Question

These review questions will broaden your application of a few key topics from the chapters and the Module 1 objectives. Answer all four questions. All references are required to be in current APA format. What are the roles and responsibilities of the operations manager? What other functional areas does the operations manager communicate with and why? In operations management, the term sustainability is used in corporate meetings. Explain what sustainability is and why it is a topic of hot discussion. Describe the concept of a value chain and why should an operational manager concentrate on this concept. Please provide examples. Explain the purpose of Customer Benefit Packages and describe how these packages contribute to customer value and satisfaction.

Answer 1

Roles and responsibilities of operation manager are:

- Formulating policies and guidelines on which the company operates and functions on daily basis.

- Planning of operations and activities which effect the company's overall performance and success.

- Coordinating the planned activities between different departments.

- Controlling and allocating proper and sufficient resources for the opertions.

- Reveiwing the payroll and remuneration policies of the company, allocating funds for benefits of the employees.

- Reviewing financial statements for evaluating the efficiency and profitability of the company.

- Communicating with managers of all departments to check on the performance of each department

- Interacting with other stakeholders connected with the company for their functions.

- Presenting reports and statements to top executives with the clear picture of the company position.

The main functions of the organization other than operations is finance and marketing. Operations manager has to lease with both these departments to bring effective results beneficial for the company. Operation manager plans financial strategies for developing resources for funds in the company and allocating them in the right way. For this function they have to communicate with the finance department. The marketing department deals with creating demand of goods in the maket and selling them to the target customers at correct price and prompt supply. For this communicating with operation manager is required to understand how the goods can be manufactured at the correct time in proper quantity and what resources are required for it. Other than these the departments with which the operation manager communicates are- production department- for evaluating the operations and activities and the production area for proper supply of goods for marketing and earning profits, HR department- allocating sufficient manpower and reviewing their pay scales and benefits and their operations in the company needs involvement of an operation manager, IT department- Operation manager depends on this department to effectively control and communicate with all other deparments. It helps in gathering all information required by operation manager from different departments to fulfull his responsibilities.

Sustainability is the existence and survial of something in long term inspite of the pressures it faces. Operational sustainability is the the evaluation of a business to operate its current activities and functions without puuting the long term survival of the business at risk. As operation management deals with the activities and functions of the company connecting all departments to gain profits and company growth. Hence sustainability is an essential aspect of it because in this motive of operating the current activities effeciently the operation manager should not ignore the long term sustainability or survival of the company and be able to manage that too.

Value chain is the set of functions that are being performed in a company to manufacture and deliver a product that has value. It is an important aspect of operation management as an operation manager coordinates and communicates the activities and operations of every department. This feedback is necessary for an effective value chain as that is how a successful product will be delivered and will work for the sucess of the business. Hence operation manager needs to make sure that the value chain activities are being performed in the most effective way by coordinating and evaluating activities of different areas of functions in the company.