Your task is to investigate and explain operations management practices in a chosen industry sector.

The followings are examples of industry which you can choose from:

Automobile

Finance and Banking

Tourism

Oil and Gas

Clothing

Food Services

Mining

Electrical and Electronics

Hotels and Restaurants

Others (you can also choose any other industry sector which is not listed above)

Your may decide independently what areas of operations management you wish to include in the scope of your report. The areas included should be investigated and explained by using relevant literature and knowledge from your lectures.

The format of your individual report should be as follows.

1. Executive summary (5% of report)

2. Sector

Simply state what sector your report is covering.

3. The sectors market characteristics and business models (30% of report)

This should contain details of the types of products and services that are being sold by companies that operate in your sector. You should describe the types of customers that are being targeted by your sector. A full market research exercise is not required for this assignment as the module is focused on operations management.

4. Operations Management Practices (65% of report) You could include any of the following areas:

Location

Where and why does your sector manufacture, sell, source from, repair and recycle?

Process Design

How are goods and services processed in your sector? And why? This may vary between companies, customer segments, distribution channels, etc.

Process Technology

What impact does technology have in your sector? How are innovations challenging the sector?

Capacity Management

Does your sector face capacity constraints or peaks? You can discuss how operations deal with demand fluctuations and how capacity is adjusted.

Sourcing and Supply Chain

What raw materials and suppliers does your sector rely on? Where do they source from and what impact does your business have on other actors involved in your supply chain?

NB. Remember that you have only 1400-1500 words so you will have to be selective about the issues you cover. Therefore, it is not necessary to address all of the above, just those issues which you consider to be the most pertinent for your sector.