Operations management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 3

Operations management - Essay Example The research considers the ways that these companies can improve their operations management by reducing a bottleneck that has identified in the process. The case study considered a two main forms of production processes that are notable in terms of the input transformation output model. The first production transformation process involved the transformation of lettuce into consumer goods. Following this model the occurrence with the lettuce has a number of inputs. Of course, the primary input in the transformation process is the lettuce itself. However, the comprehensive nature of the model involves a host of other inputs that contribute to overarching understandings regarding the organization’s production and output. The first input in these regards is the labor involved in the transformation of the lettuce into a consumer good. The labor costs can begin with the costs associated with the agricultural production of the lettuce. In terms of the specific labor costs associated with the case study, these labor costs include paying the individual to physically remove the lettuce from the field. This lettuce is then placed onto a conveyor belt that rotates around the production facility. In addition to this human resource cost, there is also a human resource cost associated with the individuals packaging boxes at the production plant. Rather than having the boxes pre-made, these production processes of constructing boxes are put-together at the plant itself. Another associated labor costs are those related to the truck drivers at the production plant. The truck drivers at the production plant wait for the packages to be placed into the trucks and then leave after the trucks are filled. In addition to human resource inputs, production at the treatment plant involves a variety of other miscellaneous elements. Energy costs are one major element. Energy costs involve the utilities associated with the conveyor belt that is one of the elements on the production cycle.

Information Technology infrastructure for businesses Essay

Information Technology infrastructure for businesses - Essay Example Moreover, which would be the needs of such plan, meaning especially the people, organization and technology issues related to the specific business initiatives. Also, the implications of choosing hardware and software for the IT systems of a particular organization would be taken into consideration by the organization’s managers at an early stage, i.e. while planning the specific project, aiming to limit the chances of a potential failure. Choosing hardware and software for the organization can be a critical decision. IT systems have a key role in the development of each firm’s operations. However, their involvement in daily organizational activities can be differentiated across firms in accordance with the sector in which the firm operates, the business culture and the funds available for the support of the organization’s IT infrastructure. ... At the same time, choosing the appropriate hardware and software could affect the development of the organization; a highly performing IT system can result to the increase of the quality of customer services and the improvement of communication – exchange of information – across the organization; in other words, an effective IT system can lead to the increase of organizational performance offering to the organization a competitive advantage towards its rivals. However, in order for the above choice to be successful, it is necessary for certain people, organization and technology issues to be taken into consideration. More specifically, the managers involved in the specific decision have to ensure that the organization’s employees have the skills and capabilities required for handling the chosen software and hardware. Without the appropriately skilled staff, the new hardware and software would be of no value for the organization. Of course, it would be possible fo r the organization’s employees to be trained accordingly – a scheme which would be necessary in any case, under the terms that the chosen software and hardware would have specific requirements and the firm’s employees could not be aware of all of them (Kangas 2003). At the next level, it is required that the technology chosen to be compatible with the firm’s existing IT systems; if the replacement of the firm’s IT network is decided, then it would be made sure that the chosen hardware and software could cooperate – for example, a common operational environment would be chosen for the firm’s computers. Moreover, the cost of the software/ hardware chosen should be taken into consideration; this cost would include: the cost of the system’s