Module Handbook

Operations Management (6MB049)

Module Leader: Gian Singh

July 2012

Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................3 2.0 MODULE SPECIFICATION.............................................................................5 2.1 Learning Outcomes.......................................................................................5 2.2 Indicative Content / Areas of Study..............................................................6 2.3 Teaching and Learning Strategy....................................................................6 2.4 Assessment.....................................................................................................8 2.5 Resources.......................................................................................................8 3.0 MODULE PLAN................................................................................................10 4.0 COURSE WORK...............................................................................................11 5.0 INSTURCTIONS................................................................................................14 Appendix 1: Grading/ Feedback Guidance................................................................15

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the module Operations Management, sometimes it is called as performance management or managing operations. It is the only part of the business system that makes money for the company, it produces the goods and services for the customer and it performance is measured by the level of customer satisfaction.

This module, operations management is very important for a business manager. It is concerned with creating the products and services upon which we all depend. And creating products and services is the very reason for any organizations existence. As such it consists of two components, the production system and the associated software system. The second component is the management system that a manager bears upon the hardware to produce customer satisfaction. This is where the managerial skills of the operations manager in managing operations and the application of the management to the operating system. Operations Management is about getting things done effectively and efficiently and meeting customer demand. Customizing demand, mass production and other customer requirements are keys to consider. Demands for business process re-engineering, better quality, better customer service, time-based competition, and supply chain management demonstrate that superior management of the operations function is vital in business today. Operations managers manage the production systems in manufacturing and services. All organizations have an operations function. Operations managers might work in managing manufacturing processes or managing the delivery of a service to a customer.

Your centre facilitators will be providing 18 hours of face to face lectures and tutorials at the centre and further supported with another 18 hours online learning facilitated by the module leader. You will benefit from additional on-line learning resources including web based course materials and on-line discussion forums. Additional discussion topics relating to managing operations will be initiated by the module leader which will be uploaded on the WEC OCTAL Portal. You are expected to participate and engage in the
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discussions wherein your view and opinions will be shared within the cohort of students on the module. You will also have the opportunity to discuss the assignment question with the module leader to clarify doubts.

I do hope that you enjoy this module and find it worthwhile for your academic and professional development.

ALL THE BEST Gian Singh Module Leader

2.0 MODULE SPECIFICATIONS

Module Title: No. of Credits: Credit Level: Mandatory Pre-requisite: Co-requisite: None None OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT 15 6

Module Description

This course will further your understanding of operations as a major function of business in both the manufacturing and service environments. It will also help you to describe and evaluate how behavioural, quantitative, economic and systems disciplines can improve operations decision making.

2.1 LEARNING OUTCOMES

When students have completed this module, they should be able to :

1. Understand the Structure of operations hardware and the factors that impact on the performance. The ultimate goal of a Prodction system is customer satisfaction. 2. Understand the respective operations functions such as forecasting, scheduling , materialls management, facilities management and inventory and quality management 3. Analyse and evaluate the conceptual framework of operations management and be able to improve the system to meet the short term goals of the operatin system.

4. Communicate how operations decision making can be improved by utilising behavioural, quantitative, economic and systems disciplines. 5. Know certain tools and techniques he can use in managing the operations function in a lean manner balancing the resources available to meet the cstomer requirements. 6. Use quantitative techniques in forecasting and problem solving in the manufacturing and service environment and critically evaluate the results

2.2 INDICATIVE CONTENT / AREAS OF STUDY In this module students will study :

1. Introduction, history, relationship to business policy, and marketing 2. The Operating system and its Economic and financial controls 3. The management system for managing operations 4. Location, layout, transportation, work and technology 5. Workmeasurement, incentives, capacity control and linearprogramming 6. Capacity management, forecasting and activity scheduling 7. Project management and scheduling services production 8. Materials management and inventories 9. Operations control and performance measurement 10. Quality mangement, maintenance, repair and replacement.

2.3 TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGY 1. 18 hours face to face lectures - tutorial by qualified facilitators will be provided for the module and further supported with another 18 hours online learning facilitated by the module leader. 2. Students will benefit from additional on-line learning resources including web based course materials and on-line discussion forums.

3. The WEC online learning portal will be manned by the module leader and used by all Centre Facilitators and students. 4. Additional discussion topics relating to the module will be initiated by the Module Leader. Students are expected to participate and engage in the discussions wherein their view and opinions will be shared within the cohort of students on the module. 5. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss the assignment question with the module leader to clarify doubts to show better performance. 6. Video conferences for the students and centre facilitators can also be arranged on requirement bases to give opportunity to listen to the Module Leader directly. 7. Students can also form the on-line study groups by creating their own Discussion Rooms. 8. This will help students to learn time/ self management and work independently to mange their course related activities.

Lectures - Tutorials: Online Learning: Directed Learning: Total:

18 hours 18 hours 114 hours 150 hours

2.4 ASSESSMENT:

Course Work: 80 % weighting:

Written assignment of 3500 words designed to allow participants to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the module, which students must then apply to an issue concerned relating to the practice of operations management in their own organisation, or one with which they are familiar.

Final Exam: 20% weighting A one and a half hours unseen examination consisting of: One short answer question (7 parts) Two long questions with one require calculations. 2.5 RESOURCES

1. Course Material provided by WEC. 2. R. Dan Reid. & Nada R.Sanders (2008). Operations management 4th ed. ISBN-10:0470325046 and ISBN-13: 978-0470325049 3. William J Stevenson (2008), Operations Management McGraw-Hill/Irwin; 10 ed. ISBN-10: 0077284097 and ISBN-13: 978-0077284091 4. Jay Heizer & Barry Render (2007), Operations Management. 9th ed. ISBN-10: 0138128782 and ISBN-13: 978-0138128784 5. WEC Online Learning Portal 6. Online data bases from University of Derbys E Library 7. Articles/Journals on topic being covered chapter wise were available on the learning portal.

Journals
1. Mahesh C. Gupta, Lynn H. Boyd, (2008) "Theory of constraints: a theory for operations management", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 28 Iss: 10, pp.991 1012

2. Charles G. Petersen, Gerald R. Aase, Daniel R. Heiser, (2011) "Journal ranking analyses of operations management research", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 31 Iss: 4, pp.405 - 422

Case Study
1. Andrew Tiger, Robert Howard, "Kiwanis Pancake Day a service operations management case study", Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies Collection, (2011) 2. Mohammad Kamran Mumtaz, Shahid Raza Mir, "Strategic buying at National Foods, Pakistan a recipe for success", Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies Collection, (2011) 3. Jochen Wirtz, "Giordano: positioning for international expansion", Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies Collection, (2011)

REGULATIONS: Conforms to the relevant UG regulatory framework at the University of Derby.

3.0 MODULE PLAN

Time Period Session 1 Session 2 Contents Introduction, history, relationship to business policy and marketing Economic and Financial Controls Location, Layout, transportation, work and technology Work measurement, incentives, capacity controls, and linear programming Capacity Management , Forecasting and activity scheduling Project Management and scheduling services Chapter 2 & Chapter 3 of WEC Study Material Remarks Chapter 1 of WEC Study Material

Session 3

Chapter 4 & Chapter 5 of WEC Study Material

Session 4

Chapter 6 of WEC Study Material

Session 5

Materials Management and Inventory Management Quality Management, maintenance, repair and replacement

Chapter 7 of WEC Study Material

Session 6

Chapter 8 of WEC Study Material

Notes 1. Module will be covered in 6 sessions of face to face lectures by the centre facilitator. 2. Each face to face lecture session will be of 3 hours duration. 3. Centres to ensure completion of face to face lecture sessions latest by week 10 of the cohort. 4. Additional facilitation can be arranged locally by the centre(s) on need to have basis.

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4.0 COURSE WORK Assignment

Due Date: September 23rd , 2012
By 12.00 midnight (Singapore & Malaysia time)

Write a short critique on the operating system available to the operations manager when they are submitting a business plan for the Fiscal Year. Highlight what they must do to come up with a feasible production plan.

Most operations managers have to be short term oriented in order to be efficient and to meet their annual performance requirements. For this to happen they must balance the resources available to them. Critique this statement

You are employed as an operations manager in a medium-sized manufacturing company with a workforce of 300 employees. The company has been in operation for the past seven years but the manufacturing department is still facing some major problems. Identify 10 problems in the system and suggest solutions to overcome four of the most important problems from a short term operations management perspective.

Reading / Research and Referencing At this level it is expected that a substantial amount of wider reading (mainly academic journal articles and also appropriate textbooks and industry/professional sources) is carried out.

Critical thinking is a purposeful, structured and disciplined mode of seeking out and processing information. It is important in research applications because it allows a researcher to identify, acquire and analyze the information necessary to resolve a research question. A lack of critical thinking skills leaves the researcher with a mountain of
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indecipherable information. Read the document on THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING provided with the module handbook pack.

Module leaders Video Session:

A video recorded session showing module leaders expectations and guidance on how to approach the given question along with all relative information student require is provided on the OCTAL learning portal for students view/download.

Important Notes:
1. Please do not forget to write your name (as per IC / Passport), UoD Index Number (Emplid), Learning Centre, and the Module Title in the footer of your assignment e.g. Peter Mathews_100123234_KUPenang_SMM. All pages must be numbered in Page x of y format. This is to ensure that all pages of your assignment are secured. 2. You must also ensure that the Assignment Cover Page is filled in and attached with your assignment as per the instructions given in the Instruction to Upload the Assignment on OCTAL Study Portal - v2 file placed in the assignment pack on OCTAL Portal. 3. The OCTAL Portal Discussion Forum participation is critical for this paper. All students are advised to actively participate in the OCTAL Discussion Forum to have a direct discussion with the Module Leader on the assignment question. 4. Proper referencing is essential. Your grades will be adversely affected if there is no / poor referencing. You are strongly advised to carefully read the University of Derby Referencing Guide available at http://www.derby.ac.uk/library/study-skills/citingand-referencing and ensure proper in text referencing following the Harvard Referencing Style. List of references in an alphabetical order must be presented at the end of your assignment. 5. You are not allowed to use the general internet references e.g. www.google.com, www.yahoo.com and Wikipedia etc. All references should be from the credible sources e.g. books, newspapers, articles, journals, magazines etc.

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6. Assignments are checked with the help of available anti plagiarism software. You are advised to carefully read the University of Derby Plagiarism Policy available at http://www.googlesyndicatedsearch.com/u/derbyuni?q=plagiarism&sa=Go&domains =derby.ac.uk&sitesearch=derby.ac.uk 7. Please go through the 2010 / 11 UoD Rights, Responsibilities and Regulations (3Rs) available at http://www.derby.ac.uk/files/3rs_2011-12.pdf regulation and other matters. 8. Please read the instructions given at the end of this module handbook for the assessment

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5.0 INSTRUCTIONS
1. The assignment MUST be submitted on-line on or before the due date. 2. Assignments should be word processed. 3. The assignments shall contain 3500 words (+/- 10%), presented in text of font size 12 with 1.5 line spacing. 4. The cover page should be attached with the assignment and uploaded through OCTAL (WEC Learning Portal) on-line. Please see the Guide to upload the assignments placed in the assignment pack. 5. You must write your name (as per IC / Passport), Learning Centre, the Module Title and page number (page x of y) in the header / footer of your assignment. 6. All newly registered and continuing students are required to submit Module Enrolment Form to the Centre Manager / Rep / Admin by the last day of week 3 of each term. 7. The course work will not be accepted at the end of the term if student did not enrol for the module by the given deadline. 8. Once you have enrolled for the module it is compulsory for you to submit the course work on / before the given deadline. 9. The Exceptional Extenuating Circumstances Form (EEC) along with the evidence and the incomplete course work should normally be submitted 10 days prior to the submission due date to the Centre Manager / Rep / Admin for onward submission to WEC if you wish to apply for deferment / extension (http://www.derby.ac.uk/EEC). 10. Work which is submitted after the designated deadline is deemed late. 11. If an approved EEC has been submitted by the original assignment deadline, and the work is received before the extended deadline indicated on the EEC, the work will be marked with no limitation of the grade available. 12. If the submitted work is late but within 7 days of the deadline, and there are no approved extreme extenuating circumstances, the work is assessed but the highest mark available is the minimum pass grade D-. There is no entitlement to feedback although feedback may be offered. 13. There is no entitlement to submit late after an agreed submission extension. 14. If the work is tendered without an approved EEC more than 7 days after the deadline, it is not marked and an NS grade is recorded. 15. NS grade is recorded if neither the course work nor the EEC is submitted.

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Appendix 1: Grading / Feedback Guidance

The below table serves as a general grading guide to assist you in evaluating your own work. Lecturer feedback will also include specific remarks on strengths and aspects for improvement as well as overall comments on the assignment as a whole.
Grade Element Knowledge Descriptor The work is exceptional in that it is logically presented and error-free. It is creative and illustrates an in-depth understanding of content as well as issues and problems. There is evidence of extensive reading of primary research literature. The work shows an exceptional, critical engagement with complex ideas and concepts. There is an outstanding appreciation of all of the relevant competing perspectives. The work reflects an aptitude for applying knowledge in unusual and/or novel circumstances as well as to more typical work-based scenarios. Where appropriate, workable solutions to problems are offered. The work shows a near professional level of evaluation and illustrates solution-focused conclusions based on that evaluation. The work is communicated with an exceptional degree of authority that comes close to that expected of a professional in the field. The work is excellent in that it is logically presented and almost error-free. It illustrates a fairly in-depth understanding of content as well as issues and problems. There is evidence of extensive reading of mostly primary research literature. The work shows an excellent, critical engagement with complex ideas and concepts. There is an excellent appreciation of almost all of the relevant competing perspectives. The work reflects some aptitude for applying knowledge in unusual and/or novel circumstances as well as to more typical work-based scenarios. Where appropriate, mostly workable solutions to problems are offered. The work shows an advanced level of evaluation and illustrates some solution-focused conclusions based on that evaluation. The work is communicated with an excellent degree of authority that comes reasonably close to that expected of a professional in the field. The work is very good in that it is fairly logically presented and reasonably error-free. It illustrates an advanced understanding of content as well as issues and problems. There is evidence of some reading of primary research literature. The work shows a very good, critical engagement with complex ideas and concepts. There is a very good appreciation of almost all of the relevant competing perspectives. The work reflects an attempt at applying knowledge in unusual and/or novel circumstances as well as to more typical work-based scenarios. Where appropriate, a few workable solutions to problems are offered. The work shows a good level of evaluation and illustrates a few solutionfocused conclusions based on that evaluation. The work is communicated with a good degree of authority that sometimes comes reasonably close to that expected of a professional in the field. The work is good in that it is sometimes logically presented and reasonably error-free. It illustrates a good understanding of content as well as issues and problems. There is evidence of some reading of primary research literature. The work shows a good, critical engagement with complex ideas and concepts. There is a good appreciation of some of the relevant competing 15

Criticality A+

Application

Evaluation Communication Knowledge

Criticality A

Application

Evaluation Communication Knowledge

Criticality A-

Application

Evaluation Communication Knowledge B band

Criticality

Application Evaluation Communication Knowledge

Criticality C band

Application Evaluation Communication Knowledge

Criticality D band Application

Evaluation Communication

perspectives. The work reflects an attempt at applying knowledge in unusual and/or novel circumstances as well as to more typical work-based scenarios. The work shows a fair level of evaluation and, perhaps, illustrates a few solution-focused conclusions based on that evaluation. The work is communicated with an occasional glimpse of authority that comes reasonably close to that expected of a professional in the field. The work is reasonable in that it is occasionally logically presented and reasonably error-free. It illustrates a fair understanding of content as well as issues and problems. There is a little evidence of reading of primary research literature. The work mostly lacks critical engagement with complex ideas and concepts. There is a fair appreciation of some of the relevant competing perspectives. The work barely reflects an attempt at applying knowledge in unusual and/or novel circumstances as well as to more typical work-based scenarios. The work shows a little evaluation and, perhaps, illustrates a few solutionfocused conclusions based on that evaluation. The work is communicated without very much authority. It does not come very close to that expected of a professional in the field. The work is poor in that it is not logically presented and has errors. It illustrates little understanding of content as well as issues and problems. There is, at best, a little evidence of reading of primary research literature. The work lacks critical engagement with complex ideas and concepts. There is little appreciation of the relevant competing perspectives. The work barely reflects any attempt at applying knowledge in unusual and/or novel circumstances but is a little better concerning more typical work-based scenarios. The work shows barely any evaluation and rarely illustrates any solutionfocused conclusions based on that evaluation. The work is communicated without virtually no authority. It does not come at all close to that expected of a professional in the field. The work is very poor in that it is not logically presented and has errors. It illustrates virtually no understanding of content or of issues and problems. There is no evidence of any reading of primary research literature. The work lacks much critical engagement with any ideas and concepts. There is virtually no appreciation of the relevant competing perspectives. The work barely reflects any attempt at applying knowledge in unusual and/or novel circumstances and is little better concerning more typical workbased scenarios. The work shows virtually no evaluation and does not refer to any solutionfocused conclusions based on that evaluation. The work is communicated poorly. It is far from that expected of a professional in the field. The work is extremely poor in that it is poorly presented and has errors. It illustrates no understanding of content or of issues and problems. There is no evidence of any reading of primary research literature. The work lacks any critical engagement with ideas and concepts. There is no appreciation of the relevant competing perspectives. The work makes little or no attempt at applying knowledge to any workbased scenarios. The work shows no evaluation and does not refer to any conclusions based around an evaluation. The work is communicated very poorly. It is not to any graduate standard. 16

Knowledge

Criticality FM Application

Evaluation Communication Knowledge

Criticality F Application Evaluation Communication

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