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Operations Management assignment The purpose of this assignment is to reinforce and assess your learning from the early part of the course

Operations Management

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Operations Management assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to reinforce and assess your learning from the early part of the course.  You will be asked to apply what you have learned and use it to analyse a real operation.  The purpose of this is for you to understand how the tools and techniques taught in the course can be applied to real examples, and to demonstrate the complexity that exists in real world operations.

Assignment instructions

Choose an operation of one of the following types and analyse it as an operation:

i.e. this is not an exercise in marketing or management of people.

• A factory producing food, toys or consumer electrical goods; or
• a hospital; or

 

You should choose an operation based at a single site.  You should not attempt to visit the operation or interview employees during the course of the assignment. Instead, use online resources to find out the types of processes that are likely to take place.  You should be able to find web sites showing the site layout, for example. And there are many ‘how it’s made,’ ‘factory tour’ and hospital videos that should let you see details of the process.  If you cannot find some detail, you may discuss the likely choices or rely on your own experience.

 

Your report should include an analysis of:

• the volume, variety, variation and visibility (4 vs) characteristics of the operation;
• the type of process, its layout, and how it uses of process technologies;
• the relative importance of each of the five performance objectives to the operation and how layout and process technology contribute to achieving those objectives;

• either

• any changes you would recommend to improve the operation; or
• why the things you have observed are entirely appropriate for that operation.

 

When describing the 4 vs, make sure you get the characteristics right.  For example, variety is about variety of processes and visibility is about the extent to which customers can customise the product or service.  You should indicate how the operation differs from other operations providing similar goods or services.  When discussing the five performance objectives, you should discuss which are most important to the operation. You may want to think about order winners and qualifiers.

 

Remember that you should analyse the operation from the operations management perspective.

 

Your report should start with a single paragraph summary, highlighting the main findings of your assignment. (Think of this as the paragraph in which you sell your ideas to the CEO - or in this case, grab the attention of those grading the assignment.)

 

You must also include at least three citations and three references in Harvard style. Since this assignment focuses on observation rather than extensive background reading, you need not reference more than two or three textbooks, though the graders will look kindly on evidence of relevant background reading. We encourage you to use appropriate photographs or diagrams in your report to illustrate your findings. All figures and tables should be clearly numbered and referred to in the main text.

 

 

 

Writing the assignment

 

 

The report should be no longer than 1,200 words and should be written in a standard typeface such as Palatino, Adobe Minion, Cambria, Hoefler Text, Helvetica or Calibri at no less than 11 points. The report should have no more than six pages including diagrams. The word count includes everything except the list of references. Do not put a page break after the summary or before the list of references.