Year-long module 

Unit(s) of Assessment 

Weighting towards Module Mark (%) 

Multiple choice examination 

50% 

Group assignment (3000 words) 

50% 

Qualifying Condition(s) 

Operations management relates to the scoping, planning, directing and control of facilities, processes and people required to transform resources into products and services.  The principles of operations management are used in every industry and every environment.  All organisations perform the functions of strategic planning, process design, supply chain management, forecasting and scheduling, work management, innovation and quality management.  The same skills are required whether operations managers are working in private manufacturing organisations, the public sector, service organisations or not for profit businesses. 

The aim of this module is to provide students with both a theoretical and practical understanding of how operations management fits in with other management functions in today’s business environment.  It will consider operations management in different sectors and will aim through both group work and individual study to allow students to investigate the key challenges facing operations managers today and in the future. 

On successful completion of this module the students will be able to: 
·              Recognise the contribution that operations management plays as part of the management of businesses in all sectors. (K,U) 
·              Critically review the key issues facing operations managers. (K,U) 
·              Think both strategically and practically about operations management. (K,C,P) 
·              Recognise the importance of managing organisational resources, particularly human resources (K)(C)(P) 
·              Use operations management techniques and apply skills (P)(T) 
Learning outcomes are categorised as: 
·              Subject knowledge and understanding (K) 
·              Cognitive skills (C) 
·              Practical/professional skills (P) 
·              Transferable skills (P)
·              Other 

Indicative Content – weekly lectures over two semesters 
·        Introduction to Operations Management 
·        Markets and Customers 
·        Operations Processes and Life Cycles 
·        Location and Layout 
·        Supply Chain Management 
·        Inventory and Materials Management 
·        Customer and Queuing Management 
·        Capacity Management   
·        Quality Management 
·        Designing Processes 
·        Designing Jobs and Managing People 
·        New Product Development 
·        New Service Development 
·        Operations Strategy 
·        Lean Production 
·        Agile Manufacturing 
·        Mass Customisation
·        Servicisation 
·        Ubiquitisation 
·        e- Business 
·        Innovation and Continuous Improvement 
·        Low Cost Competition 
·        Globalisation 

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to encourage a deep approach to learning with an emphasis on collaborative learning through the use of working teams and real world problem solving.  The module will specifically exploit the conjunction of manufacturing and service in order to explore the issues that arise comparing these two environments. 
The teaching and learning methods include self/team examination exercises and video case studies.  The teaching and learning format is designed to emphasise methodology and to give students the opportunity to gain experience through the integration of theory and application.  Lectures will involve the explanation of theoretical concepts of operations management and ULearn support will provide students to test and apply their understanding in a variety of contexts. 
Assessment Strategy, Methods and Weighting
The assessment strategy is designed to ensure that students demonstrate to have gained knowledge of the relevant theory of operations management, practical and cognitive skills with regard to their ability to apply the theoretical concepts of operations management to a given business context and to critically identify potential problems and related strategic and operational solutions. 
The assessment method consists of two pieces of assessment: a multiple choice examination and a group assignment.  The examination aims to allow students to demonstrate an understanding of different operations management theoretical frameworks, tools and techniques.  The group assignment consists of a project where students should demonstrate the ability to apply the theoretical frameworks of operations management to a real business context. 

Essential Reading 
No set text is available yet.  Essential reading will be supplied weekly in ULearn.
Recommended Reading 
Slack, N., Chambers, S. and Johnston, R. (2008) Operations Management (5^th Edition), Prentice Hall: Harlow
Johnston, R. and Clark, G. (2008) Service Operations Management (3^rd Edition), Prentice Hall: Harlow 
Hill, T. (2005) Operations Management (2^nd Edition), Palgrave Macmillan, New York 
Background Reading 
Heizer, J. and Render, B. (2008) Operations Management (9^th Edition), Pearson Education: Upper Saddle River, NJ 
Greasley, A. (2009) Operations Management (2^nd Edition), Wiley, Chichester 
Brown, S., Lamming, R., Bessant, J. and Jones, P. (2004) Strategic Operations Management (2^nd Edition), Elsevier: Oxford
Journal of Operations Management 
International Journal of Operations and Production Management 
International Journal of Service Industry Management 
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management 
Journal of Product Innovation Management 
Harvard Business Review