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Corporate Sustainability Reporting A Focus on Beacon Lighting Groups
Corporate Sustainability Reporting: A Focus on Beacon Lighting Groups
Executive SummaryThis report aims to examine the concept of corporate sustainable reporting and how it applies to companies in different markets and industries. It evaluates the role of business in achieving sustainable reporting, the impacts of business’s sustainability reporting, and the strategies business can adopt to achieve sustainable reporting. Additionally, it examines how companies demonstrate their commitments towards sustainability reporting by evaluating Beacon Lighting Groups Limited annual reports. The report employs secondary sources such as academic journals in the research.
Sustainability is gaining momentum in the business world, with companies recognizing their roles in achieving sustainable development goals. Business activities such as reporting are vital in achieving sustainable development’s economic, environmental and social pillars as critical sustainable development goals intertwine with most business activities. Similarly, sustainability development impacts business operations. It influences public opinion, influences business ability to access finance, and opens new business opportunities. Businesses can build a sustainable leadership and management team, adopt sustainable innovation practices, and implement sustainable competitive advantage to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development.
The evaluation of Beacon Lighting Groups Ltd.’s annual report suggests that companies do not effectively demonstrate their commitment to achieving sustainable reporting. The company report provides little information on the company’s strategies and commitment towards achieving various pillars of sustainability development. Sustainability will impact how customers, investors, financial institutions, and employees view business, hence the need for companies to be part of this change.
Table of Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc88297871 h 11.0 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc88297872 h 32.0 Corporate Sustainability Reporting PAGEREF _Toc88297873 h 32.1 Benefits of Sustainability Reporting on Business PAGEREF _Toc88297874 h 43.0 GRI Principles PAGEREF _Toc88297875 h 53.1 Principles for Defining Report Content: Stakeholder Inclusiveness PAGEREF _Toc88297876 h 63.2 Principles for Defining Report Quality: Timeliness PAGEREF _Toc88297877 h 64.0 Evaluation of Beacon Lighting Groups PAGEREF _Toc88297878 h 74.1 Evidence of Application of Stakeholder Inclusiveness at Beacon Lighting Ltd. PAGEREF _Toc88297879 h 85.0 Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc88297880 h 86.0 References PAGEREF _Toc88297881 h 10
1.0 IntroductionThe increasingly competitive global business environment demands excellence in every aspect of a profit-driven enterprise, primarily through developing sustainability to compete more effectively. By definition, sustainable development refers to adopting business activities and strategies that actively meet the demands and needs of the entire enterprise and the current stakeholder. It involves the business’s ability to sustain, enhance, and protect the natural and human resources needed for the future. From this definition, despite having received widespread recognition as an essential component in business, it is clear that the concept of developing sustainability is still very new, and organizations are yet to embrace it fully. Several business executives demonstrate that pursuing strategies aligned to sustainable development makes sound business sense. Today, companies are looking for ways to cut costs and ensure a favorable natural environment and resources outcome through sustainability approaches. By considering the Beacon Lighting Groups Ltd. 2021 Annual Report, this report intends to explain what corporate sustainability reporting is and the key benefits associated with this type of reporting. It will also describe two principles: one for defining report content and one for report quality from the GRI Foundation 101 and evaluate Beacon Lighting Group’s implementation of the selected principles in its most recent annual report.
2.0 Corporate Sustainability ReportingBusinesses in both developed and developing countries are increasingly being pressured to demonstrate greater accountability and transparency in their operations. Because of the potential health and environmental risks posed by their products and services, businesses are under increasing pressure to produce, assess, and make public information about their sustainability performance and impacts. While measuring progress toward global sustainable development goals is difficult, Corporate Sustainability Reporting may prove to be an effective tool in this regard. The tool can assist businesses and organizations in assessing their sustainability performance, setting goals, and assisting in the shift toward a green economy that is low in carbon and resource-efficient. It is available for free download here.
Business plays a vital role in achieving the full potential of sustainability development. The key priorities and sustainable development issues are interweaved with business activities, making business part and the solution to sustainability development. Business, directly and indirectly, contributes to the three pillars of sustainable development (Coulment et al., 2015). For instance, business influences all significant global environmental changes, from greenhouse gas emission, energy, and natural sources consumption, to waste production, impacting the environmental pillar of sustainability development. Additionally, the global over-reliance on the private sector for wealth creation and market integration makes the role of business central to sustainable development. These sectors contribute to global market integration, technological advances, and telecommunication and provide various serves that previously considered states’ roles (Coulment et al., 2015). The contribution to a country’s economic growth and development leads to better living conditions for citizens and contributes to sustainability development’s social and economic pillar. This implies that companies are crucial to the global realization of sustainable development goals.
2.1 Benefits of Sustainability Reporting on BusinessSustainability has gone from a buzzword to a reality over the past three decades, as evidence shows that businesses that incorporate it into their operations reap enviable rewards. As a result of this reality, more and more businesses are beginning to implement sustainability reporting. This figure, according to Hristov and Chirico (2019) will continue to rise from 20 percent in 2010 to 90 percent by 2020 for the S&P 500 companies. The impact of a company’s operations on the environment, society, and the economy are all measured through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, which are critical for the company (GRI Standards, 2016). The data collected through sustainable reporting can be used by businesses to improve their operations and lower their operating costs, provided that it is collected in an accurate and meaningful manner. Not only do they gain a better understanding of their energy consumption by reviewing their waste cycles, but they also discover opportunities for product innovation and the creation of a circular economy.
Sustainability is a good business in itself and offers several benefits to the company. It serves as a finance driver. Financial institutions and investors are increasingly becoming concerned with business involvement in achieving sustainable development goals. In the future, it will be challenging for companies without sound involvement in different sustainability development pillars to access finances from financial institutions or attract investors (Coulment et al., 2015). For instance, the number of financial institutions partnering with UNEP to integrate environmentally sustainable development goals in their operations continues to rise. This implies that financial institutions will consider companies’ involvement in environmental practices in their core operations in the future. Sustainability development is becoming an essential part of different institutions’ operations; therefore, businesses should ensure they are part of the change.
Third, sustainability development opens new business opportunities. The shift towards a sustainable future implies that businesses should change their operations to benefit from the opportunity sustainability development presents (Evans et al., 2019). New markets, new technologies, and partnerships are coming up, providing business opportunities for companies. For instance, the Petroleum industry is redefining its business from oil energy to renewable energy due to climate change convections and reducing gas emissions. This creates new markets, partnerships, and technologies such as partnerships between governments and energy and transport companies and the emergency of new technologies like photovoltaics. The business world is changing, and companies that want to survive in the future should be responsive to the changes.
Lastly, sustainability development will impact public opinion about a business. There is a growing public concern about the social, economic, and environmental state of societies. Therefore, the ability of a company to do something in contributing to the development of these pillars or be seen as doing something will impact public attitude towards these businesses (Coulmet et al., 2015). Public opinion influences company reputation, affecting company market share, investors confidence, community relations, and companies’ ability to attract employees. Sustainability development is a buzzword globally, and customers and the public are concerned with organizational involvement.
3.0 GRI Principles
The growth of a sustainable business should be the company’s broad goal and should involve every aspect of business and relationships. Companies should develop sustainability strategies that align with all company activities and business activities with the changing environment (Danciu, 2013; Anderson & Piacenza, 2016). Business should demonstrate to stakeholders their commitment to enhancing the company’s sustainability development. This can be achieved through sustainable management, sustainable innovation, and Sustainable competitive advantage.
Achieving high-quality sustainability reporting requires adhering to certain reporting principles. If an organization wants to claim that its GRI Standards-compliant sustainability report adheres to the Reporting Principles, it must do so. Both the content and the quality of a report can be defined by a set of principles known as reporting principles. The Reporting Principles can be categorized into two: those that define the report’s content and those that define the report’s quality.This report will focus on stakeholder inclusiveness and timeliness as the two main reporting principles.
3.1 Principles for Defining Report Content: Stakeholder Inclusiveness
GRI (2016) provides that reporting organizations shall identify stakeholders and explain response to their interests and expectations. An entity or individual that can reasonably be expected to be significantly impacted by the reporting organization’s activities, products, or services, or whose actions can reasonably be expected to impair the reporting organization’s ability to implement its strategies or accomplish its objectives are considered stakeholders. Included in this category, but not limited to, are organizations or individuals with legal claims against the organization based on their rights under the law or under international conventions of conduct. They include workers, suppliers, local community, shareholders, management, vulnerable groups, civil society, the government and other entities.
Reasonable interests and expectations of stakeholders must be considered when organizations make decisions about report content. For the purpose of involving stakeholders in the report-making process in a systematic or generally accepted manner, approaches, methodologies, or principles can also be used. It is possible to fulfill this principle by keeping an eye on the news media, engaging with the scientific community, or participating in collaborative activities with peers and other stakeholders. The overall strategy is to ensure that the information requirements of all stakeholders are met to the greatest extent possible. When describing the stakeholders to whom it considers itself accountable, the reporting organization can draw on the outcomes of stakeholder engagement processes that the organization has implemented in the course of its ongoing operations.
3.2 Principles for Defining Report Quality: TimelinessAccording to GRI (2016, p.16), the principle provides that “the reporting organization shall report on a regular schedule so that information is available in time for stakeholders to make informed decisions.” The term “timeliness” refers to both the frequency of reporting and the proximity of the report’s impacts to those impacts. Information usefulness is closely linked to whether stakeholders have time to incorporate it into their decision-making process. Consolidated disclosure of economic, environmental, and social impacts is expected to be provided on a consistent basis by the reporting organization despite the fact that this is desirable for some purposes.
A consistent reporting frequency and reporting period length are also essential for ensuring that information can be compared over time and that the report is easily accessible to all parties involved in the process. Providing stakeholders with timely sustainability reporting as well as other forms of reporting, such as financial reporting, can be beneficial if their reporting schedules are coordinated (GRI, 2016). The organization’s ability to strike an appropriate balance between releasing data as quickly as possible while also ensuring that it is accurate and reliable is critical when it comes to restating previous disclosures, according to Lokuwaduge and Heenetigala (2017). For example, Beacon Lighting Limited annual report reveals a consistency type of reporting that is timely to facilitate the decision-making process.
4.0 Evaluation of Beacon Lighting GroupsBeacon Lighting Groups is an organization that operates in the middle to upper market within the residential lighting industry and has more than 115 stores across different states and territories (Beacon Lighting Groups Ltd., 2021). The annual reports are essential in demonstrating company performance via various techniques, including graphs, charts, and images in a way that is easy to understand while painting an accurate image of the company’s position (English & Schooley, 2014). In the 2021 Annual Report, Beacon Lighting Groups Ltd. (2021) has not demonstrated sustainability development in its strategy and general direction. The report briefly mentions sustainability in the risk analysis with the inclusion of environmental risks to its supply chain management (Beacon Lighting Groups Ltd., 2021, p. 9). The report conspicuously lacks a sustainability development structure, despite mentioning the need to protect the natural environment to reduce risks associated with neglect of the environment. While Beacon Lighting Groups Ltd. Annual Report (2021) acknowledges the environment’s role in expanding its financial, economic, social, and community realms, the lack of a sustainability program reduces its triple bottom line. There is a need for the organization to develop a strategy to ensure the protection of the environment. Hsu et al., 2019 require organizations to understand and adapt to theories relating to organizational adaptation. In the current business environment, customers require organizations to adhere to sustainability programs, a demand-side condition currently used to create competitive advantage. Therefore, despite the positive performance of Beacon Lighting Groups Ltd., the changing market in Australia calls for the ability of the company to adapt to the evolving customer needs and preferences. This adaptation will also have positive outcomes for the environment and enhance business continuity in the future.
4.1 Evidence of Application of Stakeholder Inclusiveness at Beacon Lighting Ltd.
GRI (2016) provides that reporting organizations shall identify stakeholders and explain response to their interests and expectations. An entity or individual that can reasonably be expected to be significantly impacted by the reporting organization’s activities, products, or services, or whose actions can reasonably be expected to impair the reporting organization’s ability to implement its strategies or accomplish its objectives are considered stakeholders. Businesses are racing to build companies that contribute to social, environmental, and economic pillars of sustainable development goals. These elements are important to various stakeholders because of how they are impacted through different interactions and interests. Beacon Lighting Groups includes its stakeholders in the annual reports to demonstrate their commitment to building a better business that is aware of the interests and expectations of all entities related to it. According to GRI (2016), the report content considers the outcomes of all stakeholder engagement process accepted specifically for the report. For example, Beacon Lights Ltd has considered the outcome of all its stakeholders engagement processes to inform its decisions regarding the current report.
5.0 Conclusion
This report examines the concept of corporate sustainability reporting and its applications to business in industries and markets. Business and sustainability reporting are dependent on one another. Business plays a central role in achieving the goals of sustainable reporting while the latter impacts business operations and other interested entities. Companies employ sustainable reporting, innovation, and competitive management to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability efforts. By evaluating Beacon Lighting Groups’ annual report, it is conclusive that a business needs to show its commitments towards achieving social, economic, and environmental sustainability by following upon the recommended GRI standards and principles. Sustainability reporting will be vital for business survival and competitive advantage in the future; therefore, business such as Beacon Lighting Groups should demonstrate commitment towards this course.
6.0 ReferencesAnderson, G. E. & Piacenza, L. D. (2016). Embracing non-financial reporting standards: Shareholder communications. Directory Advisory. 70.
Beacon Lighting Group Ltd. (2021). Annual Report, 2021. Acquis data Pty Ltd. https://www.beaconlighting.com.au/media/wysiwyg/investor-page/BLX_FY2021_Annual_Report.pdf
Coulmont, M., Loomis, S., Berthelot, S., & Gangi, F. (2015). Determinants and impacts of sustainability disclosure☆. In Sustainability Disclosure: State of the Art and New Directions. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Danciu, V. (2013). The sustainable company: new challenges and strategies for more sustainability. Theoretical and Applied Economics, 20(9), 7-26.
English, D. M., & Schooley, D. K. (2014). The Evolution of Sustainablty Reporting. The CPA Journal, 84(3), 26.
Evans, S., Vladimirova, D., Holgado, M., Van Fossen, K., Yang, M., Silva, E. A., & Barlow, C. Y. (2017). Business model innovation for sustainability: Towards a unified perspective for creation of sustainable business models. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(5), 597-608.
Hristov, I., & Chirico, A. (2019). The role of sustainability key performance indicators (KPIs) in implementing sustainable strategies. Sustainability, 11(20), 5742.
Hsu, G., Kovács, B., & Koçak, Ö. (2019). Experientially diverse customers and organizational adaptation in changing demand landscapes: A study of US cannabis markets, 2014–2016. Strategic Management Journal, 40(13), 2214-2241. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3078
Lokuwaduge, C. S. D. S., & Heenetigala, K. (2017). Integrating environmental, social and Governance (ESG) disclosure for sustainable development: An Australian study. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(4), 438-450. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1927
Politics, War and Terrorism
Politics, War and Terrorism
The events that occurred in the US on September 11, 2009 left the whole world in shock. The attacks in Washington, DC and New York were possibly the worst that the US had ever experience in a long time. These terrorists have succeeded in threatening the world security and also affected the relations between the countries they come from and the world. It is without a doubt that we are at a very pivotal point in history regarding terrorism. The reaction of the then president of the US George Bush was to use military force against the terrorists. Hardly twelve hours after the attack, had the president declared war on Afghanistan which is the country of origin of the terrorists. The president assured the citizens the US government will not rest until they find those responsible for the attack (Jackson, 2005).
Many other citizens as well as other countries supported the use of military force in fighting this war against terror. According to Arnove & Zinn (2002) and Gale, Radu & Sicherman (2009), the reason why these people use military force is because of the pain and anguish they feel and that is why they would support any means of capturing and punishment of these terrorists. However it is important not to let the immediate emotion that makes us seek revenge. The government should stop and answer a number of questions before deciding the right way to deal with this problem. If the war against terror is to be won, then the United States should go back to the drawing board to establish the facts relating to the terrorist attacks. The questions asked should be; who is responsible for this attacks? What are the motives for the attack? And most significantly, what is the best approach in dealing with this issue? Once these questions are answered then, this would be the first step towards fighting the war on terror.
The constant expenditure of millions of dollars on the military in a year has not provided security for the people of the United States against terrorism. As explored by Arnove & Zinn (2002), if the US wants to win the war against terror, then they should improve security checks to provide maximum security for their citizens. At the same time they should stop dominating the economy of other countries, an overruling military power and completely change its posture in the world. Historical data has shown that the continuous involvement of the US in international situations could be a reason why terrorists specifically target them. According to Gardner (2005) the expansion of military bases in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan is bound to cause conflict. What the government has continued to offer as solution to this problem has not yielded any results. It is going to be very hard for the US to win the war against terror if other strategies are not employed.
Arnove & Zinn (2002) support the idea that something has to be done though this does not involve the use of force. Using the same tactics of bombing used by the terrorist is not the most intelligent way to combat this problem. The reason that people result to war is because they can not resolve conflict any other way. However, it is vital to note that the use of dialogue is not going to be a reasonable solution; it might as well be compared to prayer or wishful thinking.
The bombing of Afghanistan as a way for the United Sates to stamp their authority is doing a great harm to the innocent citizens. The US government claims that not that many people are killed, but this is not true because the government does not care about the number of people that die as long as they achieve their ultimate goal. The government also works hand in hand with the press to make sure that the number of civilians reported dead is filtered to the minimum (Hess, Kalb & Shoreinstein, 2003). Most civilians in Afghanistan have escaped their country to live as refugees in other neighbouring countries where they are under constant attack and dying of starvation.
Reacting to terrorism by attacking other people is not ethical and furthermore, it is not going to be a solution. The US government is defending their approach saying that the bombing of Afghanistan is a way of destroying the training camps for terrorists. What the government has not realized is that the setting up of a training camp is a very easy thing. The terrorists can easily relocate to different places. The young men and women who join these training camps do so voluntarily and are given maximum protection by the governments where they are located. Finding them and destroying their training camp is a definitely a challenge for the United States military (Arnove & Zinn, 2002).
After the September 11 bombing of the Pentagon and the World Trade Centre, the then president of the United States claimed that the reason why these terrorists are out to get them was because they were against the democracy and the freedoms prevailing in the United States. This statement was only meant to get other countries to support the decision made by the president and the US government to forcefully attack Afghanistan. However, most people in the Middle East claim that the attack of the United States is not because of what happens internally, but what the country does externally. What angers the terrorists is the military bases that are continuously being expanded in these countries, the enormous military and economic support the US gives to countries that are at war with Iraq and the sanctions that have been given to most countries in the Middle East. According to Arnove & Zinn (2002), these are among the troubles that have caused pain and anguish to most people and they are the reasons that they are seeking revenge through terrorist acts and not because they are against the democracy and freedoms in the United States.
According to Arnove & Zinn (2002) and Jackson (2005) many have questioned the motives of the United States in their massive invasion of Iraq and other countries in the Middle East. Reflecting back on the era of the Second World War, the United States government decided that it was going to be the major superpower controlling oil resources in the Middle East. This was because it emerged as a winner in the war defeating France and England who initially had control over the Middle East. All the military invasions made by US government can be traced back to the business of oil in the Middle East. The government does not send troops in Saudi Arabia to protect the civilians by preserving democratic policies. The invasion is about money, the protection of countries that are allied to the US as well as fighting those who are not and the fight to be the controllers of oil prices in the world. Oil is the most important commodity that drives an industrial country to achieve economic growth not only in the US, but in other industrialized countries such as Japan and the whole world. For this reason, the United States has kept a close relationship with Israel and other oil producing countries and at the same time playing them against each other so that they could be the dominating force in the Middle East.
When thinking about what happened on September 11, we feel awful about what happened to those families where people were injured and even lost their lives (Jackson, 2005). However, the most important thing is that we should go beyond the pain and grief we feel and learn from this experience. The starting point should be to broaden the definition of terrorism or else some acts may be denounced while others accepted as terrorism acts. Conditions all over the world should be created where terrorism is opposed by all. Terrorism is an international phenomenon meaning that other people in the world are also victims of terrorism. In a way to get back at the US government, countries like Kenya and Tanzania which are strong allies of the United States government were attacked by terrorists. The people in these countries have been living in anguish and misery in constant fear that they might be attacked again. Politicians often talk about global markets but never do they emphasize on the issue of international solidarity which will strengthen global economy.
According to Arnove & Zinn (2002) and Cloke (2005) trying to understand terrorism is in no way a means to justify it. It is important to understand what terrorism is in order to figure out the root cause of this horrific act. The fact that those responsible for the September 11 attack were driven by a feeling of that they would earn a straight ticket to paradise; they are not mad people who would go around killing innocent people for no reason. These terrorists believe in something that acts as their driving force which could also be the belief of many other people who are not terrorists especially from the Middle East. All these people have a potential to become terrorists if the US government continues to implement its foreign policies to oppress them.
Changing of the US policies in the Middle East and other parts of the world will definitely change the image of the United States (Bardes & Shelley, 2009). The deploying of troops everywhere in the world gives a notion that the United States is not a peaceful country. The changing of image should also be accompanied by change of the reality which involves the change of the United States policies. The starting point will be the withdrawal of troops in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Iraq, removal of sanctions in Iraq that are a source of suffering and anguish to the civilians and easing its dominance in the oil resources in the Middle East. The revolution has to be radical and immediate which should remove the urge of the United States always wanting to be the superpower. The United States should emulate countries like Sweden and Holland which are economically stable yet they do not worry about being attacked by terrorists. These countries do not intervene in international situations, they do not have a military base anywhere in the world; they are not bothering people and that is why they are not worried about being attacked by terrorists (Gale, Radu & Sicherman, 2009).
Conclusively, there is need to improve understanding for conflicts in politics as well as politics in conflicts (Cloke, 2005). In order for the world become secure for us and for the future generations, it is important to examine and eliminate the root cause of terrorism. As the world turns to be a global village, the problems affecting one country end up affecting many people in other countries. The way that this problems are solved, will definitely affect the way countries relate to one another.
The best way for the United States to deal with the problem of terrorism is to make sure that the citizens are well protected. Hardly twelve hours after the bombing of the twin towers on September 11th, had the president Gorge Bush declared war against the terrorists by deploying military agents in Afghanistan in the search for the terrorist. The most significant thing would have been to improve the security checks in order to ensure that the citizens are well protected. People in the US are living in constant fear of an attack to the extent that any criminal activity is termed as an act of terrorism.
References
Arnove, A. & Zinn, H. (2002). Terrorism and War. USA: Seven Stories Press. Print.
Bardes, A. & Shelley, M. (2009). American Government and Politics Today: The Essentials. New York: Cengage Learning. Print.
Cloke, K. (2005). “Mediating Evil, War, and Terrorism: The Politics of Conflict.” Beyond Intractability.
Gale, S., Radu, M. & Sicherman, H. (2009). The War on Terrorism: 21st Century Perspectives. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. Print.
Gardner, H. (2005). American Global Strategy and the War on Terrorism. USA: Ashgate Publishing Company. Print.
Hess, S., Kalb, M. & Shoreinstein, J. (2003). The Media and the War on Terrorism. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. Print.
Jackson, R. (2005). Writing the War on Terrorism: Language, Politics and Counter-terrorism. New York: Manchester University Press. Print.
Define the concept Service and share your experience for any service you received recently and so far
University of Modern Sciences (UMS)
College of Business Administration
Course: Service Service Oparationss Management Code: MNGT 444
Semester: Fall 2013-14 Maximum Marks: 100 (10%)
Student ID First Name Family Name
QUIZ-1
Q.NO.1: Define the concept ‘Service’ and share your experience for any service you received recently/so far?
More often a service has been described as an act, a process and a performance. Examples of services include: tourism, banking, hospitality, hairdressing, transport and so many more. In other case services has been described as economic activities that create ‘added value’ and provides benefits for customer (consumers or organizations). Most commonly in all cases services have been considered intangible (immaterial). Their characteristics create a list of challenges for the marketing manager because he is forced to clearly communicate to the potential customers the benefits therein by drawing ideas and imagery that can be tangible.
Q.NO.2: What is Service Operations Management (SOM) and what is the importance of Service Operations Management for any Organization?
Organizations mainly focus on cost reduction, which could be achieved through ways including the perfection of management structures, initiation of good decision-making processes, and application of effective supply chains. All this contribute to the improvement of product quality or the perceptions that customers have on products or services. Good management is believed make an organization achieve most of its goals and objective.
The field of Service Operations management in the management of organization affairs deals with design, redesign and overseeing the important Service Operations of the business in the course of production of goods as well as services. Its contribution is important in enhancing the role and responsibility of the organization towards efficiency in business Service Operations with respect to use of minimum possible resources in the most effective manner to effectively meet the requirements of the clients (Tompkins & Harmelink, 2010). The success of the organization in this regard depends on the competence of the management to implement sound design in Service Operations management in all its aspects of business Service Operations. Efficient design should facilitate for a smooth management of the entire process that are responsible for the conversion of inputs (materials, labor, energy), to respective outputs (goods and services) (Pooler & Pooler, 2007).
Appropriate design in the production system of any organization is a vital determinant of the overall performance in that organization. Consequently, for the organization to make an effective contribution to the successful delivery of services and production of goods, the management must address their duty in implementing and updating a comprehensive as well as sufficiently detailed design of all Service Operations (Tompkins & Harmelink, 2010).
The focus of the organizations Service Operation management is effective resource and activity management in order to meet an effective production of products and delivery of services and therefore benefiting all stakeholders of the business. Efficiency with this respect is a cornerstone to a sustainable competitive edge of the organization (Tompkins & Harmelink, 2010). Through appropriate design in Service Operations, therefore, the management is put in the best position to facilitate efficient management of people, equipments, materials as well as the information resources that are vital in the process of production of goods as well as delivery of services to the clients. Business processes must also adopt appropriate design which facilitates the actual production of the goods.
Effective Service operation management strategies and skills are essential to the success or failure of a business (Craig, 2009). A business manager’s responsibilities are overseeing and coordinating business operations, marketing, strategizing, sourcing finances, creating a unique company culture and ensuring that the business fully complies with state rules and regulations. Effective business management entails many things and to be a successful business manager, one ought to understand the wider dimensions into which the particular business draws.
Operating a business organization effectively involves a lot of activities and many tasks. These cover all things from running the building that houses the business, maintaining the stock and organizing the finances to effectively communicate with clients, promoting the business and dealing with the staff. Coordinating all these activities and making sure that all of them work in harmony is what effective business management is all about (Moore & Kevin 1991). Management can be defined as the art of making effective use of resources to achieve goals and objectives. It involves careful planning, coordination and implementation of all aspects of an organization’s operations in such a manner that the aspirations and aims of an organization are promoted. Thus effective management strategies enable one to identify the purpose for which a business organization operates.
Effective business management also involves effective conflict resolution at workplaces. Conflicts, differences in opinions and clash of interests occur in every organization be it a family, company or government. Usually conflicts happen for various reasons and involve different people and these may be drawn from different departments within an organization (Moore & Kevin 1991). Successful managers need highly articulate skills to manage conflicts and enable them take advantage of the conflicts to create good organizational relationships. Conflict resolution is closely related to customer satisfaction. No company can be in business if it doesn’t have customers and as such no management practice can succeed if it overlooks the organization’s customer care practices.
Effective business managers always ensure that everybody working in their organizations understand the importance of customers and their services. Majority of business organizations have a customer care department that is mandated with the duty of overseeing that customers are treated in the best of their interests. Efficient customer satisfaction practices not only contribute to increased business in terms of retaining customers but also act as a tape for gauging the level of the manager’s success in selling the image of a company (Keene & Suzanne, 1996). Thus managers can ignore the contribution of good customer care practices at their own peril.
According to Craig 2009, contemporary business organizations have employed sophisticated and high tech management strategies not only for ensuring their survival in the dynamic business environment but also for edging out their competitors from the market. It is imperative for organization managers to fully understand the fundamentals and building blocks of organizational structures so that they can make appropriate preparations for implementing structures to enhance the performance of their respective organizations.
Q.NO.3: What are different types of Services? From the given list, recognize each set of activities and mention from which type of services it relates to:
List of Activities Type of Services
Maintenance
Consultancy
Training
Catering Training
Shops & Hotels
Banks & Insurance
Food & Beverages
Travelling & Tourism Consumer services
Finance
Social Networks (Facebook, linked In)
Purchasing
IT & Personnel Business services
Prison
Hospitals
Schools
Leisure Public services
Aid Agencies
Earthquake and
Famine relief related activities Addendum
References
Pooler, H. & Pooler, D., 2007, Purchasing and Supply Management: Creating the Vision, Chapman & Hall.
Tompkins, A. & Harmelink, A., 2010, The Distribution Management Handbook, McGraw Hill.
Moore, Kevin, ed. 1991, Leicester reader in museum studies, Museum Management, Routledge, London.
Craig, S. (2009, January 29). Merrill Bonus Case Widens as Deal Struggles. Wall Street Journal. [1]
Keene, Suzanne, 1996, “Managing Conservation in Museums”. Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers,Oxford, England.