BMGT7043 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

SEMESTER 2 2021-22

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
Please note that this Assignment Brief takes precedence over the summary
information contained in the Module Guide.

This is an individual assignment of 2,500 words and worth 100% of the Module
marks.

ASSIGNMENT TASK
 You must prepare and submit an original business report addressing the tasks
identified later in this section, but summarised below.
 Your report must analyse and evaluate the operations management of an
organisation, or of a specific business unit/division, and draw conclusions over
the extent to which its operational capability supports its corporate strategy and
provides competitive advantage.
The Organisation
You must select one focal organisation as the subject of your assignment. Where
the organisation has different divisions or a disparate product/service offer, you may
have to select one specific area of the organisation for study (i.e. you will need to
define the scope to be covered in your report). You may also find it appropriate to
select by geographical region, or if the organisation has disparate operations, one of
these.

The organisation selected should meet the following criteria:

 It should be a well-known business – you will find more data/information on large
well-known businesses;
 It must have a website that is available in English and produce annual reports in
English;
 It is recommended that your selected company be publicly listed/publicly traded
on the stock market – you will find more data/information available on such
organisations.
 You should not collect any data from primary sources.

Main Assignment (100%)

The Content of the Assignment

You are required to demonstrate your learning from the course material by analysing
and evaluating the operations management of your chosen organisation (or business
unit/division) in a report containing the following sections.

MSc BMGT7043 OM Assignment 2021-22_S2 1

1. A brief introduction to the organisation, including an overview of the
environment in which it operates and the pressures that its sector faces. This will
give the reader sufficient context to make sense of the report.

2. An analysis of the operations of the selected organisation – you must apply

the 4Vs model (and consider the implications) and the concept of Operations
performance objectives to your selected organization and their operations. In
addition to this you should select two further topics/concepts covered in the
module or from your wider reading (relating to operations management) this
might be (as appropriate to the organisation) – transformation process model, the
types of operating process, location and layout, capacity management, the
scheduling and control of resources, supply chain management, quality
assurance or the application of TQM principles, the application of ‘lean’
principles.
This section is likely to represent the largest part of the Report and it is for you to
decide which concepts/theories/models you include in this section (besides 4Vs
and Operations performance objectives).

3. The identification of the major strengths and weaknesses of the operation –

achieved performance against required performance. From your analysis,
you should also consider the extent to which the operations functions support the
broader business strategy of the organisation, and the extent to which the
organisation’s operations capability is used to create competitive advantage.

NOTES

 Since each organisation is different, we cannot tell you the relative weight that
you should put on each of the elements or the specific operations management
concepts and models that you should use.
 Please remember that this is an Operations Management assignment – although
it may be necessary to relate your analysis to marketing or other business
functions, your focus should remain on how business operations are used to
create competitive advantage (or not).
 A certain amount of data collection will be required. You should only use
secondary material (i.e. that available in the public domain) in your report. You
must not attempt to carry out any primary research on the organisation. For each
part of the task, try to provide real evidence – this will allow you to be specific on
the challenges facing the organisation.
 You should make appropriate reference to the theoretical concepts and
techniques covered in the Module to support your evaluation. Try to maintain a
balance between theory and practice. You must use at least 10 sources other
than the set texts. You must include a reference list of sources used. Charts,
diagrams and other supporting material might well be given as appendices to the
report. These should be properly referenced in the text.
 The assignment must be structured and presented as a formal business report.
 Do not make excessive use of abbreviations or acronyms. Although they may be
understood within an organisation, they are not acceptable when work is
prepared for general wider readership.

MSc BMGT7043 OM Assignment 2021-22_S2 2

 Reports must be presented in the formats specified in the Programme
Regulations.
 The length of the assignments must not exceed 2,500 words. The word count
should be shown on the front cover. The front cover, contents page, tables,
diagrams, appendices and reference list are not included in this word count. The
content of each table/diagram should not contain more than fifty words. You do
not need to include an Executive Summary.
 The report must contain a reference list. All sources cited must be referenced in
the report. The Harvard referencing system must be used. You must use at
least 10 academic sources.
 We expect reports to be professionally presented. You should ask yourselves
whether you would be happy to present your report to the directors of the
organisation.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA & WEIGHTINGS

The assignment will be assessed using the assessment criteria shown on the MSc
Generic Assessment Criteria Grid (available on Moodle):

 Does the assignment report answer the question (i.e. meets the task
requirements shown above)? (50%)
 Is the knowledge up-to-date, from sources from a wide range of literature, and
well-integrated? (10%)
 Are the student’s arguments clear and well supported, and illustrated with theory
and/or practice (i.e. suitable examples from the selected organisation)? (20%)
 Does the work show evidence of critical analysis and synthesis with good
practice? (15%)
 Is the work well presented and structured, with appropriate acknowledgement of
sources? (5%)
The mark sheet given at the end of this section illustrates these assessment criteria.
Each element has equal weighting, and your final mark will reflect your performance
against them.

HAND-IN DATE AND INSTRUCTIONS

Assignments must be submitted through the Moodle drop box

Hand-in Date: Friday 8th April 2022, 13:00 UK time.

See Assessment Regulations below.

ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS
Your attention is also drawn to the general Regulations Governing Assessment,
which are contained in your MSc Programme Handbook.

Assignment formatting:

Your assignment must be presented in the following format:

MSc BMGT7043 OM Assignment 2021-22_S2 3

❑ It must be word-processed in 12-point Arial font and double-spaced
❑ It must be black text on a white or ivory background
❑ All pages must be numbered
❑ Margins must be as follows: Top: 1 inch, Bottom: 1 inch (2.5 cm), Left: 1.25 inches,
Right: 1.25 inches (3.2 cm)
❑ It should not contain your name(s)

Assignment length: The length of an assignment is limited by a set number of

words to contribute towards the development of writing skills and to ensure all work
is assessed equitably. We therefore require you to complete your assignments within
the number of words specified in the assignment brief (2,500).

You will need to think carefully about how best to explain your case within the
permitted number of words or pages, using, for example, an appropriate mix of text,
drawings, diagrams and tables, supplemented by information contained in
appendices.

Please also remember that a report can be enhanced or damaged through layout; for
example, placing all tables and drawings in appendices can hamper the flow of
discussion. Decisions therefore need to be made about the most appropriate place
to use tables etc. to support your case.

The specified count refers to the main body of the report and does not include front
cover, title page, contents page, diagrams, tables reference list, bibliography or
appendices.
Appendices themselves will not be marked. However, inappropriate use of
appendices will be taken into consideration when awarding the final mark.

Any words in excess of the specified word count will not be marked. If in doubt, you
should discuss this with the Module Leader before submission.

Hand-in: You are required to submit your assignment report in electronic form
through the Turnitin drop box available on the Moodle site for the Module.

For electronic submission: Give the file(s) which you intend to upload a name which
begins with your student number; for example ‘12345678_BMGT7043_Assignment’.

Exceptional circumstances policy:

If circumstances outside of your control (for example, medical circumstances) affect

your ability to meet an assessment deadline or attend an assessment event (e.g.
examination, presentation) then it is ESSENTIAL that you access and utilise the
Exceptional Circumstances Policy.

Please see the Programme Handbook for an outline of the principles and operation
of the Exceptional Circumstances Policy within Oxford Brookes University and links
to the University Regulations. Information can also be found in the module
handbook/guide on page 9.

Where can I find out more?

MSc BMGT7043 OM Assignment 2021-22_S2 4

The advice and guidance landing page link is
https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/your-studies/exceptional-circumstances/
Students may exceptionally secure a 24-hour grace period if last minute untoward
circumstances affect your ability to submit on time. Please note over-use of this
facility will be reviewed.

Feedback: Feedback on your work will be given to you via the Feedback Studio in
Turnitin. Please note that all marks are provisional until approved by the MSc
Examination Committee.

Minimum mark rule: For a pass, 50% must be obtained for your assignment report.

Resits and retakes: All students who do not pass, at the first attempt, will be entitled
to a resit. Resits are capped at 50%. Students who are awarded a resit will receive a
resit brief via email and/or Moodle, this will contain all required instructions.

Please also see Programme Handbook for details of the Resit and Retake Policy
within Oxford Brookes University and links to the University Regulations.
Guidance on the University policy on Resits and Retakes can be found here:
https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/your-studies/resits-and-retakes/

MSc – BMGT7043 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Criterion DIST MERIT PASS Refer/resit

(70+) (60 - 69) (50 – 59) (0 – 49)
Does the assignment report
answer the question (i.e. meets the
task requirements)? (50%)
Is the knowledge up-to-date, from
sources from a wide range of
literature, and well integrated?
(10%)
Are the student’s arguments clear
and well supported, and illustrated
with theory and/or practice (i.e.
suitable examples from the
selected organisation)? (20%)
Does the work show evidence of
critical analysis and synthesis with
good practice? (15%)
Is the work well presented and
structured, with appropriate
acknowledgement of sources?
(5%)

MSc BMGT7043 OM Assignment 2021-22_S2 5

Note: It may be necessary to select a specific part of the organisation’s
operations for analysis where the organisation has a diverse portfolio of
activities. This selection may be by geographical region or may be based on a
specific and discrete part of the operation. For example, for a company in
Food and Drink sector, you may choose to select the firm’s operations in UK,
USA or any other country; In the Transport sector, you may analyse the
operation as a whole, or you may choose to select for ground handling
operations, catering services or maintenance. However, in this case, what is
important is that you set your analysis in the context of the organisation’s
wider operations. If you have any doubts, please seek guidance from your
tutors!

MSc BMGT7043 OM Assignment 2019-20_S1 6