BUU22560 Introduction to Operations Management

(5 ECTS)

Lecturer(s):

Isilay Talay

Email: talayi@tcd.ie 

Office Hours: By appointment

Available to Exchange Students 

Pre-Requisite: 

BUU11510 - Fundamentals of Management & Organisation

Module Description:

Operations management relates to the transformations of materials, people, and information for producing goods and delivering services. Operations are often considered to be complex and difficult to understand. Operations can seem transparent with people or equipment working and visibly undertaking operation actions. However, many non-visible elements to operations are less obvious and can pose challenges, e.g.

• What makes it work as it does?
• Could operations be more efficient?
• Could operations be more sustainable?
• If changes are implemented will the results be the same?
• Are there any changes or risks that could disrupt operations, e.g. market, environmental,internal, etc.?
• How can operations decisions affect the organisation
• Can operations be improved? If so, how?

This module introduces Operations Management as the act of combining people and technology in an organization to produce goods and deliver services now and in the future with a focus on ‘Getting Things Done’.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Understand the roles and responsibilities within operations management.
2. Identify the significance of operations management to businesses and organizations.
3. Define and understand key operations management theories and concepts.
4. Identify and understand how operations both depends on and impacts the environment and society.
5. Development of teamwork and presentation skills.
6. Identify and understand the application of operations management key concepts, tools, and frameworks in real-world scenarios.

Learning and Teaching Approach:

This course will be delivered as a series of weekly lectorial-and-practice sessions that will be supported by a variety of materials on Blackboard.

Students will have access to short online self-assessment tasks to gauge progress and understanding of key topics. Students will be able to engage in class discussions to develop an understanding of core theories and key concepts of operations management.

Students are expected to read/engage with all course materials and attend all sessions. Weekly sessions will cover key theories and concepts with some class simulations and case study discussions.

Relation to Degree

This module positions Operations Management as a relevant, important, and exciting part of managerial responsibility. In the world of business, the ability to ‘Get Things Done’ is fundamental to delivering on high-level objectives. This module shares the current understanding of how delivery can be achieved in an effective, efficient, sustainable, ethical and socially responsible way.

Workload

Textbooks and Required Resources:

Required core course textbook: 

Slack, N. Brandon-Jones, A. 2022. Operations Management. Pearson Education Limited.

As this is an introductory course, we will not cover the entire content of the textbook. There are some copies of this edition of the textbook, as well as older editions in the college library.

Additional reading and other materials will be added to Blackboard.

Student Preparation for the Module

Access materials on Blackboard weekly and read, listen, and engage as required. Attend weekly lectorial-and-practice sessions. Practice the short self-assessment multiple choice

questions each week to practice for the final exam. Read all materials on the reading list.

Course Communication

Please log into the module page weekly on Blackboard to access materials for that week and

to check for any relevant announcements.

Please note that all course-related email communication must be sent from your official TCD email address. Emails sent from other addresses will not be attended to.

Assessment:

Assessment for this module will be as follows:

Continuous Assessment- Group Work- 30%

Final Assessment – Exam- 70%

Reassessment: Students who do not obtain an overall pass mark for this module will have the opportunity to be reassessed by a supplemental exam (weighted at 100%).

Reassessment: Students who do not obtain an overall pass mark for this module, will have the opportunity to be reassessed by a supplemental assessment (weighted at 100%).

Biographical Note:

Isilay Talay is an Assistant Professor in Operations and Supply Chain Management in Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin. Her recent research interests lie in the interplay of production and financing decisions, international trade, optimal staffing, and workforce allocation. Her past published work includes optimal procurement and production with uncertain yield, dynamic pricing and replenishment with stochastic demand, and optimal staffing in healthcare with uncertain attrition.

She holds a Ph.D. in Operations Management from Duke University (USA), an MSc in Industrial Engineering from Koc University (Turkey), and a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Istanbul Technical University (Turkey). She had practical training in healthcare operations and database management at Duke University Medical Center and she has previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Antalya Bilim University (Turkey).