Applying Operations Management Module to Critically Evaluate an Operation

Set the Context and Analyze 4Vs and Performance Objectives

Your task is to apply OM module material to analyse and critically evaluate an operation of your choice, making recommendations for improvement.

 

Part A:
Set the context with a brief description of the operation, and then provide an analysis of the 4Vs and performance objectives of the operation, highlighting the key issues exposed through this analysis.

 

Part B (main part of the report):
Select one topic from the module (for example, process design, quality management, capacity management) and select concepts, frameworks, tools or techniques from that part of the module in order to critically analyse and evaluate your chosen operation, with recommendations for improvement.

 

Please note: This is marked as a single piece of work, Parts A and B should be coherent in their analysis.
Assessment Criteria
The assignment will be marked based on the following criteria:
Comprehension - Your report should demonstrate a robust understanding of the chosen concepts, frameworks, tools or techniques, based on familiarity with the operations management literature.

 

Analysis - The methodology for analysis should be transparent and the analysis should demonstrate competent and sensitive application of module material.

 

Critical evaluation - Your report should critically evaluate the ways in which your chosen organisation addresses the operational challenges it faces, with detailed and insightful recommendations for improvement.

 

Academic Writing - The report should be appropriately referenced, well structured, clearly presented, succinct and well argued.

 

Some guidance on approaching this task:
Your report should start with the title of the report and a short introduction in which you identify the chosen operation and specify your chosen topic and objectives. Your work will be assessed in the light of the objectives you have set yourself. There is no need to include an Abstract or Executive Summary.

 

Select a particular operation, not an industry or sector and be explicit about the focus of your analysis. This is your opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned from the OM module so carefully consider your choice operation. If the organisation you choose is large and complex, you might choose to focus your assignment on a particular part of the organisation, a micro-operation, or a particular product, service or site. You must NOT choose ANY of the organisations which formed the basis of case studies studied in the Lessons, in the group assignment or during wbsLive discussions.

 

Focus the report on a particular topic from the module, and be selective in terms of your choice of  concepts, frameworks, tools or techniques. You need to demonstrate competent and appropriate application; don’t try to do too much. Provide a short literature review of your chosen topic to introduce the concepts and tools you intend to apply. Whilst your chosen topic should be explicit in the title and introduction, you may if appropriate draw on tools from other parts of the module. (For example, you may focus on capacity management, but this does not preclude using process mapping to describe the process you choose to analyse).

 

Your analysis should be based on evidence from a real organisation. Data may be gathered from company visits, interviews, discussions with customers/employees or from your observations as a customer/employee. Analysis of secondary data is also perfectly acceptable (I appreciate that access to companies is more difficult than usual at the moment). You should include a short explanation of your methodology for data collection and analysis in the report. Reference your data sources, listing any weblinks in the reference list.

 

Evaluation: as a result of the analysis what can you then say about the operation? What recommendations would you make about how to further improve the operation? How robust/valid are your recommendations?

 

The report should demonstrate wider reading within the operations management literature beyond the Lessons and text book. Your report should include references, supported by a reference list of the academic readings and weblinks mentioned in the report, using Harvard referencing conventions.

 

Use headings and sub-headings to clearly structure the report, making sure you transition effectively between the sections to maintain flow of the narrative.
You may NOT collaborate with other members of the course in preparing this assignment.