Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Introduction to Operations
Management (Week 1)
Learning Objectives
At the end of this session, you will be able to:
Define what operations management means and
explain the importance of operations management to
business organisations;
Discuss the fundamental theories and models that are
used to analyse the operations function in business
organisations;
Trace the historical development of operations thinking
and contemporary influences that shape shifts in
current thinking, and;
Discuss the role engineers play within the context of
the operations function.
Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Key Questions
What is operations management all about? And why is
this important?
How do we study the operations function in
organisations?
How has operations thinking changed over time? And
why?
Why is operations management relevant to engineers?
1
Open Discussion
Recommended Reading
Slack, N., Chambers, S. and Johnston, R. (2009)
Operations management. 6 Ed. Harlow: FT-Prentice
Hall. (I draw my material mostly from the 4th edition
in 2004.). Read Chapter 1.
Naylor, J. (2002) Introduction to operations
management. 2 Ed. Harlow: FT-Prentice Hall. Read
Chapter 1.
General Reading
Schön, D. A. (1991) The reflective practitioner: how
professionals think in action. Aldershot: Ashgate.
The Economist and The Financial Times
Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
2
What is Operations Management?
“Operations management is concerned with creating,
operating and controlling a transformation system that
takes inputs of a variety of resources and produces
outputs of goods and services needed by customers
(Naylor, 2002: 5).”
3
Thoughts on Emerging Employment Trends
Experiences of women (in relative terms) somewhat positive…
… but women still constitute a sizeable proportion of part-time
and temporary workers and are under-represented in engineering
Increase marginalisation of men
Sources of discontent with e.g. migrant workers
Preference for older (more technically experienced?) workers
Perpetuation of non-traditional forms of employment
Dissolution of security (job, personal lives, retirement plans)
What is the future of employment and what skills do you need in
the age of hybrids? – See Guardian article on the “Future of jobs”
to be posted on Blackboard
Coursework
Backdrop of changing employment trends
Provide a better understanding of what it is you might
actually be doing in the future
Prepare you for crafting your job applications and
custom-make your CV
An organisation you want to apply to
What do they actually do?
How can you be of use to them?
Draw upon stuff covered in the syllabus!
Read the coursework specification carefully!
Submission online Midnight Friday 8 April 2011
Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Examination
Answer three essay-type questions out of five in 2 hours.
Each question is of equal weighting.
Critical reflection of Theory is required! Theory does not always
work as organisations constantly reconfigure in the changing
world!
Draw upon the work you have done for the coursework, as you
need to refer to a particular organisation in your answers.
Gradings:
40%: regurgitate from lecture slides
50%: read the recommended list and make a coherent
argument based on own understanding
60%: read outside the recommended list and make a
coherent argument based on own understanding
>70%: demonstrate critical understanding and originality
Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
4
Recap on Learning Objectives
What is operations management all about? And why is
this important?
How do we study the operations function in
organisations?
How has operations thinking changed over time? And
why?
Why is operations management relevant to engineers?