Manual on elective ii - theme parks and attractions

Theme Parks and Attractions
3.1 Operations management I – Introduction
Operations management is about the day-to-day management of a site to ensure the
efficiency and smooth running of the operations. It is concerned with the control of the
system as well as tourist flow that matches the organisation’s resources to customer
needs. An operations manager needs to marshal the attraction’s resources including the
manpower, machinery and facilities to provide visitors with a satisfactory experience
so that they are willing to come back again.
Scope of operations management
Operations management covers a variety of variables from managing queues to
ticketing and manpower allocation. From the perspective of the organisation,
operations management aims at:
♦ Maximising the operations capacity and opportunities for visitor spending in
the park
♦ Ensuring safety and security
♦ Minimising operating costs, eg labour and energy
♦ Catering for the needs of special visitor groups such as the disabled
♦ Ensuring service quality standards
♦ Solving major and minor problems, if any, as quickly as possible
Within operations, there are some factors which can be controlled while others can not.
All these factors are important in ensuring the smooth operation of the park or
attraction and thus need attention from the operations manager. These factors are listed
in the following table.
Table 8 – Controllable and uncontrollable factors in operations management at
attractions
Controllable Uncontrollable
♦ Staffing – recruitment, training
and motivation. Volume and
quality of merchandise and stock
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♦ Staff prejudices
♦ Customer attitudes and