Essay English 01

Submitted By Elisa-Sood
Words: 418
Pages: 2

The article “Introduction to Operations Management” defines operations management as “the activities, decisions and responsibilities of managing the resources which are dedicated to the production and delivery of products and services.” The operation function is responsible for these activities. According to the article, the operations managers are responsible for overseeing and managing the resources that make up the operations function and also is responsible for fulfilling customer request. Depending on the industry the titles of operations manager can be changed for example, fleet manager in a distribution company and store manager in a retail company. The article also defines some of the core functions which are important for an organization like design of goods and processes, location of facilities, managing quality and financial analysis. However, in the book financial analysis is not included as an important function.
Some factors like quality assurance (hiring labor), cost control (Infrastructure and political factors), supply chain management (Suppliers) and sustainable operations (Proper disposal of waste) are also important for an organization in order to compete in the global market and earn profits. The textbook also says a firm that produces its product with less raw material waste than its competitors has a low cost leadership.
According to the article there are many other functions that are not crucial for the organization but they help in the success of the business. Forecasting is a method to plan future operations by predicting future demand for products and services. As per the textbook focus forecasting tries a variety of computer models and selects the best one for a particular application. However, forecasts these days are rarely perfect specially made on the basis of demand.