Semester 1 Business Operations and Management Report

This report provides a comprehensive reflection on the concepts of business operations and management covered in a Semester 1 module. It explores various facets of business management, including supply chain management, HR strategies, and organizational efficiency. The student reflects on the importance of these elements in achieving organizational goals and highlights the significance of skills such as time management and communication. The report also details the challenges faced during the module and how the student overcame them with the help of instructors and online resources. The student emphasizes the application of these learnings in their professional career and future studies, particularly in the areas of problem-solving and strategic decision-making. The report concludes by highlighting the value of reflection in understanding and applying business concepts, and its contribution to professional development.

Introduction to
business operations
and management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK ..............................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Business management is a term used to define various activities that a business undergoes so as
to generate more profit. Every business organisation wants to expand its business operation and
for that, it is needed to allocate resources in such a manner that it yields higher profit (Copacino,
2019). By allocating resource in right direction, company can get save time, cost and efforts.
Management strategies are formulated by top management and followed by each employee.
There are various concepts of management which are needed to be undertaken in order to
achieve organisational objectives. This module Introduction to business operation and
management covers all concepts of semester one and how it can be used in enhancing learning of
semester two. As the business environment is full of uncertainties and thus needs to be managed
by anticipating strategies. Business operations can be classified into three types which are
Service, merchandising and manufacturing. It is needed to study business management as it
facilitates in providing valuable information to students and can be used in professional career.
This project report is based on reflection and along with learning of business operations and
management. It will reflection of semester one and how this can be used in learning and
development of semester two.
TASK
I have keen interest in business and management and for this reason I have chosen this
stream. Interest towards business have developed when I have opted this stream and I have
dream to be a Floor coordinator of a reputed company. The passion took me to attend this
module as it consist of valuable information which can be helpful in making my career. I was
aware of some concepts of this module but have eagerness to learn more. This module helped me
in gaining valuable information about various topics such as supply chain, HR strategies,
operational efficiency of company and logistics. All these elements plays crucial role in making
business successful. By aligning all them in right direction, it becomes easier for company to
achieve organisational goals. It is needed to have adequate knowledge and skill in order to
perform specific job role. Before attending this module, I was not aware about supply chain and
HR strategies. But this module helped me in gaining insights of these topics. I have come to
know about importance of HR strategies and how it can help in solving problems of organisation
by creating pathway to eliminate those barriers. I have also get to know about how hiring of right

candidate can improve performance of company. In a company, there are various responsibilities
which are undertaken by HR manger such as making payroll of employees, recruitment and
selection, onboarding and relieving formalities. HR strategies involves various functions such as
recruitment strategies, outsourcing strategies and training and development strategies (Kiersch
and Gullekson, 2021). It will help me in my professional career as I can easily coordinate with
each department effectively and makes enterprise successful. Due to dynamic business
environment, it is important to anticipate strategies so as to minimise negative impact. In this
module, I have come to know about importance of training and development and how it can
positively affect company's performance. As the business world is changing rapidly, so it is
important to understand trends, patterns and customer's needs and wants so that it becomes easier
for company to accomplish objectives. In lectures of recruitment and selection, I have gained
knowledge about importance of recruitment and selection and what value does a right candidate
brings in making company more productive. By opting outsourcing strategy, I can manage extra
work by rendering it to third party company or to people. This will benefit company in saving
cost and time of hiring new candidate and to train for purpose of work. In organisational
efficiency module, I can use various tactics in making company more productive by eliminating
unnecessary activities which consumes time and cost of company. This module will help me in
taking critical decision in my professional career. This practice is essential in every business as
to make it more profitable. Quality control policies also one of the most important element which
directly contributes in making company more productive. Along with quantity, quality also
impacts on customer's choice (Oakshott, 2020). If a company have follows all control policies
then it would avoid penalties. Company must ensure quality of each product and there should be
random sampling of products so as to track quality of product. It is important for company to use
quality raw material as it will impact on finished product too. Before attending this module, I
was not familiar with importance of quality and quality policies but this valuable information is
valuable for me so that I can assure quality of products and services in my professional career. In
addition to that, this module help me in getting clarity about supply chain and logistics. They are
two important elements of product based company. In this module, I get surprised by knowing
that there are various software which replenish stock level whenever it goes below a set level.
This will help business in assess stock level and to maintain so that company would not face
shortage in case of high demand. In today's world people are more concerned with process rather

than product. Business should keep sustainability on topmost priority so as to elevate brand
image. Various companies considered logistics as a critical blueprint for supply chain. It can be
used to manage and coordinate resources so as to move products in time frame period. This
module will be beneficial for me as I can create a path which leads business towards
sustainability. By opting sustainability in company, it can reduce carbon footprints and increased
pollution which adversely affect environment.
While attending this module I was facing some problems regarding various issue
regarding supply chain and logistics. I was nervous because this topic scares me as I avoided this
lecture. As I have missed first lecture which creates barrier in my further learning. My base was
not clear and faced some challenges. I become anxious but thanks to my teacher as they
instructed me in a polite manner. They helped me in clearing my doubts and advised me to take
help of internet. I took help of internet in order to get clarity about some topics. By reading
articles and journals of business tycoons, it helped me so much. Along with these concepts, I
have come to knowe about various elements too which are important in business. In semester
one, I get to know about various skills which are crucial in management. I have gained some
skills which I can used in learning semester two. As I have acquired time management and
communication skill. These skills will help me in making this semester effective. By using time
management skill, I can be able to manage time and activities. I will use this skill to make
lessons effective. I can manage my learnings with personal life. By taking help of my peers, I can
be able to learn new things and will make more enhanced. I will use learning of semester one in
making semester two more effective. It creates a base for me and I will not face difficulty in
understanding further concepts. Previous module will help me in managing time with other
activities. By using communication skill, I can give presentation in an effective manner. This
skill will help me in delivering presentation on given project. I can communicate with my peers
and teachers and by using this skill, I can convey message accurately. Time management skill
facilitates in completing more work in less time. I can achieve my goals faster and makes me
more effective. As I have prior knowledge which will influence in my further studies. The
amount of prior knowledge positively influence both capacity to solve problems and in
knowledge acquisition. In order to improve my existing knowledge I will take help of my
teachers and will take feedback on a regular basis. This will help me in assessing my strengths
and weaknesses and I can take corrective actions in order to convert weakness into strength. I

will take feedback in a positive manner and will take immediate action to anticipate negative
impact. In addition to that, I will take help of my peers by conducting group discussion as it
gives an open platform to share views on specific topic. I will solve case studies on internet in
order to boost confidence. I will set effectiveness criteria for measuring performance of my
learning. Upon successful completion of module, I will compare my actual performance with
standard and take corrective measures to make it correct. As I gained knowledge of making
company efficient and will use in making me more productive. In my professional career, I cam
use my learnings as I can effectively coordinate with various departments of company. By
creating path for sustainability, I can minimise negative impact of company on environment. By
using all the skills, I can make this semester more effective. In addition to that, I have also
acquired problem solving skill which I can use in solving problems of semester two. Whenever I
will encounter with any issue, I will analyse root cause and will find feasible solution for that.
This skill can be fit in professional career too as I can effectively solve problem of subordinates
so as to maintain harmony among them. Having issue in company or in academics can affect
performance of individual and thus needed to be addressed immediately. I will keep notes of
semester one and will use whenever I will face any difficulty in understanding topic. I can
maximise efficiency of my learning by using strategies. I can manage my time and learning by
creating schedule and prioritizing work based on urgency and non urgency. By having prior
knowledge, it will help me in engaging with new lessons and makes it simpler to understand. As
I have prior knowledge, this will help me in understanding further concepts based on previous
knowledge. By having prior knowledge, it will lead to reduction in cognitive load which
facilitates in better learning engagement. The knowledge which I have acquired in semester one
will provide me with a structure or base into which new information can be integrated.
CONCLUSION
From the above project report, it was concluded that reflection helps in sharing of views,
thoughts and behaviour in own language. It will help me in depicting information of semester
one and how it can enhance learning of semester two. With the help of reflection, I can be able to
express my views and thought that I have faced while learning this module. With help of this
module, I have acquired knowledge about various topics from which I was not familiar with.
These learning will be beneficial for my professional career as I can use to manage resources of
company. With help of time management skill, I can manage time with academics and maintain

balance between personal and professional life. It is imperative to have knowledge about
management topics such as HR strategies, supply chain and logistics. In the initial stage of this
module, I have faced some difficulty but with help of my teachers, I have cleared my doubts. I
will use this learning in my professional life too so as to grab opportunities.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Cokins, G., 2017. Strategic business management: From planning to performance. John Wiley
& Sons.
Copacino, W.C., 2019. Supply chain management: The basics and beyond. Routledge.
Kiersch, C. and Gullekson, N., 2021. Developing character-based leadership through guided self-
reflection. The International Journal of Management Education, 19(3), p.100573.
Oakshott, L., 2020. Essential quantitative methods: For business, management and finance.
Bloomsbury Publishing.
Pierce, S., Gould, D. and Camiré, M., 2017. Definition and model of life skills
transfer. International review of business and management, 10(1), pp.186-211.
Schneider, J., 2021. On the Importance of Written Communication Skills and Student
Awareness: In-Course, Career-Relevant Resources and Exercises. In Enhancing Higher
Education Accessibility Through Open Education and Prior Learning (pp. 210-231). IGI Global.