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Name OKEREKE, Humphrey Prince Course of Study MBA - Master of Business Administration V Student ID Number
R1902D
Module Title Strategic Operations Management and Operational Research Module Code PS4S26-V Module Lecturer Dr. Asimina Christodoulou Assessment Type Summative Essay Date 13/09/
Summative Essay:
Strategic Operations Management and Operational Research
(PS4S26-V2)
Essay Focus: Section A – Reflective Analysis of my Learning Experinece Section B - Critical Analysis of the Job Description for a Field Operation Manager at Creative Associates International
By
Name: OKEREKE, Humphrey Prince
Reg. No: 74109742
Course: MBA - Master of Business Administration V
Date: September 13, 20 20
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- ABSTRACT
- PART A - REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS ON MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE
- Introduction
- 1.1 Learning Methods for Developing the Selected Skill Set
- Time Management
- 3 Coordination Skills - 3.1 Benefits of proper coordination - 3.2 My Coordination Skill Improvement Practices - 3.3 Evidence of Improvement in my Coordination Skill
- Conclusion
- References A
- OF OPERATIONS MANAGER AT CREATIVE ASSOCIATES INTERNATIONAL PART B – CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Operations Managers’ Universal Challenges
- 2.1 Sustainability
- 2.2 Globalization
- 2.3 Knowledge management
- 2.4 Technology
- Operation Manager’s Job Advertised by Creative Associates International 3 Analysing Operational Challenges Peculiar to the
- Conclusion
PART A
REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS ON MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE
1. Introduction
The aim of this course module is to explore the various operations management processes that enhances business activities and lead to achievement of goals and objectives. Hence, the course learning materials have been designed to develop students’ ability and skills in strategic operations management techniques, to enable students effectively take on management function of planning, coordinating, controlling, and leading. In addition, the module focuses on operational research that includes varied and advanced analytical methods for better decisions In performing my functions as a departmental manager in a multi-departmental and multinational organization, the skill set of effective time management and coordination is one that is an essential requirement. Improving my ability to apply this skill-set is especially required because I still combine the heavy official work demands with ensure I pay adequate attention to my family, fulfil what is expected of me in my other social engagements and ensure I give the needed study and participatory time to this my academic programme. Hence, when students were required at the start of this course module to pick a skill that they intend to develop, it was fitting for me to pick effective time management and coordination as the skill I would work on developing during the period of this course activities. This report is a reflective analysis of the level of improvement I attained in the skill-set I choose to improve during the period of this course. It contains details of the learning methodology I adopted and other practical steps I took to ensure I improve myself in effective coordination and time management skill. The report also presents evidence-based analysis of how I have definitely improved in this selected skill-set.
1.1 Learning Methods for Developing the Selected Skill Set I made daily conscious efforts towards improving the skillset I selected, namely: effective coordination and time management. The following listed actions below were the methods I adopted to help me scale-up in applying coordination and time management skills.
- subscribe to YouTube channels on human development and capacity building and ensure minimum of 30 minutes video a day (examples of such channels are: TEDx Talks, Improvement Pill, and Skillopedia)
- read academic journals on the subject matter
- study the autobiography of men and women that had attained noteworthy self-development and achieve remarkable success in their areas of influence
2. Time Management
Time management has been severally defined by researchers and scholars alike, hence, there is no consensus definition for time management. According to Lakein (1973), time management is the process of determining needs, setting goals to achieve these needs, prioritising and planning tasks required to achieve these goals. Kaufman-Scarborough and Lindquist (1999), looked at time management as: ways to assess the relative importance of activities through the development of a prioritisation plan. Other scholars such as (Jex and Elacqua, 1999; Davis, 2000; Macan, 1994, 1996; Macan et al., 1990; Mudrack, 1997), simply referred to time management as: techniques for managing time. Zhang and Zhang (2012), considers time management as: a set of skills, tools, and techniques that helps one to manage time as to accomplish specific tasks, projects, and goals.
All the above definitions agree that time management is a process that helps one to adequately plan his activities, prioritize the activities and deliberately control the amount of time that is put in to accomplish each of the planned activities so as to optimize productivity. From the foregoing definitions of time management, it goes without saying that time management skill is a recipe for success in every human endeavor. (Taylor & Mackenzie, 1986), agrees with this maxim when they opined that: ‘‘time is money, so use it productively’’. I realized this fact as I grapple with increasing time demands for my various official, academic, and domestic responsibilities. Hence, it is pertinent that my effective use of time becomes top-notch in my pursuit of success in my various endeavors. This is particularly important because researchers have continued to attribute poor academic performance and high stress accumulation to poor time management. For instance, in their paper: ‘‘strategies for success in education’’, (MacCann, Roberts and Fogarty, 2012) concludes that effective time management and Conscientiousness are needed skills for academic success and stress management. On the other hand, (Brigitte et al. 2007) opines that effective time management is one of the known factors that contributes to employee job satisfaction. 2.1 Time management Tips In studying some academic journals and some tutorial videos on ways to improve my capacity to effectively manage my time, I discovered the following time management tips. o organization o prioritization o communication o goal setting
2.1.2 Organization: Organizing yourself ahead of the task is an efficient time management tip. Many tools exist that one can use to ensure short-term and long-term organization. For me, I use tool like Google calendar, sticky notes, TimeBlocks, and Jorte for my daily, weekly tasks organization. Application of this tip has enabled me to achieve my tasks with less stress and in a more structured manner. I include activity details such as length of time required, deadlines and suitable time of the day to attend to such task – when to attend to official matters and when to attend to domestic and other matters. Another aspect of this organization strategy that I implemented is to ensure that my office is well arranged and rearranging folders in my work and personal computers so as to increase the easy that folders and files are retrieved. 2.1.3 Prioritization: Dictionary.com defines prioritization as: ‘‘the action or process of deciding the relative importance or urgency of a thing or things’’. Nowadays, so many things are competing for our time. Hence, it is important to decide in advance which is more important, and which should wait for rather time. The prioritization strategy I adopted was a 2x2 matrix ( Figure 1 A ) developed by (Allen, D., 2004).
Figure 1A: Prioritization Strategy In using this strategy, I applied the idea of finishing the most time consuming and difficult task of the day first. Once I have accomplished the task is perceived to be the most difficult for the day. It gives me additional courage to do the less difficult tasks. By applying this prioritization as a time management tool, I have been able to accomplish more task daily and yet have more time to ease off some work-related stress.
This practice has helped me focus on more critical issues and relieved me of a lot of work- related stress. 2.1.6 Stress management: It is as well important to developed personal strategy to manage stress that emanate from the various daily activities. A good mental health is essential to good performance at work and even at home. Effective time management is important to achieving god mental health and motivation for performance. I take the following conscious steps to achieve low stress level and good mental health. ▪ take adequate hours of sleep each day ▪ take short breaks in-between tasks ▪ celebrate landmark achievements by my team ▪ go for family time out at least once a month. ▪ visit the hospital for periodic general health check-up
3. Coordination Skill
Okhuysen, et al (20 09 ), stated that coordination is an important function of management. Whereas, Fernandes, et al (20 18 ), explained it as a tool that harmonizes activities within an organizational unit for an improved organizational result. On his part, Malone and Crowston (1993), explains coordination as a function that facilitates interdependence and seamless operations of different units. Likewise, (Van de Ven et al., 1976) defines coordination as “Integrating or linking together different parts of an organisation to accomplish a collective set of tasks”. Moharana et al. (2012), says that coordination is “an interactive, joint decision-making process, where separate entities of a body influence each other’s decisions more directly”.
On their part, Moharana et al. (2012), stated that the improvement of overall performance in any organisation, is determined by coordinated decisions, and working through the decision as a single unit. Effective time management and proper coordination forms an interrelated set of skill that I have found particularly important in achieving my day to day tasks. This is so because one cannot claim to have effectively managed time without proper coordination of both the planned activities and the resources required for the achievement. Kamensky (2013), skills such as critical thinking and analysis ability, effective communication, and leadership as also necessary to achieve high level coordination. 3.1 Benefits of proper coordination Coordination is essential to the success of every group of people. Be it an organization or a household, effective application of this coordination skill would deliver many good to the people. Figure 2A presents the different benefits that coordination skill has to the person applying it. Figure 2A: Benefits of Effective Coordination
- very minimal health issues because of reduced work-related stress
- happier project team because coordinate and communicate with team members in a more friendly manner
- created a WhatsApp / Telegram group of my University Alumni and effectively coordinated the activities of the group including hosting several online meetings of the group and growing the membership of the group to 384 members within 2 months.
- able to create more time for my family and other necessary domestic engagements.
4. Conclusion
As a departmental manager in a multinational organization, effective time management and coordination skill is one that I must necessarily poses and continue to improve on. Time management and coordination skills are mutually inclusive and essential for the harmonization and optimum productivity of project teams and interconnected activities of organizational units. Hence, during the period of this course, I worked on improving my time management and coordination skills. I adopted some strategies to achieve this objective. These strategies included reading books and published journals on the subject matter and subscribing to some Youtube channels to watch tutorial videos of how to improve the selected skills. These efforts yielded an incredibly positive results which was evident in my improved official performance, low stress accumulation and successes in my other domestic and social engagements.
REFERENCES A
Macan, T.H. ( 1994 ), Time management: Test of a process model. Journal of applied psychology , 79 (3), p.381.Avaliable Online at:https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/1994- 39368 - 001.html (Accessed: August 16, 2020) Taylor, J. and Mackenzie, R.A., 1986. Time is money, so use it productively. ABA Banking Journal , 78 , pp.130-133. Available Online at: http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/6299047/time-money-so-use- productively(Accessed: August 29 , 2020) Heylighen, F. and Vidal, C., 2 008. Getting things done: the science behind stress-free productivity. Long Range Planning , 41 (6), Available Online at:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2008.09.004 (Accessed: August 1 0 , 2020) Kamensky, J.M. ( 2018 ), Managing Performance. Government for the Future: Reflection and Vision for Tomorrow's Leaders, p.61. Available Online at: http://www.businessofgovernment.org/sites/default/files/Chapter%20Four%20Managing%20P erformance.pdf (Accessed: August 39 , 2020) Woolfolk, A.E. and Woolfolk, R.L., ( 1986 ), Time management: An experimental investigation. Journal of school Psychology, 24(3), pp.267-275. Available Online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022440586900592 (Accessed: September 4 , 2020) Kaufman‐Scarborough, C. and Lindquist, J.D., 1999. Time management and polychronicity. Journal of Managerial Psychology. Available Online at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/02683949910263819/full/html (Accessed: August 9 , 2020) MacCann, C., Fogarty, G.J. and Roberts, R.D., ( 2012 ), Strategies for success in education: Time management is more important for part-time than full-time community college students. Learning and Individual Differences , 22 (5), pp.618- 623. Available Online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1041608011001786 (Accessed: August 21 ,
Qu, T., Yang, H.D., Huang, G.Q., Zhang, Y.F., Luo, H. and Qin, W., 2012. A case of implementing RFID-based real-time shop-floor material management for household electrical appliance manufacturers. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing , 23 (6), pp.2343- 2356. Available Online at: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10845- 010 - 0476 - 2.pdf (Accessed: August 21 , 2020)
PART B
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION OF
OPERATIONS MANAGER AT CREATIVE ASSOCIATE
INTERNATIONAL
1.0. Introduction
The operations management deals primarily with planning, coordinating, leading and controlling both the human and material resources required to produce goods and services in such a way that meets organization goals and objectives. Stevenson (2015), defines it as: “systems/processes that create goods and/or provide services”. The controlling objective of operations managers is to achieve the highest volume of production with the least amount of resources possible. But the changing customers’ needs, and ever- increasing market competition brings in another dynamic so that operations managers must also ensure that the best quality of products and services is guaranteed, otherwise customers would not be satisfied. Hence, rather than just turning out the highest volume of products, the target of operations mangers is now to optimize production processes. The optimization concept is achieved by introducing what is generally referred to as Quality Management Systems (QMS) and the Just in Time (JIT) philosophy to ensure that the right products/services are made available in the right place, at the right time, at the right quality, and in the right quantity to serve the customers’ needs. Patel (2017), states that after the industrial revolution period around 1980s, the use of machines rather than humans in operations increased, leading to a huge development in the field of operations management study. Patel (2017), also asserted that within the same period, scientific management concept emerged and introduced the concepts of analysis and measurement of technical aspects of work design. In the present market space, operations managers are inundated with myriads of external and internal factors that challenge their performance daily. These factors include market competition, increasing customers’ demands, changing market requirements, and coping with technological advancement just to name a few.
