Analysis of Eden Project's Innovative Operations Management in Tourism

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Eden Project, a prominent visitor attraction in Cornwall, UK, focusing on its innovative operations management. The report begins with an introduction to operations management within the tourism industry and an overview of the Eden Project, including its mission, stakeholders, and visitor numbers. The main body of the report examines the implications of the location on the project's overall success by analyzing factors such as customer convenience, accessibility, labor costs, and community factors. It then identifies four key operational problems faced by the location, including service quality, crowd management, entertainment, and employee productivity. Finally, the report explores the impact of each operational problem on the various stakeholders involved, such as owners, employees, and visitors. The analysis draws on relevant academic sources and provides insights into the challenges and successes of managing a major tourism destination.

Innovative Operations
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................2
a. Examining whether the location of case study have any implications on its overall success .2
b. Identification of four operational problems that are faced by the location..............................3
c. Examining the ways each operational problems impacts on stakeholders of the location .....4
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Area of management that involves designing and controlling business procedures along
with redesigning operations to manufacture goods is known as operations management.
Likewise, innovative operations management could be delineated to combination of innovation
process management to that of change aspects. In tourism industry, operations are all services
together with activities that are undertaken for the purpose of managing locations or destinations
for leisure of tourists (Barnes, 2018). Similarly, visitor attraction is said to a location of interest
in which travellers visit, for its exhibited cultural or natural values, built beauty, historical
significance as well as offering amusements. For the assessment, chosen location or visitor
attraction is Eden Project which is an attractive traveller place situated at Cornwall, UK. It is
located within reclaimed China Clay Pit which is around 2 Km from town of St Blazey as well as
5 Km from larger town of St Austell. In the year 2019, around 1010095 people have visited the
place to explore beauty of the location. The project was conceived by Tim Smith as well as
designed by Grimshaw Architects that is architecture firm which carry out various tourism or
other projects with other construction companies. The destination also have an external botanical
garden that is home for numerous plants as well as wildlife native for Cornwall along with UK.
The place also have various plants which provides important addition to interesting backstory
such as prehistoric heritage. Mission of Eden Project is to explore dependence on natural world,
utilise understanding for excite population into delivering transformation and making great
future of the place as expected by travellers. It also aims to promote understanding together with
responsible management of essential relationship among plants, resources and travellers to lead
for sustainable future. Stakeholders that are involved in visitor attraction includes tourism
organisations, employees, government, investors, local community and many more. All these
have great influences on the destination as major contributions are made by all to promote
attraction across the globe. In this visitor attraction, operations management is important as it
assist in managing, controlling addition to supervision tourism related goods.
In this report, discussion related to whether the visitor attraction have any implications on
its success is made. It also covers identification of four problems that is faced by the location and
examination of all problems of operations impacting stakeholders involved in the visitor
attraction.
1

MAIN BODY
a. Examining whether the location of case study have any implications on its overall success
Innovative operations management refers to coming with entirely new ideas to meet
orders, develop goods, deliver customer services along with performing activities with new
processes, systems and mediums (Choi, Cheng and Zhao, 2016). In an organisation or visitor
attraction, innovative operations management boost morale of manpower, enhances productively
of management to work or implement new processes with procedures. In case with Eden Project,
innovative operations management grab attention of travellers in order to encourage general
public to grab attention of customers so that they visit the location, explore its distinct attractions
and influence its overall success. Importance of location that is Eden Project is to attract together
with retain productive workforce which optimise work-life balance addition to boost its long
term performances. Demand or supply side factors plays huge function in influencing visitor
location and impacts on its success in great manner. In case with Eden Project, some of demand
or supply side factors that influence overall success are as examined:
Convenience for customers: The factor is is all about experience of customers that saves
their time and efforts is termed to customer convenience. When customers are encouraged to
make purchase of goods through carrying out activities that saves their time and efforts, then it
generates huge demand for particular product and service that influences its success in the
market. In case with Eden project, time and efforts of customers are saved as they pre book a
time slot for each visit in advance (Das, 2015). Limited and timed tickets avoid customer
disappointment and influences huge purchase of tickets that helps Eden Project to achieve its
sales target, proportion of set revenues, etc that enhances its overall success.
Accessibility: It is said to ability to reach or access offered values. In tourism industry,
visitors are able to access travel related products and services easily as well as enjoy tourism
experience. In context to Eden project, travellers who belongs to nearer or far areas are able to
access or reach the place easily and experience the beauty of the location. When more and more
number of customers reaches the location then it improves retention rates of customers for the
location that enhances profits and also improves number of customers visiting annually that
results in attainment of overall success of the location.
Labour cost and skills: The term labour cost is delineated to amount of wages or salaries
that are paid to workers along with payroll taxes, workforce benefits and hence forth that are
2

charged through superiors (Gibson and Parkman, 2015). Similarly, labour skill refers to amount
of expertise, capacity and specialisation employees have to complete working timely. In case
with Eden project, around 13 million visitor visits the location that cost around £ 141 Million for
building as well as reckoned to have generated nearby £ 1.1 Billion for the West Country in
additional tourist spending. At same time, the visitor attraction is a major project in tourism
industry that have labour skills in all its department including technology, human resource
management, marketing, finance and many more. When all labours work and coordinate the
practices to provide analysed experience to travellers, they are able to help the visitor in reaching
at top position of locations that offers extraordinary experiences to customers and grab attention
of wider audiences and strengthen travellers loyalty. With this, demand of customer for
additional services by Eden Project enhances that have great chances to influence overall success
of the location.
Community factors: Support of society, life stress and social capital which impacts on
demand or supply of particular location are termed to community factors (Holmström, 2016). In
relevance to Eden Project, community factors encourages the location to create positive
influences as well as changes among local communities so to grab opportunities build a position
in tourism industry. The visitor attraction values community factors or choices of society over
profit as well as assist in sustaining local communities of Cornwall, UK that influences
positively on it to attain identified objectives to reach successful heights. As per historical
records of Eden Project, it is analysed that the location have made or contributed around £1
billion to the society of Cornish that resulted in huge return of investment that guides the location
to make success or gain overall success in the industry and economy.
b. Identification of four operational problems that are faced by the location
Operational problem refers to ant type of issue which occurs to render organisation less
profitable. When a location or business grows, they become part of various operational issues top
go with progress they are making (Lee and Tang, 2018). In context to tourism location,
operational problems renders the location less profitable as they create roadblocks to reach
towards identified objectives. For Eden Project, number of operational issues are identified that
are faced by the management of the location. The discussion of identified issues in context to the
location are as follows:
3

Service quality addition to customer experience: Service quality is comparison about
expectations of customers as it is connected with organisational performances. It is one of issue
related to operations of entity due to which organisation fails to deliver or offer desired quality of
service together with favourable experiences to customers (Khanna,2015). In Eden Project,
working of employees lacks the abilities due to which management is worried about customers
and provides service quality. Moreover, service quality and customer experience widely impacts
management and customer as when travellers are not satisfied with offered service quality then
they do not wish to visits the place again that impacts on management as it enhances workload
on them to make necessary changes in operations so that desired level of quality of services are
provides that make customer happy and satisfied. However, effective service quality and good
customer experiences drives sales of tickets of destination.
Capacity of Crowd management : The service quality is enhance about to defines about
quality improvise in servicing in hospitality way to deliver customer expectation fulfil by
accomplish all their needs and wants. It usually refers about making comparison that commence
through customer perspective or their experience which better to tend about company high
related performance criteria (Li, 2020) . As per situation of Eden Project, their service quality is
trained by leaders as they effectively provides optimum training to employees that allows for
getting skills and other interpersonal skills improvised which direct meeting needs to clear all
remaining objectify for competitive in their respective industry (Mahadevan, 2015) . The Better
service quality will automatic arise high rate of interaction visitor that automatic increase service
quality in effective manner. By analysing of performance of Eden Project employees and their
way of providing servicing that plays important role to reflect about better service quality.
Entertainment: The purpose of Entertainment is to making provide adventure, thrills,
comedy shows or any other content that creates full attraction of people and enhance huge
amount of joy. By approaching of Entertainment factor in Eden Project, as they are travelling
purpose of work where planning of execute their tourism and hospitality business in United
Kingdom to that their objective is to provide better entertainment facilities (Obeidat, Al-Suradi
and Tarhini, 2016) . This is one of major important specification in tourism and hospitality as it
tend to provide more interaction of customer in better way to obtain high objective attainment in
better way. Many alternative that Eden Project can approach to provide better entertainment
goals for customer excellence experience as well as that makes them sense of saisfaction by
4

provide seat television, radio, comedy hunt shows, more travelling base stories books, comics
and novel which increase the interest of customer experience.
Employee Productivity: As per this activity is gained to attained to effective measure
top amount of output for approaching project or any form of task that measure to accomplish that
in proper way or not. In perspective of Eden Project, their service or travelling and hospitality is
depend upon their employee productivity through approaching effective base training and
development as well as to motivate that helps to gain high positive outcomes for company (Slack
and Brandon-Jones, 2018). Some of strategies to provide better employee productivity as it is
important by making to polishing their quality and quantity amount of working traits. To getting
optimum way of scrutinize that helps to gain positive sort of challenges and opportunities
measure high productivity level through contribute their skills and knowledge which helps to
gain mapping individual service skills and attribution for mapping better sort of outcome in
favourable outcomes for Eden Project.
c. Examining the ways each operational problems impacts on stakeholders of the location
Stakeholders of an organization refer to the people who have an interest in the working
pattern of the company (Van Aken, Chandrasekaran and Halman, 2016). They are quite
important because their interests have to be taken care of so that their overall satisfaction level
can be ensured. They are Internal as well as External. The impact of the operational problems on
the stakeholders will be as follows-
Design and Layout- The design and layout problem of Eden Park will have an impact on
the Owners because the expenditure which will be done on this particular aspect will require the
use of different funds. The resort will have to be designed properly and its layout should be
convenient for all (Schilling and Shankar, 2019). Thus in this way owners are required to
identify the sources from where the arrangement of funds will be done. Also it will impact the
customers because the customers require that the design and layout should be made correctly
which will help them in getting a good experience.
Service Quality & Visitor Experience- The Service Quality & Visitor Experience is a
problem because it is essential to maintain it. It has to be maintained in Eden Park. This is so
because superior quality & experience will be quite helpful for the people to make sure that they
are able to get full value for their money (Witell , 2016). In this way the it is the task of the
managers to make sure that it can be enhanced so that the visitors of the park can get a highly
5

superior experience. Also the good service quality & visitor experience will be helpful in
ensuring that the park has a good review and rating among the customers. The impact on
investors will also be seen because the investors will require it to be fine because in this way the
overall service can be improved effectively and efficiently.
Capacity & Crowd Management- Capacity & Crowd Management is quite important in
Eden Park. If this is handled smoothly it enureses a good experience for the customers. This will
create an impact on the employees because they will be required to maintain the capacity and
ensure that the crowd management is done in the right manner. Also the impact on Government
will be seen because the better Capacity & Crowd Management from a resort will earn it praise
from the management.
Entertainment- Entertainment is important in Eden Park because the resort has to
consider it because it will primarily provide entertainment-related services to the customers. This
will create an impact on the managers because it is their responsibility that entertainment must be
ensured (Zeng, Phan and Matsui, 2015). Also the impact on Investors will be seen because they
are going to invest in a resort which offers superior entertainment facilities to the customers.
Thus the above-mentioned operational problems will require a solution to be derived so
that solving them can make sure that the functioning of the resort can happen smoothly leading
toward the attainment of the goals and objectives of the resort.
CONCLUSION
`In above report to better evaluate in better performance that effectively helps to
operational problem travelling based company as they want to establish their venture in united
Kingdom, as to describe about customer implication that helps to gain high productivity value.
Apart from it, analyse about to gain positive Stakeholder are more important for company to
making them satisfied towards provide resources for their better working attributes in effective
manner that enhance to perform for attaining better profitability by approaching to highlight
Service Quality Management, better crow management as well as more employee productivity
enhance better customer attraction that is necessary to get optimise in effective for attain
productive outcomes. As Eden Project measure to get to implemented towards gaining their
positive feedback that helps to get promote in different ways for interacting customer experience
6

gain. Employee performance and their service that attainment towards get productivity to
successfully attain all objective of attain all competitive work profitability.
7

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Barnes, D., 2018. Operations Management. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Choi, T. M., Cheng, T. C .E. and Zhao, X., 2016. Multi‐methodological research in operations
management. Production and Operations Management. 25(3). pp.379-389.
Das, A., 2015. An Introduction to operations management: The joy of operations. Routledge.
Gibson, P. and Parkman, R., 2018. Cruise operations management: Hospitality perspectives.
Routledge.
Holmström, J. an et. al.,2016. The direct digital manufacturing (r) evolution: definition of a
research agenda. Operations Management Research. 9(1-2). pp.1-10.
Khanna, R. B., 2015. Production and operations management. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..
Lee, H. L. and Tang, C. S., 2018. Socially and environmentally responsible value chain
innovations: New operations management research opportunities. Management Science.
64(3). pp.983-996.
Li, G. and et. al., 2020. Green supply chain management in Chinese firms: Innovative measures
and the moderating role of quick response technology. Journal of Operations
Management. 66(7-8). pp.958-988.
Mahadevan, B., 2015. Operations management: Theory and practice. Pearson Education India.
Obeidat, B. Y., Al-Suradi, M. M. and Tarhini, A., 2016. The impact of knowledge management
on innovation. Management Research Review.
Schilling, M. A. and Shankar, R., 2019. Strategic management of technological innovation.
McGraw-Hill Education.
Slack, N. and Brandon-Jones, A., 2018. Operations and process management: principles and
practice for strategic impact. Pearson UK.
Van Aken, J., Chandrasekaran, A. and Halman, J., 2016. Conducting and publishing design
science research: Inaugural essay of the design science department of the Journal of
Operations Management. Journal of Operations Management. 47. pp.1-8.
Witell, L. and et. al., 2016. Defining service innovation: A review and synthesis. Journal of
Business Research. 69(8). pp.2863-2872.
Zeng, J., Phan, C. A. and Matsui, Y., 2015. The impact of hard and soft quality management on
quality and innovation performance: An empirical study. International journal of
production economics. 162. pp.216-226.
8