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Home, - STRATEGIC OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL RESEARCH

PART A - Reflective Analysis
Introduction
A reflective process is effective in helping to be aware of various personal skills, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and personal threats. Gaining awareness regarding these factors is effective in ensuring the proper accomplishment of personal goals. The process can help to develop action plans in order to improve own strengths and mitigate weaknesses. Additionally, it can also help to deal with major threats and seize various opportunities. This section presents an analysis of various personal skills and one major skill that need to be developed. It also presents an action plan for the skill that needs to be developed or improved.
Analysis of personal skills
Analysing personal skills is necessary for developing proper awareness regarding the needs and requirements of people. These personal skills include factors such as proper communication and decision making. As stated by Binder (2016), effective communication skills allow managing various organisations in an effective way. Communication allows developing good relations with employees, managers and board of directors of a brand (Kang and Sung, 2017). On the other hand, proper decision making skills allow taking necessary actions during times of crisis or issues within the brand. Various other personal skills include logicality and analytical thinking, confidence, persuasion and empathy. A detailed evaluation on various personal skills can be conducted with the use of a SWOT analysis method.
The SWOT analysis provides insights on various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats of a certain entity or business environment (Phadermrod et al. 2019). However, a personal SWOT analysis can help to evaluate personal skills. The analysis has been provided as follows:

Strengths
Being a project manager, I have effective skills in communicating with people from different cultural and racial groups. I have effective skills in the development of strategies that can help to improve organisational performances. These skills in strategic development can have positive effects on achieving success for the brand. Developing the necessary strategies during times of need can help to accomplish necessary brand goals and ensure continued operations of the organisation (Glatthorn et al. 2018). Additionally, being able to communicate properly with employees regardless of their diverse cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds can help to promote diversity within my brand. Cultural diversity has a positive effect on the development of innovative ideas and methods of accomplishing a certain goal. According to the view of Guillaume et al. (2017), people from diverse cultural backgrounds have different thought processes which contribute to knowledge regarding new methods of dealing with a certain situation. Therefore, this process can help my brand a great deal and can ensure high sales and performances for a long term. Additionally, being able to utilise analytical thinking skills can help to deduce logical explanations and ideas that can help to manage brand operations more efficiently.
Weaknesses
My prime weakness lies in the fact that I am unable to persuade employees, other managers and board or directors to follow a certain new idea or concept. This indicates that I have improper persuasion skills. The ability to persuade people helps to accomplish certain operational goals more efficiently. The lack of skills in persuasion also has a large number of negative effects on the development of business deals with other brands and suppliers of the firm (Green et al. 2016). Therefore, developing this skill can help me to improve my relations with various other business organisations that may develop partnerships with my organisation. Additionally, it can also help to complete business deals with various suppliers of the firm. Other weaknesses include the fact that I am unable to keep track of employee performances and lack in understanding the motivation level of employees. Developing knowledge regarding the motivation of employees can help me to understand their needs and provide proper support as required.
Opportunities
As a project manager, proper knowledge of the supply chain and logistical processes are highly important. Working within the firm provides me with increased opportunities for learning from my experiences and developing improved knowledge regarding these facts. Additionally, I have a major opportunity to learn better techniques for persuasion. I can engage in community classes on public speaking in order to improve this skill. These persuasion skills can also be improved by incorporating the use of empathy alongside proper communication. Empathy has a positive effect on developing good relations with employees and customers of the brand (Fuochi et al. 2018). The development of good relations with employees help to assure a proper operations process. On the other hand, the development of positive relations with customers of the brand can help to achieve a proper supply chain process for product provisions.
Threats
One of the major threats that I face as a project manager is the fact that I lack in proper utilisation of resources that can help to improve performances of the brand. I do not have proper knowledge regarding recent developments and technologies that can favour better operations. This lack in knowledge and skills regarding the use of modernised systems has negative impacts on accomplishing brand goals and thus affect the operational process. Some of my peers stated that using advanced technological ideas such as Management Information Systems (MIS) and AI systems can have positive effects on accomplishing the necessary operational goals. However, I am not acclimatised with these technological ideas which lead to a waste of opportunities for improved operations of the brand. Therefore, I need to utilise continuous improvement processes in order to gain knowledge regarding modernised systems.
Identification of personal skill that needs to be developed and improved
Based on the SWOT analysis presented above, it can be stated that the development of proper knowledge and skills in the use of modernised technologies is the main concern. Modern technological ideas are used by various organisations in order to gain a competitive advantage over other brands (Berisha-Shaqiri, 2015). Therefore, keeping track of new technologies and the use of continuous improvement processes to learn about the utilisation of these technologies can help to improve operations of my brand. Continuous improvement deals with the process of evaluating own flaws and implementing various actions or strategies that can help to accomplish the necessary goals (Armstrong, 2017). These goals include developing knowledge and skills to use modern technological concepts such as the Management Information Systems (MIS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The MIS systems are effective in managing business processes due to its abilities to ensure efficient planning (Laudon and Laudon, 2016). Additionally, the MIS systems are able to collect information on daily or weekly performances of employees. This can provide a clear picture regarding the thought processes and mindsets of employees. Therefore, as an operations manager, I can provide them with the necessary training in the use of various utilities and tools that can have a positive effect on the performances of the brand. On the other hand, as per Yao et al. (2017), the use of a centralised AI system can help to connect various activities and processes thus propelling the organisation forward towards success.
The AI systems are able to develop necessary plans and control operational processes within an organisation which contributes to efficient operations. However, the increased machine learning of AI systems may backfire for the organisation (Ghahramani, 2015). Therefore, proper utilisation and maintenance is required for ensuring that the AI systems perform as per specifications and roles. Being an operations manager, I need to develop necessary skills to operate the AI system specifically for achieving brand goals and also providing routine maintenances whenever necessary. This can also lead to an increase in my job flexibility and can also benefit the organisation in saving budget costs, thus ensuring better operations of the project.
The Gibbs reflective cycle process can be used in order to evaluate a situation that I faced which led me to believe that continuous personal development is necessary (Bassot, 2016). Additionally, it also allowed me to develop an action plan for dealing with major problems. A detailed evaluation based on the Gibbs reflective cycle has been presented as follows:
Description
The description stage deals with describing a certain situation, event or issue that occurred. Evaluating an incident can help to provide a detailed view regarding a variety of factors involved and their effects (Tanaka et al. 2018). Learning from these factors and effects can help to deal with future issues arising within the workplace more efficiently. The situation taken into account is the fact that I am unable to utilise modern technologies for achieving the necessary goals. During the initiation of a project the chief project manager stated that he was implementing a Management Information System that can provide significant information regarding the planning procedures. I was requested to develop an efficient operations plan for the project based on the utilisation of the MIS system. However, I was unable to develop the plan due to a lack of knowledge regarding the system. The project manager was highly unpleased with my inability to utilise these modernised systems and suggested me to continually improve my skills in the use of these systems. Therefore, I learned that I needed to develop myself and learn the methods for operating necessary modernised systems.
Feelings
The feelings phase deals with evaluating the emotions experienced during and after the event or situation taken into account (Göker and Bozkus, 2017). The situation contributed to a large number of negative emotions which were triggered due to my inabilities and the comments of the project manager regarding the matter. Being unable to use the system made me feel insecure of my roles and responsibilities at the company. Having a five year experience in the field added to my negative feelings and affected my overall mindsets. I was also embarrassed by the fact that a large number of new employees were able to use the system more efficiently than me. The comments made by the project manager regarding the fact that I have to develop myself more added to the feeling of embarrassment. However, it also made me more focused on developing myself and continuously improving myself in order to ensure that I can use modernised systems.
Analysis
The analysis phase refers to evaluating issues faced and the reasons due to which they occurred (Bassot, 2016). Additionally, it also allows to present information regarding the causes of various feelings and reasons due to which they occur. Based on the description phase, it can be stated that the issue is the fact that I am unable to utilise modern technologies for improving brand operations (Tanaka et al. 2018). This issue has occurred due to the fact that I am not gaining additional knowledge outside of the corporate world. I need to gain knowledge regarding the use of new technological ideas. If I can at least be aware of the effects and importance of the technological idea for the brand, it can help to ensure a better utilisation of the resource in a positive manner. Additionally, as stated by Lyddy (2016), my negative emotions and embarrassment issues indicate a major sense of ego. This issue needs to be mitigated with the use of various activities in order to gain learning experiences from my work.
Conclusion
The conclusion phase deals with providing a concluding perception regarding the issues and feelings experienced. It can be stated that I experienced a high complexity of emotions due to the fact that I was unable to utilise modern technological systems such as the Management Information System (MIS). My inabilities indicate that I had become too complacent and need to focus on developing better skills. These skills can be developed with the use of continuous improvement and personal development processes. Additionally, it was also found that being unable to use these systems contributed to a feeling of embarrassment. These feelings and emotions came up due to the fact that I have an egoistic attitude which prevents me from learning from my mistakes efficiently. Therefore, necessary actions need to be taken in order to deal with these problems.
Action
The actions that can be taken in order to deal with the issues presented above are as follows:
Actions that are taken for incorporating and improving the skill
Based on the action plan presented above, it can be stated that continuous personal development processes were incorporated to increase knowledge in the use of modern technologies. On the other hand, the awareness and mindfulness meditation methods were implemented in order to develop a calm personality and deal with issues relating to ego. Continuous personal development processes allow developing knowledge and skills regarding new technological concepts such as Management Information Systems (MIS), Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Knowledge regarding the use of these systems can have positive impacts on their implementation procedures and can have significant positive effects on the operational process of the organisation. An increase in efficiency of brand operations can lead to an overall increase in the performances (Slack and Brandon-Jones, 2018). On the other hand, as stated by Dicharry (2016), the use of meditation can have calming effects on my mindsets and thought processes. The development of a calm mindset contributes to a major increase in opportunities for keeping track of personal problems such as lack of certain skills (Buhrau and Sujan, 2015). It also prevents me from developing egoistical views and influences me to work harder in order to achieve a common objective.
Effectiveness of efforts
My efforts in the development of these skills and changing some of the negative behaviours have helped me to deal with a large number of problems in my work as well as personal life. Being engaged in these actions for just two weeks has helped me to learn about the use of MIS systems and have helped me to develop a calm attitude. This attitude and thought process can have positive impacts on the accomplishment of necessary goals.
Conclusion
Based on the above study, it can be concluded that communication allows developing good relations with employees, managers and board of directors of a brand, thus leading to increased operations and success. Proper decision making skills allow taking necessary actions during times of crisis or issues within the brand. A SWOT analysis was conducted in order to evaluate my prime strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It was found that I have effective skills in communicating with people from different cultural and racial groups which has a positive effect on promoting diversity within my brand. However, I lack in proper use of persuasion which leads to a lack of opportunities for improving operational processes. This provides me with the opportunity to engage in public speaking classes and utilise empathy in order to persuade employees to conduct certain business processes and develop good relations with customers. Continuous Improvement and Personal Development procedures were found to have better effects in dealing with issues relating to my lack of knowledge and skills in the use of modernised technological ideas such as the MIS and BIM systems.
 
PART B - Report
Executive summary
Operation management deals with the improvisation of innovative ideas and planning of an organisational business process. The success of operation management depends on how the organization delivers goods and services to its customers while controlling sustainable development, cost management and production steps. As a potential operations manager, one individual needs to practice job design, scheduling work orders and managing teams to enhance the performance of the organization.
Introduction
Operation manager refers to the fundamental position in a managerial procedure that is tasked to organise potential elements such as empowering co-workers and influencing performance in a company. This individual report enlists the roles and responsibilities of a manager along with the challenges faced within an organisational environment. Several models related to the context have also been included in the report.
Examining Job Description for Operation Manager's position
An advertisement has been published by The Range to hire a potential operation manager to serve efficient services for the increments of the company. The company has mentioned the basic criteria and requirements that needed to have within the operation manager's. The Range also included the required skills and experience within the advertisement.
Responsibilities:
? The brand expects the manager to be able to amplify operational performance based on their budget values.
? The operations manager needs to be able to develop effective relationships with different stockholders and subordinates within the organisation in order to ensure proper operation and accomplishment of goals.
? The manager is required to be able to emphasize communication and collaboration with employees along with providing them with the necessary training, motivation and guidance for better productivity.
? The manager requires knowledge in implementing sustainable strategies and modernised technologies to ensure cost control, delivery of products based on schedule and further improvement within the product designs.
Key skills:
? The manager requires having proper experience in managing team work. Potential managers need to have at least a year of experience in the field in order to gain an opportunity for joining the brand.
? The managers need to have forward thoughts that can lead to the development of innovative ideas that are needed to be implemented by the organisation for improved performances.
? Proper skills in organising and communicating are required in order to develop good relations with employees as well as customers of the brand.
? The availability of skills in leadership and decision-making can lead to high managerial performances, thus affecting the overall brand performances positively.
Roles and responsibilities of an Operation Manager
Operation management is the fundamental key of success for any recognize organisations. It is the duty and responsibility of an operation manager to evaluate opportunities and deliver significant impact within the subordinates (Reid and Sanders, 2015). On the other hand, according to Myrodia et al. (2019), the essential duties of operation manager depends on embracing design, developing planning and follow up performance productivity.
Responsibilities:
Managing Human Resources
The duties of employees of an organisation are to work effectively to improve the quality and productivity or to help others to enhance successful outcomes. An Operation manager's responsibilities are to maintain the work ethics within the organisational environment while providing equality and opportunities for each subordinate. The success of a management depends on managing team and employing creative employees (Marin and Kuriakose, 2017).
Asset management
The assets of the organization are directly involved with the productivity and performance in order to produce goods and services. An operation manager requires managing the equipments, facilities, and stock to provide support for the required projects.
Cost management
The quality of product and services which is intended to provide by the organisations depends on the cost management of the companies. It is the responsibility of a manager to estimate cost flow and taking essential sustainable development within organisations.
Techniques and approaches to Operations Management
The success of an organization varies with the decision and strategies taken by the management. In order to enrich the productivity and profitability of the organization, the operations manager requires implementing effective tools and techniques. These tools and techniques have been presented as follows:
Back-sourcing and budgeting process:
Operations management includes the effectiveness of back-sourcing to generate services in order to save cost while implementing sustainable development strategies. A well contributed budget helps to enhance performance of the companies along with reducing risk and financial crisis. As per Peng et al. (2015), operations management develops sense of efficiency within the organization to increase productivity.
Business process management:
Operation management helps to operate the business system as it provides essential strategies to protect business process and enhance the rate of performance. The business ideas and innovation can be successfully completed within the process as operation management ensures improvement and implicates innovative strategies. As per the view of Zhang et al. (2015), operation management plays a keys role in the profitability of any organization as it helps to maintain culture of work, waste management and guidelines of any progress.
Competitive intelligence:
Operation management provides essential strategies to cope up with other competitors while practicing collaborative work process within different sections of the company. This process helps to identify requirements of the targeted customer base along with technological and communicative improvement within organisation. As suggested by Leopold et al (2016), effectiveness of operation management is fundamental factor for the companies as it serves the chance of continuous improvement and collaborative planning.
Operational challenges faced by successful candidates
Fundamental business sections of an organization such as finance, planning, technology and human resource management are mainly operated by operation managers while ensuring policies and procedures of the organization. As per Qazi et al. (2016), several difficulties can appear during the process which has significant negative impacts on the performance and productivity. Here are some common challenges that occur within an organisational context:
Social and Organisational responsibilities:
Business organizations mainly invest to gain profitability and ensure the sustainable development in social and organisational context. Operations manager keeps track of the methods by which the business engages social communities while developing sustainable work culture in the company (Hill and Hill, 2017). Relationship between customer and company demands higher responsibilities from companies to involve in community services such as healthcare, volunteering social programs apart from profit (Thomas et al. 2019).
Competing practices:
Maintaining business components while competing against other brands is a key challenge for the operation manager (Mendling et al. 2018). The communication between different sections of business such as finance, human resources, marketing are essential to build, as miscommunications may lead deficiency or reduced quality of the services. An operation manager's duty is to organise those procedures to ensure systematic work and develop a method of communication between subordinates.
Sustainability:
Operation managers are mainly responsible to develop long term customers and quality of services which increase brand value of the organization within the society on social, cultural, economical and environmental aspects (Vidgen et al. 2017). Strategic movements such sustainable development and waste management helps the organization to reduce negative impacts on environment. Developing influenced ideas to ensure transparency between consumer and companies helps to build better cultural (Feng et al. 2017).
Organisational reporting:
The duties of operation manager include corporate reporting in finance and productivity sectors. Challenges occur for managers if financial information and transaction reports are not maintained periodically. As per the view of Pollack and Adler (2016), keeping productivity and profitability details helps the managers to assess long term viability.
Addressing the main issues in relation to theories and models of operations management
1. Business Process Redesign Theory
Business process redesign refers to a complete guidance of fundamental intentions of any business organization while maintaining performance measurement, cost reduce and profitability. As discussed by Hitt et al. (2016), redesigning a business process includes every critical measurement within organisations from finances, marketing methods, manufacturing to production.
Effectiveness of BPR:
? Business Process Redesign (BPR) measures crucial financial components such investment and outcomes as it helps to resolve issues related to finance.
? This process also eliminates improper business strategies and supplies essential changes during the process.
? Especially in small businesses, this theory helps to reduce risk factors and ensures profitability (Chang, 2016).
Drawback of BPR:
? This process may result in several numbers of inevitable employment redundancies.
? It is assumed that inappropriate business process may play as a key reason for financial crisis or some other significant reasons for the under-performance of companies.
Business process redesigns components:
Business process redesign occurs from significant changes within business contents. As a result the organization requires undergoing significant changes within its workflow to cope with industrial changes. In order to maintain profitable business and remain competitive, new ideas or infrastructural strategies needs to build when new resources appear in the manufacturing process. Several changes such as reducing negative impacts, consolidation, stuff reduction and other facilities can be needed to ensure its success.
Use of BPR:
Business process redesign claims significant amount of positivity in the process with innovative strategies. Proper use of its components may add profit to the organization.
? This process of measurement helps the authority to identify the negative influences that affects the profit. Changes such as new innovation, stuff deduction, budget reforms and faculties are required to eliminate for further improvement.
? As measurement of current process highlights the non-productive sections of the organization, redesign process reforms its contents to regain higher returns and revenue.
? As redesign process suggests to follow narrow path of success and undergoing changes, the organization benefits with resolving cost issues and enhance its productivity (Mahadevan, 2015). These operations have positive impacts on the successes of the brand.
2. The Six Sigma Theory
The Six Sigma Theory is described as efficient strategic process which seeks to enhance the quality of services and products which highlighting and removing the negative influences and defects of the system based on statistical components (Conger, 2015). This process identifies the variable aspects and removes those factors to enrich the productivity. This process of measurement depends on the available dates and statistical analysis of the business process and provides solutions in different quality methods such as empirical, statistical. Six sigma process carries sections of new infrastructure within organisation and ensures profitability to the organization through following specific steps.
Effective process of six sigma theory:
? Six sigma processes helps to find out the defects of the system from the manufacturing process to upmost production. This component of process helps eliminate negative impacts which reduce the time cycle of manufacturing process (Bratton and Gold, 2017).
? Six sigma processes helps to reduce defective elements of system and controls cost management within the process (Conger, 2015). In the meantime, this process ensures more efficient products.
Use of Six sigma processes:
The six sigma process works as a problem resolver methodology within an organisational environment (Conger, 2015). It develops continuous improvement procedure while minimizing defects along with enhancing perfection in provided services;
Improve quality and customer satisfaction:
The Six sigma process reduces defective products from the process of manufacturing and provides better quality products to attract specific customer base. Consumer's satisfaction approached successfully as the process supplies satisfactory goods to the market.
Organisational changes: Six sigma processes rectifies the defective elements of the system and reduces variation within it. It controls the required time schedule and delivers higher amount of quality products into the free world.
It reduces the time of procurement process and delivers initial required goods.
Cost management:
As the process removes defective products and delivers more time, the organization produces more quality products within the period. Sustainable development and community service are also useful use of Six Sigma theory.

3. Total Quality Management Theory
Total quality Management refers to a managerial procedure that can ensure long term success within an organization while delivering customer satisfaction to free world. This effective process includes every section of the organization to participate in the methods for increasing improvement, products, and services work culture environment at the workplace.
Elements of Total Quality Management: Total quality management can be described as a potential management process which includes every employee of an organization towards a specific goal in a continual improvement. As suggested by Carter et al, (2015), total quality management summaries strategic and effective data in order to integrate communication process within the system.
Total employee involvement
Principal of total quality management describes the involvement of every individual who works for the organization to achieve specific goals. Higher rate of performance can be obtained as the process helps to maintain discipline within the system. Organization benefits with quality team management as total quality management creates better workplace.
Customer service
This management procedure prioritizes the requirements of the targeted customer base and provides potential goods to the consumer. Proper employee training, integrating good quality of product and technology up-gradation to enhance productivity are the keys elements of this management method as well.
Strategic improvement
This system includes discipline within the working procedure to organise the business process. As the process calculates strategic data and statistical values, the management provides perfection in manufacturing procurement and marketing process.
Use of TQM:
This process utilises a centred integrated system that develops innovative ideas to enrich the operational processes. It helps to maintain working schedule and is able to enhance the brand performance rate. TQM consists of fundamental factors that can help to organise the workflow within different sections of the organization. This systematic approach of the management also helps to achieve the principal goals of the organization while creating a scope of continual improvement.
4. The transformation model
Transformation model refers major changes of systematic procedures in order to create and deliver quality products for the targeted customer base. Meanwhile, this model helps to analyse statistical values of in house operations within organisational context. The three keys elements of transformation model such as inputs, transformation process and outputs describe the operational management of transforming in house supplies to quality outputs for the customers. This model includes the manufacturing and production process along with non profit companies (Giachetti, 2016).
Inputs
Inputs of this model vary according to different types of resources. These resources include both transformed and transforming entities. Inputs can be categorized as either material, information, employees, facilities and customers. The productivity and financial enrichment of an organization directly involves with quality of its inputs.
Transformation process
Transformation process refers to a procedure that transforms several relevant inputs into significantly valuable outputs. This process follows strategic planning and statistical values to add value to the end product. This effective process includes keys elements such as changes in physical inputs, location of inputs, ownership, storage of input unit and changes in purpose or reformation.
Outputs
The outputs are end product of a transforming process of its basic inputs. Operation management helps to reduce waste material along with following ethical behaviours in order to maintain sustainable development of the environmental context. As per the view of Touboulic and Walker (2015), output quality varies with the systematic procedures of transformation as well the efficiency of its inputs within the system.
Conclusion
Operation management plays a fundamental role in the success of an organization as it systematically resolves the issues and delivers higher efficiency within the system. An operation manager holds important designation within an organisational context as the post directly involves with the productivity and duties related to strategic movements of the organization. The roles of an operation manager include duties such as time schedule, proper guidance and assuring productivity. It is an essential process which includes all components of achieving target base goals and systematic procedure of managing organizational duties.

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