Tour 151: Operations Management in Tourism and Hospitality Industry PDF

**Tour 151: Operations Management in Tourism and Hospitality Industry** **Chapter 1: Operations Management in Context** In every successful organization, there exists a hidden force that ensures products and services are delivered efficiently and effectively. This force is operations management---...

**Tour 151: Operations Management in Tourism and Hospitality Industry** **Chapter 1: Operations Management in Context** In every successful organization, there exists a hidden force that ensures products and services are delivered efficiently and effectively. This force is operations management---a crucial yet often behind-the-scenes function that orchestrates the flow of resources and processes to meet customer needs. **What is Operations Management?** Operations management is the activity of managing the resources which produce and deliver products and services. It is one of the core functions of any business. Operations managers are the people who have responsibility for managing some, or all, of the resources which compose the operations function. **Operations in the Organization** The three core functions of an organization are: - Marketing (including Sales): This function is tasked with promoting the organization\'s products or services and generating demand. It involves activities such as advertising, market research, and sales strategies to attract and retain customers. - Product/Service Development: This function focuses on creating and refining products or services. It involves innovation, design, and development to meet current and future customer needs and to maintain competitiveness in the market. - Operations: This function is responsible for the actual production and delivery of products and services. It ensures that the goods and services are produced to the required quality standards and delivered to customers in a timely manner. In addition to the core functions, several support functions are essential for ensuring the effective operation of the organization. These include: - Accounting and finance: which provides the information to help economic decision-making and manages the financial resources of the organization. It handles budgeting, financial planning, and investments to maintain financial stability. - Human Resources (HR): which recruits and develops the organization\'s staff as well as looking after their welfare. It oversees recruitment, training, employee relations, and compensation to ensure the organization has a skilled and motivated workforce. Each of these functions supports and enhances the core operations of an organization, contributing to its overall effectiveness and success. Operations management is relevant for all functions, and all managers should have something to learn from the principles, concepts, approaches and techniques of operations management. **Two meanings of \"operations\":** - **Operations as a Function:** This refers to the specific department or division within an organization responsible for producing the products and services. For example, in a restaurant, it\'s the kitchen and service staff who prepare and serve the food. - **Operations as an Activity:** This involves managing and improving processes within any part of the business. For example, it could involve finding better ways to handle customer orders in the restaurant or making the recruitment process in HR more efficient. To summarize, operations as a function is about the department that directly handles production and service, while operations as an activity is about improving how tasks are done in any part of the business. **Group Activity: Operations Management Role-Play** **Objective:** To understand operations management by role-playing industry-specific scenarios and solving operational challenges. **Instructions:** Each group will act out their assigned scenario, with each member playing a specific role. The scenario involves an operational challenge that the group needs to address effectively. - **Identify the Problem:** Determine the key issues affecting operations. - **Develop Solutions:** Discuss and implement solutions to resolve the issues. - **Manage Roles:** Each participant should fulfill their role's responsibilities in addressing the problem. **Group 1: Restaurant** Scenario: The restaurant has just launched a new menu and is experiencing longer wait times and customer complaints about incorrect orders. Roles: - Restaurant Manager - Chef - Waiter - Customers **Group 2: Airline** Scenario: The airline is facing delays due to unexpected weather conditions, affecting passenger check-in and baggage handling. Roles: - Airport Check-in Agent - Baggage Handler - Flight Attendant - Passenger **Group 3: Hotel** Scenario: The hotel is dealing with overbooked rooms and a surge in guest complaints about room availability and service. Roles: - Front Desk Manager - Housekeeper - Guests After the role-play, each group should prepare a short report or presentation that includes: - **Overview of the Problem:** A summary of the operational issue or challenge they encountered. - **Implemented Solutions:** The strategies and actions they used to address and resolve the problem. - **Impact of Solutions:** How their solutions affected the situation and improved the overall outcome.