Operations Management free essay sample

Importance of Operations Management to the success of business (McDonald’s) Operations management refers to the activities, decisions and responsibilities of managing the resources which are dedicated to the production and delivery of products and services. Operations management exists in very organization and is very important in business operations since it forms the heart of the organisation by controlling the system of operation. McDonalds Corporation  is the worlds largest chain of  fast-food  restaurants. The business began in  1940, with a  restaurant  opened by siblings  Dick and Mac McDonald  in  San Bernardino,  California. Their introduction of the Speedee Service System in  1948established the principles of the modern  fast-food restaurant. Today McDonalds restaurants are found in 120 countries and territories around the world and serve nearly 54 million customers each day. http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/McDonalds McDonald’s is a fast pace restaurant providing the fast food, the operations management in McDonald’s is very important because it helps the restaurant to perform effectively and efficiently. We will write a custom essay sample on Operations Management or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Operations management includes the whole planning of the product, capacity, and process, lay out, quality, etc. which is connected to the customer satisfaction. Also, the decision made in the operations management has big impact on both of the cost of producing products or services and they are connected to the profit. . 2 Explain the need for a McDonald’s restaurant to produce goods and services to time, cost and quality or specification, and with reference to legal requirements. There are many different types of legal legislation for McDonald’s cover the different aspects of the business such as operations in restaurants, advertising, marketing, company governance, health and safety, employment, sourcing of ingredients, product development. In this part, I will mainly explain about the products and services to time, cost and quality. McDonald’ supports the recommendations of the 1991 Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) report and the targets laid down in the Governments’ White Paper ‘The Health of the Nation’ by ensuring products conform with the guidelines. There are general policies of the ingredients used and products in McDonalds such as: McDonald’s 100% pure beef hamburger patties No additives, fillers, binders or flavour enhancers are used in food. Operations management free essay sample Operations management is concerned with the design, planning, control and improvement of an organization’s resources and processes to produce goods or services for customers. Whether it is the provision of airport services, greetings cards, plastic buckets or holidays, operations managers will have been involved in the design, creation and delivery of those products or service each part of the airport – terminals, baggage handling services, aero plane servicing and catering, for example – has been carefully designed to fulfill not only its current role, but also with the possible demands of the next year and even the next 10 years in mind. Birmingham International Airport; is one of the busiest airport in the United Kingdom. Around 20 flight arrive at and depart from the Eurohub Terminal. Airport Personnel oversea a wide range of complex operations, including flights, passengers, terminals, airfield, facilities, staff, equipment, security and ground transportation. Across the runway and acres of tarmac, at the site of the original airport, the overnight freight operation is just beginning to wake up with the arrival of staff and the preparations for the first aircraft from Europe or the United States. We will write a custom essay sample on Operations management or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Some of the 7000 staff from the 150 organizations based at Birmingham International Airport (BIA) sees to the needs of their customers. Question 1) Identify some of the micro operations to be found at the airport. For each one : a) Identify the transforming and transformed resources. b) State which is the predominant transformed resource. c) Describe the output of each micro operation and say who you think its customers are. Answer: In this case study we have found some of the micro operations which have been applied in the Birmingham International Airport. These are as follows- Baggage Handling, Ticketing, Fuel Loading, Aircraft Cleaning, Building Maintenance etc. a) transforming and transformed resources – Transformed resources Transforming resources Bag Baggage Handler Ticket Ticketing Clerk Fuel Fuel Handler Plane Cleaner Building Maintenance Worker b) The predominant transformed resource is the plan. In Operation management plan is the most predominant transformed resource because by proper planning or by imposing proper plan BIA’s Operation Director Richard Heard make the BIA airport is one of the most profitable and organized airport in the world. c) The output of each micro operation and the customers and their outputs are as below – Micro Operation Output of Micro Operation Customer Output of Customer Baggage Handling Reach Destination Passenger Passenger Happy Ticketing Correct Ticket Information Passenger Passenger Satisfaction Fuel Loading Full the Plane Tank With Fuel Airlines Staff Safety Journey Aircraft Cleaning Clean Plane Passenger and Airlines Staff Clean Surrounding Building Maintenance Nice and Solid Building Users of That Particular Building Safe to be Use Question No. -2: Summarize the job of the operation director. What are the main issues/problems he faces in managing the airport? Answer: Operation Director is responsible for supervising the operation of the establishments, to ensure that the highest standards are achieved and maintained in accordance with quality assurance policies and that all legal specifications are adhered to in line with the Health and Safety Policy. The Director of Operations reports to the Chief Operating Officer. In the absence of the Director of Operations, the Chief is designated to exercise authority on behalf of the Director of Operations. Operations director also involve in set up the decision to be taken for long term. Another key task is operational planning. Richard Heard works as an Operation Director in BIA. The main problems he faces in managing the airport through decision making. He has to make a proper decision for coordinating and setting the safety and customer service standards for everyone. For this he need to decide who is going to get the air bridges, who is going to get certain stands, who is going to have their passengers bused to the terminal at peak times, and so on. Operational planning is about making the operation as efficient as possible by working out how they can best allocate their infrastructure to the airlines. Discuss the relationship between the day-to-day tasks and the long-term issues and explain how Richard manages to oversee both at the same time? Answer: Day-to-day jobs or activity is that one’s anyone does every day as a normal part of your life, your job etc. For example-The manager is responsible for the day-to-day running of the hotel. Besides, long-term issues mean any bond issue which having a maturity for long period like 13 months or more. For example-long-term investment etc. There is a relationship between day-to-day tasks and long-term issues. Day-to-day task is involved in long-term issues, because if regular basis of work does not do properly it creates a long-term issue. In an airport management has to maintain the day-to-day activities. For maintaining long-term issues day-to-day task should be done properly. From this case study we see that the Operation Director Richard manages to oversee both day-to-day tasks and long-term issues at the same time. They have appointed terminal managers whose duty is to look after the day-to-day operational problems and they cover the airport 24 hours a day of the week with one senior manager who oversees each shift. The terminal major also deal with the major incidents like bomb threats, thus everyone will be saved and knows what is happening. As an operation director Richard maintains all of these activities for keeping the reputation of the airport for a long time. BIA’s mission is to be the best regional airport in Europe and for this they need to improve everything they do. They also create an impact on the local economy by encouraging inward investment and export. Introduction: Managing the airport is the job of operations director. Managing the airport here means, ensuring the smooth operations occur in and also outside the airport. Other than that is, the operations director must oversee his workers work. He must ensure that all of his workers done their work successfully. Ensuring smooth day to day operations also one of the operations director job. Operations director also involve in set up the decision to be taken for long term. The operations director job is about coordination and setting the safety and customer service standards for everyone to adhere to. Another key task is operational planning. Operational planning is about making the operation as efficient as possible by working out how to allocate the best infrastructure to the airlines.

World War II Turning Points in the Pacific

World War II Turning Points in the Pacific Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and other Allied possessions around the Pacific, Japan swiftly moved to expand its empire. In Malaya, Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita executed a lightning campaign down the peninsula, forcing superior British forces to retreat to Singapore. Landing on the island on February 8, 1942, Japanese troops compelled General Arthur Percival to surrender six days later. With the fall of Singapore, 80,000 British and Indian troops were captured, joining the 50,000 taken earlier in the campaign (Map). In the Netherlands East Indies, Allied naval forces attempted make a stand at the Battle of the Java Sea on February 27. In the main battle and in actions over the next two days, the Allies lost five cruisers and five destroyers, effectively ending their naval presence in the region. Following the victory, Japanese forces occupied the islands, seizing their rich supplies of oil and rubber (Map). Invasion of the Philippines To the north, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, the Japanese, who had landed in December 1941, drove US and Filipino forces, under General Douglas MacArthur, back to the Bataan Peninsula and captured Manila. In early January, the Japanese began attacking the Allied line across Bataan. Though stubbornly defending the peninsula and inflicting heavy casualties, US and Filipino forces were slowly pushed back and supplies and ammunition began to dwindle (Map). Battle of Bataan With the US position in the Pacific crumbling, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave his headquarters on the fortress island of Corregidor and relocate to Australia. Departing on March 12, MacArthur turned over command of the Philippines to General Jonathan Wainwright. Arriving in Australia, MacArthur made a famous radio broadcast to the people of the Philippines in which he promised I Shall Return. On April 3, the Japanese launched a major offensive against the Allied lines on Bataan. Trapped and with his lines shattered, Major General Edward P. King surrendered his remaining 75,000 men to the Japanese on April 9. These prisoners endured the Bataan Death March which saw approximately 20,000 die (or in some cases escape) en route to POW camps elsewhere on Luzon. Fall of the Philippines With Bataan secure, the Japanese commander, Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma, focused his attention on the remaining US forces on Corregidor. A small fortress island in Manila Bay, Corregidor served as the Allied headquarters in the Philippines. Japanese troops landed on the island on the night of May 5/6 and met fierce resistance. Establishing a beachhead, they were quickly reinforced and pushed the American defenders back. Later that day Wainwright asked Homma for terms and by May 8 the surrender of the Philippines was complete. Though a defeat, the valiant defense of Bataan and Corregidor bought valuable time for Allied forces in the Pacific to regroup. Bombers from Shangri-La In an effort to boost public morale, Roosevelt authorized a daring raid on the home islands of Japan. Conceived by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle and Navy Captain Francis Low, the plan called for the raiders to fly B-25 Mitchell medium bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), bomb their targets, and then continue on to friendly bases in China. Unfortunately on April 18, 1942, Hornet was sighted by a Japanese picket boat, forcing Doolittle to launch 170 miles from the intended take-off point. As a result, the planes lacked the fuel to reach their bases in China, forcing the crews to bail out or crash their aircraft. While the damage inflicted was minimal, the raid achieved the desired morale boost. Also, it stunned the Japanese, who had believed the home islands to be invulnerable to attack. As a result, several fighter units were recalled for defensive use, preventing them from fighting at the front. When asked where the bombers took off from, Roosevelt stated that They came from our secret base at Shangri-La. The Battle of the Coral Sea With the Philippines secured, the Japanese sought to complete their conquest of New Guinea by capturing Port Moresby. In doing so they hoped to bring the US Pacific Fleets aircraft carriers into battle so that they could be destroyed. Alerted to the impending threat by decoded Japanese radio intercepts, the Commander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester Nimitz, dispatched the carriers USS Yorktown (CV-5) and USS Lexington (CV-2) to the Coral Sea to intercept the invasion force. Led by Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher, this force was soon to encounter Admiral Takeo Takagis covering force consisting of the carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku, as well as the light carrier Shoho (Map). On May 4, Yorktown launched three strikes against the Japanese seaplane base at Tulagi, crippling its reconnaissance capabilities and sinking a destroyer. Two days later, land-based B-17 bombers spotted and unsuccessfully attacked the Japanese invasion fleet. Later that day, both carrier forces began actively searching for each other. On May 7, both fleets launched all of their aircraft, and succeeded in finding and attacking secondary units of the enemy. The Japanese heavily damaged the oiler Neosho and sunk the destroyer USS Sims. American aircraft located and sunk Shoho. Fighting resumed on May 8, with both fleets launching massive strikes against the other. Dropping out of the sky, US pilots hit Shokaku with three bombs, setting it on fire and putting it out of action. Meanwhile, the Japanese attacked Lexington, hitting it with bombs and torpedoes. Though stricken, Lexingtons crew had the ship stabilized until fire reached an aviation fuel storage area causing a massive explosion. The ship was soon abandoned and sunk to prevent capture. Yorktown was also damaged in the attack. With Shoho sunk and Shokaku badly damaged, Takagi decided to retreat, ending the threat of invasion. A strategic victory for the Allies, the Battle of the Coral Sea was the first naval battle fought entirely with aircraft. Yamamotos Plan Following the Battle of Coral Sea, the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, devised a plan to draw the remaining ships of the US Pacific Fleet into a battle where they could be destroyed. To do this, he planned to invade the island of Midway, 1,300 miles northwest of Hawaii. Critical to Pearl Harbors defense, Yamamoto knew the Americans would send their remaining carriers to protect the island. Believing the US to only have two carriers operational, he sailed with four, plus a large fleet of battleships and cruisers. Through the efforts of US Navy cryptanalysts, who had broken the Japanese JN-25 naval code, Nimitz was aware of the Japanese plan and dispatched the carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Hornet, under Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance, as well as the hastily repaired Yorktown, under Fletcher, to the waters north of Midway to intercept the Japanese. The Tide Turns: The Battle of Midway At 4:30 AM on June 4, the commander of the Japanese carrier force, Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, launched a series of strikes against Midway Island. Overwhelming the islands small air force, the Japanese pounded the American base. While returning to the carriers, Nagumos pilots recommended a second strike on the island. This prompted Nagumo to order his reserve aircraft, which had been armed with torpedoes, to be rearmed with bombs. As this process was underway, one of his scout planes reported locating the US carriers. Hearing this, Nagumo reversed his rearmament command in order to attack the ships. As the torpedoes were being put back on Nagumos aircraft, American planes appeared over his fleet. Using reports from their own scout planes, Fletcher and Spruance began launching aircraft around 7:00 AM. The first squadrons to reach the Japanese were the TBD Devastator torpedo bombers from Hornet and Enterprise. Attacking at low level, they did not score a hit and suffered heavy casualties. Though unsuccessful, the torpedo planes pulled down the Japanese fighter cover, which cleared the way for the American SBD Dauntless dive bombers. Striking at 10:22, they scored multiple hits, sinking the carriers Akagi, Soryu, and Kaga. In response, the remaining Japanese carrier, Hiryu, launched a counterstrike that twice disabled Yorktown. That afternoon, US dive bombers returned and sunk Hiryu to seal the victory. His carriers lost, Yamamoto abandoned the operation. Disabled, Yorktown was taken under tow, but was sunk by the submarine I-168 en route to Pearl Harbor. To the Solomons With the Japanese thrust in the central Pacific blocked, the Allies devised a plan to prevent the enemy from occupying the southern Solomon Islands and using them as bases for attacking Allied supply lines to Australia. To accomplish this goal, it was decided to land on the small islands of Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tamambogo, as well as on Guadalcanal where the Japanese were building an airfield. Securing these islands would also be the first step towards isolating the main Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. The task of securing the islands largely fell to the 1st Marine Division led by Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift. The Marines would be supported at sea by a task force centered on the carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3), led by Fletcher, and an amphibious transport force commanded by Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner. Landing at Guadalcanal On August 7, the Marines landed on all four islands. They met fierce resistance on Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tamambogo, but were able to overwhelm the 886 defenders who fought to the last man. On Guadalcanal, the landings went largely unopposed with 11,000 Marines coming ashore. Pressing inland, they secured the airfield the next day, renaming it Henderson Field. On August 7 and 8, Japanese aircraft from Rabaul attacked the landing operations (Map). These attacks were beaten off by aircraft from Saratoga. Due to low fuel and concerned about further loss of aircraft, Fletcher decided to withdraw his task force on the night of the 8th. With his air cover removed, Turner had no choice but follow, despite the fact that less than half of the Marines equipment and supplies had been landed. That night the situation worsened when Japanese surface forces defeated and sank four Allied (3 US, 1 Australian) cruisers at the Battle of Savo Island. The Fight for Guadalcanal After consolidating their position, the Marines completed Henderson Field and established a defensive perimeter around their beachhead. On August 20, the first aircraft arrived flying in from the escort carrier USS Long Island. Dubbed the Cactus Air Force, the aircraft at Henderson would prove vital in the coming campaign. In Rabaul, Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake was tasked with retaking the island from the Americans and Japanese ground forces were routed to Guadalcanal, with Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi taking command at the front. Soon the Japanese were launching probing attacks against the Marines lines. With the Japanese bringing reinforcements to the area, the two fleets met at the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on August 24-25. An American victory, the Japanese lost the light carrier Ryujo and were unable to bring their transports to Guadalcanal. On Guadalcanal, Vandegrifts Marines worked on strengthening their defenses and benefited from the arrival of additional supplies. Overhead, the aircraft of the Cactus Air Force flew daily to defend the field from Japanese bombers. Prevented from bringing transports to Guadalcanal, the Japanese began delivering troops at night using destroyers. Dubbed the Tokyo Express, this approach worked, but deprived the soldiers of all their heavy equipment. Beginning on September 7, the Japanese began attacking the Marines position in earnest. Ravaged by disease and hunger, the Marines heroically repulsed every Japanese assault. Fighting Continues Reinforced in mid-September, Vandegrift expanded and completed his defenses. Over the next several weeks, the Japanese and Marines battled back and forth, with neither side gaining an advantage. On the night of October 11/12, US ships under, Rear Admiral Norman Scott defeated the Japanese in the Battle of Cape Esperance, sinking a cruiser and three destroyers. The fighting covered the landing of US Army troops on the island and prevented reinforcements from reaching the Japanese. Two nights later, the Japanese dispatched a squadron centered on the battleships Kongo and Haruna, to cover transports heading to Guadalcanal and to bombard Henderson Field. Opening fire at 1:33 AM, the battleships struck the airfield for nearly an hour and half, destroying 48 aircraft and killing 41. On the 15th, the Cactus Air Force attacked the Japanese convoy as it unloaded, sinking three cargo ships. Guadalcanal Secured Beginning on October 23, Kawaguchi launched a major offensive against Henderson Field from the south. Two nights later, they nearly broke through Marines line, but were repulsed by Allied reserves. As the fighting was raging around Henderson Field, the fleets collided at the Battle of Santa Cruz on October 25-27. Though a tactical victory for the Japanese, having sunk Hornet, they suffered high losses among their air crews and were forced to retreat. The tide on Guadalcanal finally turned in the Allies favor following the naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 12-15. In a series of aerial and naval engagements, US forces sank two battleships, a cruiser, three destroyers, and eleven transports in exchange for two cruisers and seven destroyers. The battle gave the Allies naval superiority in the waters around Guadalcanal, allowing for massive reinforcements to land and the beginning of offensive operations. In December, the battered 1st Marine Division was withdrawn and replaced by XIV Corps. Attacking the Japanese on January 10, 1943, XIV Corps forced the enemy to evacuate the island by February 8. The six month campaign to take the island was one of the longest of the Pacific war and was the first step in pushing back the Japanese.

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration Assignment - 5

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration - Assignment Example Most people left the country when government forces intensified the bombardment of rebel-held areas (BBC). The civil war has displaced many people. Some of them have sought refuge in the neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. According to UNHCR, the number of registered Syrian refugees was 2,863,595 as at 9th July 9, 2014. There were a further 45,503 refugees awaiting registration. The UNHCR also estimates that 6.5 million refugees are internally displaced in the country (Unhcr.org). The largest exodus of Syrians has been from areas that have witnessed the worst conflict. In Deraa, the birthplace of the revolution, an estimated 355,485 (19%) people have fled their homes since the conflict started. In Homs, an estimated 344,198 (18%) people have left their homes. In Aleppo, it is estimated that 285,601 refugees have left for the neighboring countries. Most of the people migrating from Syria to other countries are women and children. According to UNHCR estimates, nearly half of those fleeing the conflict are children. Three-quarters of these Syrian children are under the age of 11. The Syrians displaced by the war remain as refugees in their new locations. About 130,000 of them are in Zaatari Refugee Camp in the Jordanian desert. Security remains a major challenge to the residents of the camp (Unhcr.org). One of the effects of the Syrian civil war is the creation of a humanitarian crisis. The fighting has displaced millions of people from their homes. As a result, access to basic commodities and health care has become a crisis. Civilians who are trapped in some areas of the country are unable to find food (Wsj.com). Some of them who are injured due to the fighting do not access medical care. In some cities such as Homs that have been under siege, civilians were forced to survive on anything, including eating grass.