BA 545 – Quantitative Methods for Business Decision Making – Fall 2014
Professor Richard Cobb, Ph.D.
Email: rcobb@jsu.edu
Office phone: 256-782-5503 or 5787
Introduction: This course focuses on quantitative decision-making methodology for
contemporary business managers, including topics such as statistical data analysis,
forecasting, decision-making under uncertainty, linear programming, Inventory models
and simulation. Prerequisites: BA 500 and CBA 390. It is assumed that students
have a basic understanding of the topics in a college algebra course and a basic
statistical methods course.
Course Objectives:
a. Refine analytical skills, in general.
b. Understand the usefulness of mathematical and technical management
science techniques in business decision-making.
c. Enhance the ability to analyze and solve business problems.
Required Text: Quantitative Analysis for Management, 11th ed. by Render, Stair and
Hanna, published by Pearson/Prentice-Hall.
Course Policies and Procedures: This is an online class. As such, students will be
responsible for studying textbook material and working homework problems without
the face-to-face interaction of the classroom. The professor will normally be available
for consultation by telephone (Office 256-782-5503 or 5787) during the day (8 AM to
4:30 PM) if I am not in, leave a message and I will return your call or email. You may
contact me by email at (rcobb@jsu.edu). If your work limits your ability to call during
the day, email me your contact phone number and best time for me to contact you. USE
ONLY YOUR JSU EMAIL ADDRESS IN THIS COURSE.
All work submitted for credit is expected to be the work of the individual student.
Complete academic honesty is a minimum standard for passing this course.
Any individual who qualifies for reasonable accommodations under The Americans
with Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 should contact
the instructor.
Process: The material we will cover is specified below in the course schedule. There
are textbook pages to study and homework problems specified for each assignment.
Additional material and problems will be posted on Blackboard during the semester.
The deadline for submitting homework problems will be at Midnight on the due
date shown on the course outline. For exams, I will email your exam questions
approximately 48 hours before the exam due date. Unless otherwise specified,
homework and exam solutions must be your handwritten work. This will require you to
have access to a scanner. Submit homework sets and each scheduled exam in a
“pdf” format (use Adobe Acrobat Image). Submit to my email address as a “pdf”
attachment to (rcobb@jsu.edu) and list your name and course number in the
subject line. Once again, example chapter problems, other learning aids, and class
announcements will be posted on Blackboard. Check this source and study the
examples.
For some problems you will be required to use either “POM-QM for Windows” or
“Excel QM” software. Both of these packages are provided on the publisher
companion website for your text. You can also do the problems requiring the use of
software by the Excel “Add-In” called “Analysis ToolPak”. You may also find it useful
to use one of these software packages to check your work on the handwritten problems,
but on homework and exams you must show how you derived your answers and not just
write down answers which come from a software package.
You are strongly advised to diligently study the assigned pages and carefully analyze
the solved problems at the end of the chapter before you begin to work on the
homework problems. For some of the chapters I will post additional solved problems.
Do not procrastinate!! Get ahead. Taking this graduate course online is challenging.
No problems or exams will be accepted after the midnight deadline shown on the course
content outline.
My expectation is that you make a good faith effort on the problems. Being able to take
the right approach is more important than getting the correct answers.
After the deadline for each set of homework problems or exams, I will grade and email
them back to you. If you have made any errors, try to figure out why. This is part of
the learning process. If you have difficulty figuring out why you made errors, call me
for a consultation. (256-782-5503 or 5787)
Grading: I will grade your homework problems – 40 in all each worth 5 points. The
three exams shown on the schedule are each worth 100 points. Thus, there are 500
points and your grade will be based on the percentage of the points you earn (at least
90% for an A, 80% for a B, etc.)
BA 545 – Quantitative Methods for Business Decision Making – Fall 2014
Topic
Study
Material
Ch. 1: Introduction
pp. 1-18
1.
Ch.3: Decision Analysis
pp.69-86
2. 3.18, 3.21, 3.26, 3.27
Sept. 2 Tu
Ch.4: Regression Models
pp.116-130
3.
4.16, 4.26, 4.27, 4.28
Sept. 9 Tu
Ch.5: Forecasting
pp. 154-172
4.
5.22, 5.23, 5.24, 5.25,
Sept. 15 Mon
EXAM #1
Homework
HW# Problems *
1.19, 1.23
All of the above
Ch.12: Project Management
Due Date
Aug. 26 Tu
Sept. 21 Sun
pp. 460-485
5.
12.24, 12.28, 12.31
Sept. 30 Tu
Ch.7:
LP – Graphical Model
pp.250-290
6.
7.21, 7.22, 7.24, 7.39
Oct. 7 Tu
Ch.8:
LP – Simplex Application
pp.308-330
7.
8.3, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.14
Oct. 14 Tu
Ch.9: LP - Transportation Model
pp.342-347
8.
9.14, 9.18, 9.32
Oct. 20 Mon
EXAM #2
All since exam #1
Oct. 26 Sun
Ch.9: LP - Assignment Model
pp.348-372
9.
Ch.11: Network Models
pp.430-444
10. 11.18, 11.21, 11.28
Nov. 11 Tu
Ch.6: Inventory Models
pp.196-233
11. 6.27, 6.31, 6.43
Nov. 18 Tu
Ch.14: Simulation
pp. 534-560
12. 14.18, 14.25, 14.30
Dec. 1 Mon
EXAM #3
All since exam #2
9.40, 9.41
Nov. 4 Tu
Dec. 8 Mon
* Use software as needed
Note: All homework problems are 5 points each. Total homework points possible = 200.