Business Administration and Operations Management Course

Lesson 1 • The Business Environment and Stakeholders

Examines internal and external forces shaping organisations and stakeholder relationships. Provides context for all subsequent management decisions.

Lesson 2 • Introduction to Business Strategy

Presents mission, vision, and competitive positioning as strategic anchors. Prepares students for deeper strategic analysis in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Core Management Functions

Introduces planning, organising, leading, and controlling as an integrated cycle. Students apply the cycle to diagnose management gaps.

Lesson 4 • Organisational Structures and Design

Covers hierarchical, flat, matrix, and network structures and their trade-offs. Connects structural choice to operational efficiency.

Lesson 1 • Managerial Accounting for Decision-Making

Distinguishes managerial from financial accounting and applies cost concepts to decisions. Directly supports operational planning and cost control.

Lesson 2 • Working Capital and Cash Management

Addresses receivables, payables, inventory, and liquidity ratios. Ensures operational continuity through sound short-term financial management.

Lesson 3 • Budgeting and Forecasting

Covers master budget construction, variance analysis, and rolling forecasts. Equips managers to plan resources and monitor financial performance.

Lesson 4 • Capital Investment and Financial Metrics

Introduces ROI, NPV, IRR, and payback period for evaluating investments. Enables data-driven capital allocation decisions.

Lesson 1 • Operations Strategy and Competitive Priorities

Aligns operations decisions with cost, quality, speed, and flexibility priorities. Sets the strategic lens for all subsequent operations topics.

Lesson 2 • Facility Layout and Work Design

Covers product, process, cellular, and fixed-position layouts and ergonomic work design. Connects physical arrangement to operational efficiency.

Lesson 3 • Process Design and Analysis

Maps and analyses process flows, bottlenecks, and capacity constraints. Provides tools to redesign processes for higher throughput and quality.

Lesson 4 • Production Planning and Scheduling

Introduces aggregate planning, master scheduling, and job sequencing rules. Translates demand forecasts into executable production plans.

Lesson 1 • Supply Chain Resilience and Risk Mitigation

Identifies disruption sources and applies mitigation strategies including dual sourcing and buffer stock. Builds adaptive supply chains that recover quickly.

Lesson 2 • Supply Chain Structure and Strategy

Defines supply chain tiers, flows, and strategic configurations such as lean and agile. Frames supplier and customer relationships as competitive assets.

Lesson 3 • Inventory Control Models

Applies EOQ, reorder point, safety stock, and ABC analysis to inventory decisions. Balances holding costs against stockout risk.

Lesson 4 • Logistics and Distribution Management

Examines transportation modes, warehouse design, and last-mile delivery strategies. Efficient logistics directly reduces cost and improves customer satisfaction.

Lesson 1 • Lean Principles and Waste Elimination

Identifies the eight wastes and applies 5S, value stream mapping, and pull systems. Lean tools reduce non-value-added activities across operations.

Lesson 2 • Six Sigma and DMAIC Methodology

Guides students through Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control phases. Provides a data-driven structure for reducing process variation.

Lesson 3 • Statistical Process Control

Applies control charts, process capability indices, and sampling plans to monitor quality. Distinguishes common-cause from special-cause variation.

Lesson 4 • Continuous Improvement Culture

Embeds Kaizen, suggestion systems, and improvement metrics into daily management. Sustains gains by making improvement a shared organisational habit.

Lesson 1 • Performance Management Systems

Designs goal-setting, appraisal, and feedback cycles that drive high performance. Links individual results to organisational strategy.

Lesson 2 • Learning, Development, and Succession Planning

Designs training needs analysis, learning programmes, and succession pipelines. Builds organisational capability for current and future demands.

Lesson 3 • Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition

Covers job analysis, workforce forecasting, and structured recruitment processes. Ensures the right talent is available to meet operational demands.

Lesson 4 • Motivation and Employee Engagement

Applies motivation theories and engagement drivers to improve retention and productivity. Connects employee experience to operational outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Market Analysis and Segmentation

Applies segmentation, targeting, and positioning to identify profitable market opportunities. Grounds marketing decisions in rigorous customer insight.

Lesson 2 • Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Operations

Covers search, social, email, and content channels alongside e-commerce fulfilment. Digital channels extend reach and enable measurable performance tracking.

Lesson 3 • Marketing Mix and Campaign Management

Develops product, price, place, and promotion decisions as an integrated mix. Translates strategy into executable marketing campaigns.

Lesson 4 • Customer Experience and Service Operations

Designs service blueprints, complaint resolution, and loyalty programmes. Superior customer experience reduces churn and increases lifetime value.

Lesson 1 • Mergers, Acquisitions, and Strategic Alliances

Evaluates M&A rationale, due diligence, integration planning, and alliance structures. Inorganic growth strategies expand capability and market reach.

Lesson 2 • Strategy Execution and Change Management

Translates strategy into action plans, resource allocation, and change initiatives. Execution discipline determines whether strategy delivers results.

Lesson 3 • Enterprise Risk and Governance

Applies enterprise risk management frameworks and governance structures to protect value. Integrates risk thinking into strategic decision-making.

Lesson 4 • Balanced Scorecard and KPI Systems

Builds balanced scorecards linking financial, customer, process, and learning perspectives. Cascades organisational goals into measurable team-level targets.

Lesson 5 • Strategic Analysis and Competitive Intelligence

Applies Porter's Five Forces, value chain analysis, and scenario planning to assess competitive position. Rigorous analysis precedes sound strategy formulation.