The ODT faculty suggests that MBA students who are interested in pursuing a career in ODT should pursue the following course "road map":
Required Courses
201A Statistics for Management
Methods of statistical inference emphasizing applications to administrative and management decision problems. Topics include classical estimation and hypotheses testing, regression, correlation, analysis of variance, nonparametric methods and statistical probability.
201B Management Science
An introduction to computer-based models for decisionmaking. Topics include optimization (linear programming, integer programming, network flow models) and computer simulation. The course uses spreadsheets extensively, including Excel built-in and add-in packages.
208 Operations Management
Introduction to strategic and tactical issues in production and operations management. A blend of quantitative and qualitative considerations. Topics: product planning, process design, capacity management, production planning, inventory control, distribution management, just-in-time manufacturing, quality management.
Elective Courses
280 Forecasting
Forecasting is in the main the process of organizing information about a phenomenon’s past in order to predict a future. As such, forecasts are critical inputs into the wide range of business decision making. Users include accountants, financial experts, human resource managers, production managers, and marketing people. Forecasting is a blend of science and art. In this course, we focus on the science associated with forecasting by studying various methodologies that are increasingly being used to support business decision making. In order to facilitate the use of these methodologies that often require very extensive computation, a computer oriented approach will be followed.
283 Decision Analysis [ITM Course]
Should we launch an aggressive marketing campaign that will require substantial resources with no guarantee of success?
Which job candidate should I hire?
Which business model is most suited to support the long-term survival of my company?
What information technology will best serve the needs of our customer service department?
You will be facing many important and far-reaching decision situations in your professional life. Situations where substantial resources need to be committed, where many different stakeholder groups are involved in or affected by the decisions that you make, and where a variety of potential consequences are at stake. To make good decisions fast is becoming ever more important in a world where information is ubiquitous and technologies change at an incredible pace. This class will provide you with the conceptual framework and information technology tools to approach these situations with clarity and confidence and improve your decision making skills.
Decision Analysis provides a systematic way to approach decision situations. It analyzes complex decision problems by breaking them into manageable pieces and by providing important insights that will lead to clarity of thought and commitment to action. Yet, Decision Analysis is not a "hard-nosed" calculation of the costs and benefits of various alternatives. Instead, it includes and encourages the exploration and representation of very personal and subjective values and opinions. Thus, it will put you and not some “black box” in control of your decisions. And, since the framework of decision analysis is very general, you can use it for both professional and personal decision situations.
As an ITM elective, this class will provide you with the opportunity to immediately implement the conceptual and analytical tools using cutting-edge software. One of the textbooks comes with an academic version of one of the most widely used, industrial-strength software environments. We will also focus the content of exercises and cases on situations where advances in information technology have led to fundamental changes and new opportunities in business. In addition, we will hear from guest speakers who are actively involved in applying decision-analytic ideas and tools in the IT business environment.
285 Supply Chain Management
Matching supply with demand is a primary challenge for a firm: excess supply is too costly, inadequate supply irritates customers. Matching supply to demand is easiest when a firm has a flexible supply process, but flexibility is generally expensive. In this course, we will discuss how to assess the appropriate level of supply flexibility for a Global organization and explore strategies for economically increasing a company’s supply flexibility based on worldwide supply strategy, including outsourced manufacturing, supplies, resources, and the vast mesh of complex distribution network that all of the above are spread around.
We will study coordination and incentives across multiple groups or players in a supply chain. While tactical models and decisions are part of this course, the emphasis is on the qualitative insights needed by general managers or management consultants. We will demonstrate that companies can use (and have used) the principles from this course to significantly enhance their competitiveness. The course applies best industry practices as well as academic research on Global Supply Chains to current industry problems, and allows students to test their learning through a Global Supply Chain Simulation Game (Harvard) where all the management techniques, tools, methodologies, and core insights are applied.
A global supply chain is a worldwide network of all firms and relationships that get a product to market, including the original acquisition of raw materials, production of the item at a manufacturing facility, distribution to a retailer, sale of the finished item to the customer, and any installation, repair, or service activities that follow the sale. How to effectively manage the supply chain is a central issue for all levels of management, regardless of industry. More demanding global markets, a varied multitude of customers, the Internet-driven global economy, and digital technology, growing competitive pressures, and globalization create new opportunities and challenges on how supply chains should be configured and managed. Many innovations and new business models have emerged, arising from application of information technology and reconfiguration of the supply chain network.
This course will examine how innovators are responding to dramatic market changes through smart supply chain design (or redesign) and management. We begin with supply chain basics: what are the important supply chain components and metrics, what are the primary cost tradeoffs, and what are the basic principles. Several recent and influential innovations are then discussed: such as Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR), Sales and Operations Process (S&OP), Vendor Managed Inventories (VMI), Risk Pooling, and Virtual Integration. We focus on how information technologies have advanced supply chain integration and coordination, including supplier management, outsourcing decisions, and the impact of electronic commerce. We also consider supply chain incentive conflicts and possible solutions to those conflicts.
Much of this course will be conducted in the Harvard Business School case Studies format. Prior preparation on each case with thoughts and input on the case are essential before the class when it will be discussed. Additionally, some academic papers will be reviewed in class to glean out attempts to solve focused problems in the supply chain area.
The case studies cover one aspect of the business or another, where key insights of global supply chain management principles can be obtained through a dialog between participants. When you scan these cases, the quickest way to get the maximum out of them is to read the introduction and conclusion, while asking yourself "how and why is this case going to be relevant for our business? Even if it is about a different business workflow, can we extend or extrapolate some of the learning from these to apply in our business?" Remember, no two businesses are alike. The exercise in this course is to work together and glean knowledge from other people's experience.
The academic articles are much more focused around a specific problem, written by academics who analyze the problem using the language of mathematics, and incrementally build solutions. In terms of expectation setting, it is wise to know that no one is going to give solutions to our problems - we have to build these solutions ourselves. Academic articles provide a structured attempt to a much more generalized problem. One has to learn the approach and then apply the concepts in to practice by building an instance of the problem that pertains to their business.
Case studies will provide the vehicle, and academic papers will show how others have "attempted" to solve the problem generically. The language of mathematics allows us to take several specific problems and generalize a theoretical solution that fits most of them.
Guest speakers from industries will be invited to share their experiences in supply chain management applications and consulting. Operations management students and students interested in a consulting career will find this course particularly relevant. Marketing students directed towards brand management or channel management will find this course complementary to their interests. MIS and Logistics/Transportation Engineering students will find the material directly relevant to their practice and/or research needs. Other students may appreciate the course's timely and interesting material. Finance, Accounting, and Organization behavior students work closely with Operations these days, particularly since the implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley act due to SEC regulations. A perspective on Supply Chain Management will help them see the inner workings of their colleagues in Operations and will appreciate the planning and execution processes that directly affect their responsibilities.
286 Service Operations [ITM Course]
Services represent an important and diverse part of business. The US economy is highly dependent on services with over 70% of the GNP generated by services. Further, key management issues for services are vastly different from one industry to another.
This course analyzes services from many industries using a process perspective. We will focus primarily on business cases from industries representing a wide selection of services: hotels, airlines, e-commerce, resorts, fast food, telephone centers, health care, entertainment, internal services, and more. In each case we will analyze the key processes implemented. While processes vary widely from business to business, some broad categories of processes will be defined as a basic tool of analysis.
Each process will be examined in terms of flow, information and technology requirements, performance, and fit with business objectives. We will map out select processes to understand their basic functions and organization in an effort to improve performance. We will examine the role of information and how information technology is used to support the process flow and performance measurement. To improve performance, we will discuss how to measure the performance of a process, including the incentives that performance measures create for employees. Finally, each process will be evaluated in terms of its "fit" with the overall business objective, including how it supports the strategic service vision, how it interacts with other key business processes, and if it provides a source of strategic advantage to the firm.
Information and technology form a substantial dimension of our analysis. Service industries are the largest consumers of technology in the US. More importantly, services inherently place great focus on customers and their preferences so that tracking customers and their experiences is of prime importance. Each time we analyze a process we will address the type of information that needs to be kept and evaluated. This includes the important aspects of customer experience such as preferences, repeat customer information, and problems and their resolution. We will cover the ways that technology could or should be used to support the information needs of the process, often including a discussion of possible hardware and software solutions. Appropriate use of information technology, in terms of supporting the process and the service vision, serves as a primary point of analysis for service operations.
Students taking this course will learn the tools necessary to be able to critically analyze, manage, and design effective service processes.
287 Project Management [ITM Course]
This course will cover both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of project management. Topics include how to evaluate and select projects, how to staff project organizations, planning, budgeting, scheduling, and resource allocations, and how to terminate and evaluate projects. The course will use a PC-based project manager for reporting and will emphasize management applications.
288 Advanced Topics in Operations Management
Delves more deeply into topics that are currently influencing advances in practice of operations management in both manufacturing and services industries. Topics include modeling and analysis of manufacturing systems, yield management, and workforce scheduling. Appropriate applications in Southern California included.
289 Field Studies in Operations Management
Participation in a small group project sponsored by local companies in Southern California. Involves the applications of various concepts taught in operations management and related areas to address real issues faced by the sponsoring companies.
NOTE: Enrollment must be approved by instructor (resumes/projects will be matched).
290 Advanced Operations Management
This course builds on an introductory course in Operations Research/Operations Management by delving more deeply into issues of major current interest. The emphasis will be on contemporary practice in manufacturing and service industry and the new approaches that are revolutionizing the management of operations.
290 Process Management and Modeling
This course emphasizes the importance of effective operational planning in business process management. The course also covers the methods by which firms can improve their operational performance through effective business processes design. Students will use process management software to model business processes to understand the effect of various process designs.
290 Misc. ODT (catalyst only)
tba
290 Analytical Decisionmaking Models for Management
tba
290 Quality Management
Successful quality management touches every aspect of the corporation from the mission statement to each employee. The course begins with an introduction to quality as it pertains to the corporation and the approach of modern quality management to its implementation in the corporation. Student project teams study quality as it is implemented in different parts of the organization. The Six Sigma approach to achieving quality in the design, management and control of the production/service processes is studied. Readings, cases and lectures are used.
295D Operations Lab
This course is designed to complement the concepts covered in the core Operations Management class on process modeling and analysis. Students in this lab will learn the basic skills of modeling and analyzing business processes using a commercial process modeling software. Through the applications of business cases and term project, the students will gain hands-on experience in building computer simulation models for decision making and improving the performance of the underlying business processes.