Main Objective of the assessment the central theme in MB5522 is to study concepts, methods, techniques and tools for managing operations and business processes. Many of the concepts, methods, techniques and tools are introduced in the workshop sessions to help you develop your understanding of operations management, but there are many important issues in Operations Management that are not covered. Through this coursework you will be assessed on your ability to undertake self-study in a given topic. This assessment enables you to apply your learning in this module to an operation that requires improvement.
Description of the Assessment You are required to work individually to undertake secondary research and produce a report. 3000 words must be written in a professional style while adhering to the principles of good report writing.
Structure your report to enhance readability and understanding, focus ideas and use appropriate references following the Harvard method. Clear and informative analysis must be included in the report. Address the topic described below. If you choose to write about another topic, you will NOT receive credit.
Topic: “An Operations Improvement and Development Plan” Consider a particular real organisation of your choice that has specific operations which could benefit from operations-related improvement and development.
Specifically, you are required to:
- identify and assess the significance of an operational issue (i.e., an operational problem or opportunity) within an organization of your choice;
- analyse this operational issue with respect to the Operations Management concepts and techniques discussed in this module and through wider reading;
- propose specific, practicable and actionable recommendations which should lead to a measurable improvement in operations performance, evidencing critical evaluation of the proposed changes in terms of their (a) acceptability; (b) feasibility, and (c) vulnerability.
The operational issue could be organization-wide, or specific to a particular operations-related department, function or process. You are expected to present your definition of the issue, analyses and recommendations drawing on the concepts, tools and applications of Operations Management theory that you have encountered through your participation in this module.
The assignment assesses your ability to be an articulate, informed and pragmatic problem-solver with vision and awareness of the range of issues and factors involved. Bear in mind that the analysis and discussion must be specific to your chosen organisation and not merely a regurgitation of general practice and principles. Furthermore, remember that critical evaluation is key to assessing the relevance and credibility of your improvement/development plan.
The Improvement and Development Plan will be assessed, in general, on the basis of: • Clear and logical assignment structure • Application and understanding of relevant concepts and/or theory • Identification, use and depth of relevant secondary source evidence to substantiate discussion/analysis • Justification for statements made (e.g., logical reasoning rather than unsupported statements) • Critical appraisal, rather than a descriptive stance • Clarity of assumptions that support the analysis • Sensitivity to the context of the problem • Citation and referencing (sources, relevance, range, citation accuracy) • Professional standards of presentation All the references used should be provided in a Reference List at the end of the Report.
The following learning outcomes are assessed through this assignment:
• LO1: Critically reflect and communicate the nature, processes, management problems and tools/techniques associated with managing operational processes within modern, diverse enterprises and the role of the operations manager;
• LO2: Critically evaluate, reflect and apply operations strategy approaches creatively to a range of operations management instances;
• LO3: Identify and assess critically the significance of operational issues and processes in the broader context of the organisation in its competitive environment, through case- and team-based learning instances;
• LO4: Discuss, explore and evaluate appropriate operations tools/techniques for operations management and supply chain management analysis