Operations and Process Design: Key Influencing Factors

This assignment report critically discusses the main factors influencing manufacturing/service process design, taking a product or service from a familiar industry as an example. It examines the impact of the nature of the business, product, market, and supply chain on process design decisions. Furthermore, it explores how the five Operational Performance Objectives influence decision-making related to process design and layouts. The report considers demand management, inventory management, forecasting, and the effects of other organizational functions such as marketing, procurement, and supply chain management. The assessment criteria emphasize the quality of the executive summary, establishment of relevant theory, allocation of credit and sources, clarity of argument, overall presentation, and adherence to the word limit. The report should be well-structured, fully referenced using the Harvard system, and submitted via OnlineCampus, representing 50% of the module mark. The marking criteria assess scope, understanding, literature review, critical analysis, and the structure of the argument.

Operations and Information Management
Salford Business School
MSc Programme Suite, Semester 1, 2016/17
Operations and Information Management – Assignment One
The manufacturing/service process design is based on a considerable number of potentially conflicting variables and represents, in
essence, a number of trade-offs. Arguably, the Nature of the Business, the Nature of the Product, the Nature of the Market Place, and the
Supply Chain Dynamics, affect all decision-making pertinent to process design, management and development.
A) By taking as an example a product or a service from an industry that you are familiar with, critically discuss the main factors that
influence the manufacturing/service process design.
(70% of the mark)
B) Discuss how the five Operational Performance Objectives may influence decision-making associated with process design and layouts.
(30% of the mark)
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Operations and Information Management
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
In your answer you must consider Demand Management, Inventory Management and Forecasting, and the effect of other functions of the
organisation such as Marketing, Procurement, and Supply Chain Management. Some examples of products/services researched by students
in the past include: Smart Phones (specific makes and models), Cars (specific makes and models), NHS A&E Departments, Restaurants,
Waterworks, Nuclear Power, Shipbuilding, Waste Recycling etc. The list is potentially endless.
This assignment represents 50% of your overall module mark. The maximum word count is 3000 words (+/- 10%) excluding Table of Contents,
Executive Summary, References, Appendixes and Tables. You will also need to take the following into account when completing your
assignment:
 Quality of executive summary (does it give a brief complete summary of your paper for an executive to read?)
 Establishment of relevant theory (e.g. what do we mean by process management?)
 Allocation of credit and sources used (have I included references and citations to the material I have used?)
 Clarity of argument
 Overall report presentation including spelling and grammar
 Adherence to nominated word limit (+/- 10%)
 Word processed (letter size 12, times new roman, 1.5 space), fully referenced (Harvard Referencing System)
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Operations and Information Management
The assignment must be submitted via OnlineCampus. Please remember that marks for assignment will also be awarded in relation to
presentation and structure, and aspects such as use of examples, figures, tables, illustrations and statistics that indicate
wider/independent reading. Please see at the end of this document the school Marking Criteria for your level of study.
INDICATIVE READING
Please refer to the reading list issued at the start of the module on OnlineCampus. Further material in the form of articles from refereed journals
and web references are available through www.emeraldinsight.com and www.sciencedirect.com, which are two good starting points for refereed
publications. You have access to these through the University library account. You should also have a look at www.Youtube.com. Please search
for “How it is made”.
ASSESMENT HOUSEKEEPING
You are required to follow the University’s regulations regarding plagiarism and citing sources and references used. Assignments may not be
submitted late. Marking penalties for late submission will follow the University regulations for PMC and late submission.
Criterion / 90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 50-59 40-49 0-39
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Operations and Information Management
Mark range
Overall level
(indicative –
not for
grading)
Standard comparable to
journal publication
Standard comparable
to conference paper
publication
Distinctive work for
Masters level
Merit work for
Masters level
Acceptable for
Masters
Below Masters
pass standard
Significantly
below Masters
pass standard
Scope Outstanding clarity of
focus, includes what is
important, and excludes
irrelevant issues.
Excellent clarity of
focus, boundaries set
with no significant
omissions or
unnecessary issues.
Clear focus. Very good
setting of boundaries,
includes most of what is
relevant.
Clear scope and
focus, with some
omissions or
unnecessary issues.
Scope evident and
satisfactory but with
some omissions and
unnecessary issues.
Poorly scoped,
with significant
omissions and
unnecessary
issues.
Little or no
scope or focus
evident.
Understandi
ng of subject
matter
Outstanding with critical
awareness of relevance
of issues. Outstanding
expression of ideas.
Excellent with critical
awareness of relevance
of issues. Excellent
expression of ideas.
Very good with critical
awareness of relevance of
issues. Outstanding
expression of ideas.
Good with some
awareness of
relevance of issues.
Ideas are expressed,
with some limitation.
Basic with limited
awareness of
relevance of issues.
Limited expression of
ideas.
Poor with little
awareness of
relevance of
issues
Little or no
understanding
of subject
matter is
demonstrated.
Literature
Comprehensive
literature review.
Evaluation and
synthesis of source
material to produce an
outstanding
contribution.
Excellent independent
secondary research.
Sources are evaluated
and synthesized to
produce an excellent
contribution.
Very good independent
secondary research.
Sources are evaluated
and synthesized to
produce a very good
contribution.
Good secondary
research to extend
taught materials.
Evidence of
evaluation of
sources, with some
deficiencies in choice
and synthesis.
Limited secondary
research to extend
taught materials.
Limited evaluation of
sources, deficiencies
in choice and
synthesis.
Little or no
extension of
taught materials.
Poor choice and
synthesis of
materials.
Poor use of
taught
materials. No
synthesis.
Critical
analysis
based on
evidence
Standard of critical
analysis – showing
questioning of sources,
understanding of bias,
independence of
thought
Excellent standard of
critical analysis –
excellence in
questioning of sources,
understanding of bias,
independence of
thought
A very good standard of
critical analysis. Sources
are questioned
appropriately, and a very
good understanding of
bias, showing
independence of thought
Critical analysis with
some questioning of
sources,
understanding of
bias, independence
of thought.
Analysis evident but
uncritical. Sources
are not always
questioned, with
limited independence
of thought.
Little or no
analysis.
No valid
analysis.
Structure of
argument,
leading to
conclusion
Well structured,
compelling and
persuasive argument
that leads to a valuable
contribution to the field
of study, paving the way
for future work.
Argument has excellent
structure and
persuasiveness, leading
to very significant
insights and relevant
future work.
Well-structured and
persuasive argument
Insightful conclusion
draws together key issues
and possible future work.
Structured and fairly
convincing argument
leads to conclusion
that summarises key
issues.
Argument has some
structure and
development towards
conclusion with
limitations in
summary of issues.
Argument is
unstructured, no
recognizable
conclusion.
No evidence of
argument or
conclusion.
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