3155IBA Operations Management
Assignment – Research Report 35% of total Assessment
(Due 5:00pm Friday Week 10)
The report (approx. 1500 words in length) consists of two parts:
Part 1: Identification and justification of research study.
Part 2: Main report body. Discussion, recommendations and conclusion.
Part 1 (Discuss with lecturer or tutor by Week 6)
This part of the Research Report includes the identification and justification of the study about to be undertaken. It gives students the opportunity to identify and a real-world product/service, manufactured or delivered by an organisation of their choice, on which the research report will be based. Students should discuss their choice with their lecturer or tutor for suitability so they can proceed with confidence. Students should have the company and topic chosen prior to the ensuing discussion with their lecturer or tutor in Week 6.
Part 2 (Discussion, recommendations and conclusion)
This part of the Research Report will require students to identify, within the chosen organisation a significant Operations Management issue which should be described in detail. Appropriate solution(s) should be proposed. Quality of analysis will be an important part of the report along with the solution(s) proposed.
The Report (overall)
The Research Report (approx. 1500 words in length) should begin with a concise, informed overview of the chosen organisation. What the organization does and how it does it should be outlined. Mention should be made of the context (e.g. product market and the business environment) that the organization operates in. The core of the report however, should (ideally) focus on, and describe a particular operational issue along with an appropriate analysis. From the analysis practical solutions should then be put forward, stating how well the proposed solution integrates into existing processes. Topics and points that could be considered include:
• The business environment in which the organisation operates.
• Background and purpose of the organisation.
• Organizational structure
• Organizational strategies (corporate strategy, business strategy, and operations strategy)
• Products and Services
• Service system or Production system and job design
• Process measurement and analysis
• Aggregate planning, inventory management systems and procedures, revenue management
• Locational decisions for facilities and operations
• Sustainability and pollution control programs
It is important that students not only cover the relevant issues, but also integrate them in an overarching and coherent fashion (reflecting the systemic nature of production processes). The analysis should be critical in nature, and the use of unsupported rhetorical statements should be avoided, (e.g. ‘This organization is devoted to quality’). Students should explain and support their recommendations. Look for evidence of support for all such recommendations. The report should identify the important issues and challenges facing operations managers in the organization.
Don’t forget to include references and a bibliography.
The report should be submitted by 5pm on the Friday of Week 10 through the online link found on the Learning@Griffith course website. Choose the Assessment option and then select the Research Report folder.
Format
A Business Proposal Report with a consistent referencing style. (APA, Harvard etc.)