the trade-off between an organisation’s performance objectives emphasises ‘repositioning

Slack et al., state that one (original) view of the trade-off between an organisation’s performance objectives emphasises ‘repositioning’. Essentially this would entail – ‘…trading off improvements in some objectives for a reduction in performance in others’; an attempt to excel in one area will leave the organisation performing at a mediocre level in others.

Discuss to what extent you believe the original, ‘repositioning’ view of trade-offs is the most desirable approach to managing the relative positions of organisational performance objectives (the 5’ps).
You are NOT considering the 5 P’s introduced in lecture 1 (people, plant etc.) but the 5 Performance Objectives (speed, dependability etc.) from lecture 2 (also commonly termed as 5 P’s in some texts). (The coursework brief in the Module Handbook has now been slightly revised to clarify this point).

Essays covering the 5 P’s from lecture 1 (people, plant etc.) will receive a mark of zero.

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Suggestions and advice

Your answer should progress to explore alternative approaches, beginning with the idea that simultaneous performance improvements can be made along multiple dimensions (extending the ‘efficient frontier’). How precisely can this be achieved? What operations management methods can and are used to overcome trade-offs?

Ensure that you discuss the systemic nature of the inter-relationships between the 5 P’s; the related effects/benefits/adverse consequences/challenges etc. that result from trade-offs, or methods to overcome trade-offs. Consider too, the systematic approach offered by Fedrows and de Meyer’s ‘sandcone theory’, for building improvements in operating excellence, Skinner’s concept of ‘focus’ etc. You will find it both useful and necessary, to draw on a wide variety of organisational examples to illustrate your points and develop your argument.

Some suggested reading

In addition to chapter 2 of Slack (6th edition), the following may assist you:

Ferdows, K. and de Meyer, A (1990) Lasting improvements in manufacturing. Journal of Operations Management, 9 (2), 168-84 (will be made available soon via Blackboard).
Greasley, A. (2006) 2nd edition. Operations Management, Wiley (chapter 2). (the relevant pages should be available soon via Blackboard)
Skinner, W. (1974). The focussed factory. Harvard Business Review, May-June, 113-21.
Skinner, (1985). Manufacturing: The Formidable Competitive Weapon, John Wiley. (available through Inter-library loan or a used copy can be obtained very cheaply from Amazon).

Also, try any of the core Operations Management texts in the library. Key words: performance objectives, trade-offs, efficient frontier, sandcone theory.

Be sure to search through key OM journals, such as The Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, Operations Management etc. A wealth of information is also available online from various sources.

Key Marking criteria will include:

• Initiative: originality, innovativeness of answer
• Assignment Structure: clarity of aims, objective, structure and presentation
• Quality of Writing: Readability and ability to convey key message(s) concisely
• Quality/Scope of Literature Review: Understanding of established knowledge
• Suitability of Literature: Use of suitable sources, focused to answer key research aims
• Literature Analysis: Quality/level of analytical skill demonstrated
• Insightfulness of Analysis: Interest and usefulness of findings, conclusions drawn.
• Understanding: Assignment demonstrates students have understood key topics
• Overall Quality of Assignment

Notes on Style

The maximum word limit (excluding references and tables) is 2500 w
ords. The assignment should be in extended essay format (ie. use headings/sub-headings). Full academic referencing using the APA (6th Edition) referencing style should be used throughout the assignment. Guideline on how to reference using the APA style can be found at:

APA Referencing Short guide: http://tinyurl.com/pn9oaxt

APA Referencing Long Guide: http://tinyurl.com/bwdj2mk

Library support pages for students are also available at: http://tinyurl.com/powalzm