Operations Management Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operations Management Questions - Essay Example The use of systems theory can be said to be a specialized form of system thinking which implies that systems are integrated into the activities of a manufacturing or service operator. They are integrated for the purposes of increasing a business’s profitability, efficiency along with many other aspects that are described in the paper. Service operations are actually concerned with giving guidance on the achievement of effectiveness along with efficiency in delivering and supporting the services offered by a business (Harvard Business Review, 2000). This is done so that the customer and service providers are assured of their money’s value. These operations may be used by a business in the achievement of their strategic objectives and this fact makes the service a very critical and essential capability of a business entity (Hammer and Champy, 2001). The purpose of providing guidance is to maintain steadiness in the service operation strategies in a business. It allows for changes in the designs, scales, scope along with the service levels being applied by a business. An organization is provided with a detailed guideline process, tools along with methods for using when controlling reactive and proactive reactions (Johnston and Clark, 2005). The business managers along with practitioners attain knowledge that helps them in making more appropriate and better decisions on various aspects. These aspects include the management of the availability of the services, the control of demand for their services, optimizing the utilization of the existing capacities, making schedules of their operations and the fixing of various problems affecting their business. The guidance that is offered involves the support of the business service operations through the use of newer copies and architectures (Hammer and Champy, 2001). The examples of these services are the utilization of a shared service, mobile business along with web services. On the other hand, manufacturin g operations usually concern themselves with the functioning of a business or a facility in contrast to the issues of maintaining, supplying distributing the products from the business. There are many differences that exist between the two processes (Harvard Business Review, 2000). For instance, service operations are usually labor intensive with the delivery of their products involving their interactions with humans along with many processes that are manual (Chopra and Meindl, 2001). The industry does not require the utilization of standardization along with automation of procedures like the manufacturing operations to augment their efficiencies. Manufacturing operations often require the use of systems that help in the scheduling of activities to enhance the coordination of these activities (Paton, Clegg, Hsuan and Pilkington, 2011). The service operations may not require the scheduling activities on a temporary basis as opposed to the manufacturing operations which might require them on a permanent basis (Harvard Business Review, 2000). The customers usually play a vital role in the service operations and their initiation. This involvement by the customers often brings service heterogeneity and greatly impacts the quality of the services being offered. The different and distinct needs of the customers involved makes the providers change the contents of their