Posted: April 4th, 2016

‘Lean’ principles could be applied in your two selected organisations.

OS240 (2015-16): O&P Coursework Assignment 2

Task Sheet

Format This is an individual assignment. The word range is 1,000 – 1,250 words

Instruction This assignment requires you to compare and contrast TWO types of organisation (ONE from the manufacturing sector, and ONE from the service-sector),

THE MANFACTURER IS ON ‘FROZEN FOOD’ AND THE SERVICE SECTOR ORGANISATION IS ‘LOCAL COUNCIL’

The Task You are required to write a report, based on your understanding of some of the academic literature on the subject, on how you envisage that ‘Lean’ principles could be applied in your two selected organisations. Specifically, you are required to:

a) Identify and explain the different types of waste you might expect to find in the core Operations activities of each of your selected organisations. You should provide some evidence, or a sound rationale for the types of waste identified. (20% of marks)

b) Explain how the application of ‘Lean’ principles could help your selected organisations reduce or eliminate waste in their core value-adding processes. You should address each organisation separately, at this stage. (50% of marks)

c) Identify and explore any similarities and differences between the issues you might expect that each of your selected organisations would have to address in their ‘Lean’ implementation programmes. (30% of marks)  Weighting This assignment represents one-half of the coursework component of the module. It, therefore, counts towards 25% of the overall mark for the module.

Criteria You will be assessed largely on your ability to relate and discuss the application of academic theory (of ‘Lean’ principles) to the real-life context of your two selected organisations. A report, which primarily focuses on describing ‘Lean’ theory and principles, but which fails to address the use of ‘Lean’ techniques in practice, would therefore not be sufficient to achieve a high mark.

Guidance The materials relating to the teaching sessions in Theme 3 – ‘Improvement & Development’ (lectured during January) encompass much of the learning required to undertake this assignment. However, some additional reading of the academic literature that exists on the application of ‘Lean’ principles in real or case-study organisations is also advised.

Learning Outcomes Being Assessed

Subject Specific:

• Demonstrate the ability to understand the role of operations management in the ongoing challenge of achieving customer satisfaction, competitive advantage and profitability.

• Select and apply appropriate operations and process management tools and techniques to the analysis and evaluation of business problems, with a view to improving performance.

Cognitive:

• Apply a range of structured qualitative techniques in the analysis and evaluation of common problems within the core, value-adding functions of a business.

• Demonstrate the ability to think critically about a subject, and the ability to interpret qualitative data in context, in order to support business planning and decision processes.

• Work in an organised and effective way on business issues, the nature of which may be unfamiliar, and which require the selection and use of appropriate tools and techniques, plus some initiative in how they are tackled.