Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

This project module attempt to integrate the internal perspective from the
course “Operations Management and Productivity Improvement” with the external perspective from the course “Outsourcing and Procurement” – in order to create improvements in the configuration and design of a value chain in organizations or networks of organizations.

Learning objectives

Knowledge

• Account for how to integrate selected parts of operation management and productivity theories, tools, and methods with the aim of configuring and designing an improved value chain of a manufacturing or service organization in practice.
• Understand the role for and the deployment of technologies within the process of improving value chains in organizations or networks of organizations.
• Explain how to overcome real life challenges connected to the (re)configuration and improvement value chains in organizations or networks of organizations.
• Show how to operationalize theoretical contributions to practical settings.
• Understand how sustainability considerations can be included the configuration, design and improvement of value chains.

Skills

• Combine insights from the literature and theory when configuring, designing, and improving value chains in organizations, networks of organizations.
• Analyse the role of technologies in value chains.
• Write a well-structured project report, written with clear arguments including the following elements:
  • Develop and delimit an original formulation of the problem being investigated,
  • Critically explore and apply relevant theories and analytical approaches to the problem under investigation,
  • Assemble and process valid and reliable data, relevant to the problem and sub-problems under scrutiny,
  • Make a rigorous, systematic, and comprehensive analysis of the problem under investigation.
• Evaluate of the findings and recommendations/solutions, methods and, if relevant, considerations regarding the limitations and generalisability of the study.

Competences

• Operationalize theoretical contributions in a practical setting.
• Work together as a team to analyse and collect data in connection to problems in relation to conceiving and designing a value chain in a real life setting.
• Integrate considerations on the deployment of technologies into the configuration, design, and improvement of the value chain of an organization, networks of organizations or value chains.

Type of instruction

The module is carried out as group-based problem-oriented project work. The group work is carried out as an independent work process in which the students themselves organize and coordinate their workload in collaboration with a supervisor. The project is carried out in groups with normally no more than 6 members.

Extent and expected workload

Since it is a 15 ECTS project module the expected workload is 450 hours for the student.

Exam

Exams