1.

0 Introduction
Choosing a great topic for your graduate, master or doctoral dissertation may feel like one of
the biggest pressures yet. The students generally spend months and perhaps years on this
research project, and completion of their PhD or masters degree is contingent upon their
success. While choosing a topic for the dissertation, one should always choose a topic he or
she loves, the advisor finds interesting and is knowledgeable about, helpful in his or her
career path, establishes his or her niche in the chosen field and last but not the least
importantly, is a manageable topic. All these factors, if considered while choosing a
dissertation topic, will make the task much easier and interesting. To help prepare for your
operations dissertation, this article suggests topics for you in the areas of Total Quality
Management (TQM), innovation, supply chain, inventory management, production
scheduling, product development, dynamic pricing, industrial risk management, logistics and
manufacturing

2.0 Supply chain design and control Dissertation Topics

Supply chain is one of the crucial organisational elements of any manufacturing organisation.
The planning, design and effective control of supply chain is of utmost importance to the success
of the organisations. The organisations need to evaluate and improve continuously their supply
chain process and techniques involved in controlling, measuring and developing new solutions.
For a topic within this area for your operations dissertation, please see the suggestions below.

What does Legality mean in reference to supply chain design?

Uniqueness and strength in Dell Computer Corporation supply chain.

Supply chain management: An analysis of manufacturing firms in UK.

Supply chain management: An analysis of distributors in UK.

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 IBM, UK.

How does ICT enable Supply Chain integration and agility?

How the supply chain differs on a B2C site compared to a B2B environment.

Supply chain control management: A case study on HP, UK.

3.0 Inventory Management Dissertation Topics

Inventory management is one of the crucial elements of supply chain management in an
organisation. The organisations need to have effective process, tools, techniques and quality
measures in place to effectively manage the inventory level and optimise cost. The inventory
management has lots of challenges and it requires proper planning and execution of adopted
processes and technologies to manage it in an efficient way. Suggestions for operations
dissertations on inventory management are:

Inventory management is the backbone of supply chain management: True or False?

The influence of information technology in inventory management.

Inventory management in manufacturing organizations in UK.

Inventory management in retail: a case study on ASDA.

Inventory management in retail: a case study on TESCO.

Inventory management in retail: a case study on SAINSBURY.

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.

JIT Inventory Management: Adaptation in UK.

4.0 Production Scheduling Dissertation Topics

Production planning is the 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, while meeting the firms general objectives regarding profit, productivity, lead
times, and customer satisfaction, as expressed in the overall business plan. The managerial
objective of production planning is to develop an integrated game plan where the operations
portion is the production plan. You could base your operations dissertation on 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.

Production scheduling in steel industry: A case study on Mittal Steel.

Challenges of production scheduling for SMB organisations.

Impact of IT on production scheduling techniques.

Innovation in production scheduling techniques.

Production scheduling in e-commerce.

5.0 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;
the other involves market research and marketing analysis. Companies typically see new product
development as the first stage in generating and commercialising new products within the overall
strategic process of product life cycle management used to maintain or grow their market share.
If you are interested in research New Product Development (NPD) further for your operations
dissertation, the following topics may be useful.

Three takes on New Product Development.

Product development, a look inside the process.

Product mix and New Product Development strategies.

Boeings product development strategy: A case study.

Product development strategy: case study on Dell, UK.

Product development strategy: case study on BMW.

Product development strategy: Pharmaceutical industry.

Product development strategy: e-commerce industry.

Product development strategy: case study Amazon.com.

Impact of information technology on product development strategy: case study on

organisations based in UK.

6.0 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 customers 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:

Design of services in e-business.

Boeings marketing service design analysis.

Service design in fund management company.

Service design in restaurants: a look at restaurants in UK.

Design and implementation of e-commerce web services.

Four major characteristics of services and the marketing strategies available for the
service organisation.

Impact of information technology in service design.

Its not product, its not service, and its solution: a new trend.

Importance of service design in the e-commerce world.

Future technology impact on service design.

7.0 Dynamic Pricing Dissertation Topics

Variable, dynamic pricing is a key characteristic of e-commerce pricing, allowing for prices
that change or fluctuate 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, according to professors at the University of California-Irvine Graduate School of

Management. 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: case study on airlines industry.

Dynamic pricing: case study on travel industry.

Dynamic pricing: case study on insurance industry.

Importance of Dynamic pricing in auctioning.

Analysis of the current issues, future trends and opportunities associated with dynamic
pricing.

E-commerce: significance of dynamic pricing.

Dynamic pricing: a case study on easyJet.

Dynamic pricing in a B2B environment: a case study in the UK.

Dynamic pricing in the service industry: a case analysis of an organisation in the UK.

8.0 Industrial Risk Management Dissertation Topics

The majority of industrial and engineering operations are in the risk world. Almost
everything done involves probabilities and consequences. The future can never be predicted
100% and there are a lot of factors that contribute to uncertainty, for example, external influences
(oil prices, political changes, etc.), equipment characteristics (reliability, availability), materials,
contractors performance and suppliers, organization complexity, human errors and bad
communications. This is a very important issue within the business world and make for an
excellent operations dissertation.

Risk management in the construction industry: a case study analysis in the UK.

Risk management in the automobile industry: a case study analysis in UK.

Risk management in the pharma industry: a case study analysis in the UK.

Risk management in the banking industry: a case study analysis in the UK.

Risk management in the retail industry: a case study analysis in the UK.

Industrial risk management: internal and external factors.

Impact of information technology on industrial risk management

Risk management in the aviation industry: a case study analysis in the UK.

Industrial risk management: Human factors.

Industrial risk management in rural part of the UK.

9.0 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 in order to meet the
requirements of consumers (frequently, and originally, military organisations). Logistics involves
the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material-handling, and
packaging. Logistics topics for your operations dissertation could include:

Is the rise of intermodal international logistics affecting the operations of manufacturing

companies?

Transport and logistics: an in depth view of the UK.

Logistics management Evaluation of the logistics operations carried out within

manufacturing organisations

Logistic industry and corporate social responsibility: A closer look.

Impact of information technology on logistic industry.

Principles of logistic management: an evaluation in a practical environment.

Anticipatory logistics on supply chain management.

Competitive advantage of TESCO is its superior logistic management.

Competitive advantage of ASDA is its superior logistic management.

Value chain strategy of the logistic industry in the UK.

10.0 Manufacturing and Supply-Chain Dissertation Topics

Manufacturing strategy is a functional strategy. The concept of manufacturing strategy is

often traced to Skinners 1969 Harvard Business Review article, Manufacturing Missing Link
in Corporate Strategy. Skinner suggested a top-down approach to manufacturing.
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 your 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:

Manufacturing strategy is the key to business success?

Manufacturing strategy: A look inside.

Manufacturing strategies of automobile OEMs in the UK.

Boeings manufacturing strategy: A Case study.

Manufacturing strategy: case study on Dell, UK.

Supply chain strategy: case study on BMW.

Manufacturing strategy: Pharmaceutical industry.

Supply chain strategy: E-commerce industry.

ERP: A boon to supply chain strategy?

Impact of information technology on manufacturing and supply chain strategy: A case

study on organisations based in the UK

11.0 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 SMB organisations?

Evolution of quality: First fifty issues of production and operations management.

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.

TQM in todays environment.

TQM: Theory and the practical implementation in the UK.

TQM: influence of information technology.