...Master of Business Administration International Programme OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT OCTOBER 2010 – SEPTEMBER 2011 Sections: Page 1 Course Overview 2 2 Assignment topics 4 3 Writing up your assignment (Individual or Group) 7 4 Guide to approaching case studies 12 Class title Operations Management Credits 10 Class aims Operations Management refers to those activities which are more or less directly concerned with the creation and delivery of goods and services. The course is intended to give you a theoretical framework for thinking about operations in both manufacturing and service contexts and to describe some practical applications of operations management. In the course we will address key aspects of design, planning and control of operations systems, and to provide an understanding of the operations function in a global context. Learning outcomes Subject specific knowledge and skills including: • Understand the history of Operations Management as a subject and consider the challenges facing Operations in future with particular reference to service operations, value adding and sustainable competition. • Understand the need for an Operations Strategy to operate with a Business Strategy • Describe Operational strategies in terms of Fit, Sustainability and Risk • Assess the choices and trade-offs inherent in developing an operations strategy (assessment of alternative...
Words: 4902 - Pages: 20
... 530 Organisation & Management Assessments & Marking Guides Student ©SBG 2010 Page 1 of 23 530 Organisation & Management PRESCRIPTION: 530 ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT This prescription replaces 130 Organisation and Management. CORE PRESCRIPTION Level CREDIT VERSION INTRODUCED AIM 5 20 1 2006 Students will understand the factors that influence management and the organisation and apply a range of factors. Nil PREREQUISITES ASSESSMENT WEIGHTINGS Learning outcomes 1. Students will identify the purpose of organisations and management. 2. Students will understand the importance of the development of management philosophies and their influence on current management practices. 3. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the influence of environments on organisational behaviour, by applying knowledge to a typical situation. 4. Students will understand the importance of ethics and social responsibility within an organisation. 5. Students will understand the elements of problem solving and apply a range of techniques that aid operational decision making. 6. Students will understand the purpose of planning and control and apply processes to a given situation. 7. Students will discuss two organisational structures, evaluate and recommend a structure for a given situation. 8. Students will understand and apply knowledge of leadership, motivation and delegation. 9. Students will understand team dynamics and how teams can influence the organisation. TOTAL...
Words: 5778 - Pages: 24
...MGB 200 – Leading Organisations Research Paper (final assessment) 1. Introduction This research paper will present a critical analysis of the Queensland Health case study using related theories of organisational structure. This paper will also involve the use of critical thinking skills developed through the tutorial and lecture activities in MGB 200 (Leading Organisations. In further detail, organisational structure theories and research from the Queensland Health case study will be applied to identify and analyse the problem area discussed in the case study, and recommendations will be made for how to address this problem. The structure of this research paper will be expressed via reviewing the topic area of organisational structure (2.0 Literature Review), identifying/analysing the issues in the Queensland Health case study using the theoretical framework of organisational structure (3.0 Case Study), recommendations on how to improve the situation described in the case study (4.0 Recommendations) and finally a conclusion on the case study will be given (5.0 Conclusion). 2. Literature Review This section will provide a literary review on organisational structure. Four sections will be discussed in relation to the theories of organisational structure: (2.1) defining organisational structure, (2.2) types of structure, (2.3) the reasoning behind different structure types and (2.4) examples of different structures. 1. Defining Organisational Structure ...
Words: 1522 - Pages: 7
...Essay The purpose of this essay is to critically evaluate the statement “Mechanistic and bureaucratic organisations will probably struggle to encourage organisational learning”. I will approach this statement by highlighting my main argument then providing four key points which will reinforce said statement. I understand of this question that encouraged to be defined as “To give support” in the sense of designing policies to encourage organisational learning. With this in mind main argument for this statement is mechanistic organisations wouldn’t struggle to encourage organisational learning however scope for learning will be limited due to employee behaviours and management styles and in order to enable full capacity within organisation learning a shit would be required away from the mechanist approach. First of all I believe it would be simple for burecratic organisations to encourage organisational learning due to the Strict hierarchy, rules and regulations and power in position slides which exists combined with employee’s to have strong compliance to manager commands, processes and rulers and regulations (Max Weber). I believe if managers were to enforce forms of organisational learning such as group work, single and double loop learning (Agyris & Schon, 1978), Kolbs learning cycle (Kolb, 1984) employees would follow procedures due to the high controlling authairitive relationship which exists between employees and managers. An example of this would be when working...
Words: 2152 - Pages: 9
...AN INSTITUTIONALIST STUDY ON THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN A GOVERNMENT- LINKED ORGANISATION NORHAYATI BINTI MOHD ALWI UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA 2009 AN INSTITUTIONALIST STUDY ON THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN A GOVERNMENT-LINKED ORGANISATION by NORHAYATI BINTI MOHD ALWI Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2009 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am especially indebted to my supervisor, Dr. Siti Nabiha Abdul Khalid for her constant guidance, limitless support and patience throughout the period of my study. There is no way that I would be able to repay the kindness and caring that she has shown to me. I am thankful to Assoc. Professor Dr. Yuserrie, for giving valuable inputs to my study and also to others in the School of Management, who have helped me in some way or another. I would like to acknowledge the comments made by Professor Lee Parker and other participants of the Global Accounting and Organisational Change Conference, held in Melbourne, Australia in July 2008. A special thank you is also dedicated to Professor John Burns for the insightful comments on the research. I am also indebted to my employer International Islamic University Malaysia and the Ministry of Higher Education for providing the financial support. Thanks so much also to the respondents for their willingness to share some of their thoughts and experiences, which have made my data collection easier than I would ever...
Words: 8361 - Pages: 34
........................................................................................................................ 2 Summary of the case study......................................................................................................... 3 Theories .................................................................................................................................... 34 Criticism ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Analysis of the case study .......................................................................................................... 7 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 7 References ................................................................................................................................ 10 Page | 1 Introduction Globalisation has forced markets to be in constant development and with that companies are also becoming more knowledge-based than ever before. Therefore, it is of great importance for any company who wants to be a part of a leading market to adapt and to keep pace with the rapid changes of the environment they operate in (Gómez, 2004, pp.1). Learning organisations and continuous development is essential for a company to stay in a competitive position with its rivals. Therefore, I found it interesting...
Words: 3071 - Pages: 13
...websites were used to find out information about …… for inclusion in this report. 2.2 Case study for JoC The case study for JoC was referred to throughout this report. 2.3 Library Various books were scanned to enhance the understanding of organisational structures. 3. Findings 3.1 Background of Joy of Chocolate In this section give a brief overview of the organisation. 3.2 JoC Organisational goals and objectives According to xxxxxxx organisational goals are “Quote ……….” Source. This would suggest xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Secondly, organisational objectives relate to the company’s goals as this is where xxxxxx as suggested by the following quote “Quote ……….” Source 3.2.1 JoC Organisational goals and objectives What are JoC’s goals and objectives? Analyse the relationship between organisational goals and that of JOC along with the policies to achieve those goals and objectives. 3.3 Formal and Informal organisation 3.3.1 Informal organisation According to xxxxxxx he/she suggest that the informal organisation is “ xxxxxxx” Source” This is demonstrated within the JoC case study through the example where xxxxxxxxxxx. 3.3.2 Formal organisation According to xxxxxxx he/she suggest that the Formal organisation is “ xxxxxxx” Source” This is demonstrated within the JoC case study through the example where xxxxxxxxxxx. 3.3.3 Key differences between formal and informal organisations As...
Words: 518 - Pages: 3
...Crisis Communication in theory and practice: Analysis of cultural influence, strategy applicability, and stakeholder relevance in Australia and New Zealand Natascha Pancic A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of International Communication Unitec New Zealand, 2010 ABSTRACT This research project explores crisis communication in theory and practice in Australia and New Zealand with specific focus on cultural influence, strategy applicability, and stakeholder relevance. A mixed-method approach was used to evaluate crisis communication in its theoretical and practical constituents. The research project comprises of the two data collection methods of content analysis and in-depth interviews. The content analysis, the selected method to evaluate the theory, was conducted from published research studies in leading Australian and New Zealand Public Relations and Communication journals, the websites of the PRism journal, the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA), the Public Relations Institutes of Australia (PRIA) and New Zealand (PRINZ), and via the database search platform Ebsco. The content analysis provided information about the number of published articles, leading theoretical models, research methods, and research orientation. The in-depth interviews, the chosen method to investigate the crisis communication practices, were conducted with three Australian and three New Zealand practitioners...
Words: 50459 - Pages: 202
...Leadership in an organisation 1.1 Research Background The highly competitive market economies have continuously forced majority of organisations around the globe to find various strategies on improving themselves in terms of operations and performance. This is not only vital for meeting their organisational objectives, but also for sustenance (Zheir et al, 2012). Previous researches and studies claim that leadership is the key factor for an organisation or business to survive, operate and perform in today’s competitive market (Ximane,2015);(Bass,1990);( Jung, 2002). Furthermore proper leadership is the strategic element in increasing and achieving organisational goals (Bass &Avolio, 1995) ;( Yousef, 1998). On the other hand, some researches and studies contend that organisational leadership is an embellished concept in that it is not necessary in attaining organisational performance since there are other internal and external factors that come into play ( Ismail et al,1998; (Bass& Avolio,2002;(Munjis,2011). A number of researches and studies have been carried out to demonstrate that leadership and organisational performance, commitment and innovation go hand in hand (Judge, Bono, Ilies and Gerhardt, 2002; Judge and Piccolo, 2004; Keller, 2006; McGrath and MacMillan, 2000; Meyer and Hepard, 2000; Purcell, Kinnie, Hutchinson and Dickson, 2004; Yukl, 2002). Conversely, some studies for instance, House and Aditya (1997) suggest that is not a key factor in achieving organisational...
Words: 7639 - Pages: 31
...S3134484 1 The advantages of differing views on organisational culture theory: the benefits of a multiparadigm approach The purpose of this essay is to outline the advantages and disadvantages of robust debate surrounding the field of organisational culture. To achieve this, this essay presents the benefits of robust debate which has led to multiple paradigms surrounding the field of organisational culture within organisational theory. It will then be demonstrated how the effect of multiple paradigms produces various, ever improving research approaches, and different research methods which contribute insights that refute, support or extend current knowledge (Lewis & Kelemen 2002). When examined, these techniques provide a context for change within management practice using a multiparadigm approach. It has been observed by many researchers that a single paradigm is inevitably limiting when attempting to uncover certain facets within organisations and can obscure others (Schultz and Hatch 1996). The apparent discourse within organisational culture theory has exemplified organisational theory to the extent that Mingers and Brocklesby (1997) praised organisational studies for exemplifying and encouraging multiparadigm interests within other fields of research (e.g. physics, biology). The benefits of a multiparadigm approach is argued to offer a midpoint between the extremes of academic theory; this has been achieved in organisational culture by constructing consistent...
Words: 1945 - Pages: 8
...S3134484 1 The advantages of differing views on organisational culture theory: the benefits of a multiparadigm approach The purpose of this essay is to outline the advantages and disadvantages of robust debate surrounding the field of organisational culture. To achieve this, this essay presents the benefits of robust debate which has led to multiple paradigms surrounding the field of organisational culture within organisational theory. It will then be demonstrated how the effect of multiple paradigms produces various, ever improving research approaches, and different research methods which contribute insights that refute, support or extend current knowledge (Lewis & Kelemen 2002). When examined, these techniques provide a context for change within management practice using a multiparadigm approach. It has been observed by many researchers that a single paradigm is inevitably limiting when attempting to uncover certain facets within organisations and can obscure others (Schultz and Hatch 1996). The apparent discourse within organisational culture theory has exemplified organisational theory to the extent that Mingers and Brocklesby (1997) praised organisational studies for exemplifying and encouraging multiparadigm interests within other fields of research (e.g. physics, biology). The benefits of a multiparadigm approach is argued to offer a midpoint between the extremes of academic theory; this has been achieved in organisational culture by constructing consistent...
Words: 1945 - Pages: 8
...Introduction……………………………………………………………….…....4 3. Importance of the Study……………………………………………………....5 * BPMs relevance & Importance to Information Systems……………...5 4. Research problems and significance………………………………….........6 5. Contributions and originality……………………………………………...….7 6. Theoretical arguments………………………………………………………..8 *The Contingency Theory……………………………………………...….8 * Dynamic Capabilities Theory:……………………………………..…….9 *Task Technology Fit………………………………………………..….….9 7. Research methods ……………………………………………………..….....9 *An outline of the methods used for the research study……..…......…9 *Description of methods…………………………………………….......10 *Analysing the Methods suitability for the study………………………10 8. Key Findings of the study ………………………………………………..…12 9. Research Limitations ……………………………………………………….13 10. Suggestions for future research……………………………………….….14 11. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...15 12. References…………………………………………………………………..16 13. Appendix* EXECUTIVE SUMMARY According to Zairi’s (1997) definition, BPM is the ability to consistently enhance integral activities within vital company operations, with the use of a procedure which is well structured. From this, determining the best possible way to identify the critical success factors by a combination of three theories; contingency theory, dynamic capability and Task Technology Fit as attempted...
Words: 5045 - Pages: 21
...of policies, theories and practices which help debate the importance and effect it has on how an organisation’s perform in diverse situations. This assignment will thus seek to explore through the use of models and theories brought forth by scholars; means by which people in organisations should be managed and ways by which those in managerial position could adopt in order to resolve issues in the work place efficiently. Also by using 2 main organisations (provided as case studies), the assignment further seek to bring to clarity certain similar practices shared and also expose certain contrasting means of operation between both organisation in term of: *Organisational design and structure & *Organisational Culture Brook (2003) in his findings has acknowledge the complexity that most organisations finds themselves in and rightly identifies that there are forces which not just influences an organisation but also frames it. So through the PEST model (Political, Economic, Social and Technology), it can be argued on the other side of the coin, that organisations are not only affected by their environment and its forces, however their means of operation (which is classified in other terms as organisational design and culture) can also in return influence the environment in which they operate. With that notion covered, it is thus possible to have certain aspects of the business environment viewed differently by organisations operating within...
Words: 1633 - Pages: 7
...ECM62EKM: Organisational Behaviour and HRM |Module size |15 Credits, Level M | |Total student study hours |150 | |Pre-requisites and co-requisites |None | |Excluded Combinations |None | Aims and Summary This module provides a thorough grounding in the theories of organisations, the processes of organisational designing, and the practice of human resource management. The first part of the module concentrates on the concepts of organisational structure and behaviour. The second part reviews the changing nature of the employment relationship and critically evaluates the contribution of HRM to organisational effectiveness and efficiency. Intended Module Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this module, the student will be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of theoretical concepts of organisation structure and behaviour, and the practice of organising. Critically discuss the relationship of HRM to the traditional practice of personnel management and industrial relations. Assess key areas of HR practice, such as strategic planning, resourcing, development...
Words: 591 - Pages: 3
...14.00-17.00 Term:Spring Term CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 2. MODULE OUTLINE AND TEACHING METHODS 3. READING AND COURSE PREPRATION 4. LECTURE WITH DETAILED COURSE PROGRAMME AND OBJECTIVES 5. ASSESSMENT DETAILS 6. INTRODUCTION Human resource development contributes to the overall success of an organisation through providing learning, development and training opportunities to improve individual, team and organisational performance. Training and development affects everyone in the organisation and it is appropriate at every level from office junior to senior executive. Learning is complex and this unit explores the related theories and their contribution to the process of transferring learning to the workplace. It is important; therefore, for learners to appreciate that all staff should be encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge to achieve their potential and. in doing so, enable the organisation to meet its strategic objectives. Learners need to appreciate that successful organisations recognise that their training programmes need to be planned and managed. All training has a cost to the organisation and managers need to be able to provide training programmes within their training budgets. Through planning and designing a training and development event, this unit aims to develop knowledge and understanding of these key areas. Learners will examine how to identify training...
Words: 5212 - Pages: 21
