Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

For students on LN12 the second pre-requisite is ECO1010

Other students will need to have taken a module in business management, for example, accounting and finance, management and organisation or another general business management module.

For Incoming study abroad and exchange students:
- Students will need to have taken a module in business management, for example, accounting and finance, management and organisation or another general business management module.
- Good academic writing and communication skills.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

Effective management of operations is critical to the success of organisations right across business and industrial sectors, the service sector, the public sector and the ‘not-for-profit’ sector. Organisations that produce products and/or deliver services have operational systems at their core. Well-designed, robust operational systems that align with an organisation's strategy and are managed consistently well are central to sustaining high levels of organisational performance.

This module provides a broad introduction to the Operations Strategy and Operations Management discipline with a focus on topics that are particularly relevant to practice. The aim of the module is to provide the foundations and frameworks to understand and analyse key issues of relevance to the management of operations in contemporary organisations. It also aims to offer an insight into the contemporary issues of the subject of operations strategy and its importance for an organisation.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module covers four key themes in Operations Strategy and Management:
1. Operations strategy
2. The management of operations (steering operations and processes)
3. Operations improvement
4. Planning and controlling operations

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of the module students should be able to
1. Apply and appreciate the foundations and frameworks of operations management and operations strategy
2. Understand and analyse key issues of relevance to the management of operations and the applications of operations strategies in contemporary organisations.

This will enable the student to understand:
• Directing the operation;
• Designing the operation;
• Delivering the operation;
• Developing the operation.

Intended Skill Outcomes

At the end of the module students should have the ability to engage in strategic, tactical and operational analysis, and to understand, interpret and solve numerical problems with tools and techniques in operations strategy and operations management.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The module includes lectures, exercises, readings, cases and discussions. The lectures will be formal sessions. Opportunities will be made available for discussions and Q&A. Lectures provide the concepts and frameworks. These contribute to the module’s intended knowledge outcomes. The seminars and other interactions allow responses to questions giving students the opportunity to use the concepts and frameworks. These contribute to the module’s intended skills outcomes.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Formative feedback is provided throughout the module in order to help students check their understanding of the teaching material to help prepare for the exams. Once a student has attended the lecture and undertaken the essential reading they can check their understanding through taking an online test. Where numerical concepts have been covered, students can undertake multiple exercises to test their understanding of these concepts. The assignment and exam assesses students’ breadth and depth of understanding of the key concepts and techniques in operations strategy and management. The examination is an appropriate way to assess the theoretical underpinning and problem solving skills associated with operations management in order to identify what is important and how to think critically. The semester exam assesses concepts and techniques covered across the module and also assesses numeracy skills associated with application of basic techniques in operations strategy and management.

General Notes

N/A