MSc Management

OPERATIONS
MANAGEMENT
(OM)
Dr Xishu Li

Associate Professor in
Business Analytics
ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 1
 Module Content
Operations Operations in
Strategy Context Sustainable Operations
Agile Operations
Product/Service Design
Process Design

Lean Operations
Operations System Design Operations Improvem
Global Network Operations

Capacity Management, Operations Planning & Control, Supply Chain Management

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 2

 OM Jobs
 Defining and implementing operations strategy
 Introducing new technologies and methods
 Improving facility location and space utilization
 Improving response time
 Developing people and teams
 Improving processes
 Managing quality
 Managing and controlling inventory
 Enhancing productivity

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 4

 Learning Objectives
By the end of the module, you are expected to
be able to:
 understand the characteristics of operations systems
and the various approaches that may be adopted in their
design.
 understand main features of the supply chain
management systems that support effective operations.
 apply techniques and technologies available for the

design and control of operations.

 select and implement appropriate strategies and
methods for the improvement of operations.
 use the frameworks and techniques presented to direct,

design, deliver and improve manufacturing and servicing

operations.
ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 5
 Teaching and
Learning Schedule
Week Lecture Seminar

Introduction to OM &
1
Operations Strategy

Operations Design, including

2 Product and Service Design OM Seminar 1
and Process Design

Operations System and

3 OM Seminar 2
Global Network Operations

Capacity Management,
4 OM Seminar 3
Supply chain management

Improvement, Leanness &

5 Agility and Sustainable OM Seminar 4
Operations

1hr consolidation workshop – for OM

6
revision and assessment Q&A

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 6

 Teaching and
Learning Approach
 Weekly lecture to highlight the key aspects and apply the
critical concepts and theories
 Weekly self-study tasks including exercise/ case
analysis- independent learning
 Reading materials on Canvas
Preparing for Seminars, according to the OM Seminar Programme on Canvas

 Collaborative learning in Seminar sessions, i.e., learning

in groups and from peer students
 Assessment
 Individual assignment (50%)

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 7

 Assignment Tips

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 Assessment
Individual
Assignment
Each student is required to complete an essay to address the
following task, which accounts for 50% of the total module
mark
 Choose a specific company and critically analyse its OM processes
against the four general topic areas of operations management:
Direct, Design, Delivery and Development. Apply appropriate
operations theories, concepts and case examples to support your
arguments. Highlight recommendations to improve the performance
of the company based on your learning from this module

Note: You may choose any company in different industries to complete the essay. The
company information can be gathered from various sources (e.g., reliable websites,
business reports, books and journal articles). The essay should be well structured into
different logical sections (e.g., Introduction - 6%, background of the selected
company - 8%, analysis and recommendation - 30%, conclusion - 6%), and you
should make sure that you write in a focused manner.
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/student/academic-support/academic-

integrity-support-and-advice.aspx
Upload your 1500 words essay to Canvas by 12:00 pm (UK time)
Thursday 12th December 2023
ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 9

 Assessment
Individual
Assignment
The guidance regarding the inclusion of word count for each section is as
follows:
Item No. Section Included in the word count
1 Cover page No
2 Abstract/Executive summary No
3 Table of content No
4 Introduction Yes
5 Background of the selected company Yes
6 Analysis and recommendation Yes
7 Conclusion Yes
8 References No
9 Appendices* No
10 Figures No

*Appendices can be utilized to provide supplementary information, evidence,

or support for the arguments presented in the main body of the essay. This
might include details such as theory descriptions, company profiles, and
operations data.
ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 10
 Generic Evaluation
Criteria
 Two key criteria will be used in assessing your essay in
general:

1. Your understanding of the underlying OM concepts/

theories.

2. Your ability to analyse the relevant issues and apply

the OM theories in a ‘real’ practical situation.

 There is no ‘one best way’ for achieving these, it is about you

using your judgement in problem-solving activates.
 A broad-based analysis using more than three topic areas is
feasible, but its not recommended as the work might become
a little “thin”. Stay focused. Stay narrow. Go deep. Use and
critique the academic theory.
 Expectation
ntroduction to Operationsof a well-researched,
Management – Slide 11 clearly structured, logically argued
 Specific Aspects
 In order to produce a good essay, you must think about
four key elements each is equally important!

Structure Content

Style Analysis

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 12

 Structure of Answer
 Key features
 Skeleton planning is critical to check the logical flow of your
argument
 Skeleton planning allows you to concentrate on writing rather
than worrying about facts/ issues that you might have forgotten
 Every essay that you write should follow the same basic
structure: 1.
1. Introduction (define terms, explain what the topic means and
identify a specific organisation with reasons) - Say what
you’re going to say
2. The main body of the essay (critically discuss key
themes/issues with reference to the topic) - Say it
3. Conclusion (draw themes together and state your view on the
question and make recommendations) – how to improve &
Say what you’ve said
ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 13
 Style of Writing
 Key features
 Grammar and spelling - poor performance in this area makes
your essay difficult to read and will be penalised (please check
essay with computer)
 Sentence construction and logic in development of argument -
again poor performance in this area makes your essay difficult to
read
 Remember marker has limited time, so making the essay easy
to read will earn you marks
 Referencing (Harvard style referencing) - whenever you quote
someone’s words directly or make reference to an author’s idea
you MUST show this by inserting into the text the author’s
surname, year of publication and (when quoting directly) page
number, e.g. Zhang and Gregory, 2011, p.756.

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 14

 How to use References
Indirect referencing (author’s ideas not words) –
 e.g. Some authors have suggested that buyer-supplier partnering might also be
applied beyond immediate suppliers to an extended supply chain or network, giving
rise to concepts such as integrated supply chain management (Macbeth and Ferguson
1994), lean supply (Lamming 1993, 1996) and lean enterprise (Womack and Jones
1994).

Direct referencing (author’s words)

e.g. Boddy et al. (2000, p. 1004) define partnering as ‘a situation in which there is an


attempt to build close, long-term links between organizations in a supply chain that remain
distinct, but which choose to work closely together.’

A full list of references should be provided at the end of the essay - texts should be
presented alphabetically by author’s surname as follows:
Chapter: Bessant, J. (2004) ‘Supply Chain Learning’, in S. New and R. Westbrook (eds), Understanding


Supply Chains: Concepts, Critiques and Futures. Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 165-90.
Article: Zhang, Y. and Gregory M. (2011) ‘Managing Global Network Operations along the Engineering


Value Chain’. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol. 31, No. 7, pp. 736-764.
Book: Zhang, Y. and Gregory, M. (2018) Value Creation through Engineering Excellence: Building Global


Network Capabilities. London: Palgrave Macmillian.

Further guidance see the Harvard System of Referencing:
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/libraryservices/library/referencing/icite/referencing/ha rvard


ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 15

/index.aspx
 Analysis
Argument and evidence - support your evaluation with


evidence or examples to give depth

Look for journal papers/industrial study reports that


explore issues in particular industries (or topic areas) to add

depth to your reasoning.
Identify relevant news articles or policy papers that might


affect the organization. Examples should improve the

coherence of your work not distract.
Critical analysis not just description
Explain the relevance of theories/models to the question -


how do they help you to develop your argument?

Support your argument with evidence
 If relevant show how the topic links to overall themes of
cours
ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 16
 Content of Answer
 Write in full sentences and paragraphs - avoid lists and use of bullet points
You are strongly suggested to complete the assignment task in the context
of an example organisation (or organisations)
Introduce your example organisation(s) and identify the relevant OM
elements.
As a minimum you must:
✓ Identify and describe the organisation in question with a clear focus
on the operations processes to be analysed;
✓ Around the processes critically analyse essential features of the
operations system as relevant to the seminar article; and
✓ In this specific context discuss how the performance of the
organisation can be enhanced through adopting concepts and techniques
taught in this module.
Ensure you fully understand the OM knowledge area you apply and explain


any assumptions you make. The assessment of the organisation is a critical

analysis of OM processes, not simply a description.
ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 17
 Grading Guidance
Marks 70+
• A detailed and perceptive piece of work that presents an
organisation’s OM processes, and identifies critical areas of OM
improvement which may include differences, connections, challenges
or suggestions.
• Applies appropriate theories and shows the ability to articulate and
defend a clear argument.
• Excellent use of supporting evidence and examples.
• The work shows appreciation of the relationship between
knowledge/topics
• Communicates clearly and effectively and has a logical, progressive
structure.

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 18

 Grading Guidance
Marks 60-69
• Well argued, logically structured and thorough evaluation of an
organisation’s operations processes with a clear attempt at
articulating recommendations for OM improvement.
• A mark at the top of this range suggests thoughtfulness, good use of
evidence and the ability to develop a coherent and nuanced
argument.
• A mark at the bottom end indicates proficiency, coherent arguments
and adequate examples, but a bit descriptive in parts.

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 19

 Grading Guidance
Marks 50-59
• A competent essay using an adequate amount of evidence but with a
relatively weak / ambiguous argumentation process. More
descriptive than analytical and based on limited reading. Provides a
reasonably structured account of an organisation’ operations but
with some signs of confusion; may contain errors of fact or
interpretation or some grammatical and spelling errors.
• A mark at the top of this range suggests a reasonable degree of
competence and knowledge but an insufficiently developed
argument with one or more key points neglected.
 A mark at the bottom end indicates a thin argument with little
analytical awareness, reliant on a narrow range of sources.

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 20

 Grading Guidance
Marks 40-49

• Essay demonstrates some knowledge of relevant material but fails

to directly address key issues in a logic manner. Essay may contain
some tentative analysis but remains at a superficial level. Essay
contains errors in matters of fact or interpretation. Poorly written with
numerous grammatical errors or editing problems.

Fail – less than 40

• Essay refers to few or no academic sources and mainly repeats
lecture material, and fails to indicates an obvious attempt to critically
appraise the relevant knowledge area. Essay may contain some form of
evaluation in an largely unsubstantiated way. Essay demonstrates little
relevance to the task and provides only descriptive responses to it.

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 21

 Plagiarism
 It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand correct referencing practices. You
are expected to use appropriate references and keep carefully detailed notes of all your
information sources, including any material downloaded from the Internet. It is your
responsibility to ensure that you are not vulnerable to any alleged breaches of the
assessment regulations. More information is available at
 https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/registry/policy/conduct/plagiarism/index.aspx.

 Use of Generative AI:

 Unless explicitly stated otherwise, students should assume that the use of generative AI
within an assessment or assignment is not permitted. Any assessment submitted that is
not a student’s own work, including that written by generative AI tools, are in breach of
the University’s Code of Practice on Academic Integrity
 https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/registry/policy/conduct/plagiarism/index.aspx

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 22

 Respect due date
 Wellbeing Extenuating Circumstances:
 The process for Extenuating Circumstances is to support students who have experienced
unforeseen issues that have impacted their ability to engage with their studies and/or
complete assessments. Students should notify Wellbeing of any extenuating
circumstances as soon as possible via the online form, following the guidance provided.
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/social-sciences/college-services/wellbeing/index.aspx

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 23

 Feedback Example
Is this how
tables are meant
to be used?
Discussion Should I include
could be these words in
more the word count?
operations
based if
embedded in
operations
concept e.g.
4Vs
What is (are)
Opportunity to
the
use Polar
operations
Diagrams
issue(s)?
Avoid use of
first person
so instead of
“We will
focus…” use Good detail and
“This report trade-off
focuses on discussions. Do
…” you want it
hidden in here?

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 24

 Feedback Example

Performance
measurement
introduced at
strategic level.
What about
Good process Operations
map performance?

Is it worth
highlighting any
key areas?

Back to PO – Polar
diagram. Consider
flow.
Illustrations generally
need to be
accompanied by Why different
discussion/analysis colours for in-text
and included in main citations?
text

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 25

 Feedback Example
“Customer
orientation” this is Generic diagram.
new. What is the link Where are
to operations
operational issues.
performance?
Can simply show
Trying to make a link in Figure 6.
between strategic
performance and
operations
performance, but
not clear or Analysis needs to
convincing.
match findings.
How do we know it
is the bottleneck?
What is
"continuous
Potential to link observation"? and
back to process "team feedback"?
map and key
customer
involvement
stages

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 26

 Feedback Example

Very high level. It would have added

Where are the value to the process
operational map and
issues? touchpoints
Is the conclusion
analysis, had this
(on
been part of your
communication)
analysis.
consistent with
the analysis
Analyse and place
(customer
in Appendix
orientation and
limited capacity
assets).

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 27

 Feedback Example

The method is more than Earns no marks -

data sources noise

Earns no marks - noise

Not required
- earns no marks

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 28

 Feedback Example

Thorough Analysis

Fantastic, here you

could also mention
the Value Added
entities

ntroduction to Operations Management – Slide 29