Operation Management
Operation Management is the management of an organization’s processes that enables the transformation of inputs such as raw materials and labor into outputs like goods and services. It concerns with designing and controlling the production process and redesigning business operations to produce goods and services. The primary role of operations management is to transform inputs into outputs. The products and services produced should add value for the customer. The major activities involved in the operation management are product creation, development, production and distribution (Ferguson & Ferguson, 2000).
The main reason as to why operation management is necessary for an organization is because it assists in ensuring that employees are adequately and appropriately trained. The production environment is safe for both workers and the public. The service outlets are well equipped to make sure that consumer gets their end product and that the services provided are up to the expectation of the user. It leads to the production of quality products meeting the consumer’s needs. It also enables all the resources for production to be efficiently utilized (Krajewski, Ritzman & Malhotra, 2007).
Longhorn Publishers is a medium-sized organization which its primary service is to provide an opportunity for the author to showcase the talent and share it with others who will in the end appreciate. It is the leading provider of learning solutions, core and non-core learning materials within East Africa. Some of its products include reference books, creative works, biographies, Bibles, hymnals and general knowledge books in both hard copies and digital format.
The activities of the operation management are as follows:
Product creation
This begins with an idea in an author mind and developed into a series of words that in the end create a book. Here the author’s idea is the raw material needed for product creation. Other factors that may be at work here is the will and determination for the author to go through with the idea and write down in a series of words. The final copy is a single draft of the innovation.
Product development
Product production
When the review is complete and approved, the publisher set it out for printing and distribution. Here the draft is organized in a particular manner that will create a final output and look of a book and then printed out. This stage is where the end product is ready for distribution. The final product is the book.
Distribution
This involves releasing the books to various outlet stores and bookshops. It also includes proper advertising of the good to boost sales. The advertising method can differ depending on the familiarity and the reputation of the author as an author (Waters & Coopers, 1999).
The service entity has different distinct categories which include the supporting facility which is the tangible resource that should present before offering a service. In Longhorn publishers, the supporting service is the author. The author is the resource since the idea was an intellectual innovation that led to the creation of the book. The idea was an innovation, which means that without it, there would be no need for publishing services
Facilitating goods are the materials consumed by the buyer. In Longhorn publishers, the facilitating goods are the book written by the author. The products are then distributed to outlets for it to be bought by the consumer. Information is the operation data provided customers to enable efficient and customized service. The operation information for Longhorn Publishers is what kind of book do you like to read, is it a mystery, romance, fiction or thriller book. Depending on the demand of which kind of book the consumer enjoys, the publication will publish more copies. It can also be information such as author preference or the particular need for requiring such a book. This information enables the publisher to be able to establish demand.
Explicit services are the benefits readily observable by the senses. It is the essential or intrinsic features. Concerning Longhorn Publishers, the explicit service can be the quality of the book regarding the feeling the consumer gets from reading or touching the book. It can also be the attitude of the author where the consumer can get it from reading the book and the flow of word in the story or the information portrayed in the book.
Implicit services are the psychological benefits or extrinsic features which the consumer senses vaguely (Fitzsimmons& Fitzsimmons, 1998). Concerning Longhorn publishers, the implicit service can be the surroundings in which the authors tend to make you visualize in your mind and how he/she inputs information of everyday situations and how one can deal with them. The book is set to make you visualize that you are the character itself making it more enjoyable. It is the sense of visualization and imagination, and It is a must every author to possess these two skills.
Characteristics of the service
Some of the features involved with this kind of service are:
Simultaneity
This is whereby there is an opportunity for personal selling and interaction that creates customer perceptions of quality (Fitzsimmons & Fitzsimmons, 1998). The author indulges him or herself with her readers and tells them what the book is all about and what it entails. To prove its quality, the author chooses to read a section of the book to the reader. The opportunity for personal selling comes by when the author personally signs the books for the readers, here the reader can get a feel of their writer, and if it is a good one can be able to spread the word of the book to friends and family.
Heterogeneity
This is whereby there is the presence of consumer participation in the delivery process to enable variability. It is the situation where the author personally meets the readers, where the user can express how they felt when reading the book while expressing some ideas on how the book should have been when they did not enjoy a particular part.
Intangibility:
This is where the importance of reputation is valued not only for the author, but also for the publisher. The reputation of the author would enable there to demand the book thus promoting sales while the reputation of the publisher will allow there to be a network where the work of the artist could cover more ground and reach more consumers. Copyright is another factor that establishes a reputation. It is a method that enables an author’s idea to be safe. The idea is an intellectual property and with it, the author develops reputation in the publisher and among readers thus the need for protection from infringement.
Perish ability
This characteristic mostly concentrates on the need to match supply and demand since the final commodity is not perishable. However, it is necessary for the supply and demand to match so as not overuse resources that may be required for other projects. This characteristic mainly depends on the intangibility factor, where the reputation of the author establishes demand.
Customer participation
It implies to the attention of facility design which in the end allow room for co-production. It can be acknowledged when the readers meet their author and give them the input on the book and how they felt about it. It will enable the author to take those comments into consideration the next time he writes a book. This characteristic allows the consumer to get an end product that meets their particular demand (Stewart, 1997).
According to (Slack, Chambers & Johnston, 2010), the nature of these services can be classified as intangible actions since it mostly targets the consumer’s mind. The Longhorn Publisher tends to publish books not only to entertain the user but also to educate and improve the language. The particular goal set here to be accomplished by Longhorn Publishers is to ensure that customer gets a quality end product and that the author’s work turn out to be successful. The primary actions that enable this to happen are the review, editing, and approval.
When the author brings his or her work, it is review and the decided whether it is worthy to be published and released. Here the author is told what exactly the end consumers need and what should be present in the book to worthy. If a book reviewed and deemed worthy, it goes through editing to ensure that the language is correct, and unnecessary information removed when such information should not be brought to the public’s awareness. The language used should show improvement of the current language and not tarnish the publication’s achievements. After editing, the book is taken for approval where resources for its production and distribution are put together.
Longhorn Publisher has been in the industry for more than 14 years, and its operations have been very successful since it allowed the organization to set subsidiaries in other regions such as Tanzania and Malawi. It just shows that there is an increase in personnel creating a positive impact and improving the publication’s reputation across the East African region. The Publisher has been known to provide quality books to the nation at large, enabling access to information and improvement of education. It operations have allowed the publisher to create a positive outcome, allowing it to be accepted by the ministry of education. The management system set in place has attributed to the goods performance of the organization in the market share. The organization has stand out as the top institution in the provision of quality books to the international market.
References
Ferguson, P. R., & Ferguson, G. J. (2000). Organizations: A strategic perspective. Basingstoke: Macmillan Press.
Fitzsimmons, J. A., Fitzsimmons, M. J., & Fitzsimmons, J. A. (1998). Service management: Operations, strategy, and information technology. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Krajewski, L. J., Ritzman, L. P., & Malhotra, M. K. (2007). Operations management. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Slack, N., Chambers, S., & Johnston, R. (2010). Operations management. Harlow, England: Financial Times Prentice Hall.
Stewart, R. (1997). The reality of management. Jordan Hill, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Waters, C. D. J., & PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. (1999). Operations management. London: Kogan Page.
