Taylor’s ideas of scientific management can be regarded as the foundation for the discipline of operations management. Do you agree? Explain how his ideas and those of the other early pioneers contributed to more effective operations in manufacturing.

Assignment 1: Questions –
Read the article ‘Roots: the early pioneers’, Resource Item 1.1.
Taylor’s ideas of scientific management can be regarded as the foundation for the discipline of operations management. Do you agree? Explain how his ideas and those of the other early pioneers contributed to more effective operations in manufacturing. How can these practices be applied to service industries? In answering this you will need to explain what operations management is, the transformation process, and the idea of the operations system.
Weighting: 30
Assignment 2: Questions –
What are the three elements required in a product strategy?
Weighting: 3
How are the best possible ventures identified?
Weighting: 5
Why do designers need to think about waste, scrap, effluent and by-products?
Weighting: 5
Outline the stages of and R&D programme and product or service life cycle.
Weighting: 5
What issues need to be considered prior to the commencement of a product or service rejuvenation exercise?
Weighting: 5
List some of the reasons which cause the failure of an R&D project.
Weighting: 5
What are the four aspects of ‘value’ considered in a value analysis exercise?
Weighting: 5
What is the benefit in using a multidisciplinary team in a value analysis exercise?
Weighting: 5
Assignment 3: Questions –
How will a sound operations strategy for resource provisioning help in the achievement of corporate goals?
Weighting: 5
In what ways can organisational facilities be focused?
Weighting: 5
Describe the range of information needed for the review of an organisation’s global operations strategy.
Weighting: 5
What is meant by capacity management?
Weighting: 5
Describe the ways in which a manufacturing facility can be laid out. Indicate the advantages of each approach.
Weighting: 5
Explain what BPR is.
Weighting: 0
Assignment 4: Questions –
The article `Inventory: Asset or Liability’, Resource Item 4.1, raises a controversial issue, frequently discussed by management. Often marketing, accounting, distribution, production, and top management have different views on the topic. Read the article, and then summarise the arguments from the viewpoint of each of these managerial groups. Can these views be reconciled?
Weighting: 30
Assignment 5: Questions –
Detail the three factors which need to be balanced when planning a project.
Weighting: 15
List some of the reasons why projects are increasingly being handled using network planning techniques.
Weighting: 5
List the basic steps discernible in project planning.
Weighting: 5
Describe the three symbols used in critical path method.
Weighting: 15
How are activity times determined?
Weighting: 5
What are the three measures of float and how is each calculated?
Weighting: 15
How can a Gantt chart which highlights slippage on agreed stage dates be used for a project progress meeting?
Weighting: 5
What are precedence diagrams?
Weighting: 5
List some of the reasons why projects fail, either entirely or in part.
Weighting: 5
Detail some of the features you would look for when purchasing a computer network planning package.
Weighting: 5
Assignment 6: Questions –
Read the article ‘Getting the numbers right’, Resource Item 6.2.
Identify the approaches BT uses to promote TQM in the company. What are the benefits to the customer?
Weighting: 30
Assignment 7: Questions –
Define productivity.
Weighting: 5
Identify the key factors which affect productivity levels.
Weighting: 5
How will better material utilisation improve productivity?
Weighting: 5
What is meant by job enrichment?
Weighting: 5
Recall the six basic steps of method study.
Weighting: 5
Write down the symbols used in constructing a flow process chart.
Weighting: 5
Why is the identification of ‘key’ operations necessary when we are undertaking critical examination?
Weighting: 5
Why is it vital to maintain an interest in the ongoing performance of a new system of work?
Weighting: 5
Why should job times ideally be established after methods have been specified?
Weighting: 5
Write down the principles which underpin a well-designed financial incentive scheme.
Weighting: 5

Assignment 8: Questions –

Read the article `JIT and MRP II could make beautiful music together’ (Resource Item 8.1).
This article ties together topics we dealt with in this unit, Unit 3, Process Design, Unit 6, Quality

Management, and Unit 9, Time Based Operations. The article emphasises that an integrated approach is likely to be more successful. You will benefit by reading the article again after Unit 9. In the meantime, consider whether the integrated approach described is likely to apply in all manufacturing environments.
Weighting: 30

Assignment 9: Questions –

Read the article ‘The kindergarten that will change the world’ (Resource Item 9.3) from The Economist of 4th March 1995 (This article is a part update on activities at Toyota which were described in the book The Machine that Changed the World).

List the methods that Toyota is employing to remain competitive in the face of the rising value of the yen.

 

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