]] MODULE HANDBOOK

Module: Strategic Operations Management & Operational Research

Module code: PS4S26

Aims of the module:

 To provide an appreciation of operational processes, techniques, planning and control

systems with reference to both manufacturing and service industries from a qualitative
and quantitative perspective.

 To create awareness that SOM is a core function in all organisations operational

processes and is the final implementation phase of the strategic planning process.

 To explore the relationship within the value chain between strategy, marketing, design,
control, human resource, procurement and other interactions involved in the managing
of operational activities.

 To utilise theory and a range of practical activities to aid the development and
synthesise of problems involved in the implementation of strategic operational
decisions and research to highlight difficulties of monitoring and controlling those
decisions.

 To develop the student's ability and skills in strategic operational management tools
and techniques.

Module Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the range of activities that comprise contemporary

strategic operations management within a variety of contexts and situations. (LO1)

Develop personal skills to be able to critically evaluate and improve the performance of
processes within both the operations field and also the wider organisational
environment. (LO2)

Key Skills

1. Critical reflection

2. Communication

3. Problem solving

4. IT skills

5. Working with others

Source(s) for Key Readings in Reading Programme:

1
There are a plethora of operations management and associated texts that are all very similar.
Outlined below are some of the most comprehensive general operations management texts.
Familiarising yourself with these authors through research will help you recognise the key
thinkers in the area of strategic operations and strategic management of those operations.

This reading list will be supplemented with relevant academic journal papers which will be
uploaded to the VLE. You should also research and explore relevant academic papers
yourself, to demonstrate appropriate levels of wider reading has been conducted as part of
your learning in this module.

Beckford, (1998), Quality: A Critical Introduction, Routledge.

Bicheno, J. & Catherwood, P., (2005) Six Sigma and the Quality Toolbox – ISBN 0 9541 2442
1

Brown, S., Bessant, J., Jones, P and Lamming, R., (2005) Strategic Operations Management.
Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0-7506-63197

Champy, J. (2002), X-Engineering the Corporation, Hodder & Stoughton.

Cole, G.A., and Kelly, P., (2011), Management Theory and Practice, (7th edition), Cengage
Learning.

Dale, B. (2003), Managing Quality, Blackwells.

Fitzsimmons, J.A., and Fitzsimmons, M.J., (2006), Service Management: Operations,

Strategy, Information Technology: International Edition, 5th Edition, McGraw-Hill.

Goldratt, E.M. & Cox,J. The Goal – ISBN 0-566-07418-4.

Hamer, M. & Stanton, S. (1995), The Re-engineering Revolution: The Handbook, BCA.

Heizer, J., and Render, B., (2008), Operations Management: Pearson International Edition, 9th
Edition, Pearson Education.

Hill. A. and Hill, T., (2011), Essential Operations Management, 1 st Edition, Palgrave
Macmillan.

Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R., (2008) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and
Cases, 8th edn, Financial Times: Prentice Hall

Johnston, R & Clark, G (2001) Service Operations Management, FT Prentice Hall.

Krajewski, L.J, Ritzman, L.P., and Malhotra, M.K., (2007), Operations Management, 8 th
Edition, Pearson: Prentice Hall.

McHugh, P. et al (1995), Beyond Business Process Reengineering: Towards the Holonic

Enterprise, John Wiley.

Meredith, J.R. & Shafer, S.M. (2002), Operations Management for MBAs, John Wiley.

Mintzberg, H., Lampel, J., Quinn, J.B., and Ghoshal, S., (2003), The Strategy Process:
Concepts, Contexts, Cases, Global 4th Edition, Pearson Education Limited

Mitleton-Kelly, E. (1998), Organisations as complex evolving systems, Conference

Proceedings 4-5 Dec 1998, OACES conference, University of Warwick, UK.

2
Mitleton-Kelly, E. (2003a), Ten Principles of Complexity and Enabling Infrastructures in
Complex Systems and Evolutionary Perspectives of Organisations: The Application of
Complexity Theory to Organisations, Elsevier, ISBN 0-08-043957-8.

Oakland (1996), Total Quality Management: Text with Cases, Butterworth Heinmann.

Pascale, R. T., Millemann, M. and Gioja, L, (2000), Surfing the Edge of Chaos, Texere
Publishing

Reid, R.D. & Sanders, N.R. (2002), Operations Management, John Wiley.

Russell, R.S., and Taylor III, B.W., (2003), Operations Management: International Edition, 4 th
Edition, Pearson: Prentice Hall.

Slack, N., and Lewis, M., Operations Strategy, (2002), FT Prentice Hall.

Slack, N., Chambers, S. and Johnston, R. (2004) Operations Management, 4th Edition,
Pearson Education.

Stacey, R. D., (2001), Complex Responsive Processes in Organisations: Learning Knowledge

Creation, 1st edition, Routledge.

Stevenson, W.J., (2005), Operations Management, 8th Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Van Looy, B., Gemmel, P. And Van Dierdonck (2003), Services Management, 2 nd Edition,
Pearson Education.

Waller, D. (2002) Operations Management: A Supply Chain Approach, 2nd Edition,

International Thompson.

Walters, D. (2002), Operations Management, Palgrave.

Wild, R., (2002), Operations Management, 6th Edition, Continuum

Womack, J. Jones, D., (1996), “Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in your
Corporation”, New York, Simon & Schuster

TOPIC

Reflective Writing and Introduction to Strategic Operations Management

 The position of operations in an organisation. The input-transformation-
output model.
 Types of operations - producers of goods and producers of services.
 The role of operations in the organisation. The meaning of the operations
Week 1 function.
 Performance objectives in OM.
 The importance of design product development in SOM
 Determining the 'Operational Positioning Strategy'
 Method study and work measurement, ergonomics. Scientific OM
 Materials handling - broad costs, equipment, principle of unit load.

3
 Teams and Strategy for Projects
 Classical, scientific and human resource management approaches to SOM
 Communication and perception in SOM
 Approaches to motivation, management culture, Japanese approaches.
Week 2  Teams in SOM
 Leadership in SOM
 Strategic Operations as a Complex Evolving System (CES) - People as
agents in SOM
 Strategic Management of change and OM
Strategic Operations and Design Layout
 Service Operations Management
o The nature of the service concept and its role in an economy
o Defining a service strategy
o The need for new service development as a company-wide
activity.
o Operations considerations in service features and service design.
o Forecasting demand for services
Week 3 o Managing capacity and demand in services and queuing models
o Managing waiting lines
o Computer simulation; systems simulation
 Management of Facilities
o Facility location considerations and layout product & services
o Facility design - functional involvement.
o Factors affecting equipment selection.
o Preventive and repair maintenance.
o Asset replacement considerations.
Lean Thinking and JIT
 Objectives of Production Planning and Control (PPC). Activities of PPC and
relationships with other departments.
 Forecasting, capacity planning.
 Scheduling and loading, scheduling rules.
 Project Management & network analysis - CPA, drawing, calculation,
Week 4 resource aggregation, crash costing.
 Data capture and reporting, information required, accuracy, new
technology.
 Inventory and yield - effects on company performance. Relationship of
inventory and manufacturing throughput time. Material control. Uses of
ABC analysis (Pareto) in inventory control.
 Inventory control systems.
 Quality Planning and Control and Operations Improvement
 Quality - pre-requisites, design and performance /conformance, costs
affected by quality.
Week 5  Sampling in quality control (QC). Use of warning and action limits in
statistical process control (SPC).
 Quality assurance
 Tools of quality management

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  TQM & Six Sigma Methodologies
 Business Process Re-engineering
 Value engineering /value analysis; variety reduction in products and
services..
Lean and Agile Strategies
 Materials requirements planning (MRPI), Manufacture Resource Planning
(MRPII), Enterprise Resource
 Planning (ERP) & Distribution Resource Planning (DRP).
Week 6
 Beyond Just in Time (JIT) Lean, Agility, 'Leagility' & Flexible Specialisation.
 Optimised Production Technology (OPT).
 Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS).

Quality Management Systems

Week 7  World class organisations & world class performance.
 Benchmarking
Week 8
Assessment Module Assessment Due at the end of the week.

ASSESSMENT REQUIRMENTS:
The assessment of this module will comprise of two elements:

Part A:

A report (2500-3000 words or equivalent) which requires students to

provide a reflective analysis illustrating a development of personal skills
enabling the student to critically evaluate and improve performance.
Where applicable this should include topics from strategic operations
management and operations research. (50% of module marks).
NATURE
Part B:

A written assignment (2500-3000 words or equivalent) which requires

students to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the range of activities that
comprise contemporary strategic operations management and critically
evaluate and improve the performance of processes within both the
operations field and also the wider organisational environment. (50% of
module marks).
LEARNING OUTCOMES The single assessment addresses both Learning Outcome 1 and Learning
ASSESSED Outcome 2.
Coursework 1

Planned SUBMISSION End of Week 8

To pass the module students must achieve an overall minimum mark of 40%

Please note: the normal turnaround time for return of assessments is 20 working days