Operations Management
mindmap_unit5.pdfUnit 5: Operations Management
In this unit, students return to the fundamental rationale of business management: to make goods and services that meet consumers’ needs and wants. Without efficient operations leading to products and experiences customers are satisfied with, success in the other business functions is unsustainable. In unit 5, students learn how organizations manage their operations, whether in terms of achieving an optimal cost– quality ratio or the shortest supply chain; using the most ethical means or the latest innovative techniques; or applying the highest levels of quality assurance.
Read more...download the full syllabus content of unit 5
Suggested BM Tools to integrate
Decision trees
Descriptive statistics
Circular business models
Gantt chart (HL only)
Critical path analysis (HL only)
Contribution (HL only)
Simple linear regression (HL only)
Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (HL only)
CCES CONNECTIONS:
Suggested inquiry statements to explore:
How high standards in operations management could make a business more sustainable.
Why outsourcing could result in lower quality.
Why research and development (R&D) could enhance creativity in a business.
How technology may improve business productivity.
How digital technology enables new business models to flourish.
How circular business models can lead to greater resource efficiency.
TOK CONNECTIONS
To what extent are our ideas dependent on our interactions with other people?
To what extent can the human sciences provide accurate predictions?
How might the methods used in R&D be limited by ethical considerations?
Should we hold companies responsible for the applications of products they create?
Are there new ethical challenges emerging from the increased use of data analytics in business decision-making?
To what extent do the classification systems we use in data analytics affect the conclusions that we reach?
How might personal prejudices, biases and inequality become “coded into” customer loyalty programmes?
To what extent is big data changing what it means to know your customers?
Does artificial intelligence allow knowledge to reside outside of human knowers?
What are the moral implications of possessing large amounts of information about consumer behaviour?
Meet Some Operations Managers (OM)
Luis, OM of Oral B: "Any change that is happening to the toothbrush or floss world, I will manage the entire supply chain piece of it...my work is all about initiative, conversions, and getting the product into market"
OM at Google: "I meet cross-functional partners, gather data and requirements, and meet with stakeholders and then strategies and provide business insights that drives the business forward"
Henry, Sr. Marine Port OM: "Everyday is different in my role, one day helping the poor community recover from a major storm event and the next day arranging a major filming event".
Sandeep, OM of Amazon warehousing in India: "A feeling that I have shipped out so many customers smiles...that is what keeps me satisfied at the end of the day"
Tom Searle is OM for Leigh Fisheries: "It's all about getting the fish to the consumers while doing the least damage to the environment"
Nora Blair, Quality OM at Charles River Labs: "What I like best about my job is the overall purpose, I love that what I do day-to-day helps literally save humans lives"