This course is concerned with the effective management of an organization's limited resources. This is true whether the organization manufactures a product or provides a service, operates in the public or private sector, or is profit or non-profit oriented. The course covers three sections: it starts with a description of different types of operational environments, the managerial issues involved and the links with strategy. The second part focuses on planning and control of operations. It discusses production and inventory control systems and philosophies and their usefulness in different environments. Part three returns to a more strategic level and discuss how to redesign operations for quality and speed and how to maintain continuous improvement.