Analysis of LivingWell Inc. Strategic Approach to Environmental Essay

Analysis of LivingWell Inc. Strategic Approach to Environmental Factors - Essay Example This essay evaluates the alternative or additional strategic options available for adaptation to ensure surviving and thriving of the LivingWell Inc. company in to the next decade. The researcher states that in today’s intensely competitive world, organisations are increasingly pressured to achieve targets and goals with limited and scarce economic resources. Effective deployment of organisational strategy directs the scare resources and efforts towards a charted course, eliminating waste arising from lack of direction. In crafting organisational strategies, the impinging internal and external environment factors needs to be analysed. The researcher of this essay aims to analyse the strategic approach taken by LivingWell Inc., in responding to the environmental factors influencing the industry. In conclusion, it can be noted that LivingWell has responded to business conditions prevailing and anticipated, through a mixture of corporate, business and functional level strategies. The company with its strong financial backing is in a strong position to benefit from attractive industry opportunities. The Health, Fitness and Leisure industry is still at its developing stages across the world and there is significant for growth. The researcher concluds his analysis and states that the company should continue with those strategies, which are proven effective while considering the deployment of alternative strategic options to retain and develop its competitive positioning in the industry.

Historical Milestones in Production and Operations Management Essay

Historical Milestones in Production and Operations Management - Essay Example While the process involved may vary from organization to organization depending on the nature of output be it tangible product or intangible service, the essential elements of production and operation management is concerned with the management of input-throughput-output process effectively and efficiently Operation Management can, therefore, be defined as â€Å"the management of the conversion process, which converts land, labor, capital and management inputs in to desired outputs of goods and services†. The progression of terms used for this management function over the centuries as manufacturing management, production management, and operations management, is a good indication of the evolution process it has undergone and the historical milestones it has achieved which will be the focus of evaluation in this essay. The origins of operations management can be traced to the Industrial Revolution era which began in the 1700s in England. The main features of the changes which t ook place during this era were the Centralized production, Powered machinery, and concept of Factory production. One of the landmark achievements of this era was the steam engine being invented by James Watt in 1764, which provided a new source of energy to power the factory concept. Another key milestone which revolutionized the discipline was the 1776 publication of Adam Smith’s seminal work known commonly as â€Å"The Wealth of Nations† which proposed the economic benefits associated with specialization of labor. His recommendation was that work should be broken down to subtasks, and assigned to workers where they became specialized in performing this tasks with efficiency through repetitive performance. As the industrial revolution gained momentum and spread to other parts of the world, Eli Whitney from America developed the concept of â€Å"Interchangeable parts† in 1970, laying the foundation for volume productions and standardized parts and the inception of large-scale factories in industries such as textile. By the mid-1800s, the traditional manufacturing systems associated with cottage and artisan productions was completely replaced by factory systems which also brought in new challenges such as managing the workforce and management of quality issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚