UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, JAMAICA
SYLLABUS OUTLINE
COLLEGE/FACULTY
Business and Management
SCHOOL/DEPT
Business Administration / Production and Operations
Management
COURSE OF STUDY
Bachelor of Business Administration
MODULE TITLE
Production/Operations Management Issues Analysis
MODULE CODE
POM4005
DURATION (Hours)
45
CREDIT VALUE
3
PREREQUISITES
Advanced Operations Management (POM3008);
Research Methodologies (RES3001) or Business Research
Methods (RES3025)
1.0
MODULE DESCRIPTION
This module provides students with the opportunity to examine some of the
contemporary issues confronting the Production and Operations Management discipline
and to consider meaningful solutions for these challenges especially in a Caribbean
environment. It is a capstone module, so students are expected to use all the knowledge
they have gained during their three or four years of study to impact, in an integrated
manner, their various analyses and presentations.
2.0
MODULE OBJECTIVE/LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this module, students should:
1. Apply research methods to garner relevant data to solve problems
2. Prepare analyses and findings of organisational issues with the attendant
solutions.
3. Determine appropriate alternatives to manage operational issues facing
organisations
4. Implement strategies for effective solution to challenges always focusing on
enhanced customer satisfaction, increased productivity and efficiency
Semester 1 & Semester 2
Academic Year 2019/20
1
5. Evaluate determined courses of action for problem solving.
3.0
MODULE CONTENT AND CONTEXT
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:

Analyse a case and recommend workable solutions

Research details of any operational issue in a field context and recommend
appropriate actions.

Engage organisational members and secure ‘buy-in’ for their course of
action

Interface with individuals at all levels of the organisation to accomplish
operational goals

Present information to members at all levels of the organisation

Conduct a seminar on an operations issue shared by executive members
and shareholders of the organisation.
CONTENT/SCHEDULE OF ISSUES
Date
Lecture
No.
Week 1
1
Week 2
2
Week 3
3
Semester 1 & Semester 2
Lesson/Tests
Module Introduction
Approach to Case Analysis
Assigning Issue and Cases
to Groups
Learning Outcomes

Appreciate the
challenges
facing the POM
Discipline
 Delineate case
analysis
approach
Applying Case Analysis
 Apply case
Methodology
analysis
approach to real
world scenarios
Case Analysis 1
 Determine
(2 groups)
issues
concerned with
1. Safety and Security
safety and
2. Leadership
security/
Behaviours
leadership
behaviours
 Recommend
appropriate
solutions for
Academic Year 2019/20 2
issues identified
Week 4
4
Week 5
5
Week 6
5
Week 7
6
Semester 1 & Semester 2
Case Analysis 2
(2 groups)

Determine
issues
concerned with
1. Social Overheads
social
2. Supply Chain &
overheads/suppl
Logistics
y chain
 Recommend
appropriate
solutions for
issues identified
Case Analysis 3
 Determine
(1 group)
issues
concerned with
1. Service Operations &
service
Customer
operations and
Satisfaction
customer
satisfaction
Clarifications on Issues
 Recommend
Workshops
appropriate
solutions for
issues identified
Group 1
 Evaluate
operations
The Safety & Security
management
Challenge for Operations
role in safety
Management
and security
 Appraise senior
management of
findings
 Solicit senior
management’s
support in
resolving
challenges
Group 2
 Evaluate
operations
The Social Overheads –
management
Impact on Operations
role in assessing
impact of social
overheads
 Appraise senior
management of
findings
 Solicit senior
management’s
support in
resolving
Academic Year 2019/20 3
challenges
Week 8
Group 3
7
Week 9
8
Week 10
9
Week 11
10
Semester 1 & Semester 2

Evaluate
operations
The Impact of Service
management
Operations on Customer
role in customer
Satisfaction
satisfaction
 Appraise senior
management of
findings
 Solicit senior
management’s
support in
resolving
challenges
Group 4
 Evaluate
operations
Leadership Behaviours for
management
Operations Success
leadership role
for operations
success
 Appraise senior
management of
findings
 Solicit senior
management’s
support in
resolving
challenges
Group 5
 Evaluate the
organisation’s
Supply Chain and Logistics
supply chain
Management
and logistics
 Appraise senior
management of
findings
 Solicit senior
management’s
support in
resolving
challenges
Site Visit / Guest
 Experience the
Presentation
operations
management
Current Trends in operations
work
management
environment
 Provide
feedback on the
experience
Academic Year 2019/20 4
Week 12
11
Week 13
12
Site Visit / Guest
Presentation Evaluation
Issues Analysis Review
Day & Evening Students



4.0
4.0
Evaluate
Presentations
Assess learning
outcomes
Make
recommendatio
ns for
improvements
to module
LEARNING AND TEACHING APPROACHES
i.
Lecture – Impart to students core information on various units outlined
above. Usually done in a face to face format in the classroom.
ii.
Discussions – Usually conducted in tutorial sessions to ensure that students
gain knowledge from lecture sessions, and are able to apply principles to real
world problems. In identified areas of weaknesses, knowledge is reinforced.
iii.
Case Analyses – This provides students with opportunities to identify,
analyze, and recommend solutions to real world problems.
iv.
Problem Solving – a class format in which the lecturer provides a structured
context for students working collaboratively to solve problems.
v.
Independent Learning – is a learning environment where students are actively
engaged in mastering module content and in developing essential skills by
working independently or in self-managed teams. Oral and/or written reports
are submitted to the lecturer to ensure coverage of the material.
vi.
Projects – students, organized in groups or independently, conduct research
on various topics from material presented for submission to lecturer for
assessment.
vii.
Site Visits - Students are taken to a variety of enterprises (manufacturing
and services) to experience first-hand life in the discipline of Operations
Management. Enterprise leaders demonstrate for students the various aspects
of the operations management cycle.
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES
Class Participation
Quiz 1 (indiv)
Quiz 2 (indiv)
Quiz 3 (indiv)
Case Analysis
Semester 1 & Semester 2
10%
10%
10%
Academic Year 2019/20
5
Group
Individual
Group Project
Presentation
Issues Workshop
15%
5%
10%
30%
Assessment
A number of challenges face the operations management discipline. The students
will be assessed on their understanding of these issues by way of course work and
a final project totaling 100 marks broken down as follows:
A. Course Work (60 Marks) continuous assessment:
In-class Quizzes
 Quiz 1
 Quiz 2
 Quiz 3
Multiple choice
Multiple choice
Multiple choice
Students will be assessed on comprehension of content delivered. To
encourage their attendance and participation, they will not know before hand
the times for the quizzes.
Cases
 Students will work in groups to discuss cases in operations
management that will be assigned. The cases will focus on challenges
(safety and security, lean manufacturing, big data etc) facing the POM
discipline. The students will be required to do the analysis and make a
formal presentation to the class. This is valued at 20% inclusive of an
individual component of 5%.
B. Final Project (40 Marks)
Students will be assigned one of the challenges being experienced by
Production / Operations Managers. They will be required to conduct a
research on the challenge in an organisation of their choice. They will be
cautioned about using ‘large’ organisations, but rather to approach smaller
organisations. They will be required to:
 Prepare a brief Literature Review on the challenge
 Prepare an Interview Guide for the organisation based on the
information gleaned from the Literature Review
 Make contact with an informed stakeholder of the organisation
 Set up an appointment with the stakeholder
 Secure information from the stakeholder guided by interview
schedule
 Analyse Information against that gleaned from the Literature
Review
 Based on the gap revealed above, make recommendations to
‘plug’ same
 Conduct workshop to share with organisational members
o Overview of Literature Review
Semester 1 & Semester 2
Academic Year 2019/20 6
o
o
o
o
Research Methodology
Current Situation
Gaps that exist
Recommendations to improve efficiencies/ customer
satisfaction
This project will be worth 40 marks inclusive of 10 marks for individual
presentation.
6.0
BREAKDOWN OF HOURS
Lectures
Case Analyses
Workshop
Site Visit
Assessment
7.0
13 hours
8 hours
10 hours
6 hours
2 hours
TEXTBOOKS AND REFERENCES:
Participants are required to access academic journals, texts, business articles and
organizational stakeholders to gain the necessary information that are needed for
successful completion of the module. Referenced material should be within 5-7
years.
8.0.
NAME OF SYLLABUS WRITER/DEVELOPER
Sherlette Rookwood-Brown
9.0
DATE OF PRESENTATION OR REVISION
June 20, 2012
August , 2019
10.0
APPROVAL
Programme Director (PD): ________________
Signature _____________________
College Curriculum Committee: ________________
10.0
Signature _______________
ACCEPTANCE BY OFFICE OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT &
EVALUATION (OCDE)
Officer:________________________________
Semester 1 & Semester 2
Date: __________________
Academic Year 2019/20
7