Business operations: delivering value
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| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
The core of any enterprise is the set of processes that must take place to deliver goods and services that provide value to customers and other stakeholders. To effectively design and manage business operations requires an appreciation of their strategic importance, an understanding of the human and technical factors that impact on their effectiveness, and mastery of appropriate analytical techniques. In this course, concepts and principles are taught using case studies spanning all sectors of the economy: public or private, large or small, manufacturing or service-based, and you’ll have opportunities to apply your learning to your own context.
Course content
The field covered by this course is traditionally known as operations management; however, this course treats the organisation as a set of business processes rather than a collection of functions, and emphasises the need for cross-functional integration. The course aims to equip managers with relevant knowledge and skills to support their active involvement in making the business processes in their organisation more effective and efficient in meeting the needs of their stakeholders.
This course is for:
- current and aspiring operations managers
- those who have backgrounds in other functional areas of management but who wish to enhance their understanding of operations management issues
- anyone with an interest in improving operational effectiveness and efficiency.
Block 1: Operations, Technology and Stakeholder Value
The overall aim of this block is to demonstrate the critical strategic importance of effective operations processes to all enterprises. You will explore the multiple objectives of operations, and the many different interfaces that the operations manager must be concerned with. You will analyse the links between operations processes, business strategy and competitive advantage in terms of various types of value to be delivered to stakeholder groups, and the ways in which this value is achieved - through appropriate design and management of products and processes and appropriate deployment of technology. The topics covered include:
- the process view of business operations
- operations and business strategy
- stakeholder value
- value from products
- value from processes
- process technology.
Activities and the assignment associated with this block require you to apply your learning to your choice of organisation by critically appraising the design and deployment of operations systems to meet the organisation’s strategic aims.
Block 2: Operations by design
Block 1 established what operations systems need to achieve - Block 2 builds on this by dealing with how operations strategy can be put into practice through effective design, planning and control of operations processes. The block discusses the various factors, human and technical, that influence operations success, and you will learn to apply analytical concepts and techniques to audit existing processes and design new ones. You will explore the following topics:
- design for operations
- supply network design and management
- design and implementation
- the human factor
- planning and control
- managing supply and demand.
Activities and the assignment associated with this block require you to apply your learning to the detailed analysis and design of an operations process of your choice.
Block 3: Improving Operations
This block is concerned with the improvement aspects of operations management. Once in place, even superior systems cannot be allowed to rest on their laurels – the environment will almost certainly change too rapidly, not least through the emergence of competitors unencumbered by the conventional wisdom of the sector. You will explore and critique a range of improvement methodologies with reference to practical cases. The topics covered include:
- The context of improvement
- Evaluation of performance gaps
- Approaches to improvement
- Sustaining improvement
- Improvement techniques.
Activities and the assignment associated with this block involve the design of an improvement programme for an operations system of your choice.
All three blocks also draw on additional online and text-based resources including video and text-based case studies, the set book and the course reader. Throughout the course you are encouraged to develop postgraduate study skills (such as information literacy including use of online library facilities) that are likely to be of benefit throughout your masters level studies. There is opportunity to customise your studies to some extent through self-selection of examples and case studies relevant to your sector of interest.
Entry
There are no entry requirements but we do assume that you have already done some study, up to HNC, HND or bachelors degree level, in a relevant subject area. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Qualifications
T883 is an optional course in our
- Postgraduate Certificate in Systems Thinking in Practice (C72)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Management (C49)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Computing for Commerce and Industry (C02)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Information Systems (E10)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Systems Thinking in Practice (E28)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Technology Management (E08)
- MBA (F02)
- MBA (Technology Management) (F03)
- MSc in Computing for Commerce and Industry (F05)
- MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice (F47)
- MSc in Technology Management (F36)
Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. These qualifications allow most postgraduate courses to count towards them. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a course towards a qualification if you have already taken another course with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this course, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course texts, a study guide, case studies, DVD, set book, course reader, assessment book, computing software.
Computing requirements
This course has online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will be responsible for monitoring your progress on the course, marking and commenting on your written work and whom you can contact for advice and guidance. A programme of face-to-face tutorials will be arranged at one or two UK locations and students will also have the opportunity to engage in synchronous online tutorials. There is also a separate online forum for all students on the course. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Professional recognition
The Open University is registered with the Institute of Materials, and Institution of Mechanical Engineers as a Continuing Professional Development provider.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in November 2009 and May 2010. We expect it to be available twice a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
A postgraduate course in Computing and ICT, Engineering and Technology and Health and Social Care.
Study explained
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- Study explained
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Student Reviews
This course is a hidden diamond in the MBA curriculum and I enjoyed it a lot. It will be very ...
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Services and operations have been a major part of my career for the last 20 years or more so I ...
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