Course Schedule - Term III 2008

MBA 631 Operations Management

Stout home    MBA 631 home   Syllabus    Lecture notes   Schedule

#

Date

Subject

Reading assignment

Case
(work assigned to teams)

Homework due (work for individual students)

1

9 Jan

Course introduction

 

Excel proficiency quiz

 

Excel fundamentals

Using absolute/relative references
Using range names
Useful functions
IF functions
LOOKUP functions
Data tables

 

Begin work on Excel Exercises 1 and 2.

Syllabus

 

Review Excel tutorial

 

 

2

11 Jan

Chapter 1 – Nature of  Operations

 

Excel Quiz

Read Chapter 1

 

Read “Welcome to the Experience Economy” Pine and Gilmore, Harvard Business Review, Jul-Aug 1998.

 

 

3

16 Jan

Chapter 2 – Strategy, Operations and Global Competitiveness

Read Chapter 2

 

Read  "Manufacturing - Missing Link in Corporate Strategy", Harvard Business Review, May-June 1969, pp. 136-145.

 

Read "Are You a Strategist or Just a Manager?", Hinterhuber, Hans H., and Popp, Wolfgang, Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb 1992, pp. 105-113.

  Excel exercise #1 and exercise #2

4

18 Jan

Chapter 4 – Quality Management and Six Sigma Read Chapter 4

Read: "Six Sigma: What It is and How to Use It", Harvard Management Update, June 1999, pp. 6-7.

   

5

23 Jan

Chapter 4 – Quality Management and Six Sigma

Read: "Six Sigma Meets the Service Economy", Harvard Management Update, Nov 2002, pp. 3-5.

1) KoalaTech Ltd. - Dave

2) Paint Tint - Shauna

1) KoalaTech fishbone chart -Do Q2
2) Paint Tint control chart

Do Q1 and Q2.

6

25 Jan

Chapter 3 – Process Planning and Design

Read Chapter 3

 

Read: "Make It Simple", Schiller, Business Week, Sep 9, 1996.

 

Reading: "Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System", Steven Spear and H. Kent Bowen, Harvard Business Review, Sep. - Oct. 1999, pp. 97 - 106.

   

7

30 Jan

Chapter 3 – Process Planning and Design

Read: "Creating Project Plans to Focus Product Development", Wheelwright and Clark, Harvard Business Review, Mar-Apr 1992.

 

Read: "Link Manufacturing Process and Product Life Cycles", R.H. Hayes et al., Harvard Business Review, Jan.-Feb. 1979, pp. 133-140.  THE classic article on the product-process matrix and the theoretical guideline for determining how to organize the production process. 

Valley County Medical Clinic - Jerry

Valley County Medical Clinic flow chart
Question #1

8

 1 Feb

Chapter 5 -Capacity and Location Planning

Read Chapter 5

The Long-Distance Journey of a Fast-Food Order

   

9

6 Feb

Chapter 5 – Capacity and Location Planning

 

Exit Manufacturing Company - James

Journal article review due tonight.


Exit Mfg Do a, b, c, and d of "breakeven spreadsheet"

10

8 Feb

Chapter 6 - Schedule Management

Read Chapter 6

 

 

11

13 Feb

Chapter 6 - Schedule Management

 

Grassboy, Ltd. - Josh/Scott

Level demand aggregate plan

12

15 Feb

Chapter 7 - Supply Chain Management

Read Chapter 7

 

 

 

13

20 Feb

Chapter 7 - Supply Chain Management

Read Chapter 7

 

Dart's Parts, Inc. - Jin

 

14

22 Feb

Chapter 8 Inventory Management    

 

15

27 Feb

Chapter 8 - Inventory Management

Read Chapter 8

Delta Products - Jie/Chuan

Prepare "Nikki's inventory spreadsheet"
Do Q1 and Q2

16

1 Mar

Final Examination and case presentations