BUSINESS PROCESSES

The necessary requirements for effective business operations

The necessary requirements for effective business operations

Introduction

In simple words, a business is a set of operations and processes that are put together to cater to a particular service or to provide people with a product meant to fulfil a certain need. There are two types of businesses in general. One type of business is product oriented and the other is service oriented. In a product oriented business, the customers are provided with a certain product to fulfil one or more needs. In service oriented businesses, the customers are provided with a certain service, again for the fulfilment or a certain need or needs.

When a common person looks at a business setup or a multinational organization, they often do not realize the level of details, hard work and dedication that goes into setting up a successful organization. Most people believe it is just the timely identification of a certain need and opportunity that leads to the creation of a successful business but this is not completely true. Although it is correct that the identification of an existing opportunity is quite crucial, it is also important to properly plan each operation of the business. It is important to map out how the business would actually work once the implementation starts.

The importance of smooth business operations

Business operations are the set of processes that contribute towards the working of a business. These operations contribute collectively and individually. The operations of a business are like the different parts of a car's engine. They all work together to contribute towards one common purpose: to make the car travel. At the same time, each part of a car's engine has its own purpose too. For example, the steering wheel helps the car go in the required direction. Similarly, different processes of a business contribute to one common goal: providing customers with a service or product and at the same time, each of the processes have their own functions and purpose (Merkle, 2009, pp. 45-50).

Departments of a business

To enhance the performance of a business, companies mostly departmentalize themselves and allocate each department with their own set of functions. Mostly, the departments of a business include:

Marketing and Sales Department

Finance Department

Human Resources Department

Administration Department

Elements of effective business operations

Effective business operations are those that efficiently provide customers with the required service or product. They contribute towards low costs and result in high sales volumes. The ultimate goal of every business is to produce higher sales and make more money. To achieve this goal, it is necessary for all the processes of a business to be in proper sync and coordination (Thomas, 2009).

Methods of Communication

The most important and crucial element for proper coordination and sync of different business processes is the communication between different departments. If there is strong communication between departments, there are fewer chances of errors and mishaps. Different organizations have different methods of communication. Some organizations prefer to keep communication strictly professional and employees only communicate via email or ...