It has been almost 2 years since I became a student at the School of Business

Administration of the National Economics University. Unlike my high school years,

university opens up a whole new world: new people, new lessons, and new challenges.
My subjects are not just about letters and numbers, but also about broader things.
After entering NEU, I have studied many different subjects in economics, including
Operations Management.
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Le Thi Ngoc Han, a second-year
student at the National Economics University, majoring in Business Administration
and studying EBBA 15.2 class at the School of Business Administration. The first
time I was introduced to this subject was after a stressful exam. Honestly, when I
heard the name of the subject, I was not sure if I felt interested. Because the name of
the subject made me feel complicated and worried. The images of the subject in my
head at that time were just dry charts, formulas, and processes. I was also introduced
to Professor Soren Kirchner by my seniors, and I wondered if I could keep up with the
pace of my studies and absorb all the knowledge the lecturer conveyed. Curiosity
mixed with fear was my mood at that time. I still remember, on the first day of class,
as a habit, I chose a seat near an electrical outlet to conveniently use my laptop. But
the surprising thing here was that the professor told the whole class to “screen down”,
and I was very confused. I was used to studying and taking notes on my laptop, so
what should I do now if I didn’t have a device? However, in the following classes, I
realized the benefits of that. I no longer felt sleepy like before, nor was I distracted by
social networks or surfing the web, I completely devoted myself to the lecture. This
had never happened before and now it was completely different. Therefore, I also
absorbed more lessons. In the following days of study, new things gradually brought
me interest. The lectures not only provided knowledge but also linked with real-life
examples, helping me easily understand how to apply concepts to life. The professor
asked us to repeat what he said, even follow the actions, making us more absorbed in
the lesson than ever. He also sent us a lot of videos, more knowledge for me to learn
and study. We also worked in groups with paper and pen right in class, such as
drawing fishbone diagrams, .... I think it was much more interesting than homework.
Working with friends helped me broaden my vision a lot and learn more different
ideas. There were times when we argued about how to solve a problem, this helped me
learn to respect, listen and accept other people's opinions. Every day, our products are
regularly sent to the class group with countless new ideas. That can help us learn a lot
from each other. Just like that, my fear and anxiety were gradually replaced by joy and
passion. I want to research, want to learn and learn more. A remarkable thing in my
learning process is the group project work. The content of the project is to analyze the
operating strategies and production processes of a specific business. At first, my group
had a lot of difficulty in contacting to work with companies. Each person in my group
made many phone calls to contact different large and small companies, but it was not
until the day was near that my group found one, which was Au Viet laundry detergent
company. Immediately after that, my group and I went to the company. It was raining

1
that day, making it difficult for us to travel, but all members of our group were present
at the location on time. We met the manager and toured the factory under his
guidance. We also took photos and recorded a lot of videos as materials for our
group's work, along with interviews with the factory staff to collect the most realistic
information. After that, my group compiled everything and started the video editing
process. The meetings also became more frequent and longer, we would discuss the
work progress, assign responsibilities and support each other. These meetings were not
only to discuss the project, but also to help me improve soft skills such as teamwork,
communication and learning from other people's perspectives. Sometimes we met at
cafes, libraries or through online meeting applications such as meet, team... when we
didn't have much free time. Honestly, I used to suffer from peer pressure. While my
friends were busy with clubs and part-time jobs, I had a lot of free time. Every day, I
just went to school, came home, did homework, and went to sleep. Those boring,
meaningless days continued. Until, I studied Operations Management and participated
in this project. My free time was filled with group meetings, essays, busy days until
midnight. However, I felt very happy, when my time was spent on useful things rather
than wasted like before. I like this busyness, I feel happy and become more useful in
life. Therefore, it can be said that, besides academic knowledge, this project has
brought me many lessons about other skills in life as well as the opportunity to delve
into the practical aspects of operations management, motivating me to research and
learn extensively.
Talking about operations management, it is the management of activities,
structures, and business structures to create the highest possible level of efficiency in
an organization, related to the conversion of materials and labor into goods and
services in the most efficient way to maximize profits, resources, improve quality and
respond flexibly to market fluctuations for the organization. Each company, each
business has its own way of operating. For example, Toyota is an example of
operations management in the manufacturing industry, the company has used the Just
- in - time (JIT) model - only producing parts and products when needed and at the
right time without storing large amounts of inventory, helping to minimize storage
costs and increase production flexibility. Or an example of operations management in
the fast food service sector of McDonald's. The company uses a "mass production"
system that allows standardization of food processing processes. Each step is
standardized to ensure speed and product quality across the facility, which not only
saves costs but also ensures operational stability. Effective operational management
helps businesses increase competitiveness, efficiency and profitability, thereby
creating sustainable growth over time.
During the course, the operations management course provided me with a lot of
basic knowledge to avoid risks and disadvantages as well as to learn about analysis
and calculation methods such as the Ishikawa model, flowchart, decision-making
matrix, etc.

2
 First of all, Ishikawa diagram (1986) - an important tool that I learned from the
course. This is a fishbone diagram, showing the cause of an event and is used in
production and product development, supporting the identification of the root cause of
the operation process. This diagram also allows for a systematic and logical
assessment of quality-related issues and the identification of necessary resources. In
the course, we were asked by the professor to make an ishikawa diagram on a self-
selected issue, my group chose the topic of “stay up late”.

By using this chart, we have divided the main causes from different aspects. From
using electronic devices too much, drinking caffeine or due to procrastination,
studying, poor time management. In addition, we also mentioned the problem of being
affected by the environment such as too much light, too much noise, unpleasant
weather can also make us stay up late. Stress, insomnia also reduce the quality of
sleep. The causes we have studied are all shown in the Ishikawa chart in a logical and
scientific way, I think this also helps us systematize our knowledge. For myself, I
found that I often lose focus and often procrastinate, so I tried to use this chart to solve
my personal problems. I divided the causes into 5 main groups: People, Methods,
Materials, Environment, and Time Management. In the "People" group, I realized that
the habit of using the phone before going to bed made me seriously lack energy for the
next day. Regarding "Methods", not having a clear plan made me not know which task
to complete first. With "Materials", the main reason was that I did not arrange the
documents neatly, making it time-consuming to search. In the "Environment" group,
my study space was near the construction area, making my study efficiency low.
Finally, in the "Time Management" group, I found myself often procrastinating and
often getting distracted by social networks during review time. Based on these
analyses, I created a habit of not using electronic devices before going to bed,
spending 5-10 minutes every day planning and changing my study method to the
study-break method. After more than a week, I felt that my work efficiency and

3
effectiveness had become better than before. I am very happy to have learned about
this chart.
Next is about Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). This is a system of
important processes in operational management, helping businesses standardize work
processes and ensure consistency in operations. SOP plays a very important role for a
business, building SOP helps minimize errors, increase work efficiency, create a safe
working environment and provide guidance on how to solve problems and errors. In
class, we learned about SOP through a group assignment on choosing a lover.

For me, SOP has helped me manage my studies more effectively. I have used it to
manage my revision before the exam in a more scientific and effective way. My
process includes: Creating a list of main topics to review, then Allocating reasonable
time for each topic, then Searching and arranging documents by topic selectively,
Practicing and finally I will Summarize the knowledge I have reviewed before the
exam day. This helps me avoid missing important knowledge and makes the review
clearer and more targeted.
Another knowledge I learned in Operations Management is about flowcharts. This is a
visual tool used to describe and analyze processes, systems or activities. The chart
uses simple geometric symbols (rectangles, parallelograms, circles, diamonds, etc.) to
represent different steps in the process. Creating a flowchart helps businesses reduce
errors and confusion in the process, while supporting the company's leadership in
developing specific strategies. In training new employees, flowcharts also make them
feel more in tune with the work. In class, I learned about this chart through a group
4
project called "planning a picnic". First, our group identified the main steps in the
planning process, including choosing a date, choosing a location, and making a list of
participants. Using flowcharts helped my group plan more clearly, in a more organized
and logical way, ensuring that every plan would be successful as expected.
Fourth is about key performance indicators (KPIs). This is an important tool to
evaluate the performance of a business. It can also be said that KPIs are numbers that
answer the question: "How well is the company doing?". For managers, using KPIs
helps to monitor employee performance visually, ensuring that goals and plans are
completed on time. For me, KPIs play an important role in helping me monitor my
learning progress. I often set KPIs for myself such as "get at least 8.5 points on the
test" or "must complete homework within 2 hours". By setting KPIs, I can clearly
monitor my work and know the shortcomings that I need to improve.
After all, when I look back at my entire journey through the time studying
Operations Management, I feel that I and my life have changed a lot. From anxiety
and fear, this subject has brought me new experiences and knowledge that I had never
known before, like a new door to the business world has been opened to welcome me.
Operations Management is no longer a difficult subject but a field of deep interest and
a potential career path. The course has equipped me with a comprehensive
understanding of how effective operations management plays a key role in the success
of any business. For myself, before, I only spent 60-70% of my productivity on
studying and researching, but now I think it has increased to 80-90%. I used to be a
procrastinator and indifferent to work, now after learning tools such as Ishikawa
diagram, flowchart, KPI, SOP... I know how to optimize time and discipline myself
more. Besides, through projects and real-life examples, I not only learned how to
apply knowledge into practice but also practiced important soft skills. I learned how to
communicate more effectively, listen and respect other people's opinions, and at the
same time practice critical thinking and problem analysis skills. Group discussions
helped me realize that every opinion has value, and diversity in thinking is an
important factor in creating creative and innovative solutions. I feel proud to have
overcome my own limits, and more importantly, I am ready to apply this knowledge
and skills into practice. Finally, I feel very happy and proud to have studied this
subject under the instruction of Professor Soren Kirchner. The professor not only
provided me with knowledge but also helped me understand the true meaning of
operations management, that this is not just a specialized field but also the art of
coordinating and connecting resources to achieve the greatest goals. In the future, I
hope that what I have learned from this subject will become a solid foundation for me
to pursue my career. Although there are certainly many difficulties ahead, I believe
that I am ready to face them. Operations management is no longer just a subject – it
has become an important part of my knowledge and skills, accompanying me on the
journey to conquer great goals and dreams.