Unit 187: Review and Critique of Operations Management Principles

This report provides a comprehensive review and critique of operations management principles, focusing on Unilever Plc as a case study. It begins with an introduction to the organization, followed by an explanation of operations versus operations management. The report then examines the implementation of various operations management principles, including agile manufacturing, lean production, and Taylor’s scientific management, analyzing their advantages and disadvantages within the context of Unilever. The analysis extends to assessing how well Unilever's operations management aligns with its organizational requirements, including objectives such as quality control and cost reduction. A detailed discussion of continuous improvement as a philosophy is presented, alongside an explanation of Lean principles. Finally, the report culminates in a continuous improvement plan, offering justified recommendations for enhancing operations management within Unilever, supported by theories such as total quality management, supply chain management, and enterprise resource planning.

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 the chosen organization
Unilever Plc is a UK-based organization that is operating in the international level. It
is one of the large organizations which is operating in the retailing and manufacturing
industry. It is an organization which is offering different types of foods like food, ice
cream, cleaning agents, personal care and other products (Glebova and et. al.,
2019). It is a company which is operated in around 190 countries. There are different
brands included in this company like dove, silk, omo, heart bell and others. It is a
company that is targeting three main divisions including beauty and personal care,
foods and refreshments, home care products. It is an organization that was
established by William Lever in the year 1929 in the UK. This organization is
considered the largest producer of soap in all over the world.
2. An explanation of operation vs operations management
Operation: Operation refers to activities in which a business engages in daily life for
purpose of increase in the values of the enterprise and also allowing a person to
earn more money. There are different activities that can be included in this which
assist for purpose of generating revenues and also for covering the expenses. It is
also important for the employees in order to assist them for purpose of attainment of
goals and enable them to perform different functions like marketing, manufacturing
and accounting and others.
Operation management: Operation management can be described as the field in
the business which is concerned with the administration of business practice for
purpose of maximization of efficiency within the business organization. It consists of
planning, organization and overseeing the process of organization in order to
balance the revenue, and cost and also assist for purpose of attainment of operating
profit. It is the responsibility of the operation manager to ensure the successful
conversion of inputs into output in a more efficient manner (Pérez-delHoyo and et.
al., 2019).
Both of these terms are providing guidance to the organization for the purpose of
avoiding mistakes and allowing the firm to complete the work of the organization in a
more efficient and effective manner. Operation includes the activities of the company
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but operation management is a term that manages these operation activities in the
organization in order to improve the efficiency of the organization.
3. A review and critique of the implementation of
operations management principles within the chosen
organization
Operation management is one of the important components in the business which is
creating impact over the different business operations. It consists of management of
different manufacturing activities and ensuring reduction in wastage, boosting
production efficiency as well as contributing to the increase in the profitability of
business (Tak and et. al., 2021). There are different types of principles in operation
management in the context of the organization. These principles are contributing to
the business in a different manner. Explanations of these principles of operation
management are mentioned below:
Agile Manufacturing service: It is one of the principles to be adopted in the
business of Unilever Plc which puts more emphasis on offering rapid response to the
consumer in context to the changing demands of the customer. For purpose of
attaining of competitive advantage in the marketplace, it is essential for the business
to ensure the satisfaction of customer demand. It is a principle that allows the
business to adopt the requirement of customers that allow the company to offer
personalization in their offering.
 Advantage: One of the advantages of using agile manufacturing service is
that in this, the focus of the customer is on designing the product. It is
essential for the business for purpose of improving the satisfaction of
customers. It is also important for the business for purpose of connecting with
the different information and technology systems that enable the company for
purpose of improving the efficiency of the business.
 Disadvantage: Adoption of this approach in business create a disadvantage
as it requires proper training and development of employees which will incur
the cost to the organization (Unzueta and Eguren, 2021). In order to adopt
this, business needs to implement a production process designed which
creates challenges for business.
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Lean production: It is one of the approaches that was developed by the Japanese
automotive in order to avoid wastage and also for purpose of improving the
production activities and process. This approach is focused on reducing wastage
and also for purpose of adding value for the customers.
 Advantage: It is one of the approaches which only requires the building
space manpower, necessary tools and suppliers in order to meet the
inventory demand. It helps businesses to reduce wastage as there is limited
waste in this approach (Vladimirovna and et. al., 2019). It is an approach that
helps businesses for purpose of developing good relationships with
customers.
 Disadvantage: There are some disadvantages in this approach which include
little margins for purpose of errors as any error may result in a loss of
efficiency. There is a lack of margins and flexibility in this approach for
purpose of missed deadlines as it can create an impact on the customer
relationships.
Taylor’s theory of Scientific Management: The philosophy of Taylor focuses on
the fact that enabling people to work is more difficult as they are not as efficient as in
the optimizing work that needs to be done. For this, Taylor is introducing the principle
of scientific management which is focusing on optimization as well as simplifying of
the jobs which is contributing for purpose of increase in the productivity of the
business. This approach is basically based on the same principles which include the
rule of thumb, harmony not discord, mental revolution, cooperation in place of
individualism, and development of every person to their efficiency (Wan and Yu,
2021).
 Advantage: Adoption of this approach helps businesses for purpose of
developing and improving in the labor system as well as their working
efficiency. It is an approach that ensures careful as well as an analytical
selection of the work which requires proper training and development.
 Disadvantage: Adoption of this approach creates disadvantages for the
business as it includes the higher cost for the business. This approach is also
not suitable for small businesses. This approach cannot get successful
without the cooperation of employees.
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4. An analysis of the extent to which the operations
management of the organisation in the case study meets
the requirements of the organization
Unilever Plc is one of the large organizations which is focusing on the some of the
objectives of the company. These objectives of the company include quality control,
productivity, cost reduction and others. In order to meet these objectives, the
company is adopting operation management. Principles of operation management
allow managers of Unilever Plc for purpose of reducing the wastage of the firm by
careful monitoring of different activities (Wei and et. al., 2021). It is also important for
the business to focus on improving the quality of the product by providing proper
training as well as educational opportunities to the employees in their organization. It
will also allow employees of Unilever to more focus on the work of the company
which is important for them in order to improve their productivity.
5. Discussion of continuous improvement as a philosophy
and describe the Lean principles
Lean production is one of the approaches which is adopted by the business in their
organization that does not add value to the customer. It is an approach that includes
different methods like Kaizen, Andon, Kanban, just in time and others. Six sigma is
also one of approaches which is used by businesses to ensure continuous
improvement in their organization (Xu, 2021). Six Sigma is an approach that was
developed by engineers of Motorola company which the intention of improving the
manufacturing process. It is one of the approaches which is used by the company for
purpose of collection as well as leveraging of data through the elimination of defects
and waste in the manufacturing process.
6. A continuous improvement plan, including your justified
recommendations for improvement, based on your review
and critique of operations management principles within
your organization
Write
Source Principle Outcomes
Cost kaizen In order to reduce the cost of the company, Unilever
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Plc can adopt Kaizen principle. It is used by the
companies for purpose of ensuring the continuous
improvement of operation and also the employees. It
helps the business for purpose of decreasing waste by
eliminating of overproduction, improving the quality and
making the operation of the company more efficient. It
is essential in order to reduce the idle time required
and also for purpose of reducing unnecessary
activities. As a result, business can saves the cost of
the company.
Quality TQM It is another approach which is used by business for
purpose of detecting and reducing the error in the
manufacturing, supply chain and other activities
(Zhang and et. al., 2023). It is one of important process
for purpose of maintaining the quality of the products
and service which is important in order to enhance
experience of customer for the product and service.
Safety Enterprise
resource
planning
It is a approach is used by company for purpose of
managing as well as integrating different important
parts and resources for the business. It is used by the
business for their day-to-day work like accounting,
project management, compliance, risk management,
supply chain operations and other things. It is one of
the important approach which helps business for
purpose of having proper resources in the organization
and also for the purpose of ensuring safety in the
business.
Delivery Supply chain
management
It is another approach that is used by the business for
purpose of handling of production flow of the business
that starts from the raw component to the delivery of
the final product (Zhu and Yingnan, 2020). It is
important for the business in order to develop a
network of suppliers which allows the company to the
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completion of the production of the products and also
enables timely delivery in the business.
Effectiveness of a continuous improvement plan using appropriate theories,
concepts and/or models:
There are various benefits of a continuous improvement plan including the use of
different theories like total quality management, supply chain management,
enterprise resources planning and kaizen. It is important for the business of Unilever
Plc to increase the engagement of the employees as it allows them for purpose of
increase the efficiency of the business. These theories included in the continuous
improvement plan help the business of Unilever Plc for purpose of retaining
employees. It will also allow the business to increase the quality of the product which
allows business for purpose of increasing competitiveness of business. These
theories also provide business for purpose of improving customer service.
Application of appropriate theories, concepts and models to justify strategies
of a continuous improvement plan for achieving improved efficiency
There are different types of theories and models to be used by businesses for
purpose of improving efficiency. These theories include Taylor’s mgt, Flexible
specialization, Mass customization, Kaizen, Six Sigma, TQM, JIT, Benchmarking,
SCM and ERP. All these approaches have their own advantage and disadvantage of
business. It is important for Unilever Plc to adopt total quality management which
allows the business for purpose of managing the quality of business.
7. Conclusion
From above mentioned project report, it can be concluded that operation and project
management is one of the important components of the business. It is essential for
the business as it does not allow employees to waste different resources. It allows
them for purpose of improving the efficiency of the business and also allows them for
purpose of increasing the profitability of the firm and also reducing the cost of the
company. There are different principles of operation management to be adopted by
the business in their organization. In order to get more efficient, business needs to
adopt continuous improvement plan on a regular basis.
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References
Books and Journals
Glebova, O.V., and et. al., 2019. Civil Project Management at Russian Defense
Enterprises Taking Into Account Consumer Attitude to Changes in the
Product Design and Operation. Academy of Strategic Management
Journal, 18(6), pp.13-13.
Pérez-delHoyo, R., and et. al., 2019. Unexpected consequences in the operation of
urban environments. Kybernetes.
Tak, A.N., and et. al., 2021. BIM-based 4D mobile crane simulation and onsite
operation management. Automation in Construction, 128, p.103766.
Unzueta, G. and Eguren, J.A., 2021. Training in higher education in the Covid-19
context: A case study of operation management training in a Business
Innovation and Project Management Master.
Vladimirovna, G.O., and et. al., 2019. Civil Project Management at Russian Defense
Enterprises Taking into Account Consumer Attitude to Changes in the
Product Design and Operation. Academy of Strategic Management
Journal, 18(6), pp.1-16.
Wan, L. and Yu, X., 2021, August. Research on the Operation and Management
Mechanism of the PPP Mode of the Smart City Construction Projects in the
Era of Big Data. In International Conference on Management Science and
Engineering Management (pp. 399-412). Springer, Cham.
Wei, Z., and et. al., 2021, October. Remote Cooperation System of Electric Power
Communication Operation Inspection Based on AR Technology. In 2021 2nd
International Seminar on Artificial Intelligence, Networking and Information
Technology (AINIT) (pp. 226-238). IEEE.
Xu, J., 2021, August. Advancement of Sustainable Development, Project
Management and Operation Optimization Based on the Fifteenth ICMSEM
Proceedings. In International Conference on Management Science and
Engineering Management (pp. 1-11). Springer, Cham.
Zhang, S., and et. al., 2023. Risk Model and Decision Support System of State Grid
Operation Management Based on Big Data. In International conference on
Smart Technologies and Systems for Internet of Things (pp. 419-427).
Springer, Singapore.
Zhu, Y. and Yingnan, T., 2020. A Preliminary Study on the Business Operation
Oriented Teaching Reform of Advertising Education in Higher Vocational
Colleges. In Education and Awareness of Sustainability: Proceedings of the
3rd Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2020 (ECEI 2020) (pp.
27-30).
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Table of Content
Part 2: Project Portfolio
Project Title p
An overview of the case study you have been given p
An explanation of each stage of the PLC that applies to your
selected project, including supporting documentation for each
stage (e.g., business case, the project plan, cost-benefit analysis
and work breakdown structure):
 Project initiation p
 Project planning p
 Project execution p
 Project closure p
Analysis of the project methodologies and tools used p
Review and critically evaluate the effectiveness of the PLC in
application to your project using the appropriate theories models
and concepts p
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Project Title
In-House Food
An overview of the case study you have been given
Large manufacturing organization in the Midlands has around 1250 employees in
their organization. It is one of the organizations which has a number of employees in
their organization and all of these are playing their own roles in the business. The
business is currently facing issues related to the increasing movement of employees
during the lunch break and other issues faced by the staff are related to the
development of a healthy lifestyle (Brisacier-Porchon and Hammami, 2022). In order
to overcome of it, project managers need to plan a project. The objectives of the
project are reduction of the movement of the employees during the lunch break
which is important for the business. Another objective of the business for purpose of
the project plan is helping out the staff members for developing a healthy lifestyle. In
order to overcome of it, business can focus on offering cookies and other food
inhouse to the employees which allow them to reduce the movement of the
employees and also it will helps the company for improving the health of the
employees which allow them to reduce the absenteeism in the organization.
An explanation of each stage of the PLC that applies to
your selected project, including supporting documentation
for each stage (e.g., business case, the project plan, cost-
benefit analysis and work breakdown structure):
 Project initiation
It is one of the first stages of project management in which a business needs to have
proper participants as well as stakeholders, goals, objectives and scope of business.
It is one of the important components for the business which allows them for purpose
of intiate of the project. The title of the project is the In House Food. It is a project
which is focusing on the developing own cookies and other snack whch are healthy
and tasty at the same time. Goal of this project is to improve the heath and also to
control the movement of the employees (Chowdhury and et. al., 2020). This project
takes around 1 months which is creating positive impact over the business system
as it allow employees to enjoy healthy snacks at work. In this, roles of the managers
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is to increase the awareness of health among the employees and also to increase
their engagement.
 Project planning
It is the another stage which helps business for purpose of plan the document and
also deliver the document in the effective manner. This process includes different
things like scope planning, resources planning, budget planning, work breakdown
structure and other things (Heissenberger and et. al., 2022).
 Project execution
It is another stage of project completion that require proper action as well as
planning for purpose of attaining of goals of the business. It requires proper changes
as well as documentation for purpose of implementation of change in the business. It
includes the project deliverables as well as the change request for the business.
 Project closure
It is the last stage for purpose of completion of the project. In this, different team members
are planning to end up the project life cycle. It allows the project manager for the purpose of
completion of the project.
NAME OF THE COMPANY/project: In-House Food
• VISION, OBJECTIVES: Vision of the organization is to develop a business
which is dedicated for the employees by adopting the corporate social
responsibilities and also adopting sustainability (Malyar and et. al., 2020).
MISSION: Mission of the company is to increase the satisfaction of the consumer
with the product quality and service.
Executive SUMMARY: This project is developed for purpose of reducing the
absenteeism of the employees in the organization. It is also important for the
business in order to control the movement of the employees.
What is the new idea of innovation?
The innovation in this project is that it is based on new concept which is focusing on
reduction of time to be taken by the companies in the lunch break In this, employees
can order the food through their phones in advance and it will helps them to get the
meal on the timely basis. New in this is that focus of company is on healthy food.
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Why is it an opportunity –
It allows a business to increase the trust among the employees as organization is
concerned for the health of the employees.
how does it improve on what we already have?
It will helps them company to improve the present situation by reducing the
employee movement time as inhouse food is available in the organization itself.
What resources do you need to bring it about – people, equipment, time, etc.?
It does not require much resources and only require stoves for cooking, utensils,
furniture, 2-3 employees and others things (Mao 2021).
What are the risks and the potential benefits?
Risk in this is that whether the employees will like h taste of food. Benefit in this
project is that it allows business to reduce the level of absenteeism in organization.
How will the cash flow work –
It will not allow the business to earn much money as the goals of this is to improve
the health of employees and also for reducing the movement time of employees hat
will help the company to save the cost of the company.
Business Strategy for the project
• Advantages of the above ..
Advantage of the above project is beneficial for the internal management of them
company as it allow business to reduce the time of employee over non productive
activities and allow them to focus on the work of organization (Shuanglong and et.
al., 2018).
• Limitations/problems of the above
Limitation of this project is that it allow the business for purpose of incurred the cost.
It also shift focus of business to other activities of the organization instead of main
activities of business.
Analysis of the project methodologies and tools used
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Agile methodology is one of the ways for purpose of managing the project by
breaking it into different categories. It consists collaboration of different stakeholders
as well as the continuous improvement stage. There are different tools included in
this that are used by the business in the project. It includes different tools and
techniques include like Kanban, scrum and others.
 Kanban can be described an approach that is used for purpose of managing
the project that allows the team for seeing the progress and also noticing
which things come to next.
 Scrum is another project management tool used by businesses for purpose of
dividing the project into different sprints and allowing them to plan and
manage the sprint at one time.
Project management tools are used by the business for purpose of managing the
project in an effective manner. It includes different tools which helps business to
carry out its operation in an effective manner. Different tools used for purpose of
business includes work breakdown structure, network diagram, Gantt charts and
others. All these tools provide proper guidance to managers of the company for
managing the project in an effective manner (Yevlanov and et. al., 2019).
Project leadership can be described as the art as well as science for purpose of
steering a team for purpose of completing the project in an effective manner. It is
important to combine the team for purpose of attainment of goals and objectives
which is important for motivating the team for purpose of attainment of goals and
objectives.
Review and critically evaluate the effectiveness of the PLC
in application to your project using the appropriate
theories models and concepts
Performance management can be described as an ongoing process related to
communication between supervisors as well as employees which can take place
throughout the year for purpose of attaining of objectives of the business. For this,
businesses adopt a project life cycle which allows businesses to understand the
different stages of completion of the project. There are different advantages and
disadvantages of the project life cycle for the business.
 The advantage of using the project life cycle is that it ensures proper
communication among the team members related to the setting of goals and
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other things. It is also important for the business for measuring the risk
present in the business. It enables the business to manage the time for
completion of work on time and also for purpose of attaining accuracy in the
project.
 The disadvantage of using a project life cycle is that it will result in a
higher cost for the company. For completion of the project, it is important for
the project manager to provide proper training and development for the
business as it results in an increase in the cost of the company.
There are different performance management tools are used by businesses
including milestones, deliverables, benchmarks, key performance indicators and
others. These help business to review the process and activities of the organization.
For this review, the business needs to adopt different steps including using of project
monitoring. It is important for the business to monitor the project which allows them
to evaluate different types of project activities. Another stage in this includes the
importance of reliability and validity. It is important for businesses to set a reliable
and valid target that allows them to attain their performance goals. It is also
important for the business to use different types of theories and models for this like
program theory as well as logic support a review theory.
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References
Books and Journals
Brisacier-Porchon, L. and Hammami, O., 2022, June. Coupling Architecture
Framework and Operation Research: the Case of NAF with Cost and Delay
Driven Multi-Criteria Scheduling. In 2022 17th Annual System of Systems
Engineering Conference (SOSE) (pp. 88-95). IEEE.
Chowdhury, K., and et. al., 2020, November. A Cloud–Based Smart Engineering and
Predictive Computation System for Pipeline Design and Operation Cost
Reduction. In Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference.
OnePetro.
Heissenberger, R., and et. al., 2022. MDR–Effective, flexible and operation‐oriented
flushing system for railway tunnels. Geomechanics and Tunnelling, 15(4),
pp.414-423.
Malyar, M., and et. al., 2020, September. Model of Operation Management Systems
Risk Assessment. In 2020 IEEE 15th International Conference on Computer
Sciences and Information Technologies (CSIT) (Vol. 2, pp. 190-193). IEEE.
Mao, Q., 2021. Risk management of project information system operation and
maintenance based on Cloud Computing. International Journal of System
Assurance Engineering and Management, pp.1-12.
Shuanglong, S., and et. al., 2018, October. Design and practice of integrated
platform for operation and management of fast charging station. In 2018 2nd
IEEE Conference on Energy Internet and Energy System Integration
(EI2) (pp. 1-5). IEEE.
Yevlanov, M., and et. al., 2019, October. Development of a model for the task of
managing the operation of a service-oriented information system. In 2019
IEEE International Scientific-Practical Conference Problems of
Infocommunications, Science and Technology (PIC S&T) (pp. 769-775).
IEEE.
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