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