Operations Management Field - Essay Example

INTRODUCTION Operations management is a field of business that is usually involved on production of services and goods, it s of paramount importancesince it ensures that all business operations must be effective and efficient. It involves the management of business resources including the distribution of products and monitoring of all the systems. These operations mainly encompass the transformation of inputs into output with value additional activities. The major role of operation management is usually distribution, development and production of products. Product line is a collection of closely related products that are managed together in the operation management. The operation management is usually more concerned with the internal processes of the businesses; these include purchases, quality control, inventory control, evaluations, storage and logistics. The nature of the operations management being carried out in a firm depend on the nature of services and products in a firm, it may be a wholesale, retailers, or a manufacturing firm. QUALITY MANAGEMENT For effective operation management to be achieved the quality management is very important, it enables the firms to continuously improve its products. There are recent quality management advancements like the total quality management and benchmarking that enhance the operations management. Benchmarking involves comparing the services or products with others that are related to it so as to know the performance of the organization's products in the market arena. Continuous improvements involves adding features and removing others so as to make the products and services more satisfying to the customer, this even may involve producing goods that are customized. Continuous improvement enables a firm to have more loyal customers and win more customers. Effect analysis and failure mode enables the quality management to know areas that are likely to be faulty or fail and therefore know areas to give priority. Total quality management ensures that the customer's needs are met and stresses more on the measurement and control as a means of guarantying continuous improvement. Some of the internationally recognized methods of quality management standards that firms must be audited to be certified include the ISO9000. Six sigma is also a quality management tool that uses all available data to measure the defects that should eventually be 3.4 parts per million meaning the six standard deviation. The University of Portsmouth employs competent personnel who run its resources. There is the students union, media and a limited company which is ran by students. The media consists of a radio station and magazine. SERVICE AND PRODUCT MANAGEGEMENT This involves a range of activities which begins from when the idea of the new product is developed, manufacturing the new product and eventually assisting the customers who buy the new products. The way a product is managed depends on the type of products or services a firm is dealing with, it's also depends on the kind of business, that is whether retailing, manufacturing or wholesaling. Service and product development involves customer maximization, product development, customer development and diversification. This further requires proper marketing strategy with the use of the product cycle. Proper product evaluation needs to carried to ensure that the product is competitive through market research, proper pricing and competitive analysis. To ensure that the product or service management is successful, there is need to have proper distribution channels, advertising, and service, sales and promotional force. The University of Portsmouth was founded in 1869 as a school of science and was elevated to the position of university in 1992. The University offers the good management and in its operations and is rated as excellent by quality assurance agency in the courses it offers, among the best courses it offers to its students include: operational research, pharmacy psychology, languages, computer engineering among others. Most of the academic courses offered by the University are meet the demands in the market and there is continuing market research which enhances there excellent services are provided. COORDINATIG AND CONTROL FUNCTION OF THE MANAGEMENT The coordinating function of the management is an important element of the operations management; this is because the manager interprets plans, programmes, policies, procedures and practices that should be followed by all individuals in the firm. In operations management the management needs to be in touch with all the workers all the time and provide conducive environment through the following ways; i. The management should be a good example ii. The management should ensure that all workers participate accordingly where necessary iii. The management need to be result and goal oriented iv. It should give credit and blame where its due The management needs to be fair consistent, accurate inspire confidence and led encouragement where necessary. Free flow of information should be enhance and therefore encourage development and growth of all employees. Controlling is complementary function of operations management and involves assessing whether the objectives of the firm have been achieved and in which way, if not, which and what corrective actions/ measures should be taken. Control involves three main areas, the preliminary control, concurrent control and feed back control. The University of Portsmouth has been successful in its operations because it uses these functions of management effectively and efficiently to achieve its goals, this has further enabled it to be in operation since the day it was established. Configuration management is another key area of operational management whose main purpose is to maintain a net work of all the processes including software and hardware so as to avoid any kind of confusion that can arise, this is stored in data form and is used in audits since it can give the traceability of all the products. The University of Portsmouth was strategically positioned since it was to provide skilled personnel to the docks, but now things have changed and offers various courses, its position does not give it much advantage since people can learn online from their homes or offices. CONCLUSION Operation management involves systematic control and directing processes that transforms the raw materials into finished goods that meet the market demands and there determine what factors of production to be used in the production process. The management is responsible in masking critical decisions like those involving the purchases, quality control, planning control and scheduling. The operation management has gained a lot of importance since the consumers are more educated and quality conscious than before but with the technological innovation and inventions, the operation management has been able to meet these demands and produce high quality services products. As the markets globalize, the firms are now using the operations management as a competitive weapon against their rival and competitors to strengthen their services and products, this is because it ensures the customers are satisfied and firms become international recognition by the competitors. REFERENCE Luiz Joia Antonio (2002) It-based management: challenges and solutions Idea Group Inc publishers, UK Portsmouth City council planning service retrieved on 28th July 2007, available at www.portsmouth.gov.uk/media/University_of_Portsmouth_General_Developments.pdf Quality Management Division, retrieved on 28th July 2007, available at www.port.ac.uk/departments/services/academicregistry/qualitymanagementdivision/ Quality management, retrieved on 28th July 2007, available at www.managementhelp.org/quality/quality.htm Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, retrieved on 28th July 2007, available at www.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Portsmouth Read More