Field Project Description

Objective:
Conduct an in‐depth analysis of a significant operational management issue that you have
experienced or are interested in, describing the context, analysing the impacts and suggesting two
solutions, with a cost‐benefit analysis for each. Decision Trees might be used depending on the report.

Present your findings in a management report format of no more than 1,500 words. This does
includes references and a brief exec summary. You may include a further 3000 words in your
appendices. In your recommendations, compare the context you provided in the beginning of your
report and the results of your cost‐benefit analysis and then present your preferred solution in the
conclusion with some brief discussion of implementation. The issue could deal with the interface
between operations and other organisational functions, such as marketing, the relationships
between operations and corporate strategy or a specific operations domain issue, such as managing
capacity management, process design, quality management, or any other specific aspect of
operations management.

Make sure that your submission contains a detailed analysis. For this you will need to collect or
estimate appropriate data and analyse it using the tools that we have presented in this subject.
Avoid making your assignment a general description or presenting a summary of cases taken from
the literature.

Details:
Word limit: 1,500 words

Due date: Monday 8th Oct

Weighting: 15%

Format:
Management report – should include:

 Executive summary presenting the issue and your recommendations

 Introduction, very brief introduction to your selected operations management issue
 Description of the context and impacts. You can include the operations management
literature to support your claims about the impact and significance of this.
 Analysis of the issue, its causes and recommendation of two solutions.
 Cost analysis of your recommendations.
 Conclusion. Compare your solutions and recommend the most appropriate one on the basis
of your cost analysis and the context.
 Appendices – make these relevant You may wish to put some of the background
information for your analysis here. Otherwise, if you haven’t referred to them in your
report (this doesn’t include “see appendix for further background information”), don’t
include them.
 Marking rubric:

Section Max Description of Material Included in Section Likely

Score score
Executive 10% Description of the report. 1%
summary Very brief description of the issue and your 4 – 5%
recommendations.
Introduction 20% Basic description of what you have done. 1‐3%
Mix of description of report and of management issue. 4 – 6%
Interesting and informative description of management 7‐10%
issue and its importance.
Description 20% Broad description of the background to the issue. 2‐3%
Focused description with good support from the 8‐10%
literature and good coverage of all aspects of the issue.
Analysis of issue 20% Further description of the importance of the issue. 1 – 3%
Deconstruction of the issue into its component parts, 6 – 10%
causes and effects.
Identification of two valuable recommendations. 4 – 5%
Cost analysis of 20% Evaluation of impact cost. 3‐4%
Recommendations Comparative evaluation of input and affect costs and
comparison between the recommendations. 5‐10%
Conclusion 10% Restatement of the problem and repeat of 1‐3%
recommendations.
Comparing and identifying the preferable 4‐5
recommendation.