Introductory description

Operations Management is the activity of managing the resources which are devoted to production and delivery of products and services. The module aims to provide an introduction to the decisions managers need to make about the design and management of operations. It provides conceptual, analytical and practical insights into the effective management of operations in manufacturing and service companies in both private and public sector organisations.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

• Introduction to operations management: key definition and models
• Performance measurement in operations management
• Design of operations (process design)
• Capacity Management
• Pull/Push & Inventory Management
• Queuing and Psychology of Waiting
• Operations improvement
• Sustainable Operations

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Identify and define the main components of an operation
• Understand the organisational and strategic context within which operations managers function
• Understand, apply and evaluate models for the design and management of processes
• Understand, apply and evaluate fundamental concepts of operations planning and control
• Understand, apply and evaluate principles and methods of operations improvement
• Analyse case studies to propose potential business solutions as they relate to Operations Management
• Understand and evaluate the role of sustainability and responsibility for operations management
• Challenge the concepts and models presented on the module

Indicative reading list

The core text is: Slack, Brandon-Jones and Johnston (2019) Operations Management 9th Edition, Pearsons
The main journal articles used on the course come from:

• International Journal of Operations and Production Management
• International Journal of Service Industry Management
• Production and Operations Management Journal
• Journal of Operations Management "

Subject specific skills

Demonstrate an awareness of practical managerial issues in Operations Management, as well as some generic solutions, for example:

Interpret broader strategic aims as operations strategies.

Recognise problematic volume / variety profiles.

Recognise problematic process and layout decisions.

Recognise product / service and process misalignment.

Understand the likely consequences of and common solutions to process imbalance.

Recognise various demand seasonalities as well as appropriate responses to these.

Transferable skills

Demonstrate problem solving skills developed through analysing business problems in case studies

Demonstrate ability to be innovative and creative