Course Overview of Operations Management at Edinburgh University Business School. Taught by Ian Graham.

1. OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
Course Booklet
Semester 1
2011/2012
FTMBA/MBAIB Course

2. Contents Page Number
Course Details .................................................................................................... 3
Course Description and Objectives .................................................................... 3
Learning Outcomes ............................................................................................ 3
Planned Student Learning Experiences ............................................................. 4
Teaching Approach............................................................................................. 4
Assessment ........................................................................................................ 4
Feedback ............................................................................................................ 5
Guidelines for Formatting and Handing in Assessed Work: ............................... 5
Failure to Attempt or Complete Assessed Coursework or an Examination ........ 6
Exam Arrangements for Disabled Students........................................................ 6
Plagiarism Statement.......................................................................................... 6
Appeals............................................................................................................... 7
Consultation........................................................................................................ 7
Course Monitoring Surveys ................................................................................ 7
Required Text(s) ................................................................................................. 7
Course Website .................................................................................................. 7
Advised Preparatory Work.................................................................................. 7
Course Lecturer .................................................................................................. 8
Study Programme............................................................................................... 9
Lecture Outlines and Readings .......................................................................... 9
Appendix 1: Further Reading.............................................................................. 9
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3. Course Details
Course Code: BUST11207
Title: Operations Management
College: Humanities and Social Science
School: The University of Edinburgh Business School
Course Organiser: Dr. Ian Graham
Contact Hours:
Semester: 1a
Lectures:
Tutorials:
This is a 10-credit course. As per the Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF), this means
that it should entail 100 hours of student effort. For example:
Contact hours 8 x 2 hour sessions 16
Class work 5 x 4 hours in class work 24
Reading 5 x 5 hours preparatory reading 25
Assignments 15 hours writing up contribution 15
to group report
15 hours work on individual 15
essay
5 hours work on simulation 5
exercise.
Total 100 student effort hours
Course Description and Objectives
The aims of this course are
• to provide an integrated and coherent introduction to the major aspects of modern Operations
Management for students with limited operations management experience;
• to provide students with operations management expertise an opportunity to share it with their co-
students;
• to provide students with an appreciation of the inter-relation between Operations Management
and the other functional management disciplines;
to provide a foundation for advanced specialist modules in Management Science, Technology &
Innovation Management, Quality Management, and Electronic Commerce in the second term.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding:
On completion of this course students should be able to
• analyse an organisation as a network of transformation processes;
• outline and critically compare alternative approaches to operations improvement, including the
Business Excellence Model, the use of Balanced Scorecards, the construction of management
science models and the implementation of innovative process technologies;
• discuss the linkages between the design of product and processes and the operations system;
• describe the concept of Supply Chain Management and the organisational and technological
means available for co-ordinating material flows across inter-organisational boundaries;
• describe elements in Technology Management and be able to discuss the practical use of the
elements;
• be able to relate operations strategy to broader concepts of business policy covered in other
courses;
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4. be able to integrate the concepts covered in the course and relate them to current real-world
organisational scenarios, suggesting possible methods for operational improvement;
Cognitive Skills:
N/A
Subject Specific Skills:
N/A
Planned Student Learning Experiences
The learning strategy for the course is for the students to complete key readings from the custom
textbook and background articles each week while the class sessions are interactive discussions of
the key material. Sessions will include the discussion of cases and. Slides and handouts will be
posted at the course website accessible through WebCT.
Teaching Approach
The course will be taught through a combination of class discussion, visiting speakers and case
studies, aiming to allow students to share their own experiences of operations management.
Additionally students will work in groups to produce wikis covering current themes in operations
management and take part in an online exercise in the Second Life virtual world.
Assessment
Form of Assessment:
The course will be assessed by:
• A group wiki report (40%) completed by the final day of teaching. Groups of approximately six
students will compile the wiki on a topical issue in operations management;
• A report on the group online simulation exercise (20%) written as a 1000 word maximum
group report plus 1000 word personal reflection, summarising the group strategy and
reflecting on their own strategy followed;
• An individual reflection on a case study used in class (40%) (2500 words maximum).
The group assignment is to be developed collaboratively by groups of students selected randomly.
Each group will develop a wiki, with a maximum total word length of 5000 words, which will address a
current debate in operations management. Groups and topics will be assigned during the first
session. Groups will informally present their results in the final week of the course and the wikis will
be frozen for assessment on that date. The assessment will be solely on the basis of the completed
wiki.
Assessment Criteria:
An acceptable wiki will define a concept and describe evidence from either direct observation, for
example interviews, or from literature. A first-class wiki will use both direct and literature sources and
management theory to critically discuss the concept and present this complex material in a form
which could be quickly taken-in and understood by a reader of the wiki.
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5. An acceptable reflection on a case will summarise the key issues and options in the case and the
class discussion of the case. An excellent case reflection will take the class discussion as a starting
point to develop a more insightful analysis of the case by relating it to other material, which might
include other cases, literature or theory.
The marks for the simulation exercise will be related to the clarity of being able to communicate the
group’s strategy, summarise their decisions and reflect critically upon them. Overall 20% of the marks
will be linked to the net value of a group’s factory following the final session.
Dates of Assessment
• Group wiki report – Tuesday 11th October at 9am
• Report on group online simulation exercise – Thursday 20th October by 4pm
• Individual reflection on case study – Monday 24th October by 10am
Feedback
Individual essay/assignment feedback will be provided on a feedback form in the appropriate format.
Assignment marks and feedback will be made available by 11th November.
Feedback Format
Ongoing support will be provided by the course lecturer to the groups throughout the duration of
their projects
Group feedback will be provided at the end of the projects.
Ongoing generic feedback will be provided through the course website in regards to the cases
covered approximately once every two lectures
Guidelines for Formatting and Handing in Assessed Work:
All completed assignments should be stapled and clearly labelled with the student’s examination
number. Names should NOT be written on the assignments themselves, so that they can be marked
anonymously. Students are asked to attach an assignment submission sheet as front cover. The
student’s name should be written on this sheet along with the examination number. A template for this
can be found at www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/mybiz.
When the assignments are received the assignment submission sheet will be removed before the
assignments are sent to the relevant lecturer(s) for marking. Students must also submit each
assignment electronically by TURNITIN which can be located on WebCT. For the group assignment,
once the groups have been composed, a group member will be assigned as responsible for this.
Please see instructions via the student portal. This is to enable checks to be carried out for plagiarism
on a random basis, or if suspicions are raised.
The University has a standardised penalty for late submission of coursework. The School will apply a
uniform penalty of a reduction of 5 marks for each 24 hours beyond the coursework deadline
(Saturday, Sunday and University Public Holiday not included) unless late submission has been
requested in advance of the submission date and approved in writing by the course organiser. For
example:
- an essay with a mark of 65% which is less than 24 hours late will be given a final mark of 60%
- an essay with a mark of 65% which is between 24-48 hours late will be given a final mark of 55%
- an essay with a mark of 65% which is 48-72 hours late will be given a final mark of 50% and so on...
The penalty will not be applied if good reasons can be given, such as documented illness.
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6. COURSEWORK DEADLINES ARE ABSOLUTE AND MUST BE STRICTLY ADHERED TO
OTHERWISE THE STANDARDISED PENALTY WILL BE APPLIED WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
Extensions to coursework deadlines will normally only be granted in cases of illness or other
extenuating circumstances. An extension can only be granted by the course organiser; requests for
an extension to the deadline must be agreed with the course organiser prior to the coursework
deadline. If this proves impossible, students must attach a letter of explanation to the coursework,
signed and dated. If you are given an extension, you must ensure that the Postgraduate Office (Room
GF.15, 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS) has written proof of this, e.g. in the form of an
email from the course organiser.
Failure to Attempt or Complete Assessed Coursework or an Examination
Where a student fails to attempt or fails to complete assessed coursework or an examination, the
course organiser will seek to establish from the student whether the failure is legitimate (i.e.
supported by appropriate documentary evidence) or not. A failure to attempt assessed coursework or
an examination without good reason will result in a zero mark being awarded for that element of
assessment. In the case of a legitimate failure to attempt or complete assessed coursework, the
course organiser may decide to offer an extended submission deadline (without marks deduction for
late submission). Where a student is able to produce evidence of legitimate reasons for failure to
attempt or complete an examination, and where it has not been possible to offer an extended
submission deadline for a legitimate failure to attempt or complete assessed coursework, the course
organiser will refer the case to the Special Circumstances Committee.
Groupwork Issues
Where group work is involved, should there be any problems with the group dynamic, these should
be raised by two concurring members of the team with the course organiser before the Reading
Week.
Exam Arrangements for Disabled Students
If required, specific reasonable adjustments will be made to enable disabled students to sit
examinations, including any written, practice or oral examination, continuously assessed coursework
or dissertation which counts towards the final assessment. For more information about the support
disabled students can receive and the approval process for making reasonable adjustments visit
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/disability-office/students/support-we-offer. Arrangements
for degree examinations must be approved in advance by the Registry (650 2214), and the Disability
Office (650 6828) for dyslexic students, and reported to the examiners. The Registry requires
notification of specific examination arrangements for dyslexic students well in advance of examination
weeks and specific deadlines apply (see http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/registry/other-
info/dyslexia). For all other disabled students the Registry must see and accept a medical certificate
or similar documentation relating to the student or be satisfied that an acceptable certificate will be
produced. Such students should discuss their requirements with their Programme Director and/or the
Disability Office at the earliest opportunity.
Plagiarism Statement
Plagiarism and cheating are offences against the University discipline. The full text of the University’s
regulation on plagiarism and cheating can be found on the University’s website at
http://www.docs.sasg.ed.ac.uk/AcademicServices/Discipline/StudentGuidanceUGPGT.pdf
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7. Appeals
The process for students appealing against the assessment of grades is described in the Code of
Practice for Taught Postgraduate Programmes.
Consultation
Students are encouraged to raise any concerns of a subject specific nature with the relevant course
organiser. All but the simplest issues take time to resolve, and so please raise the issues as soon as
you are aware of them.
In the event that your course organiser cannot assist you, please contact your Programme Director.
Course Monitoring Surveys
Because the PGT programmes are constantly being streamlined to remain progressive and
contemporary, it is essential that you provide feedback on the courses you undertake so that the
academic and administrative staff can be aware of your needs and the needs of your peers; the only
way we can do this is if you let us know our strengths and what can be improved to make your
learning experience with us as relevant and fulfilling as possible.
At the conclusion of every semester you will be asked to complete anonymous online course
monitoring surveys. You will be notified when the surveys relevant to your programme become live.
The results of these surveys will then be collated and distributed to the course lecturer(s) who will in
turn provide feedback on the course.
All information provided by students and course lecturer(s) will be taken into consideration by
decision makers within the Business School – and may alter the way that future courses are
administered. We are providing you with an outlet to voice your opinions and it is very important for
the current state and the future of the Business School and its students that you do so.
Required Text(s)
Required and suggested readings will be specified for each week and case on the course website.
Course Website
Lecture materials will be made available online via WebCT, which is accessible from the “quick links”
area on MyBiz http://www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/mybiz/home
On the course website you will be able to find a copy of this booklet, course handouts,
announcements and other facilities. It is important that you regularly check the WebCT system in
order to keep up to date with the course. You should be automatically registered for all your courses;
if you are not please consult Stuart Mallen, Programme Secretary (email office+mba@business-
school.ed.ac.uk) to ensure that your records are in order. A user guide and full details of how to logon
and use the system are available on the website. N.B. It is vitally important that you check your
WebCT mailbox regularly OR set it up so that it forwards messages automatically to your regular e-
mail account.
Advised Preparatory Work
Preparatory readings will be available on the course website from 12th September.
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8. Course Lecturer
Ian Graham (Course coordinator)
Tel:0131 6503797
Office: Room 3.17, Business School, 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS
Email: Ian.Graham@ed.ac.uk
Dr Graham has an undergraduate degree in Production Engineering and Management. His career
quickly drifted away from engineering into the development of IT systems and since then his research
has fractured into two strands: operations improvement, including the management of operational risk
and quality, and the management of innovation, in particular the management of standardisation.
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9. Study Programme
Week 1: Innovation and Lean Operations
This session provides an overview of Operations Management. The importance of innovation, both
for products and processes, is placed at the heart of operations management.
This session then introduces what has become the dominant paradigm for the management of
operations: Lean. The roots of Lean are traced back to the just-in-time inventory techniques
pioneered over twenty years ago by Toyota, the growth of teamworking and the Total Quality
Management movement of the 80s.
Week 2: Planning, Control and Supply-chain Management
This session will explore the practical use of Enterprise Resources Planning and supply-chain
management. In particular the key role of interorganisational IT systems in facilitating supply-chain
management, for example in supporting vendor managed inventory, will be considered.
Week 3: Operations Improvement and Operational Risk
The history of operations improvement is surveyed, from Taylorism through to Business Process Re-
engineering. The importance of the management of expertise in operations improvement is
highlighted, contrasting Taylorist Scientific management with the more fashionable Knowledge
Management perspectives on expertise. This session will briefly cover the management of
operational risk and discuss critically why the banking industry is seen ironically as the sector in which
these techniques are most highly developed.
Week 4: Operations Strategy
The process of developing an operations strategy ensuring that operations are aligned with
customers and overall business policy will be considered. The importance of a coherent overall
framework for the management of operations and their improvement will be discussed and the need
to integrate this with wider business policy addressed. Students will give informal unassessed
feedback on their group wiki reports.
The management of innovation in technology companies will be addressed in a talk and discussion
by Oliver Vellacott, founder and Chief Executive of Indigo Vision.
Lecture Outlines and Readings
As above
Appendix 1: Further Reading
N/A
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