YOM Institute of Economic Development

MBA Program: Extension

Group Assignment for the Course Operations Management

Weight: 30%

Deadline for Submission: June 25, 2020

Guidelines

1. The class representative will take the responsibility of forming virtual groups and assigning
tasks to the groups.
2. The number of students in each group shall not exceed six.
3. Students in each group will select a team leader through phone conversations or discussions
via social media group accounts. Due to the current dire global situation connected to the fast-
spreading pandemic, students should not meet in person to work on their group assignment.
Instead, each student is expected to send his/her contribution to the group leader, who will in
turn compile the contributions of each student and develop a consolidated report to be sent for
the instructor.
4. Assignment reports will be sent to the instructor through e-mail (habtamu520@gmail.com).

Nature of the Assignment: JOURNAL ARTICLE CRITICAL REVIEW

Conceptual Briefs

A summary and an evaluation of another writer’s article. It requires the logical evaluation of the
article’s main theme, supporting arguments, and implications for further research. Critique of the
article’s contributions to the field (area), analysis of the redeeming features (the author’s strong
points and most insightful parts of the article), and identification of the drawbacks are, in general,
the key elements of the review. By drawbacks, we mean the possible gaps of information, logical
inconsistencies, the contradiction of ideas, and unaddressed research questions etc. In this case,
you should pass your judgment as to whether the given facts are sufficient for supporting the
researcher’s main argument.
Purpose
This assignment is aimed at equipping you with an ability to understand and critically evaluate
scholarly journal articles produced by different researchers over contemporary issues of operation
management. It will get you acquainted with the theoretical foundations and practical
manifestations of how different issues of OM are trending in today’s hyper-dynamic global
business environment. Moreover, it will help you to better understand the notion of OM supported
by different research works in varied circumstances. The ability to evaluate articles critically is
important in business because critical abilities enable practitioners to keep up to date and adjust to
change; to assess problems and proposed solutions published in professional literatures; and to
evaluate solutions proposed in the workplace.

Instruction
Please refer the separate folder containing the articles and corresponding groups to which they are
assigned. Then, summarize and critically evaluate the article apportioned to your group. The
consolidated article review shall be with a predominantly significant attention assumed to the
OUTLINE given below. You can also visit one of the renowned peer-reviewed and scholarly
business journal sites, find and download a recent article organized on/around the contemporary
operation management issue (concept) assigned exclusively to your group. (You may use the
research journal websites recommended below to download similar articles (articles raising the
same agenda as the assigned one).

Emerald Google scholar

Elsevier (Journal of business SAGE Journals
research) Jstor
Science direct

Here is the list of tasks you are recommended to make sure considered while going
through the entire review development.

1. Take a quick overview of the article by reading the title, the abstract, the introduction, the
literature review, the methodology, the result and discussion and the conclusion
2. Read the article without taking notes in order to gain an overall idea of its aim and main
idea.
 3. Read the article again analytically and make notes of main ideas and main topic.
- Highlight important ideas.
- Make brief notes in the margin or on paper
4. Check your notes to ensure that they include:

Criteria to be used for reviewing the article

 The timeliness of the article

 The degree to which the article makes an original contribution
 The logic of the view put forward
 The validity of the evidence put forward
 The validity and applicability of the theoretical framework used
 The appropriateness, completeness and clarity of the methodology used
 The clarity, completeness, soundness and generalizability of the findings
 The validity of the conclusions, and the thoroughness with which the article treats the
topic
 The appropriateness of the article in addressing the issue raised.

The review report structure (outline)

1. Introduction

• provide a context for the article (background information or shared knowledge)

• include some indication as to why the subject is important and thus worth writing
about
• identify the purpose of the article
• give an indication of your overall impression of the article in general terms.

2. Body

• summarize and analyze the contents of the article

• make clear by frequent reference to the author(s) of the article that you are presenting
the author(s) views, not yours
•review the entire methodological approach utilized in the article (its weaknesses and
strengths justified through proper scientific grounds)
• evaluate the article.

The following is a suggested structure:

• An analytical summary of main findings/arguments/conclusions of article

• strengths/usefulness of article
• weaknesses/limitations/problems of the article especially for your purposes
3. Conclusion

• summarize the previous discussion

• make a final judgment on the value of the article
• comment on the future of the issue/topic or implications of the view expressed.

NB: Append references utilized throughout the review process, and complete the article review using
the APA format.

Contemporary trends in OM and the corresponding groups to which they are assigned

Group 1: Operational Practices and Competitive advantage

Group 2: Total Quality Management

Group 3: Supply Chain Management

Group 4: Six Sigma Project

Group 5: The Kaizen Approach (philosophy)