About Course
Operations Management is concerned with the design, management, and improvement of the processes that produce and deliver goods and services. This introductory course provides students with conceptual, analytical, and practical insights into how operations are managed in manufacturing and service organisations across both the private and public sectors.
The course focuses on the key decisions managers make when designing and managing operations, highlighting the strategic importance of operations management in achieving organisational effectiveness, competitiveness, and sustainability.
Operations Management — Introduction, Aims & Learning Outcomes
Course Aims
- Introduce the principles and practices of operations management.
- Explain how operational decisions support organisational strategy.
- Provide analytical tools for designing, managing, and improving operations.
- Develop understanding of operations in both manufacturing and service contexts.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify and define the main components of an operation.
- Understand the organisational and strategic context of operations management.
- Apply and evaluate models for process design and management.
- Apply principles of operations planning, control, and performance measurement.
- Evaluate methods for continuous improvement of operations.
- Analyse case studies to propose operations-based business solutions.
- Understand sustainability and responsibility in operations management.
- Critically challenge operations management concepts and models.
Indicative Topics
- Introduction to operations management: definitions and models
- Performance measurement in operations management
- Design of operations and process design
- Capacity management
- Push and pull systems and inventory management
- Queuing systems and the psychology of waiting
- Operations improvement techniques
- Sustainable operations management
Subject-Specific Skills
- Interpret organisational strategy as operations strategy.
- Identify problematic volume–variety profiles.
- Recognise process and layout inefficiencies.
- Identify misalignment between products, services, and processes.
- Understand causes and solutions for process imbalance.
- Recognise demand seasonality and appropriate operational responses.
Transferable Skills
- Problem-solving through structured case analysis.
- Innovative and creative thinking.
- Analytical reasoning and decision-making.
Indicative Reading List
- Core Text: Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston (2019), Operations Management, 9th Edition, Pearson.
- International Journal of Operations and Production Management
- International Journal of Service Industry Management
- Production and Operations Management Journal
- Journal of Operations Management
Additional Reading & Learning Resources
- Harvard Business Review
- The Economist
- Taipei Times and international newspapers
- Online and library-based articles provided in the extended module handbook
Students are expected to read widely and engage critically with contemporary operations and international business issues discussed in these sources.
Course Content
Foundations of Operations Management
-
Introduction to OM
-
OM and competitiveness
-
Strategic issues in OM
Roles, Responsibilities & Context of Operations
Models, Systems & Decision Support
Responsibility, Customers & Performance
Managing Operations Effectively
Consolidation & Assessment
Student Ratings & Reviews
