1 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT TAKE AWAY EXAMINATION Submission deadline without penalties is 08 May 2017. If the assessment is not submitted by 08 May 2017 NOON LOCAL ADMIN BASE TIME then you will be zero graded. NO late submissions will be accepted. Please refer to the Programme Handbook under Section Three: Teaching Learning and Assessment for the Late Penalty Scheme and Word Count Limit. This course is being delivered through the Manchester Blackboard virtual learning environment. Therefore, all assessments must be submitted through Blackboard. If you have any technical difficulties in using Blackboard, please visit the University’s support page at: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/blackboard Submitting your Assignment 1. For the main text, double or 1.5 spacing with a minimum font size of 12 must be used (Arial or other sans serif font) and be left-justified to aid accessibility and reading. 2. Please set the page size to UK A4. All pages must be numbered. 3. Please ensure to state the final word count on the front page of your work. 4. Assignments should be submitted in Microsoft Office format (.doc, .docx). 5. Turnitin will only accept ONE document for submission 6. File names should be kept simple and only contain alphanumeric characters (a-z0-9), spaces and underscores (e.g. Valid_filename_1.doc). Files with other characters such as apostrophes, brackets or commas may not be accessible by markers. 7. Please ensure you include your student number and the assignment reference (OPM/Student Number/Jan17/3) in all submitted assignments. Failure to do this may lead either to a grade not being assigned or being wrongly assigned. 8. Assignments may be uploaded only once; substitutions are not permitted and students should therefore ensure that the version uploaded is their final submission. If you are experiencing any difficulty in uploading your assignment to Blackboard, please email a copy of the assignment and a screenshot of the error message immediately to your local centre/Student Adviser. IMPORTANT: ALWAYS RETAIN A COPY OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT2 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT TAKE AWAY EXAMINATION Required: Critically evaluate the services that your organization, or an organization with which you are familiar, offers in terms of experience and outcomes from both a customer and an organization perspective. Your response should include reference to emotional process mapping and include at least one customer experience map. Take Away Exam Assignment Guidelines: ¾ This is an individual piece of work and it must not be communicated to other students in any way whatsoever. ¾ This Take Away Exam makes up 50% of the overall grade for this course. ¾ The Learning Outcomes which must be evidenced by this assignment are: B1, B3, B5, B6, B7, C1, C2 and D1. See Learning Outcomes below. ¾ The account of your selected organisation should not be too lengthy; of more importance are relevant references to the literature, and demonstration of your critical faculties in weighing theory against practice. ¾ If preferred, you may focus this assignment on a single service offered by the organisation. ¾ Your assignment answer must be grounded in an appropriate theoretical framework and show evidence of comprehensive original research (minimum 6 academic sources in addition to the core text book) into the subject matter. You are expected to provide insight and argument and not simply provide a description of the subject matter. ¾ You should draw on concepts and theories discussed in Operations and Process Management, Principles and Practice for Strategic Impact, 4th edition, 2015, Slack, Brandon-Jones, Johnston, Betts, FT Prentice Hall, your module Study Guide, and from your wider reading and research to support your analysis and justify your critical factors and recommendations. You should only3 employ credible research sources. I suggest you consult the MBS Library Services for information on a wide range of research resources and services (e.g. Harvard Business Review). The Operations Management Reading List is available at: http://www.readinglists.manchester.ac.uk/lists/2FAA5122-3A05-1627-8F70- BE41BE357625.html You may also find the following links useful: http://subjects.library.manchester.ac.uk/content.php?pid=367728&sid=324 6461 Databases – http://subjects.library.manchester.ac.uk/content.php?pid=367728&sid=381 0471 My learning essentials - http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/academicsupport/mylearningessential s/ ¾ The maximum word count for this assignment is 2,000 words +/-10% (excluding diagrams, figures, tables and references). The submission must be in Microsoft Word format. Submissions using pdf, etc. may be returned to students. ¾ Your submission should have a logical and coherent structure and be well presented. It is essential that you properly attribute all quotes, ideas, models, frameworks etc. that you include in your discussion and analysis. This includes any material that you may download from internet sources. Full references must be given for all sources using only the Harvard Referencing Convention. Before commencing you must read UML: Essential Guide to the Harvard System of Referencing which is available on Blackboard. ¾ Details of submission dates can be found on Blackboard. ¾ Feedback is offered for assignments via Blackboard. The following link will take you to a short video on how to obtain feedback for assignments submitted through Turnitin: http://videos.sorensonmedia.com/Manchester+Business+School/Feedback+o n+Turnitin+%28OM%29/6fd98a7a-781a-11e1-a7d6-22000a1c05954 Assignment Helpful Hints: ¾ To achieve a top grade of 70% plus your submission must be well structured and logically developed with concise and comprehensive identification of the issues. It will express original reasoned arguments and demonstrate critical thinking based on clear insight, knowledge, and understanding by reviewing and critiquing a wide range of appropriate material. ¾ A very good submission, scoring between 60-69% will respond directly to the question with a clear and convincing argument. Will demonstrate an awareness of the issues involved in the question and blends conceptual awareness with reference to research sources and appropriate examples. It will be coherently organised, contain discussion and analysis rather than description or narration. ¾ A poorly developed submission, scoring less than 50% could show some awareness of the relevant material and subject matter but does not demonstrate a sufficient depth of understanding and/or is limited in the extent to which assumptions, theories and beliefs are challenged. ¾ Pay attention to feedback from earlier assignments. Module Learning Outcomes: A. Knowledge and understanding: 1) Describe how Operations Management, in manufacturing, service, private, public and voluntary sectors, fits within the overall organization and with other functions. B. Intellectual skills: 1) Outline the strategic role of Operations Management. 2) Describe the main layout types and their alternatives within the operations function. 3) Understand the factors that contribute to good process design. 4) Understand the importance of materials and supply chain management to ensure effective Operations Management. 5) Describe the development of quality management within an organizational context.5 6) Appreciate the role of performance measurement and improvement within the operations function. 7) Apply operations concepts and techniques to address real operations problems. C. Practical skills 1) Apply a number of decision-making tools to problems faced by managers of an operation 2) Apply operations concepts and techniques to address real operations problems. D. Transferable skills and personal qualities. 1) Know how to access journal articles on-line.