THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

GREAT EAST ROAD CAMPUS

LUSAKA

MSC/MBA OSM 5022 – GLOBAL OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

ASSIGNMENT ONE

DATE DUE: 14.01.2023

QUESTION ONE

Quality is one of the most important performance objectives for most Global Operations
Organisations:
(a) Quality is believed to have elvolved from Japan, yet its origins are in the United States of
America (USA). Please explain such a phenomenon by also highlighting at least Six (6) Quality
Gurus that are behind the development of Quality Management         
[10 Marks]
(b) Total Quality Management (TQM) is anchored on Three (3) principles, what are they? and
what are their main features that aim at having TQM succeed in Global Operation Ognisations?.
Describe the EFQM Exellence Model and state at least Four (4) Quality awards that incentivize
Quality compliance in Global Operation Organisations                                                                
[10 Marks]

(c) State, define and describe, Two (2) quality evaluation wheel models, Quality cycles and the
ISO 9000 quality approach for Global
Operations.                                                                                                                       [5 Marks]

QUESTION TWO

In Operations Management, Services and Products are all considered operations, although
perceived different, substantiate these through the following;

(a)  (i) Why are Services perceived different to Products and what are their salient features and
examples?                                                                                                                         [5 Marks]

(ii) State and describe the Two (2) extremes of the Transformation/Manufacturing: Service

continuum for and Two (2) main areas of Service package for most Operation
Organisations                                                       [5Marks]
(b) Identify and describe at least Ten (10) Business and Professional Services and Seven (7) Not
for profit Service providers within your domiciled Country for which their products would be
considered Services                                                                                                                          
[10 Marks]

(c)   By using the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and Toyota Service Workshops illustrate
and elucidate the Transformation Model as they relate to Resources (Transformed and
Transforming) for both Products and Services                  
[5 Marks]

QUESTION THREE

Managing Inventory is cardinal in Operations Management, elucidate the statement through the
following;

(a) What is Inventory and why is it important for them to be well managed in Global Operations
explain these in terms of their Advantages and Disadvantages                                                         
[5 Marks]

(b) Mention and briefly Five (5) types of Inventory that Operation Managers may consider in
terms of their necessity and effectiveness. Explain the principles of how much to Order and how
much to hold in Inventory Management                                                  
[10 Marks] 
(C) What are the implications of Ordering Cost and Holding cost in terms of Advantages and
Disadvantages. Describe the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) Model, Production Order
Quantity (POQ) Model, Quantity Discount Model, Single Period  Model  and Fixed Period
Model. How are they employed and why they recommended as the best practice to manage
Inventory in Global Operations       
[10Marks]

QUESTION FOUR

The Process of Operations Strategy needs to be well formulated for it to meet Organisation’s
business strategy. Elucidate the following;

(a) What is Operations strategy and what does seek to achieve in Operations Management in
terms of the Operations Resources Objectives and Market
Requirements?                                                                                                                  [5 Marks]

(b) A good Process formulation must follow a rigorous approach. List Seven (7) steps that you
would follow in order to arrive at good typical process of Operation Strategy formulation and
emphasize this through 4Cs with a comprehensive definition and description of this same 4Cs
acronym.                     
[10 Marks]

(c)Ken Platts of Cambridge University has written about the nature of Operations Strategy
Process. His generic description of the process is referred to as the 5Ps. Identity and briefly
explain these 5Ps in terms of characteristics and significance in the process of Operations
Strategy formulation, for effective implementation                                         
[10 Marks]