Operational Management
| Module title | Operational Management |
|---|---|
| Module code | BEM1057DA |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
Operational management provides a critical link between design and execution of organisational strategy.
This module will explain the importance of understanding strategic direction and how to contribute to the strategic planning process through the creation and management of operational plans.
You will learn about the knowledge and skills required to create and deliver operational plans, such as the need to set key performance indicators, monitor quality and outcomes against the plan, and how to report on findings.
It will introduce you to tools and techniques to support planning, problem solving and decision making.
The role of operational managers in an organisation includes a need to work with finance colleagues to make appropriate decisions and ensure that revenue, profit and cash meet the needs of the organisation.
This module focuses on finance for managers and explains the importance of being able to understand key financial documents and make effective decisions concerning finance.
It will introduce you to approaches of forecasting, budgeting, financial control and reporting.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of the module is to introduce and consolidate your knowledge and learning around operational planning in the context of their workplace. To dissect your own organisations operational plans, consider the KPI’s and targets set and critically review these.
This module will also introduce key concepts around budgeting, which should be considered by an operational manager, and encourage you to analyse these in their own organisational context.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Describe the sector in which the organisation operates, its impact on your role and practise analysing and prioritising organisational activities in response to the operating environment. (K19, S13)
- 2. Describe and analyse the principles of operational planning in an organisation, including business continuity principles, such as risk assessment, contingency planning and disaster recovery. Practise implementing and evaluating a business continuity plan (K21, S14)
- 3. Summarise the strategic direction of the organisation, the impact on operational plans and practise implementing and evaluating an operational plan in line with the strategic direction of the organisation. (K25, S21)
- 4. Discuss financial management techniques and implications of decisions for budgets (K7)
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Describe and evaluate the extent to which organisations policies and practices followed to deliver sustainable services and solutions can enable an organisation to respond to changes in social, economic, and environmental factors. Practise following and evaluating the use of one of these policies (K23, S18)
- 6. Identify problems, address gaps and weaknesses in operational performance through effective decision making and continuous improvement (K12, S2)
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Appreciate how to work flexibly and adapts to circumstances (B5)
Syllabus plan
Masterclass 1:
- Organisational sector, environment and strategy.
- Principles of operational planning in an organisation, including business continuity principles, such as risk assessment, contingency planning and disaster recovery.
- How operational plans work within an organisation’s policies and practices to ensure social, environmental, economic and sustainability objectives are achieved.
- The role of finance in an organisation, financial management techniques and the role of forecasting and budgeting in the planning process
Masterclass 2:
- Operational objectives and creating performance targets
- Performance monitoring, management and control, including variance analysis, problem identification and root cause analysis, including application of Lean Systems Thinking principles and tools.
- Continuous Improvement and Leading Change.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | 131 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 12 | The Masterclasses are online |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 5 | Interactive online sessions |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 2 | 1-1s are arranged to provide an opportunity for apprentices to check understanding and discuss their assessments |
| Guided independent study | 131 | Apprentices will all apply the theory to their own workplace and test out the strategies discussed in a live, applied way. Apprentices will then review, discuss and improve on these approaches. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group activities | during webinars and online | 1-7 | Peer feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | 70 | 10 minute voice over powerpoint with up to 500 word accompanying notes | 1-3,5 | Written feedback |
| Case Study | 30 | 1000 word case study | 1,2,3,5,6,7 | Written feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Presentation | 1-3, 5 | Next available re-assessment window |
| Exam | Exam | 1,2,3,5,6,7 | Next re-assessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you have been deferred for any assessment you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 40%
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Operations Management, Nigel Slack, Alister Brandon Jones & Nicola Burgess (2022)
- Continuous Improvement in Organizations, JoseÌ? Dinis Carvalho, (2023)
- Financial Management C. Paramasivan, and T. Subramanian (2009)
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 4 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 14/11/2024 |
| Last revision date | 14/11/2024 |
