Operations and General Management

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

Approximately 2.5 hours of personal study per hour of class time is required to achieve a satisfactory level of performance.

Entry into the Master of Supply Chain Management.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.
The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject covers the key concepts of the field of operations management, and its role and contribution to supply chain management and general management. Topics include operations strategy, operations focus, order-winners/ qualifiers, operations based competitiveness, and the relationship between operational capabilities, market requirements and overall business strategy. It also includes key topics in capacity management, technology strategy, facilities location and design, process choice and quality management factors. Opportunities for redesigning and improving supply chains will be highlighted. Benefits of continuous improvement are covered, based on world’s best practices and companies. The role of leadership in ensuring workforce alignment and motivation is developed and illustrated. Key principles of business excellence are outlined and applied to supply chain and general management.

At the completion of the subject, students should have:
- The ability to understand the key characteristics of effective operations
- Knowledge of the tradeoffs within operations
- The ability to identify, measure and reduce operational waste
- Knowledge of the relationship between key operational , marketing and business strategy parameters
- The ability to analyse operations and understand the relationships between practices and operational performance variables

• Take-home exam, due on the Tuesday after the delivery (20%)
• 1,500 word assignment, due four weeks after the delivery (30%)
• 3,000 word field project, due eight weeks after the delivery (50%).

nil

Nil

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion of this subject students should have enhanced their skills in:
• Ethical behaviour in leadership and organisations
• Analysis and problem solving in relation to Supply Chain Management
• Capacity for intellectual curiosity, creativity and independent thought
• Communication of key ideas and theories within the discipline areas
• Capacity for effective teamwork and collaboration
• Information retrieval and application in relation to practical problems