The unit will enable you:

  • To build your body of knowledge in both operations and project management whilst developing your analytical and evaluative skills to aid in efficiently and effectively managing operational and other projects.
  • To evaluate how operations management concepts are integral to the planning and control of enterprises.
  • To explore the theory and principles of project management as applicable to the management of public/private , large/small, national and international projects.
  • To develop your skills in analyzing scenarios in operations management , decide how operations and/or supply chains should be efficiently managed, and how information systems can be used to make operations management more efficient. This unit develops your knowledge and understanding of the use of operations management in strategic and functional roles.
  • Using a mixture of lectures, workshop activities, case studies and independent reading , the unit will develop an appreciation of the importance and broad reach of operations and project management in all aspects of a company's activities.

 

The aims of the unit are to promote understanding of the importance of the role of strategy in organisational success. It aims to develop your understanding of the importance of choice in the design of effective strategy through which it is possible to create a unique value proposition and to enable firms to avoid direct win-lose competition. To achieve this, you will be enabled to develop your ability to work through complex issues in order to identify both current and future trends and to assess their potential impacts on both the industry and the business. You will also be enabled to make careful selection of the appropriate tools, frameworks and concepts of strategy in order to assess the appropriateness of strategies and by doing so develop a range of realistic and practical strategies for businesses. The unit focuses primarily on competitive strategy and therefore you will concentrate on five key themes:

  1. Strategy as choice
  2. Identifying trends and their potential impact on the business
  3. Understanding the importance of resources and capabilities in the implementation of strategy
  4. Strategy design
  5. Evaluating strategy

Strategy is the means by which an organisation is able to achieve its goals and achieve superior performance in the face of intense competition. In order to do this effectively firms must be able to create a value proposition that is sufficiently distinct to allow it to create a meaningful difference from its competition. In the modern context there is a concern that the business environment is too dynamic to allow for carefully planned strategies. Good strategic thinking therefore becomes even more relevant as business seek to create dynamic and flexible ways in which to create sustained value.

 


 

This unit combines a study of research skills with the development and support required for you to produce an excellent dissertation. The focus of the course is on business research with an emphasis on appreciating the application and strengths and weaknesses of commonly used research techniques. You will be guided on how to retrieve, use and correctly reference academic material; a critical skill required in your dissertation and other final year units.