Arab Open University

Faculty of Business Studies

B203A- Business Functions in Context I

First semester- Tutor Marked Assessment (TMA)

Operations objectives at the Penang Mutiara

This TMA is based on the case study “Operations objectives at the Penang Mutiara”.

This case study is found on:

Pages 64-65 -- 7th edition, Operations Management, Slack

Pages 70-71 -- 8th edition, Operations Management, Slack

You are required to thoroughly read the case study prior to answering all the following questions.

Question 1 (50 marks, 400 words)

Describe how you think the hotel’s management will make sure that the way it manages the hotel
is appropriate to the way it competes for business.

How could the hotel management implement any changes in strategy? Support your answer with
examples.

Question 2 (50 marks, 400 words)

The case study describes how quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost impact on the
hotel’s external customers. Explain what each of these performance objectives means at Penang
Mutiara Hotel, and then explain how the relationship between some of these objectives has
internal benefits.

General instructions for students:

TMA weight: 20% of total course grade.

Cut-off date: Check LMS

B203A – TMA –First 2018-19 Page 1

Plagiarism: It’s imperative that you write your answer using your own words. Plagiarism will be
penalized depending on its severity and according to AOU plagiarism policy.

Format: you are expected to write your answer in an essay format: introduction, body
paragraph(s) and a conclusion. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 4 marks
from your total TMA mark. Write one essay for each question and make sure to label your
answers.

Word count: your answers are expected to be within the specified word count. A 10% deviation
from word count limit is acceptable. Not adhering to specified word count could result in the
deduction of up to 4 marks of your total TMA mark.

Referencing: You are expected to use the Harvard referencing style for in-text referencing and
list of reference at the end. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 4 marks of your
total TMA mark.

E-library: You are expected to use E-library sources to support your answers. A minimum of 3
sources is required. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 4 marks of your total
TMA mark.

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