PGBM03 Operations Management Module Assignment 2016/17 Sunderland International Business School Level: Masters Programme Module: Operations Management Module Leader: Assignment Code: PGBM03 Issue date: TBC Submission date: Tuesday 9th May 2017 at 16:00 Moderated by: Any work submitted is subject to the University's Misconduct Regulations Subject: Individual analysis of an organisation of student's choice. Assignment Brief Introduction Operations Management function has the role of providing the required products or services in a way that satisfies the criteria imposed by the market. Efficient operation of this function is therefore important if the organization is to be successful. An understanding of the main operational tasks is an essential starting point in this process. Assignment Looking at your company at organizational level, or department level critically assess the operational methods and strategies adopted to provide the product(s) in a way that give(s) maximum satisfaction to the customers or clients. A good answer will identify the criteria applied by the customer in assessing satisfaction i.e. the order-winning and order-qualifying criteria. You should a) define the principal operations tasks to satisfy these criteria b) analyse the process strategies and procedures employed to ensure that these tasks are carried out as effectively as possible. The organization may not have an operations/production department defined in such terms, but it will still produce something for the use of somebody. The report, excluding appendices, should be 3000 words +/- 10% in length. For your guidance, it will consist of: a) An introduction in which you describe your organization and what you and your department's contribution is to the organization. b) An accurate description of who the customers are - they may be external or internal - and what they expect from the output in terms of the broad market criteria discussed in the recommended text (Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, 2013). From this, using the models in the text, you should be able to identify what the operations objectives are. This should then suggest the sort of process that ought to be operating. (The different processPGBM03 Operations Management Module Assignment 2016/17 types and their ability to meet the range of operations objectives are explained at length in the module material). c) You should then describe the process in these terms and explain how and why it helps or hinders in the achievement of the operations objectives i.e. its ability to supply a product which meets the customer's needs. This is the essential analysis that shows your ability to apply the module content to your experience. d) Having analysed the process, describe what changes you recommend to make – and explain why these are necessary in terms of improving the ability to meet the operations objectives. You need to give some guidance on the feasibility of the changes, how they ought to be implemented, a cost benefit etc., etc., where these are possible given the case organization context. Assessment Your work will be assessed against the following criteria: 1. Knowledge – Your work should show knowledge of the module content. 2. Understanding – Your report should demonstrate an understanding of operations management. 3. Insight – Your report should show an ability to analyse the operation in the light of the module content and your own reading. 4. Clarity – Your report should be well structured and clearly presented. You should include a short list of references to support your observations and assertions. This assignment is intended to give you an opportunity to show that you are capable of applying your knowledge of operations management, not only in describing the issues faced by the organization, but also in explaining them and justifying your proposed actions to improve them. You are invited to review all the models and concepts that we have discussed. Notes: 1. The assignment must be presented in a form that complies with the basic conventions of a report format (see Guide to Basic Study Skills). A hard copy of the report must be handed into the Library Services at St Peter's Campus on/or before the submission date accompanied by the Sunderland International Business School (SBS) feedback sheet. An electronic copy must also be submitted to Turnitin via Sunspace. A print out of the Turnitin digital receipt and the first page of your Turnitin originality score must be submitted with the hard copy of the report otherwise your mark may be withheld. 2. Write your workshop tutor's name on the front cover of the report and the Sunderland International Business School feedback sheet. 3. Word count – 3000 +/- 10%.PGBM03 Operations Management Module Assignment 2016/17 Assignment Guidance Notes: Business Report Structure. Size 12 font, spacing 1.5, include word count. Report Presentation  Front Sheet – Name / Student Number / Programme / Module / Date / Workshop Tutor Name  Table of Contents  Introduction  Main Body of Report – Analysis of theory and practice related to this organisation or company  Conclusion and Recommendations  References - 10 to 20  Appendix – not included in word count General guidance and typical distribution of word count would be: Introduction - 500 words Main body analysis – 2000 Conclusion and Recommendations – 500 (collective) The criteria for grading the assignment will be: The assignment will be graded for individuals on the basis of the specific criteria outlined in the Generic Assessment Criteria (Postgraduate) on the following page. Note: The "Presentation" element of the Generic Assessment Criteria (Postgraduate) will also be used (additional to the above assignment guidance notes) to assess the report structure.PGBM03 Operations Management Module Assignment 2016/17