Operations and Operations Management (Byte Size)

Businesses survive by selling products. These products may be goods, like food or washing machines, or services, like banking. Producing these is what the business does to make money. Porter in his model identifies operations as a primary activity that produces these products and services. It is a key element in the transformation model of organisations in which inputs are transformed into outputs with added value.

We take a slightly broader view here and define operations management as "concerning all the processes of how products are made and delivered to the customer" such that it may involve part of Porter's other primary activities of inbound and outbound logistics and procurement. It involves all the parts of the business which produce and deliver the goods or services - a very wide spread. From buying raw materials to transporting the products to the customer and all that happens between, the operations system involves a wealth of different activities which are focused on delivering to the customers what they require.

For a washing machine manufacturer, it involves buying, making and storing parts, ensuring the right parts are available, assembling them into a finished machine and delivering that machine to the right customer. In a bank, it would involve the cashiers' work - exchanging payment, cashing cheques, answering queries - carrying out the transactions, managing accounts and sending statements and letters to customers.

In this unit, you will gain some insight into the scope and challenges of operations for a range of businesses and an overview of some recent developments in the field.

After participating in this course, you should be able to:

• outline the scope of operations using different definitions
• apply the transformational model of operations to a range of service and manufacturing industries
• apply the concept of adding value to operations
• describe the different activities within operations and the interaction between them
• explain the five key features of operations
• describe some design features in operations
• define what quality means from a business perspective.

Syllabus

Introduction

Objectives

Section 1: What are Operations?

Introduction

1.1 Definitions

1.2 Transformation for the customer

1.3 Value added

Summary

Section 2: Running Operations

Introduction

2.1 The operations challenge

2.2 Activities within operations

Summary

Section 3: Design within Operations

Introduction

3.1 Product design and development

3.2 System and process design

3.3 Quality and quality management

Summary

Unit Review Activity

Unit Summary

References

Recommended Reading

Tutor-marked Question Paper

Qualifications

On completion of your course, you will receive the dual award:

Award 1 is issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges: Operations and Operations Management (Byte Size) Certificate

Operations and Operations Management (Byte Size) Certificate issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, to view a sample of the college’s award, please click here.

Award 2 is issued by our Awarding Body: Level 1 Operations and Operations Management (Byte Size) Award

At the end of this course successful learners will also receive a Level 1 NCFE Award Certificate of Achievement. Our course has been accredited under our NCFE IIQ Licence and the course measurable learning outcomes have been benchmarked at Level 1 (using Ofqual’s Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) level descriptors) to allow you to consider the depth of study, difficulty, and level of achievement involved.

This award has been designed by Stonebridge Associated Colleges to meet specific learners' or employers' requirements. Accreditation by NCFE is a guarantee of quality. It means that this learning programme has been scrutinised and approved by an independent panel of experienced educational professionals and is quality audited biannually by NCFE.

To view a sample of the NCFE Certificate of Achievement, please click here.

To view a sample of the NCFE Candidate Unit Summary, please click here.

What is NCFE

NCFE is the UK's longest established awarding body, recognised as a highly professional and responsive organisation, committed to maintaining excellent customer service and a friendly approach.

NCFE is recognised as an awarding body by the qualification regulators ('regulators') for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulators are the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland.

Accreditation by NCFE is a guarantee of quality. It means that the college has been inspected and approved by an independent and experienced education professional and is quality audited biannually by NCFE. The centre delivering the programmes has been licensed by NCFE on the basis of its own quality systems. At the end of an accredited course, successful learners will also receive an NCFE Award certificate of achievement.

For more information on this award, click here

Requirements for Entry

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

Study Options

In order to offer our students the most convenient and flexible distance learning courses, Stonebridge Associated College offers you the option to study for your course via two methods:

• 1. Via the traditional paper-based method.
• 2. Through the online method via ElearnUK.

If you do not have Internet access, or would prefer to study this course via the traditional paper/postal based study method, you can find more information on the course by clicking on the link below.

Stonebridge Prices

Studying by Post. If you would like to pay by instalments, we do offer an affordable interest free payment plan scheme which allows you to spread the cost of your course over a number of months. However, to use this option you will need to study for your course using the traditional paper-based method. For more information on our payment plans please visit our website at www.stonebridge.uk.com

The reason why the course fee is less if you choose to study online, is because with online study there are no costs associated with postage and printing etc. and thus we are able to offer the course at a reduced rate.

The total amount payable over the term's period, is no more than the total cash price of the course.
(APR = 0%). Written quotations are available on request.

Study Hours

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 20 hrs.