7ENT1127 Operations Research And Logistics

Manufacturing simulation uses computers to make virtual models of manufacturing processes and systems, typically with the purpose of collecting important information for use in decision making. Operations researchers and managers uses a variety of simulation software in their practice, one of which is the Witness Simulation software.

In this assignment you are required to produce a report that addresses the following tasks.

1.    Explain the difference between a good decision and a bad decision. Briefly discuss how confirmation bias can affect the quality of decisions.

2.    With reference to Case Study A on Pages 4 and 5 below, you are required to use Witness Simulation software to evaluate decisions relating to due date specification in a job shop. You are required to use a trial-and-error method to determine good due date specification for the jobs arriving the case study’s job shop. Use delivery performance in terms of total late/early completion penalty costs to evaluate your due date specification. Start the simulation with an empty shop and run the simulation until 15,000 minutes. Data on the first 5,000 minutes should be discarded to allow for warm-up period and attainment of steady-state conditions. Clearly state any assumptions used in the simulation.

3.    Critically discuss the results of the simulation carried out in Question 2 above and the performance of the specified due date.

You must present your work as follows.

Your submission for this assignment must be a written report. The report must contain no more than 2500±10% words including any diagrams, calculations, figures and/or tables where appropriate. Reports shorter than the word count will not lose marks but will lead to the omission of material which can gain them. Any words over the suggested word count will not be marked. Do not use any mechanism, such as embedded jpeg images containing significant text, to circumvent the word count.

You are expected to provide a range of secondary sources to underpin your work. These must be cited and referenced according to the Harvard Referencing System. Include the word count in the header of your report.

Ensure that your report is well-structured and choose appropriate number and titles for the sections of the report please. There is no need to number the references section.

Your report must follow the guidance above and must include the specific instructions outlined below.

1.    Word-process the report on A4 paper.

2.    Use 1.15 line spacing.

3.    Font type must be Arial (font size11).

4.    Number all pages.

5.    Ensure that all diagrams / tables are labelled and numbered.

6.    Grammar, spelling and style, as well as clarity, contribute towards the assessment of the report.

7.    Use British Spelling i.e., ‘English (UK) Language’.

8.    Justify paragraphs – Align text to both left and right margins, using your word processor to add extra space between words as necessary.

You are expected to provide a significant range of secondary sources to underpin your work. These should be cited and referenced according to the Harvard Referencing System.

Additional Note on Referencing

Mark is allocated for referencing in this assignment, and the mark is influenced by the thoroughness and integrity of the work as evidenced by your referencing. Marks are awarded not only for correct referencing practice, but also the extent to which the arguments have been supported by cited sources. As highlighted above, related work should be cited and referenced according to the Harvard Referencing System.

The report must be submitted as a PDF file via the Assignment CW2 submission page on the module site. The report is intended to be marked anonymously. Hence, do not include any personal identifier in your submission.

This assignment is worth 60% of the overall assessment for this module.

Marks out of 100% awarded for:

+ X minutes.

+ Y minutes.