Operation Management

Course Code: BØK350
Level: Bachelor
Prerequisites: None
Lecturer: Jan Frick
Duration: One semester
Term: Spring 2008
ECTS credits: 10
Language: English

Introduction:
The purpose of this course is to provide the students with a knowledge base on how to develop and run businesses more efficient. During the course the students will be introduced to terms, methods, and current research topics within the field of operation management. The students will be given the opportunity to put theory into practice in practical exercises throughout the semester.

The course covers a wide range of topics within the field of operations management like planning, control, layout, storage, logistic, purchasing, production processes, production philosophies and concepts. Although the main focus in the course is industry, almost all methods are general and therefore applicable in service trades like the hotel industry, consulting, hospitals, public services etc.

The practical example used in exercises is the establishment of a local car manufacturer. The assignments are to be handed in according to a given time and the students are to give presentations accordingly in class throughout the semester. All assignments will be marked and in the end of the term an edited collection of the assignments are given a final mark. The edited collection can either be handed in as 3 separate assignments that build upon each other or as an integrated collection.

The lecturers will be delivered in English if there is a need for it. The students are free to submit the assignments in Norwegian or English.

Objectives:
The course is designed to provide the students with the skills and knowledge on operation mangement.

Contents:
Operations management focuses on carefully managing the processes to produce and distribute products and services. The course provides the students with a broad integrated knowledge base on how to manage and run an organization that delivers goods or services. Most examples used in class are from industry, but the area of application is much broader.

Examples of topics covered in the lecturers are design, product, processes, planning, control, logistic, and managing and development methods.

If it is possible, field trips to local companies are organized during the semester. Written assignment assignments are normally submitted as group projects.

Although this course does not have any prerequisites, the students should at least have reached their 3rd year in bachelor of business administration or engineering studies and have thus acquired a knowledge base in the fields of mathematics, statistics, budgeting and accounting and organizational theory.

The course evaluation consists of 2 separate parts:
Part 1 is the assignment collection written in groups and counts for 50% of the overall mark
Part 2 is an oral individual exam which takes place in the end of the term. It counts for 50% of the overall mark