Critical Reflection: Operations Management and Decision-Making, MBA503

This report presents a critical reflection on the learning experiences from a group project, presentation, and individual assignment in operations management and decision-making. The author discusses the acquired knowledge of operations management, its effectiveness within an organization, and the significance of new terms related to the subject. The report highlights the importance of delivering high-quality products and services efficiently, solving complex business problems, and the roles of operations managers in both manufacturing and service delivery. Key decisions for managers, such as developing capabilities, designing processes, and managing value chains, are also considered. The author emphasizes the importance of involving stakeholders in decision-making and the optimum utilization of resources to improve productivity. The discussions and group activities enhanced the understanding of the value chain, supply and demand chain, and logistics within the organization. The report concludes with a deeper understanding of how the value chain helps in developing a competitive strategy and the effective implementation of planning within the organization.

Operations Management and Decision-Making Models

Introduction
In the present section, I am going to critically reflect upon my learning experiences
from my participation in the group project and presentation. I am going to present my
understanding which I have gathered from the discussions in workshops and the individual
assignment of operations management and decision making.
Answer 1
As I have progressed through my project, presentation and individual assignment I
have acquired the most basic knowledge over the subject of operations management and
decision making and its effectiveness within an organization. Also, I confronted many new
terms that were related to the subject and learnt its significance with decision making and
operations management of an organization. At the most basic level, I got clarity for how
operations function must deliver top quality products and services efficiently and effectively
to meet the needs of clients and customers. Next, as I progressed through the subject I
became empowered by solving business problems that were complex and were related to the
journey of products and services from the manufacturer or service provider to the consumer
end. Basically, operations management falls under the two categories which are production or
manufacturing and delivery of services (Govindan et al. 2015). The operations manager are
responsible for the delivery of services to the consumers. As a result, I became aware that
manufacturing focuses on the delivery of a tangible product and involve less direct contact
with customers than the role of service (Taticchi et al. 2015). As a part of the group program,
a list of the decision was presented which are most likely to be made by the operation
manager and compared with the list of other groups. I gained better clarity over the
responsibility of a manager in an organization that can be practised effectively within an
organization.
Answer 2
After completing the project I have gained substantial knowledge and confidence in
operational management and decision-making that can be applied while practising as a
manager in an organization. I learnt that key decisions that will be taken by me as a manager
in an organisation is the development and maintenance of existing capabilities and designing

new processes. Along with these two, I have to take care of the organisation and development
of value chains which linked external suppliers and external customers to the internal
processes of the organization. Further decision making in operations like developing and
monitoring key performance measures such as quality and cost are also have to be practised
being a manager (Rezaei, 2016). I can apply the knowledge gathered for making a tactical
decision relating to the production and staffing plans, inventory management and project
management. From the case study of Apple Inc., a lot of information were useful in
understanding the role of the manager in decision-making processes and forming an
operations strategy. The most important learning that I gathered is while making a decision it
is highly recommended to involve all the stakeholders to minimize any conflict and establish
transparent communication.
Answer 3.
Throughout the study, the major things that helped me in to know the importance of
managing operations are the optimum utilization of resources, the efficiency of the overall
productivity and necessity for an organisation maintain daily activities smoothly. In any
organization, the overall productivity is the key to achieve daily goals and long term business
objectives which is actually the ratio of input to output (Wheelen et al. 2017). Operation
management focuses on the resources available for planning the best way to achieve the end
goals thereby improving overall productivity. Further, I found that operation management is
the pivot of any organization to control value chain which caters to the needs of customers.
Here profits of an organization depend on the optimum utilization of the available resources
(Heizer et al. 2017). Therefore managing operations are important as it controls the flow of
various raw materials and efforts of the employees to convert it into the necessary goods and
services demanded by customers. I learnt that operations management contributes towards
achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense which is very
much vital for an organisation to gain its objectives and produce a well organised and
competent organization.
Answer 4.

Within this study I was made to participate in a number of discussions and group
activities that enhanced my knowledge and understanding of operations management and
decision making. Primarily I along with my group members was made to compile a list of
decisions that we believe to be accounted by operations managers. Then by comparing the list
with another group, I was empowered to know there are numerous responsibilities for a
manager that I and my group members failed to think about. The most important decision-
making that we skipped are managing the facilities and forecasting the resource need in
future. I found logistics and supply chain management influences the decisions of a manager
and also responsible for setting conceptual models to ensure every operation takes place by
considering the business ethics (Mahadevan, 2015). In other activity, the work experience
and backgrounds of each student in a group of four students were discussed to understand the
application of operation management and decision in details. Depending upon the service or
manufacturing background of their work experience I was able to understand various
operations and decision-making practices within an organization depending upon the
customer needs. In other group activity, I learnt about the value chain in planning and
operations including strategic planning, tactical planning and operational planning. The value
chain is given more priority over supply chain as it is completely driven by consumer demand
pull which further influences the organizational operational strategy and decisions (Swink et
al. 2017).
Answer 5.
Some aspects that have been reflected upon but not included above are the concept of
the value chain, supply and demand chain and logistics which also plays a crucial role in
operational management and decision making within an organization. I gained a deeper
understanding of how value chain helps in developing a competitive strategy and are also
interlinked with converting inputs into outputs most efficiently (Chisholm, 2017). Value
chain tends to focus on maximising the total value added to the customers. I also found that
effective implementation of tactical planning, strategic planning and operational planning are
also required to be included within the value chain that optimises the operational planning.

Conclusion
After critically reflecting upon the projects, presentation and discussion throughout
the study of operational management and decision making models I gained substantial
knowledge and understanding of the subject and its practical application within an
organization.

References
Chisholm, R., 2017. Interorganizational decision making. Routledge.
Govindan, K., Rajendran, S., Sarkis, J. and Murugesan, P., 2015. Multi criteria decision
making approaches for green supplier evaluation and selection: a literature review. Journal of
Cleaner Production, 98, pp.66-83.
Heizer, J., Render, B., Munson, C. and Sachan, A., 2017. Operations management:
sustainability and supply chain management, 12/e. Pearson Education.
Mahadevan, B., 2015. Operations management: Theory and practice. Pearson Education
India.
Rezaei, J., 2016. Best-worst multi-criteria decision-making method: Some properties and a
linear model. Omega, 64, pp.126-130.
Swink, M., Melnyk, S.A., Hartley, J.L. and Cooper, M.B., 2017. Managing operations
across the supply chain. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Taticchi, P., Garengo, P., Nudurupati, S.S., Tonelli, F. and Pasqualino, R., 2015. A review of
decision-support tools and performance measurement and sustainable supply chain
management. International Journal of Production Research, 53(21), pp.6473-6494.
Wheelen, T.L., Hunger, J.D., Hoffman, A.N. and Bamford, C.E., 2017. Strategic
management and business policy (p. 55). Boston: pearson.