Thames Valley University Managing Business Operations December 2010 Examination

PART A CASE STUDY Question - Compulsory

The Following Case Study Question is given before the Examination date and is COMPULSORY. It should be answered in the context of your Chosen Case Study Organisation. No Notes may be taken into the Examination. 1. Case Study Question (a) Give a brief introduction to the context of the Operations of your Chosen Case Study from the view of the supply chain the transformation process and the interrelation with other departments in the business (9 marks) (b) Choose ONE of the following topics to explain briefly the current impact of this issue on the Operations of your Chosen Case Study. Capacity management Simulation and Queuing Materials management Budgeting Costing control Six Sigma (8 marks) (c) Compare the Customers to the Operations Managers perception of Quality for your Chosen Case Study and state briefly how each can improve the profitability of your Chosen Case Study. (9 marks)

(d) Process improvement teams or quality circles can improve performance by using the following techniques: Flow Process Activity Chart Cause and Effect Diagrams Statistical Process Control Chart Pareto Chart Explain how ONE of these techniques may be used to improve the performance in your Chosen Case Study. (8 marks) Total marks 34