Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
In today's complex and dynamic business world, how to effectively and efficiently manage business operations is critical to the success of companies such as Procter & Gamble, which have global production and logistics systems. This course addresses important issues related to global production and logistics systems, such as operations strategy, product and service design, and logistics and supply chain management.
This course focuses on the major issues, management principles and business practices in relation to managing business operations in a global context, and how operations relate to corporate strategy and other activities of an organisation. The course also helps students develop transferrable professional skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, research and communication through small and large case studies and interactive class discussions.
Sustainable Development Goals - UQ Business School is a proud supporter and Advanced Signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME). As part of the largest global collaboration between business schools and the UN, the school emphasises its role in empowering students to drive societal transformation through the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs highlight that a thriving economy relies on a healthy environment, aiming to balance economic growth, social well-being, and environmental protection for a sustainable future.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Before attempting this course, students are advised that it is important to complete the appropriate prerequisite course(s) listed on the front of this course profile. It is the student's responsibility to attend classes and check
the Blackboard regularly for correct and up-to-date information regarding the course.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
IBUS2301
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
IBUS7311
Restrictions
Quota: Minimum of 35 enrolments
Course contact
Lecturer
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
- Full name
- Student ID
- Course Code
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to build students' knowledge in the field of operations, logistics and supply chain management, including key concepts, methods, techniques/tools and practices related to the design, planning and control and continuous improvement of business operations in a global context. The course also helps to develop students’ critical thinking ability and problem-solving skills through both small and large case studies.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Discuss key concepts, principles, techniques and practices related to operations management in a global context.
LO2.
Analyse the main types of operational processes of real-world business cases, using relevant concepts, methods, and analytical tools.
LO3.
Convey ideas in a clear and convincing way to influence the design, management and improvement of operations.
LO4.
Propose the most suitable responses to effectively solve problems and demonstrate critical thinking.
LO5.
Collaborate with other team members to determine the most beneficial operations, considering multiple stakeholder perspectives.
Assessment
Assessment summary
Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
---|---|---|---|
Essay/ Critique, Tutorial/ Problem Set |
Small Case Study
|
25% (Best of 2) |
Small Case #2 31/03/2025 8:00 am Small Case #3 14/04/2025 8:00 am |
Presentation |
Large Case Study
|
45% (Team presentation: 40%; in-tutorial activities: 5%) |
Week 7 Mon - Week 12 Mon
Submit to Blackboard before 8:00am Monday of the same week for your assigned case. |
Reflection | Reflection Paper | 30% |
30/05/2025 2:00 pm |
Assessment details
Small Case Study
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique, Tutorial/ Problem Set
- Weight
- 25% (Best of 2)
- Due date
Small Case #2 31/03/2025 8:00 am
Small Case #3 14/04/2025 8:00 am
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L05
Task description
This assessment task covers a variety of learning activities including your individual pre-class preparation and in-class team/class discussion. It is based on two small case studies that will be conducted in Tutorials 5 and 7. NOTE: The first small case study is used as a practice only and thus is not assessed. The tutorial activities for the three small case studies can be found in the Course Reader accessible at our course Blackboard site.
INDIVIDUALLY, you are required to prepare a 1-2 page answer (excluding figures or tables) to the case study questions before your tutorial. Failure to do so will jeopardise your results.
- BEFORE THE TUTORIAL, you must submit a soft (electronic) copy of your answer (in WORD/PDF format) to Blackboard by 8:00 am Monday of the same week for the small case study. Please bring a hard copy of your answer to the tutorial if you do not have access to the soft copy during the tutorial.
- DURING THE TUTORIAL, you will join your team and/or class in a discussion of the case study questions.
NOTE: as the first small case will be used as a practice, you will have two (2) opportunities (i.e., the second and the third small case studies) to submit your answers and receive marks. Of these two (2) assessment activities, only the better result will be counted towards your final marks for the course.
Your tutor will provide more details about this assignment and how this assessment will be conducted during the first two weeks of tutorials. NOTE: Further details about this assessment task are included in the Course Reader available at our course Blackboard site.
AI Statement:
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit to Blackboard a soft (electronic) copy of your answer (in WORD/PDF format) before 8:00 am Monday of the same week for the small case study.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Large Case Study
- Team or group-based
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 45% (Team presentation: 40%; in-tutorial activities: 5%)
- Due date
Week 7 Mon - Week 12 Mon
Submit to Blackboard before 8:00am Monday of the same week for your assigned case.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Large case studies have now been changed as team-based case study presentations. NOTE: You will remain in the same team for both your large case study presentation and in-class discussion and debriefing of small case studies. In a sense, a large case study can be regarded as an enhanced version of a small case study as a large business case is much longer and represents a more complex business situation.
During the first tutorial, five student teams will be formulated (usually 3-5 students per team, depending on class numbers). Each team will be allocated one large case by the tutor which will be presented by the team in a specified week. NOTE: The schedule for the five presentations is contained in the tutorial schedule in the Course Reader, which will be available at our course Blackboard site.
In the case study presentation (maximum 30 minutes including Q&A), your team is expected to:
- provide a good analysis of the case, particularly the issues/problems the case organisation was facing supported by appropriate concepts/theories and background research,
- identify the key issues/problems through case analysis,
- discuss how to address the key issues/problems and/or transferable practices, and
- provide conclusions.
If the name of the case organisation was not disguised, background research is expected in preparation for the case study. You should make yourselves familiar with the general issues in the industry including the current developments but should analyse the situation of the case as it existed when the case was written. In addition, you should refer to relevant concepts/theories in the course and rely on public sources. NOTE: You are not to contact the case company directly.
Further guidelines about the case study method are included in the Course Reader available at our course Blackboard site.
NOTE: On the day of your presentation, your team is required to submit a hard copy of your presentation slides to your tutor in class and a soft copy of those slides to the Blackboard before 8:00 am Monday of the same week for your assigned case.
NOTE: In addition to in-tutorial case study discussions (for small cases 2 and 3) and team presentations (for 5 large cases), there are also in-tutorial activities designed to better engage students in their learning processes, which require students to reflect on and summarise what they have learned from each (small/large) case study in the form of take-away messages (can be in the bullet point format). Students are required to submit their summaries to the Blackboard in the tutorial. You will receive one mark for each submission. In total, you have seven (7) opportunities (i.e., for small cases 2 and 3, plus 5 large cases) to submit your summaries and receive marks. Please note that you will only receive a maximum of 5 marks even if you submit seven case study summaries to the Blackboard. Please also note that for these in-tutorial activities, no late submissions will be accepted, and no extensions will be granted.
AI Statement:
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit to Blackboard a soft (electronic) copy of your presentation slides (in PPT/PDF format) before 8:00 am Monday of the same week for your assigned case.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Extensions or deferrals are not available for an in-class presentation. An extension may be available for the submitted material only.
Late submission
Late submissions are not accepted for in-class presentations. Failure to present at the scheduled time will result in a mark of zero.
Reflection Paper
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
30/05/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
The main purpose of this Individual reflection paper is to allow you to demonstrate some insight into the course content and the learning activities in the course. To do so, you need to think critically and introspectively about your overall learning process in the course.
Reflections are more personal and introspective than standard academic essays, requiring a first-person account and critical analysis and interpretation of your learning experiences in the course. Nonetheless, your reflection paper should have a similar structure to a standard essay, consisting of three parts, namely an introduction, body, and conclusion. Specifically, your reflection should include the following four sections:
- In the introduction, you should briefly provide key background information for your reflection (e.g., motivation for taking the course, objectives, etc.). You should also identify some key activities that you feel have been helpful to your learning this semester (e.g. critical discussions of small case discussions, teamwork, etc.) and explain why?
- The main body consists of two sections, namely Section A and Section B. In Section A, you are required to identify two key topics (e.g., Just-in-time/ lean production and supply chain management) you have come across during the semester and critically analyse how and why they have had a positive impact on your learning in relation to your knowledge base. These topics should be analysed by relating them to suitable cases discussed in the tutorials and by referring to appropriate journal papers through literature research.
- In Section B of the main body, you need to identify some of the key learning activities you undertook (e.g. critical discussions of small cases, skills development workshops in Tutorials 1-3, etc.) during the semester and critically analyse how and why they had a positive impact on your skill development.
- Finally, in the conclusion section, you are advised to consider summarising what you have learned about the subject and how your learning has changed your perspective on your chosen field of study and/or addressed a gap in your knowledge base, as well as how your learning experience has shaped your career aspirations or employability in the future.
NOTE: your reflection paper should not exceed 1,200 words (excluding the title, tables (if any) and references). Further details about this assessment will be available at our course Blackboard site.
AI Statement:
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
To be submitted via Turnitin
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
---|---|---|
1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Russell, R. & Taylor, B. (2019). Operations and Supply Chain Management. 10th edn., John Wiley & Sons.
Jacobs, F.R. and Chase, R. (2021). Operations and Supply Chain Management. 16th edn., McGraw-Hill.
NOTE: in the 'Learning Activities' Section, 'R&T' represents the textbook written by Russell, R. & Taylor, B. (2019), 'J&C' stands for the textbook written by Jacobs, F.R. and Chase, R. (2021), and 'Ch' means chapter.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
---|---|---|
Week 1 |
Lecture |
1. Course Outline and Introduction Readings/Ref: R&T (Ch1) Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 2 |
Tutorial |
Team Formation; Case Analysis Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Lecture |
2. Writing Skills for IBUS3303 Refer to the Course Profile and Course Reader. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
|
Week 3 |
Tutorial |
Small Case Study - An Example Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
3. Operations Strategy Readings/Ref: J&C (Ch2) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 4 |
Tutorial |
Large Case Study - An Example Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
4. Product and Service Design Readings/Ref: R&T (Ch4&5) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 5 |
Tutorial |
Small Case Study #1 Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
5. Process Design and Analysis Readings/Ref: R&T (Ch6) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 6 |
Tutorial |
Small Case Study #2 Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
6. Supply Chain Management Readings/Ref: R&T (Ch10) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 7 |
Tutorial |
Large Case Study #1 Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
7. Logistics Systems Readings/Ref: R&T (Ch11) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 8 |
Tutorial |
Small Case Study #3 Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Good Friday Public Holiday - Friday 18 April 2025 - Check Blackboard for announcements about affected classes. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
8. Inventory Management Readings/Ref: R&T (Ch13) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Mid-sem break |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
In-Semester Break |
Week 9 |
Tutorial |
Large Case Study #2 Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
9. JIT and Lean Systems Readings/Ref: R&T (Ch16) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 10 |
Tutorial |
Large Case Study #3 Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
10. MRP and ERP Systems Readings/Ref: R&T (Ch15) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 11 |
Tutorial |
Large Case Study #4 Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
11. Project Management Readings/Ref: R&T (Ch9) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Week 12 |
Tutorial |
Large Case Study #5 Refer to Course Reader for tutorial information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Lecture |
12. Review of Large Case Studies Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
|
Week 13 |
Lecture |
13. Course Review and Reflection Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Additional learning activity information
Sustainable Development Goals
This course integrates the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through lectures and assessment.
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.