The COOs or the Chief Operations Officers as they are known are one of the top level executives working in the large corporate firms. These managers are responsible for ensuring that all work is carried out in the appropriate manner by taking note of the day to day activities. They cannot be taken lightly because as far as their position goes, there are directly answerable to the board of directors have the complete authority to delegate, hire or fire people. Apart from the COO, the only person who enjoys the same privileges is the CEO or the Chief Execute Officer.

The functions of the chief operations officer are limitless. They need to take care of the current establishment and also take care of the developments that need to be done in respect to their future. All the processes involved in the creation of products and services need to be monitored starting from the buying or raw materials to the selling of the finished goods. Measures need to be taken to improve the market share by improving the quality and increase sales by indulging in advertising. If we compare it to the political hierarchy of U.K., the job of the COO is that of the prime minister.

For the chief operational officer to work with efficiency and provide the company with what they desire, he/she needs to have an in depth knowledge of what is going on the firm and the way the market forces are being governed. There are many theories based on results that affect the working standards learning which can lead to better management as forecasting becomes a lot easier. It is not always profit that is beneficial for the company, if by making losses in the current fiscal, they are able to gain the market trust, there is a good chance that not only the money lost will be recovered, but the profit figures may go sky rocketing.

The functions of the chief operations officer (COO) are defined but ambiguous. They need to do everything but nothing. Some of the key responsibilities in their hands include:

a) Surveying all members of the firm on the basis of their contribution to the company with respect to their qualifications. Under performers need to be warned and outstanding people rewarded.

b) Keeping a tab on the organizations sales and making healthy relations with the customers in order to sell more.

c) Develop strategies to counter the competition and be one step ahead of them. Make sure that they are implemented in the correct fashion.

d) Last and most importantly, report to the board of directors with all the proceedings that have taken place and whether the goals set have been met or not. It is only the results that the stakeholders seek.

All these functions need to be followed at all times which are the reason why the job requires a lot of time and effort. Delegation is the only solution to this. The CEO can be of great help if properly approached and the burden shared.