Review and Critique of Operations Management and Project Life Cycle at Unilever

ID
Unit Number and Title Unit 187 – Operations and Project Management
Title Review and Critique of Operations Management (Part 1)
Project Life Cycle (Part 2)
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Table of Content
Part 1: Business Report
1. An introduction to chosen organization p
2. An explanation of operation vs operations management p
3. A review and critique of the implementation of operations
management principles within the chosen organization p
4. An analysis of the extent to which the operations management of
the organisation in the case study meets the requirements of the
organization p
5. Discussion of continuous improvement as a philosophy and
describe the Lean principles p
6. A continuous improvement plan, including your justified
recommendations for improvement, based on your review and
critique of operations management principles within your
organization p
7. Conclusion p
References p
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1. An introduction to chosen organization
Operation and project management refers to business practice to create
highest level of efficiency. It helps in generating more revenue and better
products can be made which help in satisfying needs of customers (Zhang,
Wang and Lin, 2019). The report examines, different operation management
principles, analysis of management, continuous improvement plan,
effectiveness of continuous improvement. Project management refers to
handling all issues and solve problems so that work can be completed on
time.
Unilever is a public limited company which was founded in the year 1929 by
Lever brothers. Its headquarter is situated in London, England. It is one of the well-
known organisation and provide good quality products so that needs of customers
can be satisfied. Unilever has its branches all over the world and provide products
like, food, ice-cream, wellbeing vitamins, tea, coffee, water and air purifiers, beauty
products and many other products. For managing day to day activity it is important to
make plans or strategies so that better products can be made and there will be no
confusion among employees (Murphy and Murphy, 2018). In Unilever company, all
employees are working properly and doing work as per the instructions given. So,
Unilever is one of the best company which provides good quality products to
customers and satisfy their needs.
2. An explanation of operation vs operations management
Operation refers to work of managing internal work of an organisation. When all plans or
strategies are made by managers then it becomes easy to work and accomplish goals and objectives.
For success of business it is important to focus on how to achieve targets by attracting more people
and it also help in generating more revenue. It is the responsibility of managers to make plans for
running business smoothly and attract people. Operation function describes how business will run,
what are the activities which is to be performed by employees and helps in designing function (Liu
and et.al., 2018). It is important to identify factors that can affect performance of company and
make plans to solve issues so that work can be completed on time and there will be no problem in
future.
Operation management refers to area of management which describes about designing
different functions and controlling day to day activities in an organisation. In Unilever company, all
the decisions are taken by managers and they are responsible for managing all work. In Unilever
company, managers are analysing market situation and according to that they are making plans so
that there will be no confusion. Operation is major function of every organisation because it includes
different department such as, supply chain, marketing, finance, human resource. In an organisation
it is important to make plans for running business smoothly and to accomplish targets managers
should identify market situation (Qin and et.al., 2019). This helps in making better strategies than
competitors and an organisation can build positive image in minds of customers. For smooth running
of business it is essential to make plans so that work can be completed on time.
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3. A review and critique of the implementation of
operations management principles within the chosen
organization
There are some operation management principles which can be applied by an organisation to
accomplish goals and objectives. Principles of operation management are: Rapid improvement
First principle of operation management is rapid improvement means changes should be made in
plans or strategies so that goals can be accomplished. This helps in making better plans or strategies
and business can run smoothly. For satisfying needs of customers, managers should make changes in
plans and try to implement best plan so that targets can be achieved. Managers should check
continuously that whether changes are required or not and make improvements accordingly so that
there is less chance of mistake (Rosli, Muhammad Tamyez and Zahari, 2020). Know the competition
Another principle of operation management is to know about the competitors. It is the responsibility
of managers to gather all the details about competitors, their strengths, weakness, opportunity and
threats. This helps in making better plans or strategies for future growth and development of
organisation. Managers should determine these points and solve issues to avoid confusion among
employees and work can be completed on time. Organise resources
Next principle of operation management is to organise resources so that production can be done
properly and there will be less chances of mistake. For accomplishing targets, managers distribute
work among employees and give instructions to perform task properly within given time period. So,
this principle can be applied by an organisation to run business smoothly and to avoid
misunderstanding among employees (Choudhry, 2018).
4. An analysis of the extent to which the operations
management of the organisation in the case study meets
the requirements of the organization
Taylor theory of scientific management
According to Taylor there are four principles which can be applied in Unilever company to motivate
employees and to boost their confidence so that they can work efficiently and focus on
accomplishing targets. Four principles given by Taylor are:
 Science, not rule of thumb – According to Taylor, this principle means managers should take
decisions after analysing all the situation and they should gather all the information
properly. It is important to make plans so that business can be run smoothly and to avoid
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confusion among members. It means rules should be applied in every company to maintain
equality among employees and it also helps in building positive image in minds of
customers. For satisfying needs of employees and to motivate them it is important to take
correct decisions (Shulga and et.al., 2021). Harmony, not discord
Another principle is harmony, not discord which means that in an organisation everyone should
work as a team and solve all the issues. This helps in completing work on time and better decisions
can be taken which is beneficial for growth and development of Unilever company. When employees
are happy then it becomes easy to work and goals of organisation are achieved. Cooperation, not individualism
Next principle is cooperation, not individualism, according to Taylor all employees should work as a
team or in group. There must be no confusion or misunderstanding among employees related to
work and all should focus on accomplishing targets. It is important to cooperate each other and
focus on completing work on time.
These principles are applied in Unilever organisation and managers divide work among
employees so that there will be no confusion and it also help in reducing confusion or
misunderstanding between workers. All employees have to work according to the instructions given
to them and there must be no issue (Atkinson, Gesing, Montagnat and Taylor, 2017).
The main objective of Unilever company is to satisfy needs of people and provide them good
quality products. For fulfilling targets it is important to make plans or strategies so that employees
can perform best and suggest new ideas which is beneficial in growth and development of company.
For earning more revenue, managers should make products according to need of customers and
quality should be good. Nowadays, people want good quality products at low prices and this helps in
increasing productivity of firm. Motivating employees also helps in increasing overall productivity of
organisation because when employees are working efficiently then goals are accomplished.
5. Discussion of continuous improvement as a philosophy
and describe the Lean principles
In every organisation it is essential to make changes or improvements so that work can be
completed on time and there will be no confusion or misunderstanding. There are some method of
continuous improvement which can be applied by managers of Unilever company to run business
smoothly and to focus on accomplishing targets (Khan and et.al., 2019).
Methods of lean production
Six sigma
Six sigma method refers to some stages which help in continuous improvement like, define,
measure, analyse, improve and control. This is a method which can be applied by managers of
Unilever company to improve performance and perform better than others. This has several stages
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which helps in making changes and better plans can be implemented (Oliveira, Sá and Fernandes,
2017). Firstly, define plans, then measure performance of every employee to find mistakes, analyse
problems so that improvements can be made. After that take actions to improve performance of
employee and last step is to control all the activities.
Kaizen (continuous improvement)
Kaizen method helps in making changes or improvements in plans or strategies so that goals
can be accomplished. For success of company it is important to apply some methods for continuous
improvement and make changes accordingly. This method includes six stages i.e., standardize,
measure, compare, innovative, again standardize and last is to repeat (Vinodh and et.al., 2020). This
process helps in making improvements in plans and business can be run smoothly. There are five
elements of Kaizen method such as, teamwork, personal discipline, improved morale, quality circles
and last is to give suggestions for improvements.
TQM
Total quality management refers to reducing and detecting errors or mistakes while
manufacturing products so that good quality products can be provided to customers. TQM helps in
improving overall performance of organisation, customer experience, improve performance of
employees. This method helps in making changes or improvements as per the requirement and
analyse overall performance so that work can be completed on time.
6. A continuous improvement plan, including your justified
recommendations for improvement, based on your review
and critique of operations management principles within
your organization
Taylor management principle
Taylor management principle helps in enhancing production and has the ability to control all things.
It helps in boosting confidence of employees and increase their morale to work as a team so that
work can be completed on time. this method decreases inaccuracy, autocracy and cost of production
is also reduced. Some negative points are, it requires huge capital, management takes control, overly
bureaucratic, demotivating approach and planning reduces approach (Carnerud, Jaca and
Bäckström, 2018).
Six sigma method
Six sigma method is used by most of the companies because it increases efficiency of business and
all employees are working efficiently. This method helps in satisfying needs of customers and make
plans or improvements for customer satisfaction and improve overall performance of organisation
(Yurkofsky and et.al., 2020). Some disadvantages of six sigma method are, it creates rigidity, requires
huge investment and it is not useful in solving issues. It is a time- consuming process which is not
good for success of company.
Kaizen (continuous improvement)
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