Posted: December 29th, 2022

Contemporary issue in strategic operations management

Critically discuss a contemporary issue in strategic operations management.
One contemporary issue in strategic operations management is the increasing importance of sustainability and environmental responsibility. As businesses become more aware of the impact they have on the environment, they are facing increasing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint and operate in a more sustainable manner.

This presents a number of challenges for operations managers. On one hand, there is a need to find ways to reduce waste and increase efficiency in order to lower the environmental impact of operations. On the other hand, there is a need to balance these goals with the need to remain competitive and profitable.

One approach that some companies are taking is to adopt circular business models, which focus on the reuse and recycling of materials and the reduction of waste. This can involve designing products and processes with sustainability in mind, as well as implementing strategies such as waste reduction and resource recovery.

Again, Implementing these changes can be complex and requires a significant investment of time and resources. Operations managers must carefully consider the costs and benefits of such changes and find ways to integrate sustainability into their operations in a way that is both effective and financially viable.

The increasing importance of sustainability is a major challenge for strategic operations management and requires a careful balance between environmental responsibility and financial considerations.

Assignment question
Critically discuss a contemporary issue in strategic operations management.

6,000 words (+/- 10%) exclude reference list.
Due 8th Jan 2023
What do I mean by contemporary?
What do I mean by critically?

Suggested topics
Lean/TQM
Industry 4.0/big data/virtual reality/internet of things
Risk management/operations improvement
CSR/sustainable supply chain
Outsourcing and insourcing
Innovation/open innovation/regional innovation system/sustainable innovation
Global supply network
Service
Public sector supply chain management
Supply chain Resilience
Risk Management
Quality issues
Globalisation

How to structure your assignment?

Structure refers to the order of ideas; the progression of your writing should feel smooth with similar points linked together. Structuring your work is a key aspect of good academic writing ensuring that related sections are linked together and that the ideas and arguments progress in a logical and orderly manner
To summarise, this assignment is a literature review.
What is required is a critical overview of the literature that relates to your chosen topic.
Literature = peer reviewed academic journals, conference proceedings and edited book chapters.
A literature review should focus on the leading edge of a topic. This means that your sources should mostly be recent.
You will be expected to cite a lot of sources (40 – 70).
A literature review is all about structure.
Good structure you should get good mark
Journal Examples
Journal of Operations Management
International of operations and Production Management
Production and operations management

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