Management Exam Logistic Operations

An operation manager is responsible for a variety of operations within a business, such as creating goods and services and choosing what should be supplied to customers (Stevenson and Hojati, 2007, p. 281). They are also involved in quality and process management, as well as determining how much capacity the product would require. Furthermore, the operation manager determines the location and layout methods, as well as the design of tasks and people resources. Goods are tangible because of their physical form, can be stored in an inventory and shipped, are and produced independently of the customer. Examples, of goods, include an iPod and pair of jeans. On the other hand, services are intangible, must be consumed when and where they are produced, and require the customers to be involved in the production process (Stevenson and Hojati, 2007, p. 281). Examples of services include medical care.

Operations managers’ in McDonald's

McDonald’s is a company that does business in food and beverage industry. Since foods are perishable goods, operation managers in McDonald’s are involved in planning orders to avoid making losses. They also ensure excellent supply chain management and determine the inventory each item should have as well as build reliability in the company’s processes.

Question 2: List and explain the four V dimensions for operations management

Volume Dimension

The volume dimension deals with repeatability of the tasks performed by the employees and systematization of work which requires procedures and standards to be followed as the determinants of how each part of the job is done (Philip, 2016, p. 1). As an outcome, the process allows the employees to complete a variety of task using little labor and cost.

Variety Dimension

Variety dimension refers to the different ways, flexibility or options in which a business can be performed. The term can best be explained using taxi and bus services. A taxi driver has higher variety dimension because they can pick the customers and drop them wherever they need to go but bus operators have fixed route and schedule (Philip, 2016, p. 1). Therefore, taxi business has better flexibility as compared to bus transportation.

Variation Dimension

Variation dimension stems from how a company does business. For instance, if a company A, prefabricates home after the customer select online and organization B provide customized homes (assuming everything else remains constant, for example, materials used), company B will have high cost and reduced volume as compared to A because of their standard pricing and ability to regulate cost easily (Philip, 2016, p. 1).

Visibility Dimension

Visibility Dimension can be defined as the ability of the customer to see, order via the operation process or track their experiences. A company working in courier industry has high visibility dimension because they can track their package and the fact that customer can pick the items themselves (Philip, 2016, p. 1). On the other hand, web design organizations have low visibility dimension because they have to take the customers’ order and advise them when the website will be ready.

Question 3: Detail an organizations Performance objectives both internal and external

The first organization’s performance objective is ensuring the quality of work which is achieved by focusing on voice ideas, report problems, and continuous improvements. Second, a company must oversee speed to ensure consistency of the process, quick actions are taken when a problem arises, and faster decision is made to ensure smooth operation (Slack et al., 2013, p.194). Third, dependability is crucial as it helps to see that each stage of the every process is complete by parties involved. The fourth component of organization’s performance includes flexibility which entails ability of employees to change. Finally, the cost is fundamental because each person can play a significant role in reducing expenses which have a big impact on the performance of the company (Slack et al., 2013, p.194).

Question 4: The methods or process by which an organization may plan and control a project

An organization can plan and control the projects by focusing on common points that can lead to failure or success (Slack et al., 2013, p.194). Further, it may be imperative to ensure the success of each planning and control phases. Also, an organization can use Gantt chart, a series of horizontal lines that display the amount of work completed and time in relation to the anticipate project completion period and focus on critical path analysis to ensure the project is on schedule (Slack et al., 2013, p.194).

Question 5: What are the benefits of ERP and its development?

ERP is business software that allows the employees and all department to stay updated on what is happening in all parts of the organization or business. Therefore, it is an effective method of making the company’s operation more efficient (Krajewsk and Ritzman, 2015, p. 88). Additionally, ERP enables the corporation and its managers to control the operation better which in turn enable continuous improvements. Similarly, the software allows the firm to communicate with the customers, suppliers, as well as other parties, involved most effectively. Lastly, ERP enables the business to integrate the whole process of the supply chain, including the suppliers and consumers of the product being offered (Krajewsk and Ritzman, 2015, p. 88). Therefore, the approach offers an organization an efficient and flexible way of carrying out its operations.

References

Krajewski, L.J. and Ritzman, L.P., 2015. Operations management: processes and value chains. Prentice Hall.

Philip, E. (2016). The 4 Vs. of operation management. [online] Available at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/4-vs-operation-management-philip-eshelby[ accessed 21st August 2017)

Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Johnston, R., 2013. Operations management. Pearson.

Stevenson, W.J., and Hojati, M., 2007. Operations management (Vol. 8). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.