Syllabus for
Operations Management (BA 367)
Fall Semester 2005
** revised 10/17/2005 **
Glenn Booker
Facilitator
Phone (days) 215-895-1004
Email
bookerg@arcadia.edu (best way to contact me – be sure to
put the course number in the subject line)
Class
Monday nights from 7:10 to 9:50 pm in Brubaker 302
Text: R. Russell & B. Taylor, Operations Management: Quality and Competitiveness in a
Global Environment, John Wiley & Sons; 5th edition (2005), ISBN: 0471692093.
Course Objective: Familiarize students with the application of quantitative and qualitative
methods to assist in management decision-making in a competitive environment. Students will
be introduced to best of breed in operations management practices enabling them to implement
world-class operational systems for service and manufacturing oriented organizations.
Instructional Method: Lectures will be complemented by case discussions, SAP application
demonstrations (during lecture and in the lab) and case videos. Students will also be working on
group case assignments applying their learned theoretical models and methods to improve
organizational operational effectiveness.
Grading: Three hourly exams (60%), and three group projects (40%).
Class Attendance: Students are required to attend all scheduled lectures. Our classroom
discussions skip over many parts of the text and some of the quantitatively oriented material is
difficult to understand by simply reading the text on your own. Additionally, lectures are either
followed by a video and/or project team meetings, therefore, showing up for class becomes a
critical element of success.
Prerequisites: MA 145/146 or MA 207/208 (linear algebra, and elementary statistics) and
familiarity with spreadsheets (i.e. Excel, Lotus).
Academic Integrity: Learners are expected to work independently on all exams and properly
cite any references used for group projects.
Course Topic Outline:
Week Class Date
0
1
9/5/2005
9/12/2005
2
9/19/2005
3
4
5
9/26/2005
10/3/2005
10/10/2005
6
10/17/2005
7
10/24/2005
8
10/31/2005
9
10
11
11/7/2005
11/14/2005
11/21/2005
12
11/28/2005
13
12/5/2005
14
12/12/2005
Topics
Labor Day (no class)
Introductions & Operations Strategy
 Understanding basics of operations management,
global business climate, and linkages between
operations and business strategies
Product, Service, and Process Design
 Developing a conceptual framework in product and
service design best-practices
Concept Review & Exam I
Discussions & Project I Presentations
Supply Chain Management
 Developing a familiarity with design of robust supply
chain and trading partnerships and obstacles of
achieving an integrated supply chain management
system
Forecasting
 Gaining an understanding of various leading
qualitative and quantitative forecasting practices and
appreciation of the forecasting process and its impact
on supply chain management practices
Capacity Planning
 Understanding on various technique available to best
match operations capacity with market demand
No lecture; groups are expected to work on Project II
presentations and papers.
Discussions & Project II Presentations
Concept Review & Exam II
Inventory Management
 Developing an understanding of the critical role of
inventory in the supply chain and various inventory
management practices such as EOQ and JIT
ERP
 Overview of the role and impact of computer based
information systems on operations in today’s
manufacturing and service organizations
Quality Management
 Review of latest quality management practices such
as TQM and SPC and their strategic implications for
business survival
Discussions & Project III Presentations
The third Exam is during Finals week (Dec 13-20)
5th
Ed.
4th
Ed.
1&
2
1&
2
3&
4
14
&
15
7
5
8
17
9
6
10
&
11
7&
8
12
10
14
&
15
9&
11