The Every Day MBA

3

Processes and operations

‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said, very gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.’

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

In a nutshell

All managers are day-to-day operations managers. Whether in the private or public sector, in for-profit or not-for-profit, large or small organisations, at the top or the bottom, almost every aspect of management can be seen as a contribution to activities that are organised, planned and subject to evaluation. In short, they manage processes that make up the operations that deliver the goods and services.

In this chapter you will:

• learn about the background, context and scope of the operations function
• define the difference between tactical and strategic management ...