Every business has some common components: production and operations, sales andmarketing, research and development, finance and accounting, information technology,and, of course, the people who make everything happen. Regardless of whether thebusiness is simple or complex and whether it has one employee or hundreds of thousands,these components are all necessary for success.Production and OperationsThe terms production and operations are, in many cases, used interchangeably. When usedseparately, production generally refers to the process by which businesses create the product or service they offer to customers. Traditionally, this meant manufactured goods, but with thegrowth of service and information businesses, it has come to include services as well.