MBA 503: Operations Management

Spring Semester 1998

MBA 503 CL: Columbus Campus, Wednesdays, 6:00PM - 9:00PM
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Raymond A. Jacobs
 
OFFICE:
223 Andrews Hall (e-mail:rjacobs@ashland.edu)
 
OFFICE HOURS:
My posted office hours in Ashland are 8:00AM - 11:00AM Monday, and 8:00AM - 9:15AM Tuesday and Thursday, although I usually will be in my office on Wednesday and Friday mornings as well. I will be in class from 9:25AM - 12:05PM on Tuesday and Thursday, and 6:30PM - 9:15PM on Tuesday. I use the voice mail system in my office and I check my email frequently, so you can leave messages and expect a prompt response.
 
COURSE DESCRIPTION (1997-1998 MBA Catalog):
This course involves the study of concepts relating to the operations function in both manufacturing and service organizations. The operations process is responsible for planning, organizing, and controlling resources in order to efficiently and effectively produce goods and services so as to meet the goals of an organization. Quantitative tools of analysis used to support decision making in the various operations management activities will be surveyed, and case analysis will be employed to relate theory to practice.
 
PREREQUISITE:
MBA 500H (Quantitative & Statistical Methods), or equivalent.
 
REQUIRED TEXT:
Principles of Operations Management (second edition), by Barry Render and Jay Heizer, Prentice Hall, 1997.
 
REQUIRED MEMBERSHIP:
Membership in the Ashland University student chapter of APICS: The Educational Society for Resource Management is required for all students. Membership includes a subscription to several publications (including a monthly magazine and a quarterly journal) that will be used in class to provide examples of current practice in the field of Operations Management. In addition, student members can take advantage of other benefits available to members. Annual membership dues are $20. Application forms and further information will be provided.
 
REQUIRED READINGS AND CASES:
Groups of approximately 4-5 students each will be assigned a case to analyze and present to the rest of the class at the end of the semester. Cases will be selected, with student input, from a list of cases. Once the cases to be used have been identified, they will be ordered (once ordered, cases can not be returned for credit). Each student must have access to all cases. Other class notes and miscellaneous material will be distributed in class and/or made available on the World Wide Web.
 
TEACHING APPROACH:
The material will be presented by a variety of teaching approaches that may include lectures, in-class exercises, multimedia cases, short videos, World Wide Web sites, homework, computer models, group case analysis and presentation, and class discussion of assigned readings and cases. When possible, a cooperative learning approach will be utilized to enable a high level of student involvement.
 
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The student should leave this course with an understanding of the basic concepts of Operations Management. More specifically, the student should understand the important role played by the Production/Operations function in a business and its relation to the other functional areas, and the student should be able to analyze a range of Operations decision situations and apply the appropriate decision-making techniques. Specific learning objectives for each topic are listed in the textbook at the beginning of each chapter.
 
STUDENT EVALUATION AND GRADING:
There will be one mid-term examination and one final examination. The typical exam will include a mix of objective (multiple choice and T/F) and subjective (computational and essay) questions, based on the material presented in the lectures, cases, and assigned readings. (All mid-term exams are returned to students, and thus many copies are in circulation. You may feel free to examine any old mid-term exams to which you have access. In addition, I will provide one or more samples of old mid-term exams for your review.) The remainder of your grade will be based on class participation, attendance, group cases, and other graded assignments.. The point breakdown for determining final grades is as follows:
 
Midterm Exam 30%,
Final Exam 30%,
Group Cases and other graded assignments 30%, and
Class Participation and Attendance 10%.
 
Final letter grades will be assigned using the following scale (expressed in terms of the percentage of total possible points earned):
 
95 - 100 = A, 90 - 94 = A-,
87 - 89 = B+, 83 - 86 = B, 80 - 82 = B-,
77 - 79 = C+, 73 - 76 = C, 70 - 72 = C-, and 69 - 0 = F.
 
ATTENDANCE:
You are strongly encouraged to attend every class. Since a large portion of the learning in this class will come from in-class discussion of readings and cases, a missed class is a missed opportunity to learn from your fellow students. In addition, poor class attendance obviously will have an adverse effect on the Class Participation and Attendance portion of your grade. In the event that you must miss a class, however, it is your responsibility to obtain a copy of any materials distributed during your absence and to find out what you may have missed, including homework or case assignments.

COURSE OUTLINE:

  1. January 21, 1998
  2. January 28, 1998
  3. February 4, 1998
  4. February 11, 1998
  5. February 18, 1998
  6. February 25, 1998
  7. March 4, 1996 (CL) / March 6, 1996 (AU)
  8. March 18, 1998
  9. March 25, 1998
  10. April 1, 1998
  11. April 8, 1998
  12. April 15, 1998

This syllabus was last updated on January 28, 1998