Overview and aims

• To develop a wider understanding of operations management regarding characteristics, performance and strategy.
• To develop knowledge and understanding of the key principles (laws) and concepts.
• To develop a critical understanding of how these principles relate to operations management theory/practice and may be used in the support of strategic decision making.
• To develop a capability to use and evaluate such theory and principles in strategically focusing the use of tools and approaches in a range of operations environments.

Module content

• The scope of operations management: manufacturing, service, supply chain and project
• Operations and supply chain principles (laws), theories and concepts: Managing and reducing variation and uncertainty
• Key management concepts of capacity, inventory, time, trade-offs and buffering
• Interpreting the shift in operations management thinking: Operations strategy, Quality Management, Six Sigma, lean, theory of constraints, supply chain management, project management
• Strategic coordination and decision making across a range of case environments

Learning outcomes

After studying this module you should be able to:

• show critical awareness of strategic operational issues associated with different environments
• critically evaluate the merits of different approaches to operations improvement
• critically discuss the theoretical relationship between key operations principles and theory
• critically discuss the merits of adopting a system approach in operations management
• demonstrate understanding and critical awareness of the impact of ethical and sustainable practices on the discipline

This module will help you gain the skills and qualities to:

• use OM principles (laws) to clarify strategic options
• use information and knowledge effectively

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