Hey, i'm just having trouble with these SD key knowledge for U3 AOS3:
• operations function and its relationship to business objectives and business strategy;
I understand the 'business objectives and business strategy' part but what exactly is an operations 'function'?
My response: Operations management refers to the task of managing the process that transforms resources into finished goods and/or services. (I am not to sure if this is what the dot point is asking)
hmm the operations 'function' is a bit ambigous, but i am thinking that it is referring to the operations elements- someone correct me if i am wrong.
essentially, the dot point is asking-
how do the management of the inputs, processes and outputs aid the business into achieving its business objectives? For example, careful monitoring of the quality of the inputs and processing stage will result in high quality outputs (products) and minimise defective products, which may be one of the businesses' aims.
also, it may also be referring to what strategies can be utilised (in relation to the inputs, processes and outputs) to achieve the businesses objectives? this is where you can talk about facilities design and layout, materials management, technology, quality management.
but again, i am reallly unsure and am just guessing- best be clarifying with your teacher

characteristics of operations management within a range of organisations;
Is this basically referring to the way different organisations manage their resources differently (example: a goods provider will be different to that of a service provider).
yes, this is what i would assume. def need to know one organisation that deals with products and one that is a service organisation and how the 4 OM strategies are implemented in each. i used rip curl and village.
operations, productivity and business competitiveness in terms of cost, quality and delivery;
Is this what it means: The operations manager is trying to increase productivity in order to become more competitive.. blah blah.. if the operations are being managed efficiently, then costs will be minimised, the quality of the product should increase and delivery times and accuracy should improve..
yes this is what they are asking for, and don't forget to think about
how the OM is trying to increase productivity- these strategies are of the essence of OM
i hope that was a little helpful, i'll dig up my notes to see what i wrote (although i didn't use the study design, so no guarantee that i have anything on those points lol)