Preparing for success: MSc Operations and Supply Chain Management

Dr Matthew Tickle, Director of Studies, shares advice as you prepare for the start of your master's programme.

Dr Matthew Tickle

Congratulations on securing a place on the MSc Operations and Supply Chain Management programme!

You are about to embark on an exciting journey through the major theoretical and applied topics in the field of Operations and Supply Chain Management. Designed by one of the UK’s leading Operations and Supply Chain Management research groups, this programme is also accredited by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK (CILT).

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to our thriving learning and research community at the University of Liverpool Management School this autumn.

My name is Dr Matthew Tickle and I am the Director of Studies for this programme. I joined the University of Liverpool Management School as a student in 2002 and haven’t left since! I hold a BSc and PhD in Operations Management (both from the University of Liverpool) and I previously worked as a project manager in the software development industry. I am also the Director of Studies for the fully online MSc in Operations and Supply Chain Management, one of the first fully online MSc programmes in this field. My research interests include humanitarian supply chains (i.e. studying how best to get relief to those in need after a disaster has struck) and quality management tools and techniques.

To give you a taste of the programme content, in your first semester you will all attend the following core modules:

  • Supply Chain Operations Management (EBUS506) provides a study of the key principles, systems, and techniques used to assure effective supply chain management, a topic that has gained increased importance over recent years (even more so after the recent Covid-19 vaccination rollout). The module covers an extensive range of subjects including logistics, information management, inventory management, partnerships, and the role of technology in supply chain optimisation.
  • Strategic Operations Management (EBUS602) demonstrates how operations management can influence and shape competitive strategy. Specific topics include the examination of modern business drivers and competitive performance (responsiveness, waste elimination etc.), the achievement of competitive advantage through operations management, globalisation and supply chains, agility, and operations performance measurement. Leading-edge operational practice is analysed within each topic covered.
  • Service Operations Management (EBUS634) highlights the importance of services in the modern economy and offers a critique of the operational principles and practices through which services are delivered and supported. It also introduces students to key service concepts including value, servitisation, and service-dominant logic.

If you would like to familiarise yourself with some of the above topics, you can start by looking at the two key textbooks for the programme, both of which are available online via the University library:

  • Slack, N. and Brandon-Jones, A., (2019), Operations Management, 9th Edition, Pearson Education
  • Slack, N. and Lewis, M., (2019), Operations Strategy, 6th Edition, Pearson Education

I hope you have an exciting and enjoyable time with us in Liverpool, and I look forward to meeting you all soon.

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