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Unit outline_

SMBA6110: Operations Management

Intensive June, 2023 [Block mode] - Castlereagh St, Sydney

Any business or organisation is concerned with delivering value to its customers or clients, and the 'operations' of a company are the direct processes that a company uses to create value. Operations Management is the task of managing these processes. There is tremendous variety in operations, whether this is handling phone calls at a call centre, manufacturing cardboard from recycled paper, running room service in a hotel or dealing with passengers in an airline. This unit is about the fundamentals of operations management, covering both service industries and manufacturing. The aim is to provide a set of frameworks and concepts that can be applied in any company. All managers, even if they do not work in an operations function, will gain from understanding operations terminology, being able to contribute to key operations debates, and being able to see the operations of the company in a strategic context.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Management Education
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
SMBA6001
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Rod Lopez, rlopez@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation group assignment Group Assignment
In-class presentations on 24/06 and 25/06
20% Week 05
Due date: 24 Jun 2023 at 09:00

Closing date: 25 Jun 2023
20 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Individual assignment
n/a
35% Week 07
Due date: 07 Jul 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 07 Jul 2023
6 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Supervised exam
? 
Final exam (in-class)
Written exam
30% Week 09
Due date: 19 Jul 2023 at 09:00
2 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Participation Class participation
n/a
15% Weekly n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

  • Class participation: Students are expected to participate actively in all class discussions and will be required to make a substantive contribution to case discussions.
  • Group assignment: Syndicate groups will be formed during the first day of classes. Each group will deliver a presentation to the class on a specific operations management topic, strictly in the service industry.
  • Individual assignment: Students will be required to write an individual report. 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.
  • Final exam (in-class): The exam includes questions about a case study and essay type questions assessing operations management knowledge.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Directing the Operation (May 27) Block teaching (8 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Directing the Operation (May 28) Block teaching (8 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 03 Designing the Operation (June 10) Block teaching (8 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Designing the Operation (June 11) Block teaching (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Deliver in the Supply Chain (June 11) Block teaching (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 05 Deliver in the Supply Chain (June 24) Block teaching (8 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Group presentations (June 25) Block teaching (8 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: Note that MBA classes held at the CBD Campus are not systematically recorded and 100% class attendance is expected for each unit of the MBA Program. There is an 80% minimum attendance and particularly for this unit, a participation and contribution assessment mark. If there are extenuating circumstances as to why you are not able to attend a particular class, please contact your unit coordinator as soon as possible, and also notify your group members (if the Unit has a group work component).

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

  • Nigel Slack, Alistair Brandon-Jones, and Robert Johnston: Operations Management, Pearson, 2016 (9th edition)

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Apply OM concepts, tools and techniques to increase the effectiveness of functional areas within organisations.
  • LO2. Identify which specific OM tools and techniques are best applied to various business challenges.
  • LO3. Propose solutions for operations improvement and process design initiatives.
  • LO4. Work collaboratively to complete an operational plan with a group of individuals of diverse professional and industrial backgrounds.
  • LO5. Effectively communicate a detailed operational plan to a senior executive audience.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.