DS 6150 Operations Management
Course Objectives and Schedule
Spring 2008
Instructor: Dr. Shahid Ali
Office: Conway 308
Phone #: 501-4111
Class Meeting Time: Thursday 6:00 to 8:40 p.m.; Conway 203
Office Hours: 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. MTWR and by appointment.
E-mail: shahid.ali@rockhurst.edu
Compulsory Texts:
1. Heizer and Render, Operations Management,
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 9th Edition 2008.
2. Goldratt, Eliyahu M. and Jeff Cox, The Goal, Great Barrington, MA: North
River Press, Inc., 2nd Edition, 1986.
Course Description:
Course examines the creation and distribution of goods and services in both the service and
manufacturing sectors. Topics include location analysis, distribution models, inventory
control models, scheduling and work design systems, and statistical process controls
(including contemporary topics such as IS9000, CI, etc.).
Learning Objectives:
1. Explain the strategic role of operations management and its competitive advantage
for organizational survival.
2. Explain the relationships between the operations function and other functional
areas of a business such as marketing, finance, and information systems and how
they can work together to achieve the business strategy.
3. Explain approaches to designing and improving processes.
4. Students will use relevant electronic spreadsheet tools (e.g. solver) to solve
operations management problems.
5. Students will apply/analyze relevant quantitative models to solve real world
problems.
6. Students will appraise real-life business situation and suggest solution alternatives
as related to operations management tools/techniques.
Course Approach:
Lectures, class discussions, homework assignments, assigned readings, films and videos, and
case studies combine to provide an overview of the field of operations management. The
course comprises of the following activities:
1.
Lectures and case discussions in the classroom.
2.
Homework assignments
3.
Three examinations as scheduled.
Learning Methods and Aids:
1.
Read the assigned material prior to each lecture.
2.
Participate in the class discussion of the lecture.
3.
Complete homework assignments with the help of class lecture notes.
4.
Participate in group work.
Exam Policies:
All exams will be closed book and closed notes. Each student is required to do his or
her own work on each and every exam. Two exams will be administered. Exams will
be mandatory. You are required to take each and all exams at the time the exams are
administered. The exams will test your ability to apply the solution techniques
discussed in class. Each exam may consist of multiple choice questions, short essay
questions and problems.
Grading:
Exam # 1
Final Exam
Assignments
Group Case Studies
Individual Project
30%
35%
10%
10%
15%
You will be graded as follows and THERE WILL BE NO CURVE:
90% and above = A
85% and above = B+
80% and above = B
65% and above = C
Below 65%
=F
CASE STUDY:
Students will participate in case studies. Participants will work in groups of three for each
session for approximately 50 minutes each. The group will discuss and present the case
during the class time period. Each group will be required to write a one-page report about the
findings related to the case. The report must be a single spaced type written. The report will
be due at the next scheduled class meeting. No late report will be accepted. The report will
be graded to assess the group performance.
PROJECT:
Overview: The purpose of the individual project is to provide an opportunity for students to
analyze a production or operations situation by applying the POM techniques discussed in the
class. Each student is responsible for a project proposal and a final report. The final report
will be due on the last day of the semester.
Topic: Any application topic of the POM techniques that we cover in the class is welcomed.
It could deal with systems and techniques issues (like the design of an international
logistics chain or the use of information technology in making location decisions).
Alternatively it could deal with strategic and cultural issues like the ethical issues in
purchasing or how the concept of quality is now entering into service industries like the
medical profession. Another project will be comparing two competing organizations such as
K-mart and Wal-Mart. Students visit the stores and compare the operations of the stores on a
variety of criteria. They can relate it back to the financial performance of the organizations
and their performance on Wall Street.
The followings are some other topics of interest related to operations management: project
management, supply chain management, demand forecasting, inventory control, enterprise
resource planning, material requirements planning, and theory of constraints. Feel free to
discuss your topic with the instructor as early as possible. The paper must be well researched
and referenced. I expect that the presentation of the paper will be professional.
Research Project Structure: While there is not necessarily a “best and only” way to compile the
paper, the following might be used as a guide for preparation:
Abstract
Introduction with Statement of Situation/Problem
Background Information
Methodology
Data Input and Calculations
Summary of Findings/Detailed Recommendations
Conclusion/Contribution
Appendices/Bibliography
SPECIAL NOTES:
You are required to attend all classes. You are not allowed to miss any class. If you miss a
class, you will become ineligible for any curve that may be given on any exam. This
includes exams taken prior to and after the absences.
All home works are due at the beginning of class on due date. Also, note that cheating is a
violation of the School of Management policies. Any incident of cheating could result in the
perpetrator’s dismissal from the University, plus an automatic F for the course.
If you have a disability that that may impact on your ability to carry out assigned
course work, I encourage you to contact Sandy Waddell, Director, Access Office,
7 Massman Hall. Her contact number is (816) 501-4689.
The instructor reserves the right to make any necessary changes to the course syllabus as
stated, and would announce any necessary changes in class at the appropriate time(s).
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF TOPICS
Topic
Chapter
Operations and Productivity
Operations Strategy
Forecasting
Managing Quality
Statistical Process Control
Review for Exam #1
Exam #1 (March 20, 2008)
1
2
4
6
Supplement 6
Linear Programming
Location Strategies
Transportation Models
Project Management
Inventory Management
Waiting-Line Models
Short-Term Scheduling
Lecture over the Goal
Review for Final Exam
Final Exam(May 8, 2008)
Module B
8
Module C
3
12
Module D
15
TOPIC AREA
1. Production Management Philosophies (JIT, MRP and TOC)
2. Inventory Control
3. Forecasting
4. Scheduling
5. Linear Programming
6. Purchasing
7. Facility Location (Transportation Modeling or Transshipment Modeling)
8. Process Design
9. Product Design
10. Quality (Total Quality Management or Statistical Quality Control)
11. Project Management
12. Supply Chain Management
13. Manufacturing Strategy
14. Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP)
15. Aggregate Planning
Practitioner-Oriented Journals
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Harvard Business Review
Sloan Management Review
California Management Review
Interfaces
International Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management
Production and Inventory Management Journal
Academically-Oriented Journals
1. International Journal of Production and Operations Management
2. International Journal of Production Economics
3. Journal of Operations Management
4. Production and Operations Management
5. Academy of Management Journal
6. Academy of Management Review
7. IEEE Transactions
8. Computers and Industry
9. Computers and Industrial Engineering
10. Decision Sciences