The Text:  Custom short text based on Fundamentals of Operations Management,  Fourth Edition, by Davis, Aquilano & Chase, McGraw-Hill Irwin.  The actual text consists of chapters 9, 10, 11, 12 and 16 in a custom Primus edition, ISBM # 0-390-36169-0.  The text is available only the UB virtual bookstore, MBS direct.  It is recommended that you order your text before class begins if possible.  Otherwise, order immediately.

General Course Information:

This course introduces undergraduate students to those systematic/quantitative decision making methods and strategies which apply to the management of public and private production and service operations.  General quantitative methods applicable to forecasting, production scheduling, inventory management, job design and establishment of performance standards, quality control and waiting lines in service operations will be presented and practiced.  The student will master the tools of inventory control (EOQ, ABC etc.), time series analysis, waiting line analysis, capacity management and related concepts commonly used in managing production.  In addition to mastery of tools, the implications of tools for analysis and solution of business problems and needs will be examined.  Those management concepts, processes and strategies that guide the application of these tools will receive equal emphasis along with a technical study of the tools themselves.  This is simultaneously a basic tools and an advanced management methods course.

Project Assignments:

It is important to learn to apply the tools that are presented in class to real situations.  To provide you with practice in their application, you will be given project assignments where tools and methods are to be applied, one each from the five chapters in the text.  These projects will each be specified for you and will be worth 60 points each toward your final grade.  It is important that you carry out these assignments fully and realistically.  You will be asked to specify the source of your project data and to document your approach to the project in detail with full narrative and supporting calculations, tables and graphs.  Projects will be assigned at least a week in advance of the day they are due.  Projects will normally require the application of those major operations methods, tools or models that are currently being studied.  Project reports are to be prepared in writing to be turned in to the instructor.  It may be required that students present their projects in class.  Late projects may be turned in for partial credit.

Weekly Quizzes:

For each assigned chapter including the first handout chapter on quality issues, you will be given one or two or three quizzes on the chapter material.  Most weeks there will be either a quiz or a project assignment, though some weeks will require both.  There will be a total of twelve quizzes, each worth 25 points toward the final course grade.  Notice of each quiz will be given at the class before the quiz is to be administered.  Quizzes will cover the course material covered in the immediately previous week of class.  Quizzes may be made up when, in advance of the date of the quiz, the student arranges a mutually agreeable make-up date with the instructor,  Otherwise, make-up of quizzes for credit will be given solely at the instructor's discretion and the assigned grade may be penalized up to 10 points for lateness.

The Final Examination:

The final examination, accounting for 40% of the final grade, will be comprehensive, and will consist entirely of the material previously covered in weekly quizzes and projects.  The date of the final exam will be announced.

Course Grade:

Your course grade will be determined by grades received on ten weekly quizzes (30%), five project assignments (30%), and a comprehensive final examination (40%).  Points will be awarded in each of these areas, totaling 1000 for the course. 

Assignment of Grades will be based on the following scale:

          934-1000 points          "A"

          900-933  points          "A-"

          867-899  points          "B+"

          834-866  points          "B"

          800-833  points          "B-"

          767-799  points          "C+"

          734-766  points          "C"

          700-733  points          "C-"

667-699      points          "D+"

634-666      points          "D"

600-633  points          "D-"

          599 or fewer points     "F"

Course Assignment by Date of Assignment:

DATES OF:               CHAPTER(S):           SUBJECT:

Jan 19                  Introduction: Operations Management and Productivity

              A handoud on Quality Issues and Strategies will be provided this date.

Jan 24 & 26      Handout on Jan 19      Quality Issues and Strategies

Jan 31 & Feb 2        9                   Forecasting Methods, Moving and Exponential Averages

Feb 7 & 9               9                   MAD, Regression, Multiple Regression

Feb 14 & 16           10                  Job Design, Specialization, teams, & Cross training

Feb 21 & 23           10                  Work Measurement, Sampling, & Compensation

Feb 28 & Mar 2       11                  Customer Satisfaction and Capacity Utilization

Mar 7 to 11                                 Mid Semester Break

Mar 14 & 16           11                  Predicting waiting lines

Mar 21 & 23           11                  Waiting Line Theory and calculation

Mar 28 & 30          16                   Inventory Models; set-up, holding cost and reorder policy.

Apr 4 & 6              16                   Quantity Discounts.and Single Period Inventory

Apr 11 & 13           16                   ABC and the 80/20 rule.                      

Apr 18 & 20       12                   Managing job shop work flow, Bottlenecks and capacity constraints.

Apr 25 & 27           12                  Johnson’s Rule and job flow simulation

Finals week, TBA                          Comprehensive Final Examination

Campus Office: Mandeville 302

Office Hours, Monday & Wednesday, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM