Unit information: Strategic Operations Management in 2020/21

Unit name	Strategic Operations Management
Unit code	EFIMM0072
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Professor. Wang
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Nil
Co-requisites	Nil
School/department	School of Management - Business School
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

The unit deals with the key operations strategy and management functions in a practical work setting. The core theme is the relevant knowledge and management skills necessary to deliver effectively and efficiently high quality goods and services in complex and dynamic environments.

This unit aims to:

• Introduce students to the core concepts of operations strategy and management and associated techniques and to demonstrate how operations contribute to organisational competitiveness.
• Examine the strategic importance of operations; the processes involved in efficiently and effectively transforming inputs into useful outputs in manufacturing, non-profit and service operations; and, the latest developments across numerous commercial sectors and organisations.
• Emphasise the importance of understanding and responding to technological and societal changes and the consideration of the future of organisations and their external environment.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Develop a comprehensive understanding of a range of factors including economic, environmental, ethical, legal, political, sociological and technological, together with their effects at local, national and international levels upon the strategy, behaviour and management of organisations that shape the discipline of operations strategy and management.
2. Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of operations strategy and how market requirements and resource requirements are related and the linkages between operations as a functional strategy and corporate strategy.
3. Understand and extrapolate operations theories and techniques in manufacturing, service, and non-profit contexts. It includes theories, models, frameworks, tasks and roles of management together with rational analysis and other processes of decision making within organisations.
4. Be able to apply operations management knowledge into a range of complex situations, whilst taking into account the overall implications for other areas of the business as well as changing external environment;
5. Develop the ability key interpersonal skills (e.g. team work, effective communication, oral and in writing; preparation and presentation of business reports) needed by today’s organisations working in teams.

Teaching Information

Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions including lectures, seminars, drop-in sessions, discussion boards and other online learning opportunities

Assessment Information

Formative: group presentations. Summative 1: 2500 words group assignment (which will incorporate the feedback from the group presentation) - 30%; Summative 2: 2000 words individual assignment -70%

Reading and References

Students are encouraged to read extensively around their subject to inform their knowledge. Students should draw from a range of sources which may include academic texts and papers, practitioner books and journals, market reports and online sources.

Core Texts for this Unit:

•Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Johnston, R., 2016. Operations management. Pearson Education. 8th edition

•Slack, N., and Lewis, M., 2017. Operations strategy. Pearson Education. 5th edition

Recommended Reading:

•Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. Johnston, R., and Alan Betts, 2015. Operations and process management: principles and practice for strategic impact. Pearson Education. 4th edition

•Brown, S., Bessant, J.R. and Jia, F., 2018. Strategic operations management. Routledge. 4^th edition

•Johnston, R., Clark, G., and Shulver, M. 2012. Service operations management: improving service delivery. Pearson Education. 4th edition

•Hill, T. and Hill, A. 2009, Manufacturing Operations Strategy, Palgrave Macmillan, 3rd edition