Strategic Operations Management Assignment 2026: Choose Two of Four Cases – Penang Mutiara Hotel, Long Ridge Gliding Club, Dell, Zara/H&M/Benetton (TU Dublin) Module Strategic Operations Management Institution TU Dublin (postgraduate level) Task Individual assignment (25%): answer all questions on two of four case studies Word count 2,500 words (±10%), around 1,250 per case Referencing APA This Strategic Operations Management brief covers four areas of the module through four cases: operations performance at the Penang Mutiara hotel, operations strategy at Long Ridge Gliding Club, supply network design at Dell, and supply chain management in fast fashion at Zara, H&M and Benetton. You select two cases and must show application and analysis, using case evidence and operations frameworks, rather than description.
What Markers Expect Accurate use of operations management concepts and frameworks. Specific evidence from the case to support each argument. Analysis rather than description of what the organisations do. Relationships, alternatives, trade-offs and operational implications identified. Your own justified conclusions and recommendations, communicated clearly. Penang Mutiara: Operations Objectives Competitive priorities: using case evidence, evaluate the relative importance of quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost to the hotel. Which are order winners and which are mainly qualifiers? Justify your view. Internal performance: analyse how improvements in the five performance objectives could also bring internal operational benefits. Strategic alignment: evaluate how well the hotel’s operations resources and processes support its competitive positioning, and identify trade-offs or tensions between objectives. Recommendation: as Operations Manager, recommend one operational improvement that strengthens the hotel’s competitive position without undermining its premium service, and explain how you would measure success. Long Ridge Gliding Club: Operations Strategy Market requirements perspective: compare the requirements of club members and casual flyers, identify relevant performance objectives, likely order winners and qualifiers, and where the two groups’ needs conflict. Operations resources perspective: evaluate Long Ridge’s current capabilities and constraints in meeting these requirements. Bottom-up perspective: analyse what day-to-day operational experience suggests about how the operations strategy should evolve. Strategic reconciliation: recommend whether Long Ridge should (a) continue its current trial-flight approach, (b) redesign and expand it, or (c) reduce trial flights and prioritise members, integrating market requirements, resources, experience and trade-offs. Dell: Supply Network Design Map Dell’s supply network, explain why a total supply network perspective matters, and analyse the roles of material and information flows in Dell’s competitive performance. Analyse Dell’s network through vertical integration and outsourcing: what Dell does internally and externally, and the implications for cost, quality, speed, dependability and flexibility. Identify a contemporary organisation that offers an interesting comparison with Dell’s approach to vertical integration and/or outsourcing; using at least three credible sources from the last five years, analyse its approach and compare it with Dell. Supplying Fast Fashion: Zara, H&M and Benetton Compare the three supply chain approaches and the main differences in how they source, produce and distribute products. Evaluate each supply chain against quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost. Compare how the companies manage sourcing and supplier relationships, and evaluate the benefits, risks and trade-offs. Recommend how one of the three could improve its supply chain, justified with supply chain management concepts. Rubric and Rules Application of operations management concepts 30%; analysis and critical evaluation 30%; use of case evidence and research 20%; judgement, conclusions and recommendations 10%; structure, communication and referencing 10%. 2,500 words (±10%) for the two cases, excluding references and appendices; tables and figures only where they add analytical value. You may be asked to explain your analysis in a short individual follow-up. Generative AI only at Level 2 of the AI Assessment Scale (brainstorming and structuring), with no AI content in the submission and a signed affirmation included.