Operations Improvement and Supply Chain Management: A Case Study Analysis

Learning Outcomes

Operations improvement enables businesses to increase effectiveness (leading to increased profitability) by understanding, optimising, and aligning business activities and processes to maximise output. Many methodologies, approaches and tools have been adopted by organisations to reduce operational cost, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve the quality of their processes, products and services. Even the best operations need to improve because the operation’s competitor will also be improving.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this assignment, the student should be able to:

1. Explain the role of operations and their interaction with the other activities of a firm: finance, marketing, organization, corporate governance, etc.

2. Apply concepts, methods, techniques and tools enabling you to analyse and implement solutions to operations management issues in manufacturing and service organisations.

Compile and write a formal technical report, using an appropriate format and Harvard referencing as indicated in the corresponding tutorial lecture, covering the following: You are expected to identify a company of your own choice and discuss following questions. Your chosen company may be known to you, such a company you have worked in/ currently working in/intend to work or a company for which you can easily access relevant information. A brief paragraph outlining the chosen company would be required.

1. Identify operations performance objectives of your chosen company, and then discuss the internal and external benefits that derive from excelling in each performance objective. (You may need to infer these by assessing its performance in the five operations performance objectives (e.g. cost, quality, speed, dependability and flexibility) (25%)

2. Answer only Option A or Option B.

Discuss the applicability for Lean Six Sigma for the company. You are expected to discuss;
− Organisation overview
− Drivers for change
− Appropriate tools and techniques. Give some examples of the areas of application of these tools.
− Implementation steps and issues
− Benefits in terms of five performance objectives

College of Engineering and Technology

Using your chosen company, discuss how effective supply chain management has a major impact on the profitability and five performance objectives of their business.

Notes on the Assignment

Your assignment will be evaluated based on three components: breadth and depth of research; quality of analysis; quality of presentation. The first component reflects the quantity and quality of material you find regarding the answers for the questions and the selected case(s). Use as many sources as possible: textbooks, referred articles, newspapers, company reports, trade journals, the web, etc. The second component reflects coherence of your arguments and the insights of your analysis. The third component reflects the quality of your writing (Report basic requirements).

Report’s basic requirements (Appropriate structure and logical development of discussions, Harvard referencing, introduction & conclusions, formatting, etc.)- (15%) This is a formal academic report. Therefore, it must clearly demonstrate an extensive research into and a critical discussion of the corresponding theory, which may be complemented with your own experience, opinion and conclusions. 

Covering unexpected and severe disruption to study, where circumstances do not require the additional time allowed for by an EEC, the Late Submission process enables students to complete their existing assessment up to one week late, without a cap on the grade.

Outstanding; high to very high standard; a high level of critical analysis and evaluation, incisive original thinking; commendable originality; exceptionally well researched; high quality presentation; exceptional clarity of ideas; excellent coherence and logic. Trivial or very minor errors.

A very good standard; a very good level of critical analysis and evaluation; significant originality; well researched; a very good standard of presentation; pleasing clarity of ideas; thoughtful and effective presentation; very good sense of coherence and logic; minor errors only.

A good standard; a fairly good level of critical analysis and evaluation; some evidence of original thinking or originality; quite well researched; a good standard of presentation; ideas generally clear and coherent, some evidence of misunderstandings; some deficiencies in presentation.

A sound standard of work; a fair level of critical analysis and evaluation; little evidence of original thinking or originality; adequately researched; a sound standard of presentation; ideas fairly clear and coherent, some significant misunderstandings and errors; some weakness in style or presentation but satisfactory overall.