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

Operation management - Essay Example There has been increasing competition in the market place and organisations are looking for different methods to improve and enhance the overall productivity and performance.The output or final results are dependent on the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations. In this paper, an attempt has been made to understand the business operations and processes with the help of a case study. By exploring and analysing the business operations of the company presented in the case study it will become easy to understand the practical implications of the operations management tools and techniques and at the same time it will be easy to comprehend the different issues and challenges which are being faced by the organisations in the quest of improving the overall operations and activities of the organisation. Operations Management is the field of business which deals with managing the resources of the business that will be used to produce the output of the business (Schemenner, 1984). This field deals with the creation of a transformation system which takes the business inputs and uses the business process to produce the business output (Schonberger and Knod, 1991). This field also produces the controlling protocols for the transformation process (Gaither, 1984). These protocols consist of: layout strategy, operations strategy, and design strategy, which are augmented by a planning stage. Examples of most common operations include: retail operations, banking operations, manufacturing operations and etc (Flint, Larsson, Gammelgaard, and Mentzer, 2005). Operations management also help the company in the planning of the following aspects of the business (Chase and Aquilano, 1977): Capacity Inventory Supply Chain Quality Failure Prevention and Recovery By helping the company answer questions related to these domains, operations management enable the company to become more productive and effective in its operations and resource utilisation. Thereby, enhancing the companyâ €™s chances of survival in its marketplace and later go on to strengthen it place in its market (Fugate Mentzer, and Stank, 2010). One important element in this regard is of the planning and control. It is important for the organisations to carefully plan and control all operations and materials input in order to make sure that the final output or result is according to the demand and requirements in the market (Fitzsimmons, and Fitzsimmons, 2007). ANALYSING THE OPERATIONS OF A FROZEN VEGETABLE FACTORY: Business Analysis: Overview of the Company and Market: The company is operating in the frozen vegetable industry; it is backed by a strong specialist food group. As the group philosophy suggests that it focuses on speciality food segments, the factory’s operations are consistent with this philosophy. The factory produces a range of frozen vegetables like: carrots, cauliflowers, beans, peas, petit poi’s, broccoli, and sprouts. Most of the factory’s output cons ists of peas, which undergoes a very tedious process before a final version for the customers is available. The peas market is highly competitive and is dominated by five players. One of the players in this market is privately owned and is most of the time involved in changing the dynamics of the competition. It does this by reducing its profit margins, and thereby price, which leads to an increase in the number of customers going to this supplier of peas. However, major variables which influence the demand for peas include the quality and size of the harvest. The price of a

An Ancient Tragedy Oedipus King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

An Ancient Tragedy Oedipus King - Essay Example This is because; it utilizes the universal literary devices in a very effective manner. As will discuss, in this paper. The play is about a young boy, and his parents. The boy’s name is Oedipus. He was the son of a king (Laius). The king finds an oracle, which was predicting the fate of his son. The oracle was foretelling that the king’s life would be taken away by his own son, who would then take over his wife. The son’s sole intention of killing his father was to marry his own mother; due to this, when Oedipus was born, the king tied his legs and discarded him on a mountain, with a hope that nature would take over the role of eliminating him from the world. This was a strategic manner, of preventing the oracle’s prophecy from taking place. Unfortunately, the young boy did not die. He was saved by a shepherd and landed on another king’s palace (King Polybus). Polybus was the king of Corinth. When the shepherd handed him Oedipus, the king took him i n whole heartedly, as he did not have a son of his own. Oedipus grew up believing that Polybus was his real father. However, as time passed, Oedipus began questioning his parentage. He decided to consult with Delphic god and heard some word leading him to Laius. He fled from his foster father’s house. During his flee; he unwillingly murdered his real father. Coincidentally, when he went to Thebes, he answered a riddle correctly. This earned him a ticket to the bereaved king’s house. He took over the kingship and married the king’s wife. They were very successful in life and bore children. However, there came a great calamity in the town. On consulting the oracle, it was realized that he there was blood guiltiness. Oedipus denounced the crime, as he was not aware of it. He puts his foot forward to track the person responsible for the crime. Gradually, the play reveals that Oedipus is the man responsible for his own father’s death. One of the major themes o f this play is the theme of fate. To begin with, the oracle to Laius states clearly Laius’ fate; â€Å" he would demise a victim, at his son’s hands.† (711-714). In addition, Oedipus says â€Å"I was destined to sleep with my mother†¦I was fated to take the life of my father† (791-793). Both oracles show that fate was the determinants of the main characters life, and so they could do nothing about it. The theme of fate and fortune recurs in many parts of the play. For instance, fortune made it possible for Oedipus life to be saved from the mountains. Fate made Oedipus start questioning his parentage and made him flee away from his foster father’s house. The killing of his real father was an act of fate. The manner in which Oedipus came to sleep with his own mother can only be explained by fate. It is also fate that led Oedipus, to his real father’s kingdom. Most incidences in the play are beyond human understanding and can only be expla ined as destiny. Fate is a common theme amongst many Greek writings. The writer of this play was not an exception and utilized this theme perfectly. This theme helps explain things that are beyond human understanding, and hence is considered as a very strong literature device. Another theme of the play is that of freewill. The play reflects that human’s freewill has its own limit. As much as human beings have a desire for things to go according to their own wish, it is not always possible to accomplish this. For