Your class participation and contribution will be assessed during discussion of class content, exercises and cases. This will be based on the extent to which you appear prepared, the relevance and depth of your comments, reflections on your work experiences or other industry examples, and how you have contributed to the learning experience of the class. Please notify your instructor in advance if you have to miss a class, or if you will be late or leaving early from class.

Assessment criteria:

• Be prepared with class readings before each session
• Work effectively in groups to solve cases and industry questions in class
• Actively participate in class discussions and contribute to them using relevant sources, experience and/or extensive knowledge on the topic
• Attend the class on-time and be actively present throughout each session to the end

Syndicate groups will be assigned by the lecturer on the first day of class. Groups might experience minor changes up until the third week after the start of the term.

Each group should introduce their group representative before week 2 of the term. Group representative will be responsible for communications with the lecturer.

Each syndicate group will be required to (1) research and deliver a 20min presentation to the class on a specific operations management topic, (2) submit to the lecturer a soft copy of the slides before the presentation, and (3) upload the soft copy of the slides via Turnitin on iLearn. The last slide in the presentation should list the specific research sources (e.g. journals, webpages, textbooks, etc.). 

The presentation (and slides) should include the following:

• Brief description of the topic(s) to be presented – the suggested topics for each syndicate group are listed in the table of OM topics in the following page. Please note that not all listed topics must be included in the presentation.
• Brief description of one or more Australian firms which have excelled in the application of the selected topic(s). This will also require a very brief description of the organisation and the products/services it provides. Please note that the selected firms include: manufacturers, agricultural producers, wholsalers/ retailers, hospitals, medical clinics, health care providers, call centres, retail stores, schools and universities, IT design and infrastructure, telecommunications providers, utilities providers, government, hotels, aged care providers, child care providers, financial services, banks, architectural firms, engineering consulting, marketing and advertising, transportation and distribution services, etc. 
• Achievements obtained by each of the organisation(s), that is, a brief description of what it looks like to excel in the selected topic(s) of Operations Management. Present this with as many visual illustrations as possible and add quantifiable outcomes (e.g. dollar savings, lead time reduction, quality improvement, throughput increase, moral enhancement, etc.)
• Action plan or implementation approach followed by each organisation in order to achieve this level of excellence. That is, the set of activities (work packages) planned and completed by management in each of the organisations – This is the most important part of the presentation and where most of the focus should be placed. This section should also include challenges encountered and tactics used by management in order to overcome these challenges

Operations management topics

(must include at least two of the OM tools listed in the topics below)

Marking scheme:

• Novelty, originality, and applicability of the report
• Knowledge and understanding core material
• Appropriateness of research
• Quality of argument 
• Professionalisim in delivery (e.g., engaging the audience, introduction to the problem, seamless flow of presentation (What? Why? How?), maintaining eye contact, satisfactory response to the questions asked by the audience, effective time management in presenting the slides and in Q&A, and design and animations used in the slides) 

In addition to the marking scheme above, each individual is being marked out of 100 for their individual (50/100) and group (50/100) contributions. The details of how this marking is done will be announced in class and on the class iLearn page. If any individual members of a group do not get a full mark on either of their individual or group contributions, their final group project mark will be deducted proportionally. For instance, if a group receives 15 out of 20 for their group project and a specific member receives 80 out of 100 for his/her collective (individual and group) contributions, this individual’s final mark will be 15*0.8 = 12. Group representatives should e-mail the individual and group contributions of each group member confidentially to the lecturer.

No extensions will be granted.

Students will be required to write an individual report of 2000 words maximum (excluding references and appendices). The most important component of this report is the application of insights, concepts, tools and techniques discussed in class to the student's chosen organisation. 

The date of submission is planned after the end of the course to ensure students have the opportunity to review all of the material covered in the subject. Students are required to select and make use of topics studied in class in order to (1) draw links to a chosen organisation's function, department or operation, (2) conduct a problem analysis and (3) provide a detailed action plan to improve the organisation's operation over a period of 6 – 18 months.

It is highly recommended the chosen organisation be the student's most recent employer to ensure the assignment is kept real and practical. The report should be written in a concise manner and should be structured in the following way:

1. Organisation selection - This section briefly describes background research and the organisation identified.
2. Problem(s) identification and analysis – This part mainly identifies the issue(s) (1-2 problems) faced by the organisation. Adoption of appropriate methods/techniques is useful for analysis, such as cause-effect analysis, Business process re-engineering, etc.
3. Implementation plan - This is the most important part of the report. It must include a Gantt chart showing the detailed activities, activity duration, milestones and responsibilities. The implementation plan shows the step by step approach required to solve the problem(s) identified. The selection of the right concepts, tools and techniques is critical to ensure the implementation plan is feasible, pragmatic and real.

4. References and Appendices

Marking scheme:

• Organization selection
• Background research
• Problem identified
• Analysis methods
• Effective use of data and resources
• Implementation plan
• Practical implications
• Strength of recommendations/conclusion
• Report readability
• Overall presentation (structure, logic, formatting, referencing and citations)

Report format

Case study reports should be typed 1.5-spaced, with normal margins, and Times New Roman 12pt font. Clarity and structure are critical elements of success. Use the available pages wisely and forego dwelling on defining terms that are obvious and already known. The report should be written as a professional business type of report, reflecting its practicality, applicability and relevance to the business.

Submission details

Students are to submit 1 x soft-copy of their individual report on or before the due date as listed in the box above. The soft-copy submission will be submitted to Turnitin via the MGSM890 iLearn portal, a program used to ensure the originality of the work undertaken by the submitter.

Only ONE single file must be submitted with ALL attachments, displays and charts included within. This can be submitted as a Microsoft Word document (.docx or .doc). No file attachments, other than the single Microsoft Word file or single Microsoft PowerPoint presentation will be assessed (please ensure all charts are placed in the one Microsoft Word file).

Please ensure your full name, student number, unit code (MGSM890), unit name (Operations management), and lecturer (Dr. Peter Shi) is clearly visible on the front page of your assignment. No MGSM individual assignment coversheet is necessary.

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 special consideration is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.

Duration: 3 hours plus 10 minutes reading time

Format: Open book final examination

You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the MGSM examination timetable. The timetable will be available on 18 July 2018 at https://students.mgsm.edu.au/sydney-students/units/exams/

The final examination will be open book and concern all the material (assigned readings, class lectures, group presentations and classroom discussions) from the entire unit. The specific format of the exam will be explained in the last class of the term. You can use books, notes and a non-programmable calculator. Notebook computers, iPads, tablets, PDAs and similar are not allowed.