MN50344: Managing operations and supply networks
[Page last updated: 23 August 2022]
| Academic Year: | 2022/23 |
| Owning Department/School: | School of Management |
| Credits: | 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 120 |
| Level: | Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | CW 100% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | |
| Learning Outcomes: | The unit will enable students to critically discuss the key concepts of operations and supply management and illustrate the strategic significance of operational capabilities in a global environment. In addition, students will be able to demonstrate the value of employing an operations 'lens' on all organistional and supply network activities. In particular, this helps students work on the critical interfaces between key organisational functions. Finally, students will be able deploy the language, concepts and application of operations and supply chain management tools and analyses. |
| Aims: | This unit introduces the basic principles of managing operations and supply networks (MOSN): opening up narrowly defined notions of 'operations' and illustrating how all organisations and their supply networks are essentially defined through their operational capabilities. Throughout the unit, students will experience, analyse, discuss and contrast a range of service, manufacturing, for-profit and not-for-profit organisations.
Key themes will include: * DIRECT the development of resources/processes through their operations strategy. * DESIGN the end-to-end process that underpin effective delivery systems * DELIVER on promises by planning and controlling resources and processes * DEVELOP by analysing and improving their operations and supply networks�¿ Crossing all these themes will be significant consideration of environmental and ethical decision-making in the context of MOSN. For example, waste elimination via lean operations (i.e. minimization of environmental burden), process improvement and the effect on working environment (ethical focus), sourcing considerations around supplier operating practices (both ethical and environmental); triple-bottom line alignment with operational improvement priorities. Secondly, the unit will address several aspects of digitization of MOSN. For example, the use of AI in demand forecasting and process optimization; the role of inter-organisational system technology to support the operations of supply networks; the growth of automation in logistics and warehousing; and the use of data systems for assessing risk in operations and supply networks. Finally, the unit will combine technical and bahavioural aspects of MOSN. First, it is important to understand the technical and quantitative performance of any system. But second, it is equally important to understand the behaviour of the human participants, customer and employee, within that system. |
| Skills: | Knowledge and understanding:
* An appreciation of the fundamental frameworks necessary to understand internal and external organisational contexts as well as theoretical foundations underpinning the links between business and society; * Appreciation of the key areas of operations management and the relationship between operations strategy and business strategy both within and between organisations; * An understanding of research and how to integrate the knowledge of a variety of functional and theoretical areas through application to organisational problems. Skills * An appreciation of the interconnected nature of organisations and ability to apply both theoretical and practical understanding; * Ability to analyse operational issues at a strategic level in both service and manufacturing environments; * Application of practical decision-making methods and tools at both tactical and strategic levels; * An ability to be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels; * An ability to reflect on their earlier learning and practice, so as to integrate new knowledge with past experience and effectively apply it to new situations; * An ability to develop a holistic perspective on an organisation and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another. |
| Content: | * Introduction to Managing Operations and Supply Networks (MOSN) * Operations strategy * Analysing operations processes * Organising product and service development * Understanding demand and managing capacity * Supply chain strategy * Approaches to improvement * Understanding risk, failure, and recovery. |
| Programme availability: |
MN50344 is Compulsory on the following programmes:School of Management
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