Every business has some common components: production and operations, sales and marketing, research and development, finance and accounting, information technology, and, of course, the people who make everything happen. Regardless of whether the business 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 used separately, 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 the growth of service and information businesses, it has come to include services as well.