OM 502 Operations Management Winter 2022
Professor Mohamad Soltani Office: 2-29C Business Building Email: [email protected]
Lectures: Monday 2:00 PM - 4:50 PM, BUS B-24 Office Hours: Friday 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Overview and Learning Objectives
Businesses use processes to produce and deliver goods and services to customers. This course is about the conceptual and quantitative analysis of these business processes. The emphasis is on strategic and tactical decision making about operations to create competitive advantage for the organization. The topics include process flow analysis, capacity management, inventory management, queueing, quality, and lean operations. These topics will be covered through discussion and analysis of several case studies. The topics and techniques selected for this course are applicable to a wide variety of industries.
This course is designed to develop an understanding of the following key areas and their interrelationships:
- The core concepts in operations management,
- The competitive advantage that a business unit can derive from innovative and efficient production and delivery of its goods and services,
- Analytical approaches that are useful in understanding and improving an organization's operations.
This course incorporates the learning goals of the MBA Program, in particular: application of business concepts and theories, critical thinking and problem solving, and teamwork and communication skills. For a complete description of the learning goals of the MBA program, see https:
//www.ualberta.ca/business/programs/mba/curriculum/learning-goals.html.
Course Materials Required Textbook:
- Managing Business Process Flows, 3rd Edition, by R. Anupindi, S. Chopra, S. D. Deshmukh, J. A.
Van Mieghem, and E. Zemel, 2012, Prentice Hall.
- The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, 30th Anniversary Edition, by E. M. Goldratt, 2012, North River Press.
Required Course Package:
The course package includes the cases that will be discussed in the class. Students should obtain the course package through Ivey Publishing at https://bit.ly/3ro5uJb, after creating an account on the publisher website.
eClass:
Lecture notes and related materials are available on eClass at https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/. Other than information provided in class, eClass will be where announcements and other information regarding the course will be made. Students should plan to check this site regularly and make proper adjustment in their eClass account settings, so that they automatically receive an email when there is an update. Note that the lecture notes are not an adequate substitute for class attendance. Students can access the course website with their CCID and password. When there is a need for assistance with issues related to eClass, students may contact eClass support (780-492-9372, during university business hours M-F 7:30AM-6:00PM), IST (780-492-9400), and the [email protected].
Software:
This course will make use of Microsoft Excel.
Course Activities and Evaluation
The class will make use of the textbook and the cases to cover the topics in this course. It will follow the textbook reasonably closely, so the chapters in the book should give students a rough roadmap for the semester. Assignments and the final exam may contain questions based on lectures, the textbook, and case study discussions in class. A detailed course schedule containing tentative dates, textbook chapters, and title of case study discussions is provided in the “Tentative Schedule”.
Grading:
Course grades will be based on the student performance on the following tasks:
Task Grade Weight Note
Class participation 10%
Quizzes 20% Ten quizzes based on “The Goal” book Assignments 30% Five individual (i.e., not group) assignments
Final exam 40%
Total 100%
Letter grades will be assigned to the percentage marks in accordance with University Regulations [Section 23.4(4) of the University Calendar]. Grades in this course will be based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance. These grades represent the only marks available to students. No additional work or extra credit is available.
Class Participation:
Being an active participant in class discussions and activities is crucial for learning both for oneself and for the good of the other students in the class. This, of course, requires being present, being prepared for class, answering questions well when called upon, and proactively engaging in class discussions. Most of the concepts and techniques taught in this course are best illustrated and learned through problem solving, and thus we will analyze many problems in class. In addition, we will discuss the cases in the course package during the lectures, and students must come to class prepared for these case discussions. The student’s participation mark will be based on their participation in in- class activities.
Quizzes:
“The Goal” book is a textbook disguised as a novel. As a novel, it is not going to win any prizes!
However, as a textbook, it is quite effective. Each week, students are asked to read four chapters of this book and answer a few multiple-choice and short-answer questions. These quizzes will be web- based to be answered out-of-class.
Assignments:
Each assignment will count towards the student’s final mark (i.e., no assignment is dropped). Given the extended time available for each assignment, no excuse will be accepted for a late assignment submission.
Final Exam:
The final exam is scheduled to be on Monday, April 25, 2022, at 9 AM. It will be an open-book, 3- hour exam. The Office of the Registrar determines the final exam schedule, and thus its date and time cannot be changed. Students should make sure that this date work for them at the beginning of the semester.
Grading Policy:
- Assignments will be returned in eClass. Solutions to the assignments will be posted on eClass after the marked assignments have been returned.
- Students should review the marking carefully and bring to professor’s or TA’s attention any questions about their marks as soon as possible. No remarking requests will be accepted more than one week after the results have been made available.
- All appeals for remarking must be in writing and the original copy (unless available online) must be attached. The exam and assignments submitted for appeal may be subject to an entire review. This may result in a lower grade.
Link to official U of A Grading Policy Documents:
https://policiesonline.ualberta.ca/PoliciesProcedures/Pages/DispPol.aspx?PID=101
Absences from the Final Exam:
Occasionally life events occur that require a student to miss examinations. However, excused absences are not granted automatically and will be considered only for acceptable reasons such as an incapacitating illness, a severe domestic affliction, or a religious conviction. Unacceptable reasons include, but are not limited to, personal events such as vacations, weddings, or travel arrangements.
When a student is absent without an acceptable excuse, a final grade will be computed using a raw score of zero for the work missed. Any student who applies for or obtains an excused absence by making false statements will be liable under the Code of Student Behavior.
If a student is absent from the final exam, they must obtain permission from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research to write a deferred final exam. The deferred exam will be written at a time determined by the MBA office in consultation with the professor. Section 23.3(2) and 23.5.6 (1) of the Calendar provides the University Regulations regarding procedures in the case of a missed final examination.
Course Policies Classroom Etiquette:
Showing courtesy and professionalism to the professor and other students is an important part of every class. It is expected that students:
- Arrive in class before it begins and will stay until it is over (a student should inform the professor in advance if they need to arrive late or leave early on a specific day),
- Do not engage in sidebar conversations with other students, - Do not read non-course-related materials.
Personal Electronics in the Classroom:
Personal electronics are allowed in the classroom as long as they are used exclusively for class-related work (note taking, viewing files, related spreadsheets, etc.) and not used in a way that is distracting to the other students in the class. Using cell phones, in any form, is not allowed in this class as it is detrimental to the class.
Class Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all classes. If a student misses a class for any reason, they are responsible for all materials covered, announcements made, and handouts provided. The professor will not email handouts distributed in class or solutions to the in-class problems. If a serious conflict arises (religious observance, serious illness, death in the family, etc.), the student should notify the professor as soon as possible, so that accommodations can be made. Note that conflicts related to recruiting, clubs, sports, and similar matters are not considered “serious conflicts” and will not be accommodated.
Lectures Recording:
Audio or video recording of lectures by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the professor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose.
Academic Supports
The Academic Success Centre provides professional academic support to help students maximize their academic success and achieve their academic goals. The Centre offers appointments, advising, group workshops, online courses, and specialized programming year-round to students in all university programs, and at all levels of achievement and study.
Location:
1-80 Students' Union Building University of Alberta, North Campus
Website:
https://www.ualberta.ca/current- students/academic-success-centre
Phone: 780-492-2682 Email: [email protected]
Accommodating Disabilities:
Students who require accommodations in this course due to a disability affecting mobility, vision, hearing, learning, or mental or physical health are advised to discuss their needs with Specialized Support and Disability Services, 2-800 Students' Union Building, 780-492-3381 (phone) or 780-492- 7269 (TTY) and to contact the professor as soon as possible.
Academic Integrity
Students should consider their work in this class similar to any other job responsibility. If it is determined that the work is not entirely that of the student(s) whose name(s) appear on the work, the student(s) involved may not pass this course and be further subject to program-level discipline.
Specifically, in order to protect the integrity of the degrees, the University may expel, suspend, reprimand, or reduce a course mark of any student who breaches the Code of Student Behavior.
Absolute and complete academic honesty is expected of the students in this course. It is important for students to behave in an ethical manner. The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect.
Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior (available at http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/StudentAppeals.aspx) and avoid any behavior that could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.
All assignments and quizzes are to be completed individually. However, the professor recognizes the value of studying together. To help students to judge what the professor considers acceptable and non-acceptable collaboration, they should consider the following.
• Do:
- Discuss the course material with other students, - Ask classmates for help when they are stumped, - Offer help to other students.
• Don’t:
- Discuss numerical answers with other students, - Use someone else's words without proper attribution,
The best way to avoid using another student's words is to never look at another student's written answers to an assignment.
If an article, book, web page, or any other source is cited in the assignment or the final exam, then complete information about that source must be included in the report.
- Copy another student's spreadsheet file content.
There are no exceptions to this rule. Copying another student's file for an assignment is not acceptable under any circumstances. It is irrelevant whether the copying is done electronically or manually.
Tentative Schedule
A tentative course schedule is posted on eClass. This schedule is a general guideline for the semester and may be updated during the semester. Students may refer to this schedule for topics, related case study discussions, textbook chapters, and important due dates.
