Operations Management homework help. Module Assessment 2
Module Title: Applied Operations Management
Module Code: 5LO507
1
The purpose of an Assignment is for students to be able to demonstrate that
they have successfully achieved the module Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1.Understand the operations function as a mechanism for competitive advantage.
2. Recognise the need to maintain and improve operations to meet demanding quality
standards and customer expectations
3.Understand the role of design, planning, control and improvement in the operations
function, and be able to apply this knowledge to practical workplace/case study
situations
This is the Assessment guidance as produced in your Module Handbook.
Coursework 2: 70% (Learning Objective 1 and 3)
Individual Assignment: Management Report on a real-world project, which provides a
detailed theoretical and applied rationale/justification to support the outcomes backed up
by recent scholarly books, articles, etc.
Individual, written 3000 words (+/- 10%) assignment which will include the review and
evaluation of operations function and recommendations for improvement.
OVERVIEW
In Coursework 1 (CW 1) you have applied your knowledge to the case study/scenario
presented. CW1 provided you with an opportunity to understand the application of
theoretical knowledge to real-life scenarios. The case/scenario was presented in a
structured manner with information/data provided. The expectation was that you will apply
specific theoretical knowledge to the provided scenarios.
In Coursework 2 (CW 2) you are presented with a real-life case where you are provided with
basic information about the rationale, purpose and scope of the study subject. You are
expected to apply the breadth of your knowledge obtained throughout this course and
conduct both the online and in-field research to further expand your understanding of the
operational aspect of the case presented. In result, you will provide a comprehensive
analysis with academic underpinning and recommendations. It is expected that you will
spend a total of 30 hours on this research. This time could include, but is not limited to:
• Assignment briefing
• Q & A session regarding the task, with client/ tutors
• Site Visits
• Competitor analysis
• Skills analysis (Skills that you have developed during this module and specifically by doing CW2)
You should structure your thoughts in a logical manner and present them professionally in a
written document. Your answers should not exceed a total of 3000 Word limit (+/-
10%). Word limit excludes Table, Figures and charts.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION
CW 2 Individual written work must be submitted via Turnitin by 8th May 2020 (05:00 PM)
Marked work will be available to view with comments through Turnitin in 3 weeks after the
submission date.
2
Case Study: The Markeaton Park Project
Markeaton Park (including the Mundy Play Centre) is Derby’s most visited and heavily used
park and one of the most visited destinations in the East Midlands area, with a wide range
of recreational and sporting facilities and attractions. In recent years, the Craft Village has
gained a major uplift and all the units are occupied by different businesses. The Community
Room is used as a base for a range of events and can be hired. Bookings have already been
taken for two art exhibitions this year along with workshops and other public and private
training and conferences. Park’s management has applied for Brown Signage at the road for
the Craft Village, so more people driving nearby will know and could potentially visit.
The park retains a good reputation as a place to visit and attracts around 1.6 million visits
annually while hosting over 100 different events throughout a year. Some of the key events
are:
• One of the biggest Park-Run in all of the East-Midlands. It attracts over 600 participants weekly.
• An Outdoor Theatre & Cinema programme offers something for everyone and the 4 nights of
cinema was a sell-out in 2019 after adding an extra night.
• Formerly known as “The Rose Garden” this area has been adopted by an organisation known as
‘Making Spaces’. They provide health and social care services. This is now called “Capability
Garden”, created for people living with dementia, their families and carers.
Operational Aspects/Challenges:
Park’s operations management span from range of different processes/functions such as
maintenance of grounds and facilities, ensuring the seasonality factor on available activities
for people, managing the layout of the park, smooth flow, ensuring for the craft village
space to be occupied in effective way, engaging with community, capacity management,
events planning and management, etc.
Some of the key current and upcoming challenges for the park are, but are not limited to:
1. A-38 will be undergoing major improvements starting 2021 and is expected to complete
in 4 years. Since the park has one of the major access points through A38, the
management is concerned as to,
• How to keep the Park busy and accessible?
• How to ensure that Visitor’s number would not decline but rather increase?
• What will be the impact of this on the businesses in Craft Village and how to
avoid/manage this impact?
2. Park has limited budget overall and thus limited budget for Marketing. What possible
ways the management can increase the Park’s visibility and engage with people of all
ages and abilities?
3. Park’s management would also like to expand their knowledge as to how people access
the park (bike, cycle, walk, car) and what they think about the park, such as its
accessibility, facilities, and how they can be improved.
4. Park wants to attract people of all ages and abilities, for this purpose are current
facilities, and attractions good enough or do they need improvement? If so what and to
what outcome?
3
5. The slow decline in horticulture standards and features such as loss of herbaceous
borders and bedding, indicating a reduced level of care by the Council.
Some of the continued challenges for Markeaton Park are,
• To increase visitor numbers throughout the year.
• To increase the income that can be used to reinvest in the park in improved
maintenance and management and provision of a higher quality of facilities.
• To protect and improve the parks historic and natural fabric.
Please note that the above-mentioned challenges/issues are just a few to trigger your
analytical thinking. You must not limit yourself to these only but utilise the knowledge
gained through the course and apply different models (such as Value Chain analysis, ITO
or IPO model, etc.)
A Way Forward?
The Council submitted a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund under the Parks for
People programme http://www.hlf.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx. The award was for a grant of
around £2.4 million towards a project costing around £3.4 million and was confirmed in
December 2012. The Council, therefore, spent the money on improving various aspects of
the Park. Details of Markeaton Park and the improvements proposed can be found at
http://www.derby.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/parks-and-open-spaces/markeatonpark/ Following this success, the Council will continue to look at other funding streams to
finance future improvements.
The Council have done well to obtain past funding – only around 20% of applications for
funding actually succeed. Thus, with future funding, it has to make sure that it creates a
successful and sustainable leisure facility for the future.
One of the key outcomes is to increase the amount of revenue funding generated by the
park that can be used to support improvements to the park’s management, maintenance
and infrastructure. There are three existing important sources of revenue: car parking, the
craft village rents and income from the pay to use facilities in Mundy Play Centre.
Background Information
Detailed Information about Markeaton Park and the Mundy Play Centre can be found on
http://www.derby.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/parks-and-openspaces/markeaton-park/
Useful Web-sites
Derby City Council website: http://www.derby.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/parksand-open-spaces/markeaton-park/
Google Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=211224912365347794408.00047c6d7cb6aaad270
d6&msa=0&ll=52.934465,-1.502037&spn=0.009351,0.019205
Mundy Play Centre: http://www.derby.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/parks-and-openspaces/markeaton-park/mundy-play-centre/
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Survey Results from 2009
1. How often do you visit Markeaton Park?
121
546
1099
654
178 136 99 74
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Almost
every
day
At least
once a
week
About
once a
month
Once in
6
months
Once a
year
Less
than
once a
year
Never No
answer
Frequency of visits
No. of respondents
2. If you visit, how long would you usually stay?
275
1603
699
170 144 17
500
1000
1500
2000
Less than
1 hour
1-2 hours 2-4 hours All day No answer More than
1 answer
Length of visit
No. of respondents
3. How do you get to Markeaton Park?
879
103
1542
82
149 147 6
Foot
Cycle
Car
Public Transport
More than 1 answer
No answer
Missing
5
4. Who would you go to Markeaton Park with?
2281
1356
492 551
101 237
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Family Friends Dog On your
own
Team/Club No answer
Categories of visitors
No. of respondents
5. What do you tend to come to Markeaton Park
for?
1566
1881
454
506
575
782
1064
981
793
1143
66
1366
913
121
641
196
266
72
1156
1349
839
394
403
234
43
104
0 500 1000 1500 2000
Relaxing
Walking
Cycling
Dog walking
Exercising
Meet Friends
Events
Picnics
Wildlife/Nature
Feed ducks
Fishing
Mundy Play Centre
Paddling Pool
Wheeled Sports
Pitch and Putt
Play Tennis
Play Football
Play Cricket
Craft Village
Café/Kiosk
Steam train
Road Train
Rowing Boats
Watch/use model boats
Other
No answer
Activities
No. of respondents
These activites are
removed now and new
ones are introduced such
as Foot Golf and Disk
Golf.
6
11. Do you live in Derby?
2650
175
Yes
No
13. How old are you?
158 102
1087
898
578
6 81
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0 – 15 16 – 24 25 – 44 45 – 64 65+ More
than 1
answer
No
answer
Age ranges
No. of respondents
Q15. Do you consider yourself to have any longterm illness, health problems or disability, which
limits daily activities or the work you can do?
376
2365
157
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Yes No No answ er
Respondent response
No. of respondents
7
Your Assignment
You will produce an Individual Management Report for the Managers of Markeaton Park
about certain key operational aspects of the park and project. Your focus must be on
providing knowledge about the current operations of the park and suggestions to improve
some of these. In particular, Section 1 (see below) is designed for you to provide the
Managers of the park with knowledge about how the park currently operates and its
analysis. On the other hand, in Section 2 you will provide suggestions regarding how various
aspects of the park can be improved and to what outcome. Your analysis and plans need to
be underpinned by relevant ‘operations theory’ to support your arguments.
1. As an initial step, you are required to investigate and discuss various operational aspects
of Markeaton Park. To do this, you will:
a) Identify and discuss what you may consider the most important:
• Inputs (including the transforming and transformed resources),
• Transformational operation/process,
• Outputs (pure products, a mixture of products and services, pure services) of the park’s
operations
b) Conduct the value chain analysis and define the importance/impact of different
stakeholders.
c) Identify and briefly discuss the effectiveness of the capacity planning strategy that you
consider Managers of the Markeaton Park may be following
d) Identify and briefly discuss the effectiveness of the Markeaton Park layout
As part of this section, and indeed the whole assignment, you mustcarry out some actual
field research to support the ideas presented. One important piece of information currently
lacking is quantitative information on where people access the park, how they move around
it, congregate and use particular areas of the park. You are required to collect some data
about this in a systematic way. You are encouraged to gather this information by visiting,
observing and collecting data in groups*. It would be really useful if this data could be
collated so that you get a good picture of how the Park is used, How the data is used is up to
individuals concerned, but you must all be involved in this. (40 % marks)
*NOTE: Group work is for data collection ONLY. Analysis, development of suggestion and
writing the assignment is all individual work.
2. You are required to make recommendations to improve the operations of Mundy Play
Centre, Craft Village, and Markeaton Park. These recommendations could include, but
are not limited to, improvements and addition of facilities, activities, and attractions.
Your proposals must generate positive income for the Park. (Do not spend time writing
about the things that are being done. Explore new attraction and approaches, which are
not covered in their existing plans.) Your recommendations should also address the
challenges mentioned in the case study description. (40 % marks)
3. Professional presentation and format – appropriate academic citations, references, etc.
(10% marks)
4. Provide a 250 words description about your Skills Development during this module and
specifically by undertaking the Course Work 2. (10% marks)
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Submission Guidance
Please make sure to submit your work on-time through Turnitin submission point. No late
submission will be accepted.
Visit www.derby.ac.uk/esub for guidance on electronic submission of assignments.
Support/ Feedback
During your seminars/tutorials you will receive helpful and formative Feedback (oral) from a
range of stakeholders:
• from your tutors
• from your fellow group members
• from your Module Leader
Assessment Criteria
In completing the assessments, you need to demonstrate all of the following skills:
Application of academic concepts to practical situations
Critical awareness and analysis of the ideas that you explore
Data Analysis: Demonstrates skill in data analysis and use of relevant tools
Problem Identification: Demonstrates an understanding of Problem Definition and
reflective analysis of research.
Synthesis and presentation of key ideas
Evaluation of complex matters
Integration of ideas and practice in a cross-disciplinary manner
Presentation of key concepts/ideas
Plagiarism and Collusion
You are reminded that plagiarism and collusion are considered serious offences and
contravene University of Derby regulations. If your work is found to be plagiarized, or it has
been found that you have colluded this is likely to result in failing the minimum standards
and learning outcomes within the module and further action could be taken. If you are
unsure of the University regulations it is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with
them. The regulations can be found in the University of Derby Academic Regulations (3R’s)
at www.derby.ac.uk/academic-regulations
Remember: All coursework should be submitted on time. There are no opportunities to
submit work as late. Even if you submit an EEC request you should submit the coursework
you have already completed to that date by the deadline. The only exception is if a student
has a support plan and agreed extra time to complete work.
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Undergraduate marking scale
This scale applies to Levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the University Credit Framework. The descriptors
are typical characteristics of the standard of work associated with each range of marks. The
descriptors are illustrative and for guidance only. They are not comprehensive.
% Mark Mark Descriptors
70-
100%
Excellent
Outstanding; high to very high standard; a high level of critical analysis and evaluation, incisive
original thinking; commendable originality; exceptionally well researched; high quality
presentation; exceptional clarity of ideas; excellent coherence and logic. Trivial or very minor
errors. For the highest marks (90 – 100%): an exceptional standard of work illustrating thorough
and in-depth understanding, communicated with exceptional authority.
First
60-69% Very good
A very good standard; a very good level of critical analysis and evaluation; significant originality;
well researched; a very good standard of presentation; commendable clarity of ideas;
thoughtful and effective presentation; very good sense of coherence and logic; minor errors
only.
Second
Div 1
50-59% Good
A good standard; a fairly good level of critical analysis and evaluation; some evidence of original
thinking or originality; quite well researched; a good standard of presentation; ideas generally
clear and coherent, some evidence of misunderstandings; some deficiencies in presentation.
Second
Div 2
40-49% Satisfactory
A sound standard of work; a fair level of critical analysis and evaluation; little evidence of
original thinking or originality; adequately researched; a sound standard of presentation; ideas
fairly clear and coherent, some significant misunderstandings and errors; some weakness in
style or presentation but satisfactory overall.
Third
35-39% Unsatisfactory
Overall marginally unsatisfactory; some sound aspects but some of the following weaknesses
are evident; inadequate critical analysis and evaluation; little evidence of originality; not well
researched; standard of presentation unacceptable; ideas unclear and incoherent; some
significant errors and misunderstandings. Marginal fail. Marginal
Fail
21-34% Poor
Below the pass standard; a poor critical analysis and evaluation; virtually no evidence of
originality; poorly researched; presentation unacceptable and not up to graduate standard;
ideas confused and incoherent, some serious misunderstandings and errors. A clear fail, short
of pass standard.
1-20% Very poor
Well below the pass standard, with many serious errors. Standard of presentation totally
unacceptable, incoherent and may be severely under- length. No evidence of evaluation or
application. A very clear fail, well short of the pass standard.
Fail
NS Non-submission
No work has been submitted.
Z Academic offence notation
Applies to proven instances of academic offence.
