Operations Management Job Essay

Outside the business world, there exist other kinds of jobs that people engage in to making a living. Some of these professions include teaching and nursing. They are not the simplest tasks, especially for light-hearted individuals. In the teaching profession, it requires one who can handle children regardless of how of how stubborn they may seem to be. Teaching a child who does not want to learn is a bit difficult, and it calls for persevering individual to make sure that the children understand. The nursing profession is even harder than the teaching. Imagine the conditions that prevail in hospital conditions. Nurses and doctors have to handle very weird samples as the monitor the health of patients.

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Even in the business world, there are some very difficult jobs. Being a sales agent is one of the cruelest tasks. The terms and conditions make it even worse. In most case, sales agents are paid on commission alone. It is very hard to convince a buyer that your is better than the rest that is available in the market. The sales individuals may end up being frustrated after failing to sell anything. Despite these shortcomings, individuals still do these jobs day in day out with a view that someday, things will be well. However, most professionals are afraid of the moving from their comfort zones in the name of employment and join the business world. The business world brings about some diversity and as well as some financial freedom. It is unfortunate that most are uninformed and are afraid of the risks associated with starting a business. That is the main reason why a majority of the individuals go looking for employment instead of creating self-employment.

What are the five core characteristics of a good job design?

A job design entails a critical part of human resource management. It involves the description of the job, the requirements regarding organization and technology as well as personal and social requirements of a particular job (Bolweg, 2007). A reasonable job design must have a set goal. The goals are meant to monitor and control the performance of the job. While setting the goals of the job, the management must ensure that they are attainable. In most cases, they are based on the objectives of the business. Additionally, social aspects must be put into consideration when coming up with goals. The job content is another feature of the job design. This defines the overall nature of the task including variety and complexity of the tasks. Task significance is also featured in the job content.

Job functions as well as a key part of the design. In every setup, an individual is incorporated directly into the organization immediately after they are employed. For that reason, it is good for an individual to be informed of the tasks they are to carry out. The authority and responsibilities of the individual have to be stipulated too. The social aspect of the job is put into consideration too. Thus, the job relations have to be included in the job design. Job relations include aspects of teamwork which is the backbone of every successful organization. The friendly relationship between the workers is a main player towards the success. Job techniques should as well be considered while designing a job. It entails various tasks to be carried out as well as issues of power. I other cases task accomplishment and employee responses are part of the job design. Job design has to meet all the above-stipulated features for it to be a success. No individual is interested in disorderly organizations that work with no objectives.

Assume that you own a software development company. You want to form a keiretsu. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of the keiretsu, and what kinds of enterprises would belong to your keiretsu?

Keiretsu is a name of Japanese origin, and it means a group of enterprises with somehow inter-dependent businesses and shareholdings (Heizer & Render, 2014). A software development company is such a nice enterprise. Owning such a lucrative company, one can easily invest in a hardware company as well. The two can readily inter-wine and come up with a reasonable business set up. An electronics shop can as well do marvelously. Electronics such as computers provide a ready market for the developed software. Similarly, the computers will depend on the hardware as well. The three companies can effectively work together. To maximize the earnings, investing in car manufacturing industries can yield fruits. Present day industries rely on computer hardware and software for some functions like car tracking.

These systems have numerous advantages to the economy and individuals. There is a reduced risk of collapsing since the businesses support one another. Same way, a long-term relationship is built meaning ever there is a ready market for products and goods. It also implicates that employees are at no risk of being fired provided they are productive. On the other hand, the system can be a disadvantage. First, there is a possibility that the system benefits only a few individuals. To some extent, it can be termed as unfair competition. It is possible there are companies that produce better goods and services than those in the system, but since they are locked out of the system, they are forced to look for other markets. Same way, in case of a collapse of one of the enterprise, the whole system is bound to fail to owe to their conservative and somehow primitive approach.

Assume that you are the CEO of a small regional airline whose pilots get paid half of what pilots earn in the major national airlines. They threaten to strike unless they get comparable pay. What are the three basic approaches to negotiating with the pilots that you would use? What would be your negotiating position?

As far as negotiations are concerned, there are some approaches that are employed. A win situation in both parties characterizes an integrative negotiation (Lowry & Robinson, 2007). In such a case where the pilots are striking over pay rise, an agreement should be reached out such that the company and the pilots benefit. The result is a peaceful co-existence between the company and the pilots with no party feeling offended. A compromise approach is another significant way of solving the pay dispute. In this scenario, both parties have to give up some of their grievances to avoid a loose scenario but at the end benefit. If pilots leave, the company is bound to fail and the same way the pilot's risk being fired and others recruited to occupy their positions. On the other hand, the distributive approach represents a very unfair approach to settling disputes. Here one party benefits while other loses.

Being the CEO and such a situation arises, the best approach is the compromise approach. As much as it will affect the plans of the company, it is good to ensure that there exists no rift between the employees and the company and in this case the senior most leaders. From a personal point of view, I would fire them all and recruit some new pilots. However, due to the provisions of the company's constitution, I have no mandate, and hence the remaining is to mediate so that a better solution can be found.

Assume that you are the operations VP for a chain of clothing stores. Describe the costs associated with ordering and maintaining inventory.

Managing of an inventory has never been an easy task. It requires some procedures as well quite a large sum of money. Some of the associated cost includes the purchase cost, ordering cost as well as carrying cost among a chain of other costs. The purchase cost represents the cost of the items and the overall cost of the inventory. The ordering or procurement cost is the tricky part when it comes to the maintenance of an inventory (Indiaclass.com, 2013). The ordering costs carry within it other factors such as purchasing, transportation, and quality inspection. All those practices amount to lots of cash.

Although some businesses provide after sales services such as transportation, others are adamant about it. In such cases, it is upon the buyer to come up with a means of transporting the goods to their place. Apart from the transportation cost, the inspection must be carried out to certify that the clothes got into the country legally in case they were imported or if the producers are authorized. All this is done, and the cost belongs to the buyer. Adding the purchase cost, the transportation cost and the inspection, it is evident that maintenance of an inventory is expensive especially in cases where the shops to be supplied with the goods are far apart. The good thing is that profits are incredible.

References

Bolweg, J. F. (1977). Job design and industrial democracy: The case of Norway. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms International.

Heizer, J. H., & Render, B. (2014). Operations management: Sustainability and supply chain management.

Indiaclass.com. (2013). Costs associated with inventory management. Retrieved from http://www.indiaclass.com/costs-associated-with-inventory-management/

Lowry, L. R., & Robinson, P. R. (2007). Strategic negotiation: Integrating negotiation approaches to achieve best results. Eugene, Oregon: Resourceful Internet Solutions.