OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT TERM PAPER
2. Choose your own topic:
For this option, you can select a real operations management problem for an actual
existing enterprise to evaluate. The enterprise can be a commercial enterprise (e.g.
public or private company, profit or non-profit) or a public agency. You will compile
your findings into a paper that will be submitted at the end of the term.
In this case, you will be conducting a step-by-step evaluation of the case study. Your
goal will be to produce a viable analysis of an existing firm’s operational problem.
The following are some examples of evaluations you can perform:
As an analyst, you will evaluate the operations of a firm and identify an area or
areas for operations improvements. The firm can be in any particular industry,
public or private.
As a member of the firm, you will evaluate current operations with respect to the
firm’s services, and identify an area or areas for improvements.
As an analyst, you will evaluate the viability of developing a new company
operation. The venture can be any one of your choosing.
In general, you can choose from any firm you wish, perhaps one that may be of
personal interest to you. It can be one that is reflective of the company or industry
that you currently work in, or perhaps one that you would like to become involved
with in the future. Feel free to use a problem or issue you are currently addressing or
have addressed in your job environment. If you are concerned about proprietary
issues, you need not disclose the true name of the firm.
Identify a SPECIFIC2 PROBLEM that the organization has in only ONE of the following Operation Management decision areas:
Project management
Forecasting methods
Service, product design/strategy
Quality management
Process, capacity design
Location planning and analysis
Layout design
Human resources, job design
Supply-chain management
Inventory management
Production planning
ERP implementation
JIT implementation
It is fine if the problem straddles multiple areas. But it is important that the
PROBLEM BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE.
