The Covid19 pandemic causes several uncertainties for the upcoming winter semester starting on October 5^th. If possible within the then valid health regulations, the SCM program plans to fully return to the usual mode of classroom teaching with mandatory attendance. Nonetheless, an additional “plan B”-scenario for distance and/or hybrid teaching will be prepared for every class, which can be enabled if need be.

The program management will reevaluate the situation in September and will then decide whether the classes will indeed start in the usual mode or in an alternative mode. This decision will be announced in the syllabus until November 13.

All students, who are not able to come to Vienna in time for the semester start due to delayed visa processes and/or travel restrictions, are kindly advised to scm-master@wu.ac.at. So, we can stipulate suitable terms of remote participation for these individual cases.

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For the class in Operations Management the preferred alternative scenario would be a full distance mode: For the first three session in the remote format, the students prepare the contents based on lecturecasts, readings etc. In the announced time slots (morning and afternoon) live Sessions via MS Teams will be held to facilitate Q+A and exercises.

For the remaining three sessions, the sessions will take place for the full batch in the announced time slots of Group A and Q&A session via Chat (Learn@WU) will take place in the time slot of group B.

A change of the class mode might also alter the defined assignments. In any case the conditions of the final exam will be the same for every class participant and, hence, in hybrid mode an online exam.

The sessions will be recorded and made available within MS Teams and within Learn@WU (via lecture casts).

A detailed syllabus can be found in the downloads section.

The course provides an introduction to the foundations of Operations Management (Process, Quality, Capacity and Supply Chain Management) with a focus on Operations Strategy. The strategic objectives and drivers of operations performance as well as the elements of Total Quality Management, Lean Management and pull and push production systems are introduced. Especially, the challenges for the capacity strategy and the benefits of flexibility with respect to operational and demand risks are discussed.

After successful completion of the module, students should be able to:

- define, analyze and measure the performance of business processes

- explain the relationship between different performance measures

- perform capacity analysis of business processes

- position a process in the Operations Management triangle by reducing workloads and increasing information

- make suggestions for process improvement using the principles of quality management

Attendance is required in all sessions. Absence in one session is tolerated if a reasonable excuse is given before the session. 

Insights from basic Operations Management principles and models

Best practices from industry

Experiental learning using software

Case examples and case studies

In-class assignments (20%)
Case examples (30%)
Final exam (50%) (min. 20 points out of 50 required)

Grading scale:

• Excellent (1): 90% - 100.0%
• Good (2): 80% - <90%
• Satisfactory (3): 70% - <80%
• Sufficient (4): 60.0% - <70%
• Fail (5): <60.0%

Prerequisite for passing the course: minimum performance of 40% in the final examination.

Incoming students (exchange programs): tba

By appointment: alfred.taudes@wu.ac.at, gerald.reiner@wu.ac.at

Tutor: Anna-Lena Fischer (anna-lena.fischer@wu.ac.at)

Office hour: by appointment (send an email)