21741 Operations and Quality Management
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksDescription
Operations management is a fundamental course that helps design, operate, and improve the processes and systems that are used to create products and deliver services. Effective operations management can significantly contribute to the success of intra- and inter- business operations through improved productivity and enhanced competitive advantage. This subject provides a broad overview and introduction to operations management covering a range of key topics including operations strategy, quality management, new product and service design, forecasting and demand management, inventory management, sales and operations planning and resource planning, decision-making analysis for productivity gains, and sustainable operations management. This allows students to develop an understanding of key transactional and operational business practices and processes of procurement and supply chains in both intra- and inter- organisational relationships in supply chains.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 1. | Evaluate the importance of effective operations management to business success |
|---|---|
| 2. | Apply relevant analysis tools and techniques to assess and improve operational processes of procurement, supply chains and firm performance |
| 3. | Integrate the Australian Business Excellence Framework in appropriate approaches for design, planning and control of operations in intra- and inter- organisations |
| 4. | Apply the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model for design, planning and control of operations in intra- and inter- organisations |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The subject provides students with functional-related competencies needed for the effective and quality management of operations within organisations and supply chains. Students also develop the skills necessary for problem-solving and critical analysis of the challenges facing organisations to achieve quality within their organisations and supply chains. The emphasis of this unit is on the strategic and operational aspects of a line manager’s role in the identified areas for improvement and apply quality management tools and industry-accepted organizational and supply chain management frameworks and performance measures.
This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
- Communication and collaboration
This subject also contributes specifically to develop the following Program Learning Objectives for the Master of Strategic Supply Chain Management:
- Communicate information clearly and fluently to a diverse range of stakeholders (2.1)
- Interact with colleagues and stakeholders to work effectively in teams and deliver agreed project outcomes (2.2)
Teaching and learning strategies
The teaching and learning strategies used in this subject promote critical and reflective thinking, research, evaluation and collaborative learning and also focus on literacy skills. The strategies have been designed to enable students to make progress in their achievement and maximise their accomplishment of the learning outcomes. Students engage in the essential content through lectures, seminar-style discussions, case studies and student-led dialogue through face-to-face and online collaboration.
It is expected that students will complete all allocated activities and readings for each lesson before attending class. Completing activities and readings before class allows for in-class time to be spent on collaborative discussions that address interesting and challenging aspects of the material rather than simply recapping the content and facts.
Formative and summative feedback will be provided to all students studying 21741 Operations and Quality Management. Formative feedback exercises are used during tutorials to prepare and assist students with assessments. For example, students will be required to share with their peers the responses they have prepared before class to tutorial activities. These exercises aim to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work. The practice case study exercises help tutors recognise where students are struggling and address problems immediately through individual and collective class feedback. Students are also required to submit a draft of their individual case study analysis in for peer evaluation to encourage reflection and ownership on the assessment criteria.
Summative feedback will be provided to students for formally composed submissions such as the individual case study assessment (task 1). The goal of the summative feedback is to evaluate student learning by comparing it against the prescribed assessment criteria.
An aim of this subject is to help you develop academic and professional language and communication skills to succeed at university and in the workplace. During the course of this subject, you will complete a milestone assessment task that will, in addition to assessing your subject-specific learning objectives, assess your English language proficiency.
Content (topics)
- The nature of operations management, operations strategy and supply chain management
- New product and new service design practices and methodologies
- Forecasting, demand management and inventory management
- Sales operations and resource planning
- Process Management, design, control and improvement modes and methodologies
- Quality Management history, principles, fundamental concepts and tools
- ABEF introduction and framework
- ABEF categories and measures
- SCOR model framework
- SCOR model measures
- Benchmarking & Implementation strategies to enable and sustain the application of the excellence principles
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Case Analysis
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1 and 2 |
|---|---|
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | The report should be 2500 words, excluding references and appendices. A maximum of 10% variation is acceptable. |
Assessment task 2: Case Analysis
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 3 |
|---|---|
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | The report should be 2500 words, excluding references and appendices. A maximum of 10% variation is acceptable. |
Assessment task 3: Case Analysis
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 4 |
|---|---|
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | The report should be 3500 words, excluding references and appendices. A maximum of 10% variation is acceptable. |
Minimum requirements
Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks as well as meet the Management Discipline Group compulsory attendance requirement, as detailed in the Subject Outline.
Required texts
Operations and Supply Chain Management. Sixteenth Edition. 1260575942 · 9781260575941. By F. Robert Jacobs, Richard B. Chase.
Publisher: McGraw Hill
Other reading resources will be provided.
References
Specialised journals (a selection only)
- Journal of Operations Management
- Management Science
- Operations Research
- Production and Operations Management
- International Journal of Production Research
- International Journal of Production Economics
- European Journal of Operational Reseach
- Computers and Operations Research
See ABDC journal wesbite to see journal ranking A*, A, B or C
https://abdc.edu.au/abdc-journal-quality-list/