Extensions and penalties

No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.

Required text

Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. & Johnston, R. (2016). Operations Management, 8th edition. Pearson Education Australia. ISBN: 9781292098678

Please note: This course relies heavily on the learning material provided in the textbook. It is highly advised that students attain the required textbook as soon as possible and familiarise themselves with the textbook material, especially before the start of each class session for sessions with specific allocated chapters (which will be made available in your class iLearn page).

Where to purchase textbook?

The Coop Bookshop: The Coop Bookshop is our main retailer for textbooks and other related academic material. For information on textbook prices and online ordering, please refer to The Co-Op Bookshop webpage at  http://www.coop.com.au

Disclaimer: MGSM does not take responsibility for the stock levels of required textbooks from preferred retail outlets and other book retailers. While we advise our preferred book retail outlet, The Co-op Bookshop, of our maximum expected number of students purchasing specific required text each term, The Co-op Bookshop and other book retailers will make their own judgement in regard to their physical holding stock levels. To prevent disappointment if a textbook is out-of-stock, we highly advise students to order their textbooks as early as possible, or if the required textbook is currently out-of-stock, place an order with the book retailer as soon as possible so that these book retailers can monitor demand and supply, and adjust their stock orders accordingly.

Recommended journals

Highly recommended journals

• Harvard business review (HBR)
• Journal of operations management (JOM)
• Production and operations management (POM)
• Journal of Supply Chain Management (JSCM)
• Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (M&SOM),
• International journal of operations and production management (IJOPM)
• McKinsey quarterly

Other related journals

• Academy of management review
• California management review
• Decision sciences
• International journal of technology management
• International journal of service industry management

MGSM iLearn

The web page for this unit can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MGSM

Technology

Access to a personal computer is required to access resources and learning material from iLearn.

Unit objectives

The basic objectives of this unit are:

• To develop an appreciation of the key issues currently facing the manager of an operational functional area.
• To gain an insight into the appropriate means of applying process based concepts and operational tools and techniques.
• To develop an ability to interrelate the impact of developments made in the operations area with other functional areas and with overall corporate strategy.

Study requirements

It will be assumed that the assigned reading for each session has been done prior to class.  Class time will be spent ensuring that you have understood this material and exploring new developments and extensions to the basic concepts.

Class case discussions and project preparations will be used as methods for active participatory learning. The grade you obtain for them together with the participation grade will measure the effectiveness of the learning process. The primary output measures are written assignments, case study discussions and the final examination. Your understanding of the basic principles on which the unit is based will be measured by the final exam and your ability to apply them measured by the project, assignment and cases.

The mode of assessment will test your skills through a number of ways during this unit: situation investigation and analysis, report writing, verbal and written presentations, the ability to work effectively in teams, participation in class discussions, and examination. 

If you are unable to attend a class session or have to arrive late or leave early, please let me know before the session concerned as this will have an obvious impact on the planned syndicate work. If this situation occurs, you should also arrange with a fellow class member to collect any handouts and other information for you.

Formal assessment for this unit is designed to recognise both individual and team effort.  This is consciously done to reflect the business environment where effective teamwork is essential to the achievement of individual success. Please note that class “contribution” and not simply “participation” will be graded; there is a subtle but important difference between the two. After each session, notes will be made of those who made important contributions to the session, as well as other individuals who participated. All of you have significant work experience to contribute to the class: you are strongly encouraged to use that in order to make the class a more productive learning experience for us all!

The TUESDAY evening class for 2018 Term 4 is scheduled every Tuesday evening from 6pm to 10pm, starting from 18 September 2018 and finishing on the 20 November 2018.

The BLOCK class for 2018 Term 4 is scheduled from 9am to 5pm on the following dates: 5-7 October 2018 (1st BLOCK weekend) and 20-21 October 2018 (2nd BLOCK weekend).

Students are required to attend all classes for the class they are enrolled in. Students must only attend the class they are enrolled in as reflected in their e-Student account.

This unit will be presented over 10 sessions as follows:

Assessment tasks: Title of assessment tasks have changed, but core concept of each assessment remains the same.

Unit schedule: Changes of topics for most sessions, as well as the order they are presented in. 

• Leadership: Develop skills required of leaders with respect to the synthesis of a wide array of operations information in order to make well-informed and financially robust operational, tactical and strategic decisions.
• Global mindset: Assessment of the implications of strategic decisions from a whole of entity perspective, across a wide spectrum of stakeholders and diverse international contexts.
• Citizenship: Apply a true and fair view approach to operations activities where discretion exists related to accountability and ethical practices.
• Creating sustainable value: Adoption of a forward-looking perspective on the impact of decisions on the operations position vis-à-vis business, environmental and social sustainability.

The interactive environment of the classroom is central to the MGSM experience. Students are required to attend the full duration of all classes for the units in which they are enrolled. We recognise that exceptional circumstances may occur, such as unavoidable travel on behalf of your organization or the serious illness or injury of you or a close family member.

Special consideration may be given for a maximum of 20% non-attendance for such circumstances as long as lecturers are contacted in advance, and supporting documentation provided, to request exemption from attendance. Failure to abide by these conditions may result in automatic withdrawal, with academic and/or financial penalty. The full Student Attendance Policy is published in the MGSM Student Handbook at https://students.mgsm.edu.au/handbook.

These unit materials and the content of this unit are provided for educational purposes only and no decision should be made based on the material without obtaining independent professional advice relating to the particular circumstances involved.