts of the operational management work. I will be responsible for any issue in the supply chain as it is my duty to coordinate and maintain a strong relation with the supplier (Kahn, 2011). Furthermore, for the gym business to flourish with quality and strong supply chain, I, as an operations manager will make supplier segmentation for any kind of instances in the future. The main objective of mine in respect of supply chain will be to maintain transparency, accountability and also continuous improvement. The manager will maintain transparency with the supplier so that the quality of the equipment is maintained at a large extent. The gym will also supply the gym fitness equipment for the members and the customers who are fitness freak. For such people, I will maintain a supply chain and will have partnership with the industry selling products such as the nutritional supplements, exercise DVDs, equipment’s such as yoga mats and hand weights. The decision regarding the supply chain will be effectively taken by me as operations manager for the business to succeed. This will help the gym to gain importance in the market for the people and make them aware of the health and significance of fitness. The dimension of supply chain is related with quality management and the decision making ability that I have. I will also take responsibility in the production planning which is an important part for the gym business to succeed. Another aspect to be considered with regard to my job role and responsibility is production planning. Production planning refers to the estimation of the resources which are important for the achievement of the goals of the business. The planning is done by me, the manager in order to attain goals on the basis of economy, time and also effectiveness. Production planning is done to evaluate the needs of the business for the present and future success. Production planning is concerned with the determination, acquirement along with arrangement of all important amenities essential for future actions (Kahn, 2011). The production planning is vital for the business to sustain as it has various objectives which include effective utilisation of the resources, proper flow of the production, ensuring the optimum use of the resources, minimising the waste and providing better working condition and customer satisfaction. In this regard, I will need to ensure the proper development of the resources and effectiveness of using the products for the benefit of the customers. Designing of the supply chain as a part of the production planning will be one of the other key job roles that I will perform for the gym business. I will take initiatives regarding the decision of geographical location of the business. The decision regarding the purchase of the quality equipment will be taken by me, the operations manager keeping in view the concepts of TQM and supply chain management (Kolli, 2012). The design of the gym and the placement of the equipment to effectively manage the space will be my other job role. Stabilization of the working standards and ensuring better condition for the people will be taken care of by the operations manager in the L-W-F gym. I will take strategic decisions regarding the planning process of the gym in order to effectively increase the capacity of the member. I as a manager of the gym will be updated and undergo planning to meet the demand and supply in relation to the gym equipment for better understanding and success of the business. As per the theory in relation to production planning, it is observed that production planning is divided into three forms i.e. pre-planning, planning function and control planning. Pre-planning refers to the macro level planning which deals with the demand forecasting, product planning and design along with market analysis (Kempf et al. 2011). The planning process involves the resource, process planning and also scheduling along with estimating. Control phase refers to dispatching, inspection along with evaluation (Panneerselvam, 2012). Subsequently, I, as the operations manager of the gym will keep a watch on product design, the equipment policy and also the replacement policy so that the work flow of the gym is maintained effectively. The scope and capacity of the equipment will be considered by me when taking decision. Due to the relationship with the supplier in need of replacement, I will use the replacement policy and get the work effectively done. I will have full control over the products of the gym and will take decision regarding the procurement of the advanced equipment as per the demand of the customer and their need. The knowledge and flexibility in decision making process will help me in building a strong gym environment. I, being the manager of will manage the on-going activities of the gym and also personalise the study plan with the help of the audio and video related to the delivering of value to the customer at a considerable extent. Moreover, the production planning will be done by me in order to add value to the gym for the long run. My decision as an operations manager will largely depend on the planning with respect to quality and supply chain management. Contextually, the quality of the gym will largely depend on the customer satisfaction and service provided. Having identified some of the most relevant theories, such as TQM, Supply Chain management along with the production planning, it can be stated that shape of the gym business will take a strong leap due to the well framed management of me in every aspect of the business. Delivering customer service is an important aspect of the business as it is well aligned with the service delivering system. I will emphasise the conceptual models in order to provide strategic service alignment. According to Ponsignon et al. (2011), the model and “the service concept is developed to address the requirements of a target market, and that service concept specifications, in turn, influence the design of the service delivery system.” The service delivering concept will be followed by me in order to provide better service with the help of various service models. As per the theory, it is reflected that the performance of a business is effective and improves regularly by aligning the concept of service and service system design. With the help of the alignment, the business succeeds to a considerable extent. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that the operations manager will be performing the activities and take decisions based on the service concept in order to have satisfied members in the gym. As stated earlier, the aim of the business will be to provide best quality service to customers by providing physical fitness and health at reasonable cost that will ensure that people of different social classes are taken care of. According to Cermak et al. (2011), the concept of customer service focus on providing service based on the target segment. In the business plan of the gym, the target segment is people of every age. The gym as stated earlier provides yoga classes and cardio classes, which implies that the service deliverance will largely depend on the market segment and will be taken care of by me the operations manager. The service concept to the customer depends on the way the tangible and intangible elements are provided to them. In other words, the concept of service refers to the degree of customisation that is provided to the people in the business. Linked with the concept of service and service deliverance, it can be stated that customers are the king and the business revolves around them and their changing demands. I will have to play a strong role in managing the customer needs by identifying them and satisfying as per the customer service models. According to Carraher and Doerr (2012), it is stated that for the business to be successful, it is important to evaluate the six contingent theories for delivering a strong customer service. The theory states the fact that the level of satisfaction of the customers is more when the business exceeds the expectation they have through their tangible or intangible sets of services. The service delivered must be in alignment with the cultural aspects of the people so that the sentiments of the people are not hurt. This is an important facet of business and customer service. In this regard, I, the gym operations manager will also keep in view the cultural aspects and try to meet the expectations of the customers by ensuring well trained trainer with regular knowledge up-gradation for the success of the gym. A competitive edge will be gained by the gym as I will base the decision regarding the gym and customer retention on the basis of the contingent theory (Carraher and Doerr, 2012). Therefore, in other words, it can be stated that the survival of the business will largely depend on the service quality and the control that I as the manager have over the operational management process. Achievement of excellence in relation to customer satisfaction and value perception is an important concept which will help me, the operations manager of the gym business to take valid decisions. Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the significant roles of the operations manager while taking any decision (Garrido-Moreno and Padilla-Melendez, 2011). For the customer service to be controlled and managed, it is important for me to have strong management information and reporting systems. Another aspect to consider as stated above is the management information and reporting systems. I, as an operations manager of the gym am supposed to have strong customer insights, breakthrough thinking and dedication to achieve the goal as stated by Galbraith (2011). In order to be effective, I have to mobilise the competencies while making decisions and then execute it with the help of special services as a mode of marketing mix. The activities of mine largely depend on the information management and the reporting system. Management Information System (MIS) is an important concept as it supports the process of decision making for the success of the business. According to Sousa and Oz (2014), MIS is useful for the business in order to get the information on time basis for the decision to be effective in order to achieve the goal of the business. MIS is well framed and executed with the help of the computer in order to meet the needs of the organisation in respect to the decision making process. MIS acts as a vital element of the business as it helps in providing information for fulfilling the needs of the customers. MIS brings life into a business. The system of MIS ensures that the information obtained is from various sources, which is processed properly for the information to reach the destination on a regular timely basis. This system is useful for the people including the customers and the other members of the organisation. In this context, I, the operations manager of the gym will collect information and take appropriate decision on the basis of resources and changing needs of the customers. This will be helpful for the business to not only retain the customers but also attain new customers (Alcami and Caranana, 2012). The MIS has a considerable impact on the business organisation and similarly it will also benefit the gym business at large through its critical information and support for the decision making process. The major assistance provided by the MIS is to the managers in order to be effective in the market by tracking monitoring the various aspects of the business. The operations manager of the gym will implement the MIS in order to get regular updated information through proper monitoring, so that I am able to make accurate forecasting and long-term planning with regard to the business as per the views of Schermerhorn (2011). With the assistance of the MIS the manager of the business gets to understand the different opinion and changing trend of the people towards the fitness sector. Moreover, as stated by Stair and Reynolds (2013), the reporting system supports the creation of a well-structured data along with knowledge base for the people associated with the business. The information and the reporting system are effective as it will help me to save time, value and money for the business. MIS will be of importance for me to be effective while making decision based on the quality, supply chain and to increase the managerial efficiency for the gym business. This will help me the operations manager to ensure a strong information based culture herein the customer’s issues and feedbacks will be taken care of along with the external environment. In this regard, it can be stated that while taking decisions regarding the operations of the business, it is important for me to conduct contingency planning. Being a gym business, the level of contingency might be high in the business than others. Hence, my role as the operations manager will be more in terms of managing the situations in a well-planned manner without affecting the objective and profit of the organisation. Contingency planning is initiated to “develop and maintain contingency and business continuity plan so as to minimise the impact of disruption caused by unplanned incidents” (Great Britain: Parliament: House of Lords and Stationery Office (U. K.), 2011, p 22). The planning is usually done to avoid the future mishaps that might affect the business reputation. In accordance with Pride et al. (2012), it is stated that the managers are liable to prepare for every form of twists and turns in order to create a strong business environment. Contingency planning is a step and plan taken up by the manager in order to make the business competitive and full of quality in order to get a competitive edge. In this regard, it is stated that I as the operations manager of the gym will also take up responsibilities in order to minimise the risk associated and to avoid any kind of future incidents. In this context, it is my role as the operations manager to observe that the first aid service is provided to the customers effectively and the first aid box has the requisites medicine. Besides, I will take initiative to insure the members against health and fitness related issues as stated in the business plan. The operations manager of the gym is aware of the economic situation of Wales and hence will require following the legal policies in order to meet the increasing customer expectation. Conclusion The gym business will be effective in the region and gain large market share as expected. The gym business will be effective for the people cherishing fitness and health with more competitive advantage. The reason for such analysis is due to the fact that I as the operation manager of the gym am highly efficient and will take into consideration all the possible job roles and responsibilities related to the operations management. I the manager of the gym am knowledgeable and have relevant idea regarding the total quality management, supply chain management, production planning and also MIS along with contingency and therefore the business will successfully operate in the region serving the needs of the people. These theories are largely applicable to the business plan by a considerable extent due to the reason that the proper application of the theories will enable the gym to operate efficiently. Hence, it can be concluded that due to the effective role of me as an operations manager, the L-W-F gym will be competitive and derive greater profits with better public image. References Alcamí, R.L; Caranana, C.D. (2012). Introduction to Management Information Systems. Jaume I University. P. 5-37. Besterfield, D.H; Besterfield –Michna, C; Besterfield, G.H; Besterfield-Sacre, M. (2011). Total Quality Management.(7th Ed). India: Pearson Education. Cermak, D.S.P; File, K.M; Prince, R.A. (2011). Customer Participation In Service Specification And Delivery. Journal of Applied Business Research. Vol. 10, No. 2, P.90-97. Carraher, S.M; Doerr, A. (2012). A Six Continent Study Of Customer Service. Allied Academies International Conference. Vol. 17, No. 1, P. 1-40. Galbraith, J.R. (2011). Designing The Customer-Centric Organization: A Guide To Strategy, Structure, And Process. USA : John Wiley & Sons. Great Britain: Parliament: House of Lords; Stationery Office (U. K.). (2011). House of Lords business plan 2011/12. UK: The Stationery Office. Garrido-Moreno, A; Padilla-Melendez, A. (2011). Analysing The Impact Of Knowledge Management On CRM Success: The Mediating Effects Of Organizational Factors. International Journal of Information Management. Vol. 31, P. 437-444. Hill, A.R. (2012). The Encyclopedia of Operations Management: A Field Manual and Glossary of Operations Management Terms and Concepts. USA:FT Press. Kolli, S. (2012). Production & Operations Management Essentials. USA: Research & Education Assoc. Kahn, K.B. (2011). Product Planning Essentials. USA :M.E. Sharpe. Kempf, K.G; Keskinocak, P; Uzsoy, R. (2011). Planning Production And Inventories In The Extended Enterprise: A State Of The Art Handbook, Volume 1. USA: Springer. Panneerselvam, R. (2012). Production And Operations Management. India :PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Ponsignon, F; Smart, P.A; Maull, R.S. (2011). Service Delivery System Design: Characteristics And Contingencies. International Journal Of Operations &Production Management. Vol. 31, No. 3, P. 324-349. Pride, W; Hughes, R; Kapoor, J. (2012). Foundations of Business. USA :Cengage Learning. Parast, M.M. (2011). The Effect of Six Sigma Projects on Innovation And firm Performance. International Journal of Project Management. Vol. 29, P. 45-55. Sousa, K; Oz, E. (2014). Management Information Systems. (7th Ed.)USA : Cengage Learning. Stair, R; Reynolds, G. (2013). Principles of Information Systems. USA :Cengage Learning. Schermerhorn, J.R. (2011). Introduction to Management. USA: John Wiley & Sons. Talib, F; Rahman, Z; Qureshi, M.N. (2011). An Interpretive Structural Modelling Approach For Modelling The Practices Of Total Quality Management In Service Sector. Int. J. Modelling in Operations Management. Vol. 1, No. 3. P. 223-250. Talib, F. (2013). An Overview of Total Quality Management: Understanding the Fundamentals in Service Organization. International Journal of Advanced Quality Management. Vol. 1, Iss. 1, P. 1-20. Walker, H; Jones, N. (2012). Sustainable Supply Chain Management across The UK Private Sector. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal. Vol. 17, No. 1, P. 15-28. . Bibliography Brown, S; Bessant, J; Lamming, R. (2013). Strategic Operations Management. New York: Routledge. Elsevier B.V. (2011). Operations Management, Entrepreneurship, and Value Creation: Emerging Opportunities in a Cross-Disciplinary Context. Journal Of Operations Management. Vol. 29, P. 78-85. Joseph, M; Bruno, F; Martin, M. (2014). Critical Factors of Customer Satisfaction in Nigerian Service Sector. Journal of Business and Management Research. Vol. 3, P. 71-77. Porter, A. (2011). Operations Management. Management Organisation. P. 8-62. Read More