University of Bradford: Postgraduate Programme specification template

UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORDSchool of ManagementDepartment of Operations and Information ManagementProgramme/course title: Sustainable Operations and Management

Awarding and teaching institution: / University of Bradford
Final award: / MSc
[Framework for Higher Education Qualifications level 7]
Programme title: / Sustainable Operations and Management
Duration: / 1 Year (full time)
Date produced: / Feb 2011
Last updated :

Introduction

This programme aims to deliver a flexible programme of study that draws on the collective skills and expertise of the School of Management’s staff in the area of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The programme aims to develop subject specific knowledge and understanding at master’s level that will enable you to purse management careers in business and commerce. In particular you will be equipped with the skills, knowledge and critical faculties required to manage businesses in an emerging and increasingly critical field of management. This programme of study is consonant with the UK QAA Benchmark for a Type 2 (Career Entry) Masters Degree in Business and Management. The ability to plan for the transition of businesses as we move to a low carbon economy and with pressure on resources will be essential characteristics of future managers. The programme has contributions from all academic groups across the School of Management but there is a particular focus on Sustainable Operations Management. The Operations and Information Management Group (OIM) have been developing teaching and research expertise in this area for a number of years now and our current recruitment policy is to further strengthen our expertise in this area. The programme of study is suitable for students from a wide range of backgrounds with first degrees in a technical or management subject. It is intended to be suitable for new graduates and practising managers wishing to get knowledge and experience in this increasingly important subject. On graduation from this programme you will be able to contribute to business and society as a whole whilst applying the highest professional standards and will be capable of identifying your own professional development requirements as the global business environment changes. You will be able to apply your new knowledge and skills in a wide range of business environments as social, legislative and resource pressures continue to increase.


Programme Aims

The programme is intended to:

A1 Develop your understanding, skills and knowledge in Operations Management and its underpinning disciplines to enable graduates from the programme to become effective practitioners.

A2 Develop your understanding and knowledge across all management subject areas so that the sustainability and operational aspects can be understood and applied in a holistic manner.

A3 Develop your competence to be a business partner or “agent for change” who understands the functions and environment of the organisation/business in which you work and to shape the operations management agenda accordingly.

A4 Develop your ability to think strategically and creatively about operations management and its impact on the environment and society.

A5 Develop your ability to create the alternative business models required to deliver goods and services in a sustainable and ethical manner in the future.

A6 Develop your reflective skills to enable you to reflect on your own performance and the impact of your actions in order to manage your own professional development.

Programme Learning Outcomes

When you have completed the programme you will be able to:

LO1 Explain the context in which organisations conduct their business and how the business environment determines strategic and operational decisions.

LO2 Critically appraise the external political, economic, social and technological drivers of sustainability.

LO3 Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the internal operational factors that both constrain and facilitate an organisation’s ability to develop sustainable business strategies

LO4 Demonstrate a detailed knowledge in a subject specific area of operational sustainability and a clear understanding of how the skills and knowledge gained in your initial discipline could be deployed to pursue an environmentally sustainable agenda.

LO5 Design, conduct and manage team and individual based research to enhance understanding of environmental sustainability issues within a business context.

LO6 Collect, synthesise and critically appraise emerging information and knowledge pertaining to environmental sustainability using both qualitative and quantitative techniques, and use this to inform decision making in an organisational context.

LO7 Address complex operational problems using appropriate theoretical models, frameworks and decision support techniques and to proffer solutions that fit within the broader business context.

LO8 Recognise and address the ethical and corporate social responsibilities that emerge as consequence of an organisation adopting an environmentally sustainable agenda.

LO9 Act as an agent for change and demonstrate the ability to promote more environmentally sustainable forms of business.

LO10 Communicate complex ideas clearly, both orally and in writing to a broad range of recipients.

Curriculum

Masters Degree (MSc Sustainable Operations and Management)

Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study period
MAN4134M / Business Economics / Core / 10 / M / 1
MAN4154M / Accounting and Finance / Core / 10 / M / 1
MAN4222M / Human Resource Management / Core / 10 / M / 1
MAN4139M / International Business Environment / Core / 10 / M / 1
MAN4254M / Management in Context / Core / 10 / M / 1
MAN4146M / Marketing / Core / 10 / M / 1
MAN4148M / Research Methods / Core / 10 / M / 2
New module / Decision Support for Sustainability / Elective / 10 / M / 2
New module / Supply Chain Management and Reverse Logistics / Core / 10 / M / 2
New Module / Sustainable Operations / Core / 10 / M / 2
New Module / Corporate Social Responsibility / Elective / 10 / M / 2
New module / Applied Intellectual Property and Environmental Law. / Elective / 10 / M / 2
MAN4284M / Entrepreneurship and Innovation / Elective / 10 / M / 2
New module / Environmental Management and Quality Systems / Elective / 10 / M / 2
MAN4175M / Performance Management Fundamentals / Elective / 10 / M / 2
MAN4144M / Management of Change / Elective / 10 / M / 2
New module / Information Systems Planning for Sustainability / Elective / 10 / M / 2
MAN4018Z / Master Dissertation / Core / 60 / M / 3

The Masters degree in Sustainable Operations and Management will build on the suite of generic core management modules offered by the School of Management. In common with other Master’s degree programmes these will be offered in Semester 1 of the proposed programme of study. At the end of this Semester you will have a broad understanding of all the main areas of management and be able to discuss (and apply) these in the context of a modern business/organisation.

In Semester 2, three additional compulsory modules will be taken. Research methods is a School core module which provides generic research methods training in the techniques necessary to undertake the dissertation required as the final part of the MSc programme. Supply Chain Management and Reverse Logistics, and Sustainable Operations are discipline specific topics.

In the Supply Chain Management and Reverse Logistics module you will study the strategic perspective of an organisation’s activities from supply, through production, distribution, use and recovery, in this module particular emphasis will be placed on understanding and managing the interrelationships that exist between activities and the impact business decisions have on the environmental sustainability of an organisation’s business model. The Sustainable Operations module is predominantly research based and will focus on developing your understanding of what sustainability means in terms of managing the operational activities of a business. In this module you will be assisted in creating a personal vision of environmental sustainability and what this means in the business context.

You will also be able to choose three additional 10 credit modules. These have been selected to enable you to pursue specific interests from within and around the value cycle concept, i.e. conception, production, distribution and recovery. Information system and business specific topics are also included for those wishing to understand sustainability from a wider business perspective.

At the end of Semester 2 you will have formed your own opinion of what sustainability means and will be able to critically appraise current business models from a sustainability perspective. You will be able to contribute to the sustainable development of products and services and the process to deliver them.

In the final part of the MSc programme you will be required to undertake a personal research project assessed by dissertation. This is an extended piece of written work of up to 22,000 words involving an original and in-depth investigation of environmental sustainability and its influence or impact on a specific aspect of a business activity, .e.g. its choice of information systems, purchasing and its contribution to ethical supply management, the role of design and marketing in the development of sustainable value propositions, the economics of sustainable production, distribution and recovery activities, etc. At the end of this element of the programme you will have demonstrated the ability to conduct research into practical business problems concerned with sustainability. You will be able to operate as an effective manager helping to guide organisations through the complex changes that will be required to operate in the future. Wherever possible projects will be undertaken within a company addressing issues of sustainability

Each module represents approximately 100 hours’ study time of which typically 24 hours is contact time with the course tutor(s) and the remaining 76 hours is made up of pre-reading, directed reading, preparatory work and assessment. Modules will be taught by School of Management staff, assisted where necessary by external specialists.

The curriculum may change, subject to the University's course approval, monitoring and review procedures.

Learning Teaching and Assessment Strategies

Teaching on the programme will be directed, supported and reinforced through a combination of formal lectures, staff/student led group discussions, personal research and guided self study, tutorials, seminars and directed reading. These activities will all be further supported by the use of a virtual learning environment. Generally the programme will aim to integrate applied and theoretical knowledge with assessment processes that test both knowledge of the discipline and understanding of its application and limitations. To facilitate learning, lectures and seminars will typically utilise case studies, simulations and guided research workshops. Sessions may be delivered weekly or in blocks. Small Group sessions will use case studies and simulations with oral feedback given in class. Students will be guided to suitable primary and secondary data sources and be required to conduct research and presentation exercises. The Sustainable Operations module is a good example of this, using techniques successfully adopted in other masters programmes where students are required to work in groups to research selected areas of business activity and build a sustainable business model. At a number of defined points the developing model is presented to staff and peer groups for critical analysis. This promotes peer to peer learning in addition to tutor input. Assessment of this module is by a group report and a multimedia presentation, peer assessment will be applied. Resources to support the teaching and learning activity will be provided on the University’s virtual learning environment.

Assessment

The programme is summatively assessed by a mixture of written examinations, assessed coursework, management reports, portfolios, learning logs and multimedia presentations. Assessment is integrated with learning and teaching to support and demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes for individual modules and the programme as a whole. Emphasis is place on the feedback function of formative assessment as part of the learning, teaching and assessment strategy as a whole.

Learning outcomes 1, 2, 7 and 10 are focused on knowledge, understanding and communication. They are assessed by a mixture of closed book examinations, individual pieces of coursework and group coursework, portfolio.

Learning Outcomes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 are focused on the application of knowledge and its communication. They are assessed by a mixture of individual coursework, group coursework, individual and group presentations (including multi-media), in workshops or by model development.

Learning outcomes 5, 8, 9, 10 are focused on the application of knowledge to define future challenges and design products, processes or business models to address those challenges in an ethical manner, and communication. They are assessed by group coursework, group presentations (including multimedia), model or business case construction, portfolio or learning log.

The dissertation is considered to be a capstone module assessing all learning outcomes.

The maps of learning outcomes, teaching methods and assessment methods in Appendix B shows the above in more detail.

Assessment Regulations

This Programme conforms to the standard University Assessment Regulations for Postgraduate Programmes which are available at the following link: http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/acsec/QA_Hbk/Ord_5_PG_Taught_Awards.html

NB. The School operates a non-numerical assessment system. All assessment is graded as below:

AD Pass with Distinction

B Pass with Merit

C Pass

D Marginal Fail

EF Poor Fail

Awards are determined by a credit count system. To achieve a Masters degree all modules must be completed to ‘pass’ level or no more than 20 credits condoned as Marginal fails.

Students with 100 credits at the ‘pass with distinction’ level including the dissertation will be eligible for a Masters with distinction. Students with 100 or more credits at the ‘pass with merit’ level including the dissertation will be eligible for a Masters with merit.

Admission Requirements

The University welcomes applications from all potential students regardless of their previous academic experience; offers are made following detailed consideration of each individual application. Most important in the decision to offer a place is our assessment of a candidate’s potential to benefit from their studies and of their ability to succeed on this particular programme. Entrance requirements for each programme will vary but consideration of your application will be based on a combination of your formal academic qualifications and other relevant experience.

The University of Bradford has always welcomed applications from disabled students, and these will be considered on the same academic grounds as are applied to all applicants. If you have some form of disability you may wish to contact the programme leader before you apply.