International Operations Management (MO9529)

Your learning on this module captures global contemporary operations and supply chain challenges and issues, its contribution to organisational strategies and the development of competency in related tools.

You will develop as an active learner and your learning on this module is three-fold:

This module provides you with an underpinning knowledge about international operations management, your learning underpinned by investigating the ongoing developments in both related theory and practice set in the global context. You will learn strategic theories and gain knowledge associated with common operations and supply chain management themes during interactive weekly lectures and seminars. The key themes include:

• Introduction to operations management
• Process, product and service design
• Global supply chain management
• Operations planning
• Global operations sustainability
• Quality management
• Resource and capacity planning
• Global procurement management
• Lean management
• Global location management
• Global logistics management
• Global supply chain risk management

This module will seek to develop your practical problem solving skills related to the global operations and supply chain context by analysing contemporary issues through interactive case study analysis that are central to weekly seminars. You will have opportunity to analyse cases relevant to each theoretical theme above and be able discuss these with your fellow learners with facilitation by your seminar tutor.

This research-informed module also aims at developing your research skills. You will have opportunity to learn more about critical reading and writing of the peer reviewed academic journal articles that enable you to develop the necessary and significant skills required to execute your research–intensive assessment tasks in this module and other modules as you progress through your programme.

How will I learn on this module?

• This module encourages you to develop your practical, integrated and cross-functional view of the international operations management to solve business problems relevant to the real world. Delivery consists of lectures, seminars and webinars to support your learning of theoretical and practical strategies. It will demonstrate how core elements of operations interact and are dependent upon on each other to fulfil the purpose and objectives of a business in a global environment.
• You will learn through a series of linked lectures encompassing the primary functions of the operations and supply chain management set out in an integrated approach to promote operations and supply chain improvement in a global context. The lectures will explore the complex interactions between these primary elements and in doing so reflect the dynamic nature of operations and supply chain management.
• The seminars and webinars promote interactive learning relevant to these business management elements through individual case study analysis, interactive team-based discussion, journal article analysis and guided and facilitated activities. Your learning will develop theoretical, research, practical and personal skills useful for your study as well as operational and leadership skills. In addition to business-related skills and strategies, you also have opportunity for research skills development and personal development and problem solving skills such as team working, presentations, task delegation and debate during seminars, webinars and as part of independent study.
• The design of this module will encourage your development as an independent learner, enabling you to explore issues arising and make extensive use of the available information technology. You will have opportunity to work on different ranges of relevant and current case studies to identify a series of relevant contemporary operations and supply chain issues and challenges and their interface and integration; and to utilise problem solving strategies or tools to address the issues.
• As part of your independent learning, you will also have opportunity to review the current peer reviewed journal articles and discuss your understanding of the content, literature and methodology with peers in a debating environment facilitated by the seminar tutor. This would promote an integrated and aligned approach of practical and theoretical analysis of the contemporary issues in global operations and supply chain management to address the likely direction of the global operations and supply chain in the future. The webinar offers further weekly direct contact with members of the teaching team to further reinforce this discussion-led learning and formative feedback.

How will I be supported academically on this module?

• Support will be provided to you by the member of academic staff leading the module and providing the lecture input, alongside other academic staff members. The use of a teaching team allows that subject specialist staff will deliver lectures, seminars and webinars.
• The seminar sessions will be delivered to groups of up to 20 students and will be facilitated by a group of academic staff with subject speciality who can offer support and guidance. The weekly webinar will be hosted by a member of this teaching team and it will permit further discussion about the seminar activities and module assessment.
• Your module is also supported by an e-learning portal, which accommodates lecture materials, seminar and webinar instructions, supportive learning resources, alongside assessment details and various support facilities such as electronic reading list comprising your “recommended to purchase” and to read book(s), academic reports, conference papers and journal articles that are relevant to principles of operations and supply chain management.
• The module summative assessment is a single component that will be distributed at the beginning of the semester and supported throughout. You will be receiving extensive support for your assessment including the assessment brief, marking criteria, marking guide, assignment surgery alongside on-line and face-to-face communication by the module leader and the teaching team. Seminar and webinar time will be dedicated to assessment briefing and associated formative feedback.

What will I be expected to read on this module?

• All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

What will I be expected to achieve?
Knowledge & Understanding:

• Understand the context of global and regional integrated operations and supply chain management, its likely future direction, and the impact of its strategies and tools on the future direction in global business [MLO1].
• Demonstrate understanding of various tools, strategies, key skills, and techniques that can be used in any global or regional operations and supply chain management context [MLO2].

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• Develop problem solving skills in the global business context associated with contemporary operational and supply chain issues with the support of cross-functional thinking, critical reading, intensive and extensive research, teamwork and presentation skills [MLO3].
• Enhance critical reading/writing and academic information searching skills [MLO4].

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

• Increase ethical and social awareness and cultural interface in the context of global operations and the supply chain environment [MLO5].

How will I be assessed?
Summative Assessment:

• You will have one single individual 2,500 word assignment that includes different tasks requiring a critical evaluation of the different contemporary issues and challenges in international operations and supply chain management, and the application of relevant theories, strategies and tools and an understanding of their both practical and theoretical contribution. The assignment will be research–enriched promoted through a significant application of contemporary peer reviewed journal articles. The summative assessment will reference contemporary practical global operations and supply chain issues and challenges. It assesses module learning outcomes MLO1-MLO5.

Formative Assessment:

• Formative assessment will take place through group work, case study review, journal article review, oral presentation and theory/practice related discussions and debate and assignment discussion and reflection in the module seminars facilitated by the seminar tutor. Further formative assessment and feedback will be facilitated through the weekly module webinar hosted by a member of the module teaching team.

Module abstract

• International Operations Management is of paramount importance for any business leader due to its role in supporting the creation of wealth for businesses and value for customers (from a growing global market) through the products and services developed. Operations Management is a crucial discipline because it is concerned with creating products and services upon which we all depend. What you learn in this module will make you a successful leader in sustainable business management in an international context with attributes relevant to numerous sectors and organisations of varying size. The theories in lectures create a platform for significant knowledge development and the interactive activities in seminars and webinars develop you as a potential problem solver. The module assessment involves a research-enriched, critical evaluation of contemporary challenges in international operations management. Your overall learning experience is research-led through directed study involving up-to-date research, research-tutored through its seminar and webinar activities that explicitly assess contemporary outputs and research-oriented where you develop the competencies in assessing and evaluating these academic outputs.