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MN30475: Sustainable operations management

[Page last updated: 15 October 2020]

Follow this link for further information on academic years Academic Year: 2020/1
Further information on owning departmentsOwning Department/School: School of Management
Further information on credits Credits: 6      [equivalent to 12 CATS credits]
Further information on notional study hours Notional Study Hours: 120
Further information on unit levels Level: Honours (FHEQ level 6)
Further information on teaching periods Period:
Semester 2
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Summary: CW 100%
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Detail:
  • Coursework (CW 100% - Qualifying Mark: 35)
Further information on supplementary assessment Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Further information on requisites Requisites: Before taking this module you must take MN20017 OR ( take MN10545 AND take CM10227 ) OR take MN50635 OR take MN10572
Description: Aims:
Whatever an organisation produces, the bottom line is awash with sustainability. Consumers and clients demand environmentally and socially responsible products and production, regulators are keen to pass environmental legislation, and dwindling resources mean production is expensive. It has become necessary to devise tools and systems that will help industry maintain and improve its environmental and social performance while remaining profitable. Thus, an organisation's sustainability performance has to be measured; these measurements must be translated into better design; and better design must be achieved through implementation.
The activities of measurement, design, and implementation are all within the remit of Operations Management (OM). The field of OM also has a special responsibility in tackling the tension between profitability and environmental friendliness, since the physical operations of a firm are closely related to the natural environment in which it operates. In this unit, we will re-define OM concepts to include sustainability as one of the major factors contributing to operational (day-to-day) and strategic (long-term) decision making. Thus, the unit is particularly geared towards those desiring the set of skills and knowledge necessary to profitably manage sustainability.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
* critically assess the role of Operations Management in improving corporate sustainability.
* evaluate the sustainability performance of an organisation, or a subset of the operations of an organisation, while evaluating the suitability of various metrics.
* evaluate various pathways to improved sustainability performance through product, process, organisation, and supply chain design.
* evaluate various implementation strategies designed to improve sustainability performance.

Skills:

* Carbon footprinting (taught & assessed)
* Process mapping (taught & assessed)
* Evaluation of product and service design and supply chain strategy using a sustainability lens (taught & assessed)
* Frameworks for integrating sustainability into management practice (taught & assessed)

Content:
Content will cover some or all of the following:
Operations Management and Sustainability
Sustainability Metrics / Systems Thinking
Sources of operations sustainability risk
(regulation; consumers/clients; resources; contexts)
Carbon footprinting (concepts)
Carbon footprinting demo Product and service design for sustainability
Sustainable Supply Chain Management
The Circular Economy
Sustainability strategy
Environmental Management Systems (and variants)
Implementation: barriers
Careers in sustainability.
Further information on programme availabilityProgramme availability:

MN30475 is Optional on the following programmes:

Department of Computer Science
  • USCM-AFB09 : BSc(Hons) Computer Science with Business (Year 3)
  • USCM-AAB10 : BSc(Hons) Computer Science with Business with Study year abroad (Year 4)
  • USCM-AKB10 : BSc(Hons) Computer Science with Business with Year long work placement (Year 4)
School of Management
  • TMMN-AFM42 : MSc Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management
  • UMMN-AFB02 : BSc(Hons) Accounting and Finance (Year 3)
  • UMMN-AKB02 : BSc(Hons) Accounting and Finance with Year long work placement (Year 4)
  • UMMN-ANB01 : BSc(Hons) Business Administration with Thin sandwich placement(s) (Year 4)
  • UMMN-AYB06 : BSc(Hons) International Management with Year Abroad (Year 4)
  • UMMN-AFB04 : BSc(Hons) Management (Year 3)
  • UMMN-AKB04 : BSc(Hons) Management with Year long work placement (Year 4)
  • UMMN-AKB05 : BSc(Hons) Management with Marketing with Year long work placement (Year 4)

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2020/21 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2021/22 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2020/21.
  • Programmes and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.