UNIVERSITY OF WALES
Examinations: MBA MAIN ASSESSMENT SESSION 2011

Module Code:

Module Title: MANAGING OPERATIONS Time: 10:30 – 13:30 Duration: 3 HOURS

Date: 16th SEPT 2011

The following items are provided: Examination Answer Booklet

Instructions to Candidates:
This is a closed book examination. This paper consists of TWO sections. Section A is compulsory – based on North West Bank case study issued to students prior to the examination. Answer all three questions in section A (50%) (A clean copy of the case study is included in this examination paper) Answer any two questions in section B. (25% each) Calculators are permitted.

North West Constructive Bank-The New Mortgage Centre

Andy Curtis, the Mortgage Operations Manager for
The only remaining argument in favour of making the underwriting and offer stages sequential is that work carried out on applications that are subsequently rejected or recycled may be wasted. I am also delighted that we have agreed on the time allowances for each activity as well as getting a sense of realistic minimum and maximum times. Even so, I doubt whether it is ever possible in this kind of job to give very precise times. There are just too many different situations that can occur. This is why we have had to incorporate the additional 40 minutes of unallocated time for the whole process. I guess that we could split this between the stages but I‟m not sure it would be that helpful. We know that the majority of this extra allowed time is needed in the offer and completion stages rather than the, but I would rather not fall into the trap of spurious precision”.

4 SEPT2011

Redesigning the Process Three separate options of the design of the process were being actively considered by the management team.

OPTION 1- keep the process as it is currently at the new centre, with a common data input stage serving all serving all regions and with three regions each having its own underwriting, offer and completion stages working in series. This arrangement had the advantage of not disrupting the existing way of working and of maintaining the organizational coherence of the three teams which were each