BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
International Business School
Operations Management
Bus 272a, Spring 2016
GENERAL INFORMATION
(Preliminary Syllabus – Subject to Change)
Schedule:
Monday and Wednesday, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm. Room: TBD
Instructors:
Brad Morrison will teach the course.
Brad Morrison
Lemberg 251
Phone: (781) 736-2246
Email: bmorriso@brandeis.edu
Description:
Teaching Assistant
(TBD)
Operations management is the management of business processes - the recurring
activities of the firm. The course aims to (1) familiarize students with the
problems and issues confronting operations managers, and (2) provide
language, concepts, insights, and tools to deal with these issues in order to
gain competitive advantage through operations. The course will explore how
different business strategies require different business processes, and
conversely, how different operational capabilities support different
strategies to gain competitive advantage. Topics may include inventory
management, capacity management, cycle time management, supply chain
management, quality management, and process management and improvement, as
well as recent developments such as lean or world-class manufacturing,
just-in-time operations, time-based competition and business re-engineering..
Pre-requisites: There are no pre-requisites for the course.
Mathematics: The level of mathematics proficiency needed for this class is roughly equivalent
to that attained through the study of high school algebra. The course aims to
develop intuition and business acumen, but rigorous, quantitative analysis will
be needed at times. Students will need to use spreadsheets (e.g., Excel) for
some assignments.
Office hours:
Typically Monday 10:00 – 11:30. In addition, my doors are always open to
students, or make an appointment by email.
2
Grading
Emphasis:
Class participation:
Case Write-ups, Assignments:
OM Simulation:
Mid-term Examination:
Process Improvement Project and Vignette:
15%
25%
15%
30%
15%
Policy on Missed Classes
If you need to miss a class for some reason, I will understand. Such things happen. Please try to
let me know in advance that you will miss the class and why. One absence will be excused and
will not affect your grade. More than one absence will cause your class participation grade to be
reduced by one-half grade for each absence, e.g., A becomes A-/B+; B becomes B/B-. Excessive
absences may lead to failing the class.
Special Accommodation
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to
have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately.
Academic Integrity
Academic honesty: You are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. Please consult
Brandeis University Rights and Responsibilities for all policies and procedures related to
academic integrity. Students may be required to submit work to TurnItIn.com software to verify
originality. Allegations of alleged academic dishonesty will be forwarded to the Director of
Academic Integrity. Sanctions for academic dishonesty can include failing grades and/or
suspension from the university. Citation and research assistance can be found at LTS - Library
guides.
The use of case solution and homework solutions from previous students or found on the internet
is strictly forbidden and will be considered an automatic violation of the academic integrity
standards. Such use of existing material is an act of cheating and plagiarism. Students are
expected to be on time for class, prepared to participate. Please put laptops and cell phones
away, unless otherwise instructed. Use of a cell phone during class will cause your attendance
record to reflect an absence for that class meeting. Professionalism in class elevates the quality
of the experience for all.
Course Requirements
The course integrates three parallel streams of learning activity: case preparation and classroom
discussion, readings including the core textbook, and homework assignments. Much of what
should be learned in this class takes place outside the classroom, in homework assignments and
through group discussion. Students are required to hand in their written assignments in groups
and are encouraged to use these groups to discuss case preparation. Each group should have
three members and must plan to stay together for the entire semester.
3
Assignments
The course aims to engage you in the issues, to teach you ways to think about and analyze
operational problems, and to prepare you to be effective managers. The course assignments are
designed in support of these objectives. The readings and assignments will generally require an
average of about three hours of preparation per class meeting. If you find yourself averaging
more than three hours of preparation per session, please let us know. Some case preparations
may take more than three hours. This will, however, be made up by some other classes that ask
for less preparation.
Class Discussion
A typical class session starts with the instructor asking one or more students to begin the
discussion by addressing specific questions. You should have no difficulty in handling such a
lead-off request if you have thoroughly prepared the case or reading. After a few minutes of
initial analysis and recommendations, the discussion will be opened to the rest of the class.
As a group, we will try to build a meaningful analysis of the situation and address the problems
and issues it presents. We will also talk about the implementation of recommendations we
develop. Criteria that might be used for judging effective class participation are:
1. Relevance,
2. Insightfulness (in analysis, observation, or questions),
3. Constructiveness in the context of the class discussion flow,
4. Depth of analysis,
5. Clarity and brevity.
In-class contribution will consist mainly of voluntary contributions, although I may call upon
students, usually to answer opening questions. (Although cold calling may increase anxiety,
“supportive” cold calling encourages you to be better prepared for class and as a result improves
the overall class discussion.) A thorough preparation of the assigned materials is all that is
necessary for such leadoff questions. If you feel uncomfortable with being called on in class
please let me know in advance.
Case Write-Ups
Case analysis and write-ups, done in groups, may be required for designated cases. Each case
write-up should address key questions in the case, which will sometimes be provided by the
instructor. In preparing your presentation, please adhere to the following guidelines:
⇒ Be concise and well-structured: Recommendations should be summarized on one page (you
may add exhibits).
⇒ Be to the point: Know that you write to someone who knows the facts of the case; focus on
your explanation, and making a clear case for, your recommendations.
⇒ Be punctual: Late submissions will be penalized.
More information regarding case write-ups will be provided when the first case is assigned.
4
Texts and Readings
Course Reading and Exercise Materials:
1. Managing Business Process Flows, 2nd Edition, by Anupindi, Chopra, Deshmukh, Van
Mieghem and Zemel. Prentice Hall, 2006.
2. Chapter 6 Supplement: Linear Programming, from Stevenson, William J., Operations
Management, 8th Edition, 2005. (This chapter will be available for purchase online
directly from McGraw-Hill.)
3. The Goal by Goldratt and Cox. Publisher: North River Press, 2nd edition, 1992.
4. Littlefield Simulation, a web-based simulation exercise. Students will be required to
purchase a license from Responsive Learning Technologies to use the simulator for a
class exercise and assignment. Purchase information for access codes will be provided in
class.
5. A supplemental reading to support the Process Improvement Module. Details will be
provided in class.
6. Transportation charges for our plant tour(s). Students may be required to pay a fee for
transportation for our plant tours.
The Goal is written as a novel, making for light reading, and some sections are quite
entertaining. Nevertheless, it is 337 pages long, so you are encouraged to start reading now. We
will draw on the book throughout the entire course.
CRU Computer Rental (Kellogg Case): This case can be downloaded from
http://www.prenhall.com/anupindi. Go to the web site, click begin, go to student resources, find the
case and download it.
BP and the Deepwater Horizon Disaster of 2010 (MIT Sloan Case):
Cal’s Calzones (Brandeis IBS Case):
These cases can be downloaded from the course Latte website.
Several cases available from HBS Publishing will be required. Students may purchase these
cases from the HBSP site for this course. Further instructions for downloading will be available
when these cases are needed. Additional readings will be handed out on an occasional basis.
5
Suggested Readings
These readings are not required, but you may find them interesting. The books are non-technical
in nature.
1. The Machine that Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production by James P. Womack,
Daniel T. Jones and Daniel Roos, Harper Perennial, 1991.
2.
Clockspeed, by Charles H. Fine, Perseus Books, 1998.
3. Plant and Service Tours in Operations Management by Roger W. Schmenner, Fourth
edition, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1994.
6
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Bus 272a S16
DRAFT SYLLABUS
DETAILS OF THE SYLLABUS WILL CHANGE.
THIS VERSION IS AN OUTLINE OF TOPICS WE WILL COVER.
Date
Due
Class
1/13
W
1
1/20
W
2
1/25
M
2a
1/27
W
2b
2/1
M
3
2/1
2/3
2/8
M
W
M
*
2/10
W
*
Module and Description
Introduction
Operations Management: What and
why?
Operations Management in Action
In-Class Exercise
Process Map Coaching Session
(optional)
Process Map Coaching Session
(optional)
Strategy and process spectrum
6
Assignment 1 Due
Strategy and process spectrum
Process Analysis & Applications
Process measures & Little’s law
Process flow analysis
Winter Break
Flow time & capacity analysis
4
5
2/22
M
7
2/24
W
8
2/29
M
9
2/29
3/2
M
W
3/7
M
3/8
3/9
T
W
3/14
M
*
10
11
*
12
13
Inventory Management
Inventory basics & economies of
scale
Introduction to the Economic Order
Quantity
Assignment II Due
Dealing with uncertainty
Safety stock and levers for
improvement
Optimal Service Levels
The Newsvendor Model
Assignment III Due
Operations Management in Action
(TBD)
Mid-term Examination
Required Readings
Read: MBPF: Chapters 1, if possible
Read: MBPF: Chapters 1 and 2
Case: Shouldice Hospital Limited
Case: Wriston Manufacturing
Read: MBPF: Chapter 3
Read: MBPF: Chapter 4
Case: CRU Computer Rental
Read: MBPF: Chapter 5
Read: The Goal (up to p 161)
Case: Cal’s Calzones
Read: MBPF: Chapter 6
Read: MBPF: Chapter 6
Read: MBPF: Chapter 7
Read: MBPF: Chapter 7
Prepare: Assigned Questions
7
3/16
W
3/16
W
3/16
W
3/21
M
15
3/23
W
16
3/23
W
3/30
W
3/30
3/30
W
W
4/1
F
18,19
4/4
4/6
4/6
M
W
W
20
4/11
M
21
4/13
W
22
4/13
4/15
4/18
W
F
M
*
*
23
24
4/20
W
*
25
4/21
14
*
17
*
*
5/2
M
5/2
M
26
*
Applications: Process Improvement
Process Evaluation and Re-design
Tools of Process Mapping
9:00 am - Registration Deadline
Littlefield Operations Management
Exercise
Littlefield Operations Management,
Part 1 Begins, Start Time TBD
International Supply Chains (tentative)
Operations Management in Action
In-Class Exercise – Managing Ops
Littlefield Operations Management
Exercise, Part 1 Ends
Decision Analysis in Operations
Formulating Linear Programs
Littlefield Part 1 Write-up Due
Littlefield Operations Management
Exercise, Part 2 Begins
(Tentative Date) Plant tour
Details TBD
Solving Linear Programs
No Class – Littlefield Simulation time
Littlefield Operations Management
Exercise, Part 2 Ends
Applications of Linear Programs
(Flipped Class)
Operations and Ethics
Littlefield Part 2 Write-up Due
TBD date: Plant tour
Process Improvement
Vignette Presentations Group
Process Improvement
Vignette Presentations Group II
Assignment I Due
Spring Break
The Implementation Challenge
Wrap-up and Review
Plant tour write-up due
Case: CVS
Failure to register by the deadline will
result in a grade of zero for the
assignment.
Case: IKEA’s Global Sourcing
Challenge
Reading: Stevenson Excerpt
Reading: Stevenson Excerpt
Case: BP and the Deepwater Horizon
Disaster of 2010