Operations Management Dissertation Topics for FREE

Choosing a great topic for your graduate, master or doctoral dissertation can often feel more challenging than actually undertaking the study. Knowing that the time spent on this work, which may be months, or in some cases years, on a PhD or Master’s Degree is so critical to success can making the topic choice seem daunting. Our advice is to always choose a topic that you love, or an area you find interesting because this makes the whole process much less arduous. It’s also often a good idea to look into the areas where your advisor has knowledge and experience so that they can guide and focus your work. Most importantly the topic should be focused and manageable. If these factors are taken into account when choosing a topic in the field of Operations Manager, the overall task will be much easier, interesting and can lead to new routes for you in your professional or academic development. To help in preparing for this great challenge, this article provides suggestions for Operations Management topics in a range of key areas such as the supply chain, scheduling, inventory management and design of services, all of which are current areas in the field.

Supply chain design and control Dissertation Topics
Inventory Management Dissertation Topics
Production Scheduling Dissertation Topics
Product Development Dissertation Topics
Design of Services Dissertation Topics
Dynamic Pricing Dissertation Topics
Industrial Risk Management Dissertation Topics
Logistics Dissertation Topics
Manufacturing and Supply-Chain Dissertation Topics
Total quality management Dissertation Topics

Supply Chain Design and Control Dissertation Topics

The development and maintenance of effective Supply chains is one of the most crucial organisational elements of any manufacturing organisation and their achievement of competitive advantage and the building of good customer relationships. The planning, design and effective control of the supply chain and its various elements and stakeholders is of utmost importance to the success of the organisations. Organisations need to evaluate continuously improve and evolve their supply chains, and there is an increasing use of technology and other digital solutions to support control, measure and evaluation of this important facet of the organisations systems. With the development of automation, data analytics and a focus on corporate social responsibility effective and innovative supply chain design and control is moving forward into a new era. For up to date, timely operations management dissertation topics within this area please see the suggestions below.

What does “Legality” mean in reference to supply chain design?
The virtual supply chain and its role in streamlining short-term business partnerships
Supply chain management: Is autonomous transportation a reality and how effective can it be?
Blockchain technology and its effect on the UK supply chain: Issues and challenges
Supply chain management and impact of information technology: An analysis of manufacturing firms in UK.
E-commerce for supply chain management.
Supply chain management: Case study on Amazon.com and innovative solutions for packing, picking and delivering
Big Data and its role in revolutionising the supply chain for online retailers
How the supply chain differs on a B2C site compared to a B2B environment.
Supply chain control management: A case study on HP, UK.
Track and trace technology and its contribution to competitive advantage at Johnson and Johnson
I Robot : the use of Robotic picking and automation by Alibaba and the effect on supply chain efficiencies
How important will crowd-sourced transportation like Uber and Deliveroo be for reducing costs and increasing efficiency during “last mile delivery”

Inventory Management Dissertation Topics

Inventory management is the supervision of non-capitalized assets (inventory) and stock items. A component of supply chain management, inventory management supervises the flow of goods from manufacturers to warehouses and from these facilities to point of sale.

As an integral component of supply chain management, inventory management refers to the systems of supervision for inventory and stock items, managing and monitoring the flow of goods from manufacturers to distributors and retailers. The processes can be complex and an inventory management system requires clear planning and concise and closely measured processes and technologies to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Suggestions for operations management dissertations topics on inventory management are:

Inventory management is still the backbone of supply chain management: True or False?
The influence of big data analytics in effective inventory management.
The importance of RFID in inventory management at Toyota UK.
How Smart is Smart Inventory in the grocery retail sector : Analysis of Smart inventory management at Tesco.
The internet of things and inventory management : how IoT is connecting customers to suppliers in a more efficient way
Inventory management or logistics solutions: how just in time approaches and inventory technology are changing traditional inventory management processes
Inventory management for e-commerce.
Inventory management with multiple procurement modes: A case study in UK.
Analytical study of inventory management in a car manufacturing organisation.
Warehouse drones and how they could change the face of inventory management : Examination of Sony and Amazon’s plans for connecting robotic automation with inventory management software
Are wearable scanning devices more time efficient than hand-held units – examination of wearable scanners in a FMCG warehouse setting
AI and inventory management : The role of artificial intelligence in making accurate stock decisions at Amazon.com

Production Scheduling Dissertation Topics

Production planning refers to the organisational function of establishing an overall level of output, called the production plan. The process also includes any other activities needed to satisfy current planned levels of sales, but should also incorporate the the firm’s general objectives in terms of profit, productivity, lead times, and achievement of customer satisfaction, defined with the strategic plan for the organisation. From a managerial perspective production planning requires the development of an integrated strategy where the operation element is the foundation and a crucial element of the production plan. Dissertations in production scheduling could cover any of the following topics.

Production scheduling techniques in a manufacturing environment.
Production scheduling techniques in a car manufacturing industry.
Toyota production scheduling techniques: A case analysis in UK.
The significance of theory of constraints in production scheduling.
Production scheduling in steel industry: A case study on Mittal Steel.
Fuzzy theory applied to production planning as a means of improving the accuracy of planning decision making processes
How integrated production planning and cross-employee communication increases productivity and employee motivation
Using AI to improve quality control : A case study of Amazon.com
Production scheduling optimisation within the Pharmaceutical industry through technology
Real time communication between multi-site manufacturers and the impact on productivity scheduling

Product Development Dissertation Topics

Product development (NPD) is the term used to describe the complete process of bringing a new product or service to market. There are two parallel paths involved in the product development process: one involves the idea generation, product design, and detail engineering whilst the second path involves market research and marketing analysis for the proposed new product. NPD is the first operational stage in generating and bringing to market new products when looked at from the perspective of product life cycle management. If your area of interest is NPD, the following dissertation topics may be useful:

Fitting in: The world of the techno eco-system and what it means for NPD
Product development and how the process has been hijacked by consumers wanting to collaborate and innovate with food companies
Product mix and New Product Development strategies to meet consumer’s ethical and CSR demands
How do they do it? Critical analysis of Apple’s NPD strategy and process
Product development strategy In the automotive industry: Toyota’s lean thinking and its effectiveness in launching new products
Is technology like 3D printing changing the NPD process and what does this mean for small businesses?
Product life cycles in the digital age – is a new approach needed?
Product development strategy: case study Amazon.com.
Impact of information technology on product development strategy: case study on organisations based in UK.
Crowd-funding, new product development and people powered innovation: a new theory of NPD and its place in the product life cycle

Design of Services Dissertation Topics

Service Design is the activity of planning and organising people, infrastructure, communication and material components of a service, in order to improve its quality, the interaction between service provider and customers and the customer’s overall experience. The increasing relevance of the service sector, both in terms of people employed and economic importance, requires services to be accurately designed. An operations dissertation on the design of services could include:

Customer service in e-business : Case study of Amazon.com
Spirituality, investment and motivation: Why Starbucks services design is a major contributor to its success.
Service design in fund management company.
Design and implementation of e-commerce web services.
Four major characteristics of services and the marketing strategies available for the service organisation.
Impact of big data analytics in creating effective service design.
Solutions and experience are the new service mantras, or are they just old wine in new bottles?
Future technology impact on service design.
The principles of service design thinking and how to apply them in a small restaurant business
Applying service design in the NHS: Sequencing a customer journey to improve experience
Co-creation of the service journey in manufacturing, from order through processing to delivery: examination of the integration of service design at BMW
Tesla motors and co-creation of a full service journey for customers through partnerships and alliances

Dynamic Pricing Dissertation Topics

Variable, dynamic pricing allows the retailer to change or fluctuate prices due to different variables, conditions, and situations. Being able to manage dynamic pricing strategies is a key ability for companies wishing to succeed in the world of e-commerce in particular. The forces of supply and demand are leading variables that dictate pricing. An operations dissertation on dynamic pricing would make for very interesting reading.

E-business models of dynamic pricing.
Dynamic pricing: A case study of the travel industry.
Consumer responses to dynamic pricing in the airline industry
Dynamic pricing: A case study of the insurance industry.
Comparing the use of dynamic pricing in the airline and retail industries
The importance of dynamic pricing in ‘auctioning’.
Analysis of the current issues, future trends and opportunities associated with dynamic pricing.
The significance of dynamic pricing in online retailing
Dynamic pricing: A case study on easyJet.
Dynamic pricing in a B2B environment in the UK.
Dynamic pricing in the UK service industry
Competition-based dynamic pricing in e-commerce
Price guarantees and dynamic pricing strategies

Industrial Risk Management Dissertation Topics

The majority of industrial and engineering operations are in the risk world. Almost everything done involves probabilities and consequences. Within these industrial settings, there are many factors contributing to uncertainty, for example, external influences (oil prices, political changes, etc.), equipment characteristics (reliability, availability), materials, contractors’ performance, suppliers, organization complexity, and human error. This is a very important issue within the business world and makes for an excellent operations dissertation.

Risk management in the UK construction industry: A case study
Risk management in the pharma industry: a case study analysis in the UK.
Is risk management different in the banking industry?
Risk management in the retail industry
Internal and external factors affecting industrial risk management
The impact of rapidly advancing information technology on industrial risk management: A case study if the automobile industry
Big data analytics and risk management for improving business operations
Risk management in the aviation industry
Human factors affecting industrial risk management
Industrial risk management in rural part of the UK.
The impact of risk management on production decisions
How can firms proactively manage supply chain risk?
Critical success factors in supply chain risk management in industrial firms in the UK

Logistics Dissertation Topics

Logistics is the management of the flow of goods, information and other resources, including energy and people, between the point of origin and the point of consumption. The aim is usually to meet the requirements of consumers. To achieve its goals, logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material-handling, and packaging. Operations management dissertation topics for your logistics management dissertation could include:

Is the rise of intermodal international logistics affecting the operations of manufacturing companies?
Transport and logistics
Evaluation of the logistics operations carried out within manufacturing organisations
The logistic industry and corporate social responsibility: A closer look.
The impact of recent improvements in information technology on the logistics industry.
Principles of logistic management: an evaluation in a practical environment using Amazon as a case study
Anticipatory logistics on supply chain management.
Logistics management as a competitive advantage: A comparative analysis of Tesco and Asda
Value chain strategy of the logistic industry in the UK.
Optimising third party logistics using Big Data
Vehicle route optimisation in London
Decision-support systems to tackle the challenges of last mile logistics
Last mile logistics for the delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables in cities

Manufacturing and Supply-Chain Dissertation Topics

Manufacturing strategy is a functional strategy, which means that manufacturing objectives should be derived from business objectives, and then manufacturing policies developed to address these objectives. Supply chain management (SCM) is the combination of art and science that goes into improving the way a company finds the raw components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to customers. Possible topics for your operations dissertation are:

Is manufacturing strategy the key to business success?
Manufacturing strategies of automobile OEMs in China
Comparing the manufacturing strategies of automobile OEMs in China and the UK
A case study of Boeing’s manufacturing strategy
How Dell changed the computer world with its supply chain strategy: A retrospective case study
Combining environmental management with supply chain management: A case study on BMW
Examining continuous production as a manufacturing strategy in the pharmaceutical industry
E-supply chain management: An examination of the use of technology to build superior supply chains
ERP: A boon to supply chain strategy?
The impact of information technology on manufacturing strategy
Using information technology to support an integrated supply chain strategy
The potential of the Cloud for enhancing manufacturing strategy
Using an agile supply chain strategy to support supply chain performance
The impact of manufacturing flexibility on financial performance in the fashion industry

Total Quality Management Dissertation Topics

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a business management strategy aimed at embedding awareness of quality in all organisational processes. TQM has been widely used in manufacturing, education, call centres, government and service industries, as well as NASA space and science programs. If you are looking at the area of Total Quality Management for your operations dissertation, the following topics may be useful:

Is Total Quality Management enough for competitive advantage?
Can TQM be a factor of sustainable competitive advantage for SME organisations?
Evolution of quality: First fifty years of production and operations management in the UK
Implementation of Total Quality Management: an empirical study of UK manufacturing firms.
Total Quality Management and customer satisfaction in homebuilding.
The application of Total Quality Management in construction field operations.
The impact of TQM on innovation
TQM: Theory and the practical implementation in the UK.
Creating synergies between TQM and information technology.
To what extent can TQM be applied in the public sector?
Using Quality Management to develop excellence in UK’s third sector
Barriers to the implementation of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model in the UK

Operations Management Dissertation Topics

Contents