Chessington World of Adventure - Report Example

Edexcel level 7 BTEC Advance Professional Diploma in Management Studies Unit Quality And System Management Completed by: Syed Umair Alam Intake: January 2008 A Report on the Chessington World of Adventure By Syed Umair Alam Ethames Graduate School 16th June 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 4 Task1. Choose an organisation and evaluate the strategic objectives of operations management within the organisation Introduction 5 Background 5 Marketing Department’s role 6 Human Resources Department 8 Finance Department 9 Task 2: Design and monitor appropriate system to ensure quality of product and services Quality Management 9 Health and Safety 11 Task 3: Improve organisational performance Overview 12 Recommendations 13 Conclusion 14 Bibliography 15 Abstract Even with automation and computerization happening in every segments of organization, all the important processes inside the organization mainly rests with the humans. Even though, all the important processes starts and ends with the leader or the management team, the workers will also have to play a prominent role as part of various departments to actualize an optimal and effective operations management system. So, this report will discuss the importance of operations management in the organization I have chosen to research Chessington World of Adventure. As a first task, the report will evaluate the strategic objectives of operations management within Chessington and how it is achieved with the aid of various departments. Then as a second task, the report will discuss how an appropriate system can be designed to ensure quality in services. In the final task the paper will discuss how the performance of the organization, Chessington World of Adventure can be improved with optimal recommendations. Quality and System Management Task 1. Choose an organisation and evaluate the strategic objectives of operations management within the organisation. Introduction Any organized human activity, which is done in-group, will be most times constituted into an organization. So, Organizations are structures with a ‘collage’ of workers doing their allocated work under the supervision of a leader and management team, for the benefit of the organization as well as them. As part of Task 1, I have selected one such organization to evaluate the strategic objects of operations management, within that organization. I have selected Chessington World of Adventure because, managing it is an interesting as well as a challenging job. That is, as it caters to the needs of people of all ages, the Chessington management has to diversify and optimize its operations management to maintain them as customer base. So, analyzing Chessington’s interesting and challenging operations management will put my thought process in a higher plane, thereby enriching my knowledge. After the recruitment and apportionment is over, it is the duty of the organization particularly leader and the different managers to implement an optimal operations management system and thereby provide the employees a perfect working environment, in which they will work effectively. Optimal operations management in the sense, the leader and the different managers should play their part in formulating feasible targets, arranging the needed resources, allocating the work load perfectly, motivating the workers while they were working, solving the problems that may arise and finally rewarding the workers when they achieve the intended targets. So, with an optimal operations management only, the management and the workers can only put an organization on the path of success with their knowledge, skill, hard work etc. Success in the sense, they will contribute their part for optimum production, profit, etc, by forming and working as successful work teams. Background Chessington World of Adventure is a theme park located on the Surrey town of Chessington in United Kingdom. Inside, Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo, there are ten different park areas, each with their own unique theme and rides as Beanoland, Chessington Zoo, forbidden kingdom, Land of the Dragons, Market Square, Mexicana, Mystic East, Pirate cove, Toytown and Transylvania. In recent years it has become increasing popular for any organisation to produce a mission statement that sets out the purpose, general direction and importantly the objectives of the organisation (Mullins, 2005). The main mission of Chessington park is create an unforgettable place of adventure for our guests and provide our customers a great day out. Chessington World of adventure objectives are based on this mission: To create an unforgettable place of adventure for the guests To provide a high quality and customer focused service to its visitors To construct, maintain and offer safe and secure environment to the people To develop and improve staff’ skills and knowledge in order to achieve greater customer satisfaction To develop a partnership with the local community to ensure that all benefit from Chessington World existence, and to generate profit. (www.chessington.com) With this mission as its main plank, Chessington World has put its different departments and the workers of those departments into action to run the company successfully. Marketing department, Human Resources Department, Finance, Quality, Health and safety are the different departments, which are aiding Chessington to actualize its mission and importantly the operations objectives plus organizational objectives, through optimal operation management. Marketing Department Among the many departments, which constitute an organization, the marketing department’s role is omnipresent and crucial. It can only, boost an organization by adopting various strategies as part of optimal operation management. That is, with every organization wanting to expand their reach and make an imprint in various markets, there will be enough opportunities for it, to initiate that expansion drive. So, when the organization has enough opportunities, it can set targets and formulate various strategies to achieve those targets or end products. Every organization survival and success hinges on the success of its end product or the service it provides, like in the case of Chessington Park. And for the organization to reach its service effectively to the customer, the Marketing department has to play a crucial role. The guideline, the marketing department can use to formulate marketing strategies is the Marketing Mix. Marketing Mix consists of 4 variables, Product, Price, Place (distribution) and Promotion, which are used to make major marketing management decisions. In the case of Chessington, the marketing department’s main role is to Promote the park to the prospective customers. That is, it is the responsibility of the marketing department to ensure that the brand identity of the park is well promoted and maintained. They need to identify the features of the park, target the market, and then present it to the prospective customers in an enticing way. For Chessington Park, the marketing group’s targets are families with children. Every year the marketing department as part of optimal operation management needs to produce a plan which covers the following areas. “One of the fundamental procedures involved in any successful business operation is creating and implementing a marketing plan...they are employing marketing plans as one method for moving forward” (Kassel, 1999). In the case of Chessington Park, the main features are the important rides and attractions it provides to the guests. To optimize the role of these features, it has to associate other features as well. That is, the Park authorities have to market the places where the food is provided, shops where cards and souvenirs featuring Chessington logo and attractions can be bought. So, in total Chessington Park management should market its place as the one which has every thing under one roof. That is, people would have already built an image for Chessington Park as the one which includes rides and other attractions, and now if it is marketed as one which also includes food, play areas for children, etc, it would surely entice more customers. So, the guests fully enjoy the day out and get real value for their money. The other aspect while marketing the Chessington Park to a wider customer base is its price issue. While fixing the price, the marketing department has to first consider or analyze the total cost of the product/service offered by the Park. Then, the marketing department had to consider the prices charged by the rival competitors and importantly what the costumers themselves will be able to pay. Then, after setting the price, the Marketing department had to review the prices every year or at regular intervals, in consultation with the finance department. This tactic will help the management of the Chessington Park to look at how the budgeted targets can be achieved through the pricing matrix, or how modifications can be brought in. The important component of marketing is Promotion. Promotion is a very important tool to entice the customers and run it optimally because it only makes the costumers aware of the current products/services on offer or the new products/services that will be introduced. Chessington Park can be promoted by carrying out visual, aural as well as print advertising through television, radio and newspapers. Chessington World of Adventure might be done by advertising through television, radio and press; and by promotions as buy one get one free or a discount of the full adult or child price; promotions in combination with the Tussauds group, or via direct mail promotions. This will catch the ‘eyeballs’ and the ears, and thereby the minds of the customer and they will make a beeline at the gates of the Chessington Park. Human Resources Department After the recruitment and apportionment of employees is over; it is the duty of the organization particularly the human Resources Department to provide the employees a perfect working environment through optimal operation management.. Among the different managers who form a part of this process, Human Resource Manager’s (HRM) contribution will be immense. People today have wider expectations of the quality of working life, including justice in treatment, democratic functioning of the organisation and opportunities for consultation and participation, training in new skills and technologies, effective HRM policies and practices, and provision of social and leisure facilities (Mullins, 2005). They will have a prominent role in the overall functioning of the organization, as they will only manage the important component of any organization, the workers. In the case of Chessington World of Adventure, the recruitment cycle happens between March and October every year. So, every year new staff members are employed in the age group 16 to 18. The suitable candidates are selected through an optimal interview processes. Then the newly recruited staffs are given two days induction training, which include training regarding the Chessington park structure, behavioural standards on the part of the employees, emergency procedures, uniforms and appearance, rules and regulations and role plays, admissions, catering, and importantly Customer care. Customer care is one of the main vehicle marketing. That is, if the customers are optimally taken care by the Chessington staff, the customers will be enticed to come back again, so it is a kind of indirect marketing. At the end of every year, it would be better if an all round review of workers’ performance is done. Based on this review, the staff’ performance can be improved and new training regimes might be considered for the next season. HR department function is vital because the staff members within the park are the company’s ‘face’ and they have to perform effectively as part of optimal operation management to earn the good image for the company and bring in repeat customers. Finance Department The Financial department of any organization has to function in an effective, obstruction free manner for the organization to work successfully. The same is the case with Chessington World as it is dependent on its gate money to function and profit. That is, most of the money that fills the coffers of Chessington World of Adventure comes from the ticket sales. Apart from this source, the Park gets income from other avenues like merchandise that has Chessington World name and logo. For example, key rings, t-shirts, pens, cards, with Chessington World Name and logo can be sold to the visiting customers. The vending stores which vend these items are stationed all over the park. This inflowing income outgoes in the form of raising new structures, attractions, etc and importantly on maintaining the existing structures. Along with that spending, the coffers will be drained in the form of staff salaries and equipment purchases. To be correctly handle all these costs, the financial department at Chessington Park, has to consider the incomes and outcomes efficiently, and then present an optimal budget, which can balance both these factors. There should always be a financial plan or apt accounting information to back up all the strategies formulated by organizations to achieve their targets. “Because the primary role of accounting information is to provide useful information for decision-making purposes” (Williams et. al). Task 2: Design and monitor appropriate system to ensure quality of product and services. a. Define resources, tools and systems required to support business process In Organizations including Chessington, the main function of the departments and the employees is to accomplish different processes with quality, utilizing the existing as well as brought in sources, tools and systems. Quality is the key because any process completed without the expected quality will be abhorred by the intended customers, leading to problems for the organization. Chessington for its part uses feedbacks from the customers who have visited Chessington as an important resource to improve quality. That is, Chessington regularly conducts surveys involving the customers by giving them a feedback form to complete. When the customers finish their ride through the park, the Chessington employees will give a feedback form asking them to answer questions relating to all aspects of the park, particularly the quality aspects. All the customers’ response regarding the quality aspects will be gathered and will be used as a major resource to find out, in which aspects of the park is the quality lacking. Normally, when organizations produce products or offers services, they have to incorporate quality in it. To incorporate quality certain mechanical and technological tools has to be used. Inside Chessington, many mechanical and technological tools are used not only for the proper running of the various rides, but also to operate those rides with quality. For example, many of the Chessington’s rides are water based. To test the quality of the water, Pool Test tools comprising chemicals like sodium thiosulfate are used. Sometimes water used for the rides could get polluted and also toxic, and could cause physiological problems or diseases to the customers. Also, as the quality of the water will only entice the customers to pay and use those services, Chessington is maintaining the water’s quality optimally. Chessington also has lot of mechanical rides including roller coasters, chain rides, etc. All these rides are operated with quality to give the customers pleasurable rides, by fixing and maintaining quality mechanical and technological tools. As these rides are exhilarating and at the same risky, quality tools are used by Chessington. Only if Chessington achieve excellence in quality using optimal tools, it can reach the ‘minds’ of the customers, then entice them and eventually ‘push’ them to buy the organization’s products or use their services. “Quality is ensuring everything we do has the customer in mind... Quality is about building reputation, performance and an attitude of winning in everything we do.” (Zafirovski). Chessington World of Adventure being a big organisation has to have a good inbuilt quality control system. For that, they have adopted the quality system of Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM is an optimal operation management system and is totally committed to quality and so all the employees who work at Chessington World of Adventure can follow this system. The principles that Chessington World of Adventure have for TQM are: Making sure that the customers demands are met Listening to customers complaints Using market research to find out what is the customers’ demand Making continuous improvements of the service provided By following that system and the related principles, they can ensure that the service inside the campus of the Park is up to the highest quality standards. (www.chessington.com) Part b. Define and implement quality audit systems/practice to manage and monitor quality to standards specified by the organization and process operated. As part of quality systems/practices, TQM can be implemented in a more effective manner inside Chessington. TQM consists of continuous improvement activities which are undertaken, involving everyone in the organization, from managers to workers in a totally integrated effort, towards improving performance at every level. This improved performance is directed towards satisfying cross- functional goals such as quality, cost, schedule, and suitability. Total Quality provides an umbrella under which everyone in the organization can strive and create customer satisfaction at continually lower real costs. TQM is “an organizational undertaking to improve the quality of manufacturing and service. It focuses on obtaining continuous feedback for making improvements and refining existing processes over the long term” (Pcmag.com). To incorporate TQM into Chessington’s functioning and meet the quality standards specified by it, Chessington could follow certain methods. Firstly, Chessington World of Adventure could improve its quality systems by incorporating the views and suggestions of the employees, regarding optimum quality systems. That is, the management at Chessington should involve the employees from lower level staff in all the processes including the quality management process that may take place inside the organization. The management team should place their strategies and targets regarding quality management for discussion among the workers. Then importantly should elicit their suggestions, ideas or even criticisms, for consideration and implementation. The workers for their part can input their gained knowledge and experience in the different steps of quality management. As part of quality management, the health and safety of the visitors has to be ensured. That is, the health and safety of all the visitors, who visit Chessington World of Adventure has to be taken care optimally, and it is the responsibility of the staffs to make optimally sure that the park is safe for the visitors every day. As a first step to make the park a safe place, the management at the Chessington World of Adventure as part of operations management has to thoroughly follow as well as implement the various legislations, passed by the UK Parliament. Among the various legislations that are followed are: Fairgrounds and Amusement Parks – Guidance on Safe Practice HSG 1975 Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 Manual Handling Regulations 1992 Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 CHECKINGH OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS CESSINGTON HAD THE FOLLOWING SAFTEY RECORD –BUT I COULD NOTY OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION All these legislations can be successfully followed inside Chessington, if they are implemented in specific areas, where there are health and safety risks and embedded as part of organizational culture Part c. Embed a quality culture to ensure continuous monitoring and development of the process As ensuring safety translates to quality, programs to optimize safety have to be embedded into the organizational culture as a part of quality culture. That is, when quality programs becomes part of organizational culture, it is viewed as quality culture and the duty of the organization including Chessington is to continuously ensure safety and quality, and thereby an optimal quality culture. Steps has to be taken by Chessington to embed quality culture and thereby quality and safety. All the rides that are open to the customers have to be inbuilt with necessary safety features. It is clear that the implementation of a TQM initiative involves a culture change. It is advocated that a cultural assessment should take place, before the actual embedding of the quality culture. Subsequently, a contingency-sensitive approach to implementation should be employed in which the implementation approach is tailored for the Chessington as part of quality culture. Task 3: Improve organisational performance Part a. Monitor systems and work activities and identify problems and opportunities for improvement An important duty of the amusement park administration or management is to maintain the park optimally. Optimally in the sense, they have to monitor the systems and work activities, find out any problems and suggest improvements. That is, they should provide all the necessary facilities and features, with quality and safety inbuilt in it, so to actualize the opportunities. In the case of Chessington Adventures, certain problems regarding safety have arisen. To solve those problems, there are certain solutions, which can function as opportunities for improvement. To guide the customers to use the services properly, information boards or banners displaying written information and instructions on how the costumers can safely use the ride should be put in place by the Park management. Along with that information, instructions regarding how the customers should act in case of any emergencies should also be prominently displayed. Secondly, the staffs for their part should be instructed to carry out safety checks on the various equipments, which are part of the rides, daily or regularly. If they find any discrepancies, they should correct it as soon as possible, requisitioning technical person’s help. We are living in the times in which public places are commonly becoming the target of attack for the terror groups. That is, terrorists or other miscreants always target places, where people converge to wreak maximum damage by using bombs, other explosives, etc. my own research shows that the staffs can be trained on the emergency procedures such how to handle or even diffuse live bombs, douse fires, evacuate people without damages, etc, etc. there should be a permanent medical centre inside the park premises to attend to customers who may get hurt or injured. Also to continually monitor any dubious activities inside the park premises, CCTV cameras and other surveillance equipments can be installed at all the vantage points. After monitoring the systems inside Chessington, I came across safety related problems. To counter these problems, I recommend that the above mentioned measures are implemented optimally to take care of all the health and safety related aspects of the park. Part b: Recommend improvements which align with the organisations objectives and goals and which result in a reduction in the variation between what customers and other stakeholders want and what products processes and services deliver. In order to achieve its objectives and manage the park effectively, and thereby improve its performance, Chessington World of Adventure can implement certain recommendations. Any organization, its leader and its employees should not stagnate and saturate. Likewise, Chessington should also keep on developing by incorporating more positive changes to its environment and also to its workforce. Unison of humans with an urge to usher an organization into a leading ‘utopia’ will be a successful endeavour, if the organization, leader and employees show undaunted, unabated and effective conduct. . “Every business needs to have a strategy and this strategy must be related to changing environmental conditions. In order to survive and maintain growth and expansion top management must be ready to take maximum advantage of the challenges and opportunities presented” (Mullins, 2005). Chessington and its employees can exhibit this conduct by adopting certain changes in its functioning. Firstly, the recruitment process had to be optimized further. As Schein said, “... best way to build an organization was to hire very smart, articulate, tough, independent people and then give them lots of responsibility and autonomy”. That is, there should be improvement in the recruitment of employees and this can be done by advertising details about the job vacancy within the park, particularly publishing the offer of reasonable and appropriate salaries and the flexible work time to the prospective candidates. It is necessary that the management must ensure a constant availability of sufficient number of efficient employees from managers, executives, technical persons to labourers, for the efficient functioning of the Park. Then as part of the staffing process, appropriate and well considered training programmes including coaching and mentoring processes should be implemented for optimizing the performance of the employees. “Coaching and Mentoring can be used to effectively unlock the potential that already exists within any organization. The organization’s most valuable resource is its people or put more concretely, the knowledge and passion that resides within the hearts and minds of its people... introducing coaching and mentoring within any organization, will reap the benefits to the organization” (oaktraining.com). Then apt and highly efficient outside suppliers and contractors have to be arranged or assembled for the effective services and maintenance. That is, Chessington Park management can also arrange outside and at the same time qualified and equipped suppliers and contractors to minimize the hassles that come with recruiting and training new employees. Suitable suppliers can be arranged to handle the details or services of ice cream, ponchos, umbrellas, fast food etc. Likewise apt contactors need to be arranged to maintain the grass and bushes throughout the park, as the grasses and bushes are the main enticing point of well maintained park. Budget has to be formulated by concentrating on garnering more profits, than focusing minimizing revenues. For that the management at Chessington has to focus on the sales revenue with target of increasing the ‘yields’ per head. Part c. Evaluate the wider implications of proposed changes within the organization The wider implications of proposed changes could be in the form of certain constraints. That is, the constraint or implication to implement the quality management programs inside Chessington will come in the form of experienced workers. That is, the experienced workers will be slugging out in the same job in the same environment, importantly in the same mindset for years and changing them to accept the new effective assumptions and work culture, regarding quality management or TQM inside Chessington will always be a difficult task. When the experienced employees show disregard for the quality management programs, then the other employees will also follow suit and ignore the programs and result in providing bad quality products and services. So, if the employees particularly experienced ones limit a firms use of quality management approaches, then it will act as a constraint, acting as a negative implication. Chessington has to focus on positive practical structural changes, to actualize optimal quality management programs. But, it will not be always possible, particularly if it overtly indulges in outsourcing. That is, the organizations will mostly incorporate quality management programs as part of its in-house structures, but it may be missed in the outsourced structures, even affecting cost or economic aspects. So, if positive structural changes incorporating quality management programs are not carried out in the outsourced units, then it will act as a constraint, having wider implications for the organization in many ways. Part d. Plan implements and evaluate changes with an organization If the first proposed change of optimizing the recruitment process is carried out, there will be many positive developments. That is, only if perfect and capable employees are recruited, they will work hard both physically and mentally to complete their given work and thereby achieve the set organizational targets. This will be case with Chessington also. So, if perfect and capable employees are recruited by Chessington, it would have advantages in the overall functioning of Chessington. Likewise, after the recruitment of the apt employees, specific training programmes will also result in fine-tuned employees, who will be able to provide optimum productivity. That is, as mentioned above, if Chessington introduces good training programs for all employees from maintenance staff to customer service personnel, they will function optimally again providing optimum productivity. Both the coaching and mentoring processes as part of training programmes will equip the employees as well as suppliers and contractors, leading to positive developments for the Chessington as well as the concerned people. Also, if financial department puts in their best efforts to formulate effective budgets, it will have benefits for Chessington in the economic aspects. So, all the recommended changes will have positive and favourable developments for Chessington Adventures Bibliography www.chessington.com. Chessington World Adventure, viewed on June 10th 08 http://www. chessington.com Kassel, A., 1999, “How to Write a Marketing Plan”, Marketing Library Services, Vol. 13, No. 5. Mullins, L. J., 2005, Management and Organisational Behaviour. Seventh edition. Financial Times Press oaktraining.com, Coaching and Mentoring, viewed on June 12 2008 at 18:49 http://www.oaktraining.com/coaching.html Pcmag.com, Pcmag Encyclopaedia: Definition of TQM, viewed on March 19, 2008 From http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=TQM&i=53041,00.asp Schein, E. H., 2004, Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3rd. ed. Jossey-Bass. Williams et. Al, Financial and Managerial Accounting: The Basis for Business Decisions, viewed on June 13 2008 at 10:14 http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072396881/student_view0/chapter1 /chapter_summary.html Zafirovski, M, Quality and Customer Satisfaction, viewed on June 13 2008 at 12:21 http://www.nortel.com/corporate/programs/gcvm/index.html Read More