MGMT20130 - Operations Management and Business Analytics

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In today's dynamic business landscape, organisations strive for operational excellence and data-driven decision-making. Operations management and business analytics offer a comprehensive exploration of the synergies between efficient operations and the strategic use of data analytics. The unit explores the contemporary principles and practices involved in the management of both service and manufacturing operations. Taking a strategic approach to operations, you will examine fundamental concepts such as process planning, design, control and Six Sigma continuous improvement; quality management and lean thinking; the role of the supply chain in modern operations; capacity and location principles as well as the use of project-based activities in an operational environment. You will utilise business data from a variety of organisational sources including financial, economic and market information and develop mathematical models for more effective operational decisions. The unit also provides you with the opportunity to engage in independent research using evidence-based approaches to identify workplace issues and recommend viable solutions that enhance organisational effectiveness.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 9
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2025

Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Brisbane
Melbourne
Online
Sydney
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Brisbane
Melbourne
Online
Sydney
Term 2 - 2026 Profile
Brisbane
Melbourne
Online
Sydney

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Critical Review 40%
2. Report 60%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 64.29% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: SUTE
Feedback
The unit was heavily focused around manufacturing. It would be great to understand how this could tie in to a corporate/service based industry with real work scenarios
Recommendation
More learning materials on service industries should be added to the unit's Moodle site creating a balance in learning materials between manufacturing and service industries
Action Taken
Every lecture and workshop included problems and integrated sub-questions that asked about equivalent implications and practices in the service sector. As the majority of the enrolled students were employed within the service sector, the service sector-relevant content did well to engage these students more effectively.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Dr.Imran Ali explained the content of the unit clearly and was helpful with explaining the assessments
Recommendation
Continue to provide detailed information on the unit's content and assessment criteria.
Action Taken
The unit has very clear details for assessment tasks. T1, 2025 supported clarity around content and assessment tasks with short videos, exemplars, individualised feedback and in-class activities that devoted time to discuss academic and content-related skills.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
It would be beneficial to include more complex Excel Solver problems in the course. Currently, the content is too simple, and addressing industry-level issues could enhance our understanding further.
Recommendation
It is recommended to include a variety of Excel Solver problems to enhance students' analytical skills, benefiting both their assessment performance and professional career development.
Action Taken
The Excel Solver tasks for assessment 2 part B have been updated with new problems requiring students to consider sensitivity analysis as an extension and a new product mix scenario. In addition, although not assessable via assessment 2, students were provided additional analytical skills building exercises in Week 4 & 10 (control charts & data visualisation); Week 9 (transportation optimisation), and Week 12 (e.g., probability of project completion). The additional content was received well by all students as it offered additional and complementary statistical techniques for a range of operations problems.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
This is just a comment. I was pleased that the assessment was an assignment and not an exam. I noticed that there was varied Excel competence amongst the student group in this subject, and I certainly am no expert. By having the analytics as an assignment, I could take my time to work it out and practice the required tasks without feeling under pressure. So, I would say keep the assessment as an assignment. The lecturer was terrific! Professional & very supportive - I really enjoyed this subject.
Recommendation
Continue providing staggered assessment support and materials that build confidence in analytical (including Excel) skills relevant to the assessment.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Please provide more examples and details for the spreadsheets and case analysis. The A2 is useful but a bit difficult.
Recommendation
Develop more templated example case analysis spreadsheet activities for in-class use.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Develop an advanced and integrated understanding of operations managements and business analytics
  2. Critically analyse and reflect on key principles of operations analytics
  3. Critically apply a complex systems approach to analytically identify, analyse and investigate the management of operational functions
  4. Synthesise complex data from a variety of sources and develop mathematical models as part of the analytical process to identify and propose solutions to contentious workplace business problems
  5. Interpret and successfully apply knowledge related to recent development of operations management in service and manufacturing industries.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Critical Review • • • • •
2 - Report • • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Knowledge • • • •
2 - Communication • • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • • • •
4 - Research • • • •
5 - Self-management • • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • • • •
7 - Leadership • • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8