LOGISTICS AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- ALESSANDRA VECCHI
- Credits
- 7
- Curriculum
- Small and medium enterprises(SMEs) in international markets
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
- SSD
- SECS-P/08
Training objectives
- At the end of the course students will be able to understand the basic models and principles of logistics and operations management. At the same time students will be able to master the most important tools of management of the logistics and operations function. By doing so, in a holistic fashion they will gain a good understanding of the management of the technical functions in a company, as well as their links with the other functions.
To schedule an appointment or if you require any further information, please send a mail to: a.vecchi@unife.it Prerequisites
- In addition to the course curriculum requirements. a good level of English, both written and spoken, is expected.
Course programme
- The unit endorses the contingency approach by which an effort is required to determine which managerial practices and techniques are appropriate in specific situations. This approach to operations management also acknowledges that there is no one single best way to manage people or work in every situation. On the contrary, in real-life operations management, the success of any given technique is dictated by the situation. Given the nature of this approach, caution should therefore be exercised in implementing the so-called best practices which should be contingent upon the circumstances and projected outcomes of each unique organization.
Operations management requires a knowledge of many disciplines, including design, process planning, costing, marketing, sales, customer relations, purchasing, bookkeeping, inventory control, material handling, shipping and many others. More than 110 different methods have been proposed to improve the manufacturing cycle. Each of the proposed methods improves a given aspect or several ones of the manufacturing cycle. Some methods are of a technological nature, while others are organizational and architectural, and yet others focus on information technology. Some are aimed at lead-time reduction, while others aim at inventory reduction, and yet others focus on customer satisfaction or organizational and architectural features. In some methods environmental issues are becoming dominating, while others focus on respect for the workers; many of these proposed methods are based on team work. Such a variety of methods and objectives makes it difficult for a manager to decide which method best suits his/her business.
The aim of this unit is to present an overview of the main operations management methods, their objectives, the means to achieve the objectives, and to assist the students who are “managers-to-be” to be knowledgeable about the alternatives available in order to make an informed decision.
Students are expected to synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired in other courses and put it into practice. They will be also challenged to extensively engage in independent research and critical thinking.
Satisfactory completion of this module will contribute to the development of the following key skills:
Focused enquiry
Synthesize existing research
Apply analytical models, frameworks, tools and techniques relevant to Operations Management and Logistics
Critical evaluation of Operations Management and Logistics strategies
Present complex ideas to peers and experts in the field
Didactic methods
- The course involves a variety of teaching and learning methods including traditional lectures, case analysis and teamwork. Given the class diversity and the tremendous context knowledge embodied in that diversity, an important element of the learning process will stem from peer learning.
Students are expected to come to class with the assigned readings completed and any class preparation ready.
Learning assessment procedures
- The content of the course is the same for both attending or for non-attending students. The textbook and the material posted on google classroom are both mandatory for all students.
The unit assessment will differ between attending and non-attending students.
Attending students
Students who have attended at least 80% of the lectures in person are considered attending students. Attending students are exempt from the written exam, as they will carry out the groupwork.
Not attending
Non-attending students must instead take a written exam. The written exam consists of a test composed of 5 open questions, 3 of which are compulsory. Reference texts
- Operations Management
by Nigel Slack and Alistair Brandon-Jones
9th edition
ISBN:9781292253961
2019
There are many additional readings students may benefit from – some may be identified in class, others can be identified by the students themselves independently or in consultation with the module lecturer.
