Organisational analysis
Select an organisation that you can apply what you are learning on this course, and research relevant material in journals This could be a service operation, such as a coffee shop, other retail or distribution, transport or manufacturing operation but it has to be one where you can identify the contribution of operations management.
1. Evaluate the objectives of the selected organisation. You might discuss aspects of operations strategy, goals and objectives, contribution to competitive priorities, order qualifiers/winners, customers. Flowing on from this analysis, in a strategic sense what is operations management expected to deliver?
2. How does the organisation do operations? How does OM translate these organisational goals into tangible outcomes and processes? What does it aim to be exceptional at? How is it delivering the competitive advantage identified above? Essentially address the question how does the operations management of your organisation deliver on the strategy?
• Example outputs could be: process flow diagrams, customer statistics (as appropriate), appropriate process measurements, benchmarking, where are operations visible where are they back office in support of performance objectives, etc.
3. The next five years. OM has been taught in this course as strategically aligning the tangible and intangible resources, operational capabilities and operational processes with the performance objectives of the organisation. But performance objectives evolve and change over time. In this last part analyse how and why your selected organisations’ environment might change – and then critical reflect on how the operation management will have to change/evolve to meet these new requirements, drawing on your answers to parts one and two above. Essentially address the question why wll operations management have to change over a time frame of roughly the next five years
[N.B. In this part we know no one can predict the future, you will be marked on the quality of your thinking, the arguments you use].
• Example outputs: Your answer may include (but not be limited to): changing demographics new markets emerging, increased competition, changing infrastructure of changing buyer behaviour, changing delivery modes e.g. high street, on-line, omni channel etc .
