AAT Kings: Continuous Improvement, Innovation, and Sustainability

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of innovation and continuous improvement strategies applicable to AAT Kings, a travel sector company. It begins by defining innovation and its importance, then delves into various methods for analyzing and evaluating programs, systems, and processes to ensure sustainability, including benchmarking, financial analysis, questionnaires, interviews, mystery visits, social monitoring, and business meetings. The report explores performance management techniques, such as SWOT analysis, process mapping, management by objectives, forced ranking, and brainstorming, along with continuous improvement theories like Kaizen and Six Sigma. It also examines organizational learning principles, methods for inspiring and rewarding innovative ideas, and the relationship between innovation and creativity. Finally, it addresses the role of creativity in achieving sustainable practices, offering valuable insights for business development and organizational enhancement.

Innovation

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
PART A...........................................................................................................................................1
PART B...........................................................................................................................................7
TASK C.........................................................................................................................................20
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................31
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................32

INTRODUCTION
Innovation refers to an activity and process of converting and translating idea and
invention into a good and service that generates values and for which target audiences will ready
to pay. To be acknowledged an innovation, a thought must be replicable at an economical cost
and must fulfil a particular need and requirement. In includes purposeful function of information,
imagination and programme in deriving better or diverse values from resources and considers all
activities by which new thought are arisen and occurred and transmitted into useful commodities.
This written document is supported to AAT Kings which was incorporated in 1912 and is a
travel sector company and operating its business as a tour operator and has been assisting
travellers, tourist and individual all over the world who plans to discover and explore Australia
and New Zealand from top to bottom. This document will cover information about quality
management and continuous improvement theories, risk management concepts, sustainability
practices, organisational learning principles and cost benefit analysis methods. Further, will
explain about organisational systems, processes, policies and methods to develop a continuous
improvement plan and communicate the plan to relevant stakeholders (Alexakis, 2016).
Moreover, the report will consider information about resource allocation and management
strategy.
PART A
Question 1: Describe the following methods of analysing and evaluating programs, systems
and processes in an organisation to ensure sustainability
Benchmarking
It is an activity of evaluating the performance of an organisation’s
commodities, facilities or procedures towards those of another
business included to be the best in the business sector. In context
of AAT Kings, it can be an activity of measuring the execution of
the enterprise’s services. It can be a way of discovering what is
the best execution being accomplished whether in a specific firm,
by a rival or by an entirely different sector. This data can then be
utilised to find out gaps in company’s procedures in reference to
attain a rival benefit.
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Financial Analysis
It is an activity and procedure of measuring business, projects,
budgets and other finance-associated transactions to analyse their
execution and suitability. In AAT Kings, this kind of analysis is
utilised to determine whether an entity is stable, solvent, liquid or
profitable enough to warrant a financial investment. The most
crucial benefit of financial statement analysis is that it offers an
idea to the investors about determining on investing their money
in a specific organisation.
Questionnaires and
interviews
A questionnaire is written document which consider a range of
questions related to a specific topic. This document is used for
survey or collecting information about a particular project
(Gavrieli, 2020). Interview is an act of making face to face
interaction and it is also a process of questioning-answering.
Mystery shopping
visits
It is an activity within an individual visits a retail store, restaurant,
bank branch and any such destination with the purpose of
evaluating the quality of consumer experience, There are several
establishment that explain brief processes and parameters to make
sure that consumers will have a good experience in their sales
locations.
Social media
monitoring
It is an activity of utilising social media tools to track, collect and
analyse the data of certain people or teams, basically
organisations, to measure their reputation and distinguish how
they are perceived online. In AAT King, the management of firm
perform this process to assess the firm position in marketplace by
monitoring and collecting information with the help of social
media tools.
Business Meetings It is acknowledged as a gathering of two or more individual to
discuss thoughts aims ad objectives that concern the working
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environment. The thoughts of business meeting are often to make
essential decisions towards the firm. In AAT Kings, this kind of
activities is performed in it to on a particular business related
topic, issues and aims or objectives of company.
Question 2: Explain performance management used in organisations.
Performance management is a procedure of assuring that set of actions and outputs achieves an
establishment’s goals in an efficient and appropriate form. It can make concentration on the
execution of a company, a department, an employee and the procedures in place to administrate
specific tasks. In AAT Kings, It is systematic activity of administrating and determining the
worker’s execution against their key execution parameters or aims.
Question 3: Describe each of the following evaluation tools which can be used to
measure performance.
SWOT
analysis
It is a strategic tool and method with the help of this activity an
organisation like AAT Kings can determine the capabilities, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats or risk of business.
Process
mapping
It is an act of generating a workflow diagram with the aim of gaining a
accurate and reliable understanding of how a process and its parallel
activities work. Mapping out business activities is great and immense
form to acknowledge all the phases required accomplishing a workflow.
Management
by objectives
It is a strategic management model and tools that goal to develop the
execution of a company by clearly explaining objectives that are
concurred to by both administration and workers. In AAT Kings, the
administration can implement and use it to improve competitiveness and
also help the establishment to link the firm’s fiscal aims like profits and
minimised costs, with the aims and execution evaluates for each
administrator.
Forced
ranking
It is a contentious workforce administration tool and method utilises
intense yearly evaluations to find out an organisation’s best and worst
executing workers, utilising person-to-person comparisons.
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Brainstorming It is an activity and process for generating creative ideas and solutions
through intensive and freewheeling team discussion. Within those
activity, each individual is motivated to think aloud and suggest as many
ideas as possible, no matter seemingly how outlandish or bizarre.
Question 4: Describe the following continuous improvement theories.
Kaizen Kaizen is an approach which was introduced by Japanese. The approach
majorly focuses that the organisation can make its performance better
through the continuous improvement in its operations and employees.
According to this approach the organisation seeks the growth with
gradual and methods processes. This concept includes a lot of aspects like
appreciating the continuous improvement into the methods or the
processes used in organisation. The engagement of employees in the
proper decision making. This concept also includes making the
organisational culture comfortable and happy so that the employees
becomes very much satisfied with the working environment. It is also
concern with making the work environment so effective and efficient by
encouraging the team environment and making the work place less tiring
and more satisfied and fun. Some of the goals or accomplishments of
kaizen concept includes control of quality, inventory management,
effective product development, Just in time delivery method, and etc. The
concept is not just related with bringing the major changes or
improvements into the organisation but also is related with bringing small
changes and improvements. But majorly the organisation focus upon
team work more where all the improvements or the changes are brought
in the organisation through the concern of employees.
Six Sigma This is an approach used by the organisation in a view to minimize the
errors. The approach uses the data and the statistics to minimize the errors
done by the organisation. Through the company's past data the company
plans detect the areas where the errors are present and through that
information they tries to minimise all those errors. In this the organisation
compares the variation in which it employees the organisation actual
performances with the standards (Fuller, 2017).
Question 5: What does ‘organisational learning’ refer to? List at least six
organisational learning principles.
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Organisational learning: It refers to a process in which the knowledge which is yet acquired by
the organisation from its past learnings and experience, it shares it all with the whole employees
and make them learn about how they can handle and performs the work. Through these
knowledge the organisation can only make its experience and performance better.
Six organisational learning principles: The six organisational learning principles are:
1. system thinking: In system thinking the organisation consider itself a member of large
community world rather than some isolated body.
2. Personal mastery: In this the basic objective of the organisational learning is to make the
employee a master of that field or work.
3. Mental models: In this the organisation encourages the thinking and the perspectives of
the employees so that their mental ability gets improved.
4. Building shared vision: In this the company or the organisation shares the visions which
they has with the organisation. All the employees has given the same opportunities to
build up the vision for the organisation and they can share the same with the others.
5. Team learning: It promotes the collective learning. The teams are made by the
organisation and then they work very much closely with each other.
6. Learning aligned with results: Managers and employees in every organisation posses
specific knowledge related to contribution towards success of their organisation.
Learning is something that will help in achievement strategic objectives.
Question 6: Explain three methods you could use to inspire and reward innovative and
creative ideas within an organisation.
Employee involvement: the organisation should encourage the involvement into the
employees into bringing the new and creative ideas for performing the work. The
organisation should make sure that all the employees should have the equal level of
involvement into the work and they must make sure that employees do come up with
something good and creative.
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Flexible working: The organisation should initiate the flexible working style and time
into the working environment, this would enable the employee in working into a relax
environment and due to which the employees can generate more creative and innovative
ideas for performing the task. The organisation should also motivates the employees and
appreciate the one who contributes good ideas or opinions. Appreciation can increase the
motivation level into an employee.
Tangible rewards: The organisation should award the employees with the tangible
rewards when they comes up with the creative and innovative ideas. These rewards can be
in form of prize money, bonus, salary increase and so on. Such kind of rewards does
motivates the employees in giving their required contributions.
Question 7: Read the linked Internet article below and answer the two
questions.
What is the relationship between innovation and creativity?
Creativity is a concept that is related to having focus in the practices of entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneur are willing to create some new values by investigation in new ideas and
generation of some specific recommendation that are used for supporting the structure. It is
also helpful in building of teams of different ideas to collect necessary resources for new
innovations.
Creativity can be defined as a literature arsing from the innovation and is related to having
creating solutions in new products services and processes. It is regarded as the successful
implementation of creative ideas and the way it is accepted by successful organisations.
Innovation is regarded as the ideation process of “Fuzzy front end” of the innovation that is
reflecting the understand of creativity as the initial step. Innovation is one of most
important ned objective that is part of structure of a organisation and supporting overall
creativity so that there can be a proper relation between these two aspects.
Do you think that you need to be creative to have sustainable practices? Explain with
your own viewpoints.
Creativity is present with the continuum of activities that is ranging from minor Changes to
radical breakthroughs. The meaning of a creative strategy is varying with the job involved.
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It is not necessary to be sustainable and be creative at the same time because there is
always a difference between being creative and production of new ideas that have to be
applied in the process of innovation. Creativity is to be related with only having a lasting
impact over a domain so that there can be initiation of change and there is new value that
can have a direct ling with the process of entrepreneurship.
Question 8
Risk Management
Concept
Description& Purpose
Risk Management
Process
It is a process through which an organisation manages its risk
through which they are prone. The process includes the five
steps these are:
1. identification of risks
2. Analysing of the risks
3. put weight-age upon the risk so that they can rank the
associated priorities.
4. Take the required measurement to cover the risk.
5. Monitor and control the risks.
Risk Rating and
Assessing Matrix
It is a table or the matrix in which the organisation measures
the risks in the level of its impact. It is put according to the
impact it would be going to put into the operations of
organisation and how often it will going to happen.
Risk Consequence They are the actions which are taken by the organisation in
the consequence of the risks. These actions saves the
organisation from the impact of risks.
Risk Register Risk register is a document in which the organisation registers
all the anticipated risks and the actions which they can take to
minimize those risks.
Question 9: Explain cost-benefit analysis. Outline the steps in cost benefit analysis
method.
Cost-benefit analysis: It is an analyses in which the business accumulates all the benefits
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which they are getting for a particular opportunities and then subtracts the cost associated
with it. If the cost associated with that opportunity or the project is within the bearable
range of the organisation, then they take that opportunity.
Steps in cost-benefit analysis method: The following are the steps in analysing the cost
benefit:
1. Specify the options which are available with the business.
2. Calculate the cost and benefit associated with each business options.
3. Compare the cost associated with the benefits calculated.
PART B
1A: In this task, you will review and establish strategies to evaluate performance of key
systems and process of your workplace (or the simulated workplace).
Workplace ORGANISATION: AAT Kings
the company operates among the new Zealand and Australia.
The company AAT king is a travelling operator company
which is engages in travelling business. It takes the
responsibility of the travellers and help them in their tourism.
The company provides the facilities of short or day tours,
guides tours and etc.
Process, program or
system to be reviewed
The organisation AAT kings uses the out dated technology
into their operations and activities.
Apart form this, they also do not have the featuring at digital
platform.
Innovative process,
program or system:
The organisation should review their technological system
and up gradation. The technology which is used by the
company is very out dated. Through the use of technology,
the organisation can bring ease in their operations and
activities.
Also the organisation should use the digital platforms for
their operations. Through introducing their organisation at
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digital platform will open a new revenue stream. The
organisation details can be available with every person and
there they can access the site and watch about the offers and
services offered by the organisation.
Organisational Policy or System
Name:
Organisational Policy or System
Name:
Strengths The organisation AAT Kings
provides the excellent touring
experience to their guests by
making the proper guidance for the
employees and also through the
proper services.
The company also the professional
employees who are very good
skilled and knowledgable. The
employees are very much trust
worthy and provides good services
to the guests.
Weakness
es
The company lacks the
technological up gradation and
advancements into their system.
The AAT Kings also does not show
themselves at the digital or online
platforms.
Opportuni The company has the opportunity The company should also have the
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ties to upgrade the technological
system so that they can serves to
their customers very well.
opportunity to develop a new
stream for their revenue through
introducing themselves at the
digital platform. They can take the
help of various social media sites
for promotions and advertisements.
Threats The company can face the
challenges or threats from the
competition which are prevailing
into the tourism industry.
The company also have the threats
from the political factors. As any
unfavourable rule or regulation can
cause an impact upon the
operations of the company.
Strategies, Improvements and Action Plans
Organisational Policy or
System
Name: Technological
factor
The technology which is been used by the company is
out dated which causes some sluggish operations into
the organisation. To eliminate this, the AAT kings
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