Role of Operations
This business function is concerned with transforming inputs into outputs.
What is operations management?
This influence allows Australian businesses to source inputs and operate across international borders.
What is globalisation?
Materials, information and customers are collectively classified as this type of input.
What are transformed resources?
Producing goods and services that consistently meet customer expectations is this performance objective.
What is quality?
The management of the flow of goods and services from suppliers through to customers is known as this.
What is supply chain management?
Checking finished products and removing defective items before they reach customers is this quality strategy.
What is quality control?
A business achieves this strategic operations goal by becoming the lowest-cost producer in its industry.
What is cost leadership?
Increasing consumer expectations that products will be reliable, durable and free from defects are known as this influence.
What are quality expectations?
Employees and facilities belong to this second category of inputs.
What are transforming resources?
Delivering an online order the day after it is purchased demonstrates this performance objective.
What is speed?
A business contracts an external specialist company to perform its payroll or manufacturing activities.
What is outsourcing?
Designing processes and systems to prevent defects from occurring rather than simply inspecting finished products.
What is quality assurance?
Apple may use design, quality and features to distinguish its products from competitors rather than simply competing on price.
What is goods differentiation?
When competitors lower their production costs and prices, a business may be forced to improve the efficiency of its operations because of this influence.
What is cost-based competition?
A café is extremely busy at breakfast but quiet in the afternoon. This characteristic of the transformation process describes fluctuations in customer demand.
What is variation in demand?
An airline consistently departing at its advertised time demonstrates this performance objective.
What is dependability?
A supermarket replenishes products only as they are required rather than keeping large quantities in storage.
What is JIT — just-in-time inventory management?
Employees continuously searching for small ways to make operations more efficient demonstrates this quality strategy.
What is quality improvement?
A hotel differs from a car manufacturer because its operations primarily produce this type of intangible output.
What is a service?
A factory voluntarily reduces pollution beyond what environmental legislation requires. This demonstrates this aspect of CSR.
What is ethical responsibility/environmental sustainability?
This scheduling tool visually shows individual tasks, their duration and when they are scheduled to occur.
What is a Gantt chart?
A manufacturer can quickly increase production when demand unexpectedly rises.
What is flexibility?
A supermarket sells its oldest milk before newer deliveries to reduce spoilage.
What is FIFO — first-in-first-out?
Employees resist a new production system simply because they are comfortable with existing practices.
What is inertia?
Operations needs this business function to recruit, train and develop employees with the skills required to implement new production technology.
What is human resources?
One involves doing what legislation requires; the other involves voluntarily going beyond those minimum requirements. Name both concepts.
What are legal compliance and ethical responsibility?
A project manager identifies the longest sequence of tasks that must be completed on time to prevent the entire project being delayed.
What is critical path analysis?
A furniture manufacturer allows each customer to select the dimensions, fabric and configuration of their sofa.
What is customisation?
A business purchases components from suppliers in several countries to reduce production costs and access specialised inputs.
What is global sourcing?
A multinational examines successful overseas businesses and adopts their superior production techniques. This global operations strategy involves observing international practices and adopting useful ideas.
What is scanning and learning?