Abstract
In this paper I will define Operational Management and discuss an ethical decision made by operational managers in my organization.
Operational Management
Our text defines Operational management "as the design, operation, and improvement of the systems that create and deliver the firm's primary products and services." (Chase, et. al, 2006). Operations Management involves the management of the entire system that produces a good or delivers a product. It involves making processes efficient and effective. Efficient and effective processes allow organizations to increase quality and reduce price while maintaining or improving profit margins. One of the toughest decisions to be made is which portions of the operation are best served by outsourcing.
One of the ethical dilemmas facing managers today is whether to use outsourcing to reduce the costs of producing products. Outsourcing can range from moving manufacturing of products to other countries to replacing white collar professional jobs with foreign labor, or to leave the labor in place and just outsource some internal administrative services. The reasoning behind this is the same no matter which use is selected. Those reasons are usually using lower cost labor to reduce the costs of products or services overall. The ethical issues are apparent and currently a hot topic in the news. The first issue it that it takes jobs away from American workers in an already strained economy. Economists contend that it will be good for the economy in the long run, but in the short term it helps to diminish the number of consumers that buy the products or services. Another ethical issue is that the workers performing the cheaper labor or services do not have the same working conditions and the countries they live in have little or no rules governing these conditions. Considering this it will be impossible for U.S. workers to compete with foreign labor. Another concern is national security. If products and services, military and civilian, are being created in other countries, who is insuring other countries are not are not jeopardizing the security of our intellectual property?
Our organization currently out sources all of the information technology services since our manufacturing is already globally distributed using our own employees. While this arrangement may seem cost effective there are definite problems. One is the communication barrier and another is the quality of the resulting work. While our contractors are willing to work extraordinary hours to complete projects and services, it puts a definite strain on the rest of the staff that work with or support these workers.
Outsourcing simply means acquiring services from an external organization instead of using internal resources (Butler, 2000). By using outsourced resources, organizations can gain a competitive advantage by utilizing contingent staff to accomplish strategic goals without incurring the fixed overhead. By focusing on the leading edge and highly specialized skill sets, outsourcing providers can often offer higher quality services, or at a lower price than the client organization. Typical reasons for outsourcing go beyond simple contingent staffing. Outsourcing providers are able to maintain economies of scale with regard to specialization (...
Since the concept of outsourcing was introduced it has been a subject of debate between politicians and citizens of the United States. Remarkably, it was the United States who supported outsourcing and now it is the United States that feels its economic progress is being threatened by outsourcing. One may argue that the financial situations that existed two decades earlier are not the same as they are today, thus the change of time, business priorities of economies have also changed.
As the problem of job outsourcing becomes more of an issue in politics, elected officials like the President and Congress will no longer be able to ignore the dilemma. The war in Iraq has been at the forefront of the presidential race but the importance of outsourcing American jobs seems to have been slightly overshadowed. If the issue of outsourcing is not watched carefully and a definitive plan hammered out, a trickling down of negative effects may occur within the U.S. economy. However, there is a polarized opinion on the effects of this “phenomenon”.
...ect on the college graduates and younger children of today. Outsourcing has made nothing but trouble for the United States with the passing of free trade agreements. It will cause a lack of jobs that will run the economy into the ground, and ruin the lives of the citizens of the United States. All of that so a business can use its faulty practices to make a higher profit. Outsourcing has consequences that will haunt the average American and their families for the rest of their existence on this planet.
Operations Management Process is the central arteries within the organization because it produces the planning process for goods and services, which are its reason for existent. Operations management is linked to all organizations as every organization is producing either a product or a service. However, it cannot be said to be the most important function since there are other functional areas and boundaries within an organization. In today's fast changing world, organizations have to have a tendency towards being efficient, effective and innovative to the changing environment to succeed. Operations Management has to use metrics in order for them to accomplish their task and be successful with minimal interruptions within the organization.
Explain the connection between the economic model of corporate social responsibility and “free market” or “neoclassical” economic theory.
In today’s fast paced business world many managers face tough decisions when walking the thin line between what’s legal and what’s socially unacceptable. It is becoming more and more important for organisations to consider many more factors, especially ethically, other than maximising profits in order to be more competitive or even survive in today’s business arena. The first part of this essay will discuss managerial ethics[1] and the relevant concepts and theories that affect ethical decision making, such as the Utilitarian, Individualism, Moral rights approach theories, the social responsibility of organisations to stakeholders and their responses to social demands, with specific reference to a case study presenting an ethical dilemma[2], where Mobil halts product sales to a garage, forcing the garage owner to stop selling solvents to young people. The second section of this essay will focus on advice that should be given to any manager in a similar position to the garage owner with relevance to the organisational strategic management, the corporate objective and the evaluation of corporate social performance by measuring economic, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities. It will address whom to think of as stakeholders and why the different aspect could cost more than a manager or an organisation could have imagined.
...urcing services, the company operation will be became a mess. This is because one organization can’t run a lot of task or project at one time. Therefore an organization need outsourcing in the way to help their organization run smoothly.
Operations management focuses on carefully managing the processes to reduce and distribute products and services. Related activities include managing purchases, inventory control, quality control, storages, logistics and evaluations. A great deal of focus is on efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Therefore, operations management often includes substantial measurement and analysis of internal processes. Ultimately, the nature of how the operations management is carried out in an organisation depends very much on the nature of products or services in the organisation, for example, retail, manufacturing, wholesale and etcetera.
The field of ethics (or moral philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior (Fieser, 2009). Many of the decisions one faces in a typical day could result in a multitude of outcomes. At times it can be hard to determine whether or not the decision you are making is an ethical one. Many philosophies have been devised to illustrate the different ways of evaluating moral decisions. Normative ethics focuses on assessing right and wrong behavior. This may involve reinforcing positive habits, duties we should follow, or the consequences of our behavior (Fieser, 2009). Of the many normative philosophies two stand out to be most accepted; teleology and deontology. Although they oppose each other in how actions are evaluated, they uphold many similar characteristics under the surface.
A disciplined approach to management eying leading employees, improving the management team and building the business strategy. Instead of treating each problem as a one off. They design systems and structures that make it easier to handle in the future. (Techrepublic, 2015) 2.2. Risk of exposing confidential data: When an organization outsources HR, Payroll and Recruitment services, it involves a risk if exposing confidential company information to a third-party Synchronizing the deliverables: Some of the common problem areas include stretched delivery time frames, sub-standard quality output and inappropriate categorization of responsibilities. At times it is easier to regulate these factors inside an organization rather than with an outsourced partner Hidden costs: Although outsourcing most of the times is cost-effective at times the hidden costs involved in signing a contract while signing a contract across international boundaries may pose a serious threat Lack of customer focus: An outsourced vendor may be catering to the expertise-needs of multiple company at a time. In such situations vendors may lack complete focus on your organization 's tasks. 2.3. 1.Know the
What is an Operations Management? The specific breakdown of operations management comes from reading chapter 1 of the online textbook titled Operations Management. Further explained in the book, operations services are products of the transformation of inputs to outputs. Manufacturing products differ from providing services in seven factors: degree of customer contact, uniformity of input, labor content of jobs, uniformity of output, measurement of productivity, production and delivery, quality assurance, and amount of inventory (Operations Management, 2004, p.6). Operations management includes many processes, all of which should be considered thoroughly by the manager.
At present, every organization believes that operations management plays a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining global leadership, and is a part of the overall organizational strategy. The strategic part that operations management plays in hierarchical execution can be seen as more companies are moving towards dealing with their operations from a value chain viewpoint. There are many reasons that support, operations management an important element for the success of the business. It encompasses manufacturing and services, and its essential in adequately and effectively dealing with the productivity as every company ought to have high productivity which can prompt economic growth and development and help the company’s work force in getting high wages, as well as lead to a rise in organization's profit. Operations management is likewise imperative as it plays a major role in any company’s
Operations management strategies play an important role in any organization to achieve organizational goals. An organization uses these operations strategies to maintain and control all its operations...
In every organization, different operational functions exist to ensure the smooth learning of the organization. In order for an individual to have the knowhow on how to operate the functions delegated to them they must have implicit knowledge on the functionalities themselves. Understanding markets, customers and the company goals has always proven to be a core starting point for individuals who ply their trade in the organization. The essence of the skills is evident in globalization, cooperate social responsibility and risk management issues. In operations management, the basic principles of operations should be followed to ensure that the profitability of the organization ensures the operation of the organization is