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The transformation model is the process of transforming inputs (labor, capital,
equipment, land, buildings, materials and information) into outputs (goods and
services) that provide added value to customers in a form of a product or service.
Atlanta Airline's operations all conform to this general input ʹtransformation-
output model. Input resources include aircrafts, pilots and crews, ground crews
and passengers and freights. The transformation process will move the
passengers and freight to their willing destinations, and this finally creates the
output of transported satisfied passengers and freight.

Accordingly to business writer Galloway in 1998, he defines operations as all

the activities concerned with the transformation of materials, information or
customers. Micro-operations are all those activities that go on within the
organization which contribute directly or indirectly to a macro-operation

On a closer look at Atlanta's operation's , it is fragmented into several micro-

operations which make up the whole business system.

All the micro-operations which run under the airport͛s Director of Operations
include the loading and unloading aircraft, putting meals on board, filling the fuel
tanks and cleaning the airplanes by the ground crews. Then, the baggage
handling operation is responsible for sorting, checking and dispatching bags to the
many departing flights. The airlines͛ ticketing staff is dealing with lines of
passengers, each of whom may have a different destination. The information
desk deals with the many queries, such as people wanting to know if their plane is
delayed, the location of a hotel, or trying to work out how to get by road or plane
to their final destination. Passengers flow through the lounges, passport control
and security checks, and use duty free shops and restaurants, all of which have to
always be kept clean and fully stocked. All of these activities, and more, are
coordinated by

A part of the transformation model chain is the input, inputted with the system of
creating the good or service.The inputs used in within the production of goods
and services are classified into two types; transformed resources and
transforming resources.
Transformed resources are those resources that are transformed in some way by
the operation to produce the goods or services i.e. its outputs. Transformed
resources in operations can be of three types. Firstly, are the materials, which are
the physical inputs fed in during the process. Secondly, is the information that is
being processed or used in the process itself. Thirdly, are the customers,
individuals who are transformed in some way, during the transformation process.

Meanwhile, transforming resources are those resources that are used to perform
the transformation process. There are two types of transforming resource , they
are staff and the business's core facilities.
The staff or labor involved in the transformation process include both people
who are directly employed by the organization in addition to those contracted to
supply services / subcontractors. While the facilities of an organization, also
known as capital include the businesses assets, such as buildings, machinery and
equipment. On evaluation of Atlanta Airport's , there is high dependence on both
labour and automated operations which depend on capital ex- the aircrafts and
airplanes, etc.

A service business such as Atlanta International Airport , are mainly concerned

with the transformation of customers, rather than for instance transformation of
information, as they are dealing with customer satisfaction and service through
their transportation service.

An example of transformed resources in Atlanta͛s airplanes could include the food

and drink served to passengers as meals, while the transforming resources
include the equipment used such as, cookers, refrigerators, and chefs, etc
The operations function within Atlanta International Airport is responsible for
arrangement of resources devoted to providing the best transportation service to
its customers. Therefore, the operations manager is responsible for managing
activities of providing the best level service to its customers.

Their direct responsibilities include managing the operations process, embracing

design, planning, control, performance improvement, and operations strategy.
Their indirect responsibilities include interacting with those managers in other
functional areas within the organization whose roles have an impact on
operations. Such areas include marketing, finance, accounting, personnel and
engineering. Operation managers also have other responsibilities such as; human
resource management of employees, asset management of an organization͛s
buildings, facilities, equipment and stock. They are also responsible for cost
management incurred to acquiring resources, transforming them or delivering
them to customers.

Additionally, a common priority of all operations managers is making decisions

related to designing, managing, and improving the exiting the operations system.
There are five main kinds of decision in which they relate to: - firstly, the
processes by which goods and services are produced.
Secondly, is the quality of goods or services, and thirdly the quantity of goods or
services (the capacity of operations). Fourthly arrives, the stock of materials
(inventory) needed to produce goods or services, and finally the is the
management of human resources

An example of a business with successful business operations is the 3M Company.

It has successfully achieved a good example of the strategic importance of
transforming inputs into outputs that provide competitive advantage in the
marketplace. 3M manufactures a top-quality adhesive tape called ͞Magic Tape͟.
Magic Tape is used for everyday taping applications, but it offers attractive
features that most other tapes do not, including smooth removal from the tape
roll, an adhesive that is sticky enough to hold items in place (but not too sticky
that it cannot be removed and readjusted if necessary!), and a non-reflective
surface.

For several decades, 3M has enjoyed a substantial profit margin on its Magic Tape
product because 3M engineers make the manufacturing equipment and design
the manufacturing processes that produce Magic Tape. In other words, 3M enjoys
a commanding competitive advantage by controlling the transformation
processes that turn raw material inputs into the high value-added Magic Tape
product. Controlling the transformation process makes it extremely difficult for
competitors to produce tape of the same quality as Magic Tape, allowing 3M to
reap significant profits from this superior product.

An opposite example of the strategic implications of the input/output

transformation process is 3M͛s decision in the 1980s to stop manufacturing VHS
tape for video players and recorders. In the VHS tape market 3M had no
proprietary manufacturing advantage, as there were many Asian competitors that
could produce high-quality VHS tape at lower cost. Since 3M had no proprietary
control over the transformation process for VHS tape that would allow the
company to protect its profit margins for this product, it dropped VHS tape from
its offerings.
The two 3M examples of Magic Tape and VHS tape show how important the
transformation process and operations management can be to providing and
protecting an organization͛s competitive advantage.