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An introduction to operations research and operations management for problem solving in a management context, including the process of building and using mathematical and spreadsheet models. Introduces project/event management, linear programming and simulation. It also deals with costs, decision making over time and uncertainty issues.
An introduction to operations research and operations management for problem-solving in a management context, including the process of building and using mathematical and spreadsheet models. Introduces project/event management, linear programming and simulation. It also deals with identifying costs, decision-making over time and uncertainty issues. The course develops spreadsheet skills; an invaluable tool for modern business.
The broad objectives of this course are for students to:– understand the disciplines of Operations Research and Operations Management and their role in business and other decision-making– gain an overview of the process of developing a quantitative model for the issue chosen from a problem situation, understand the various steps involved, and appreciate the iterative nature of the process– use a general quantitative model to gain insights into possible solutions which could be applied to the issue of interest– identify underlying assumptions and approximations in simple models– use spreadsheets to formulate and use simple models– formulate and use simple Economic Order Quantity, critical path method, linear programming, queueing and simulation models– appreciate the effect of constraints, uncertainty and multiple criteria on decision-making– identify appropriate model-specific techniques, use them, and interpret the resultsThe course develops spreadsheet skills throughout. Topics include an introduction to:the modelling process, sensitivity analysis, diagrams as models, inventory control, constrained and unconstrained optimisation, heuristic methods, costs and break-even analysis, project management, linear programming, modelling with uncertainty, decision analysis, queueing models, simulation, and multi-criteria decision making.
MSCI102, MSCI112
Lectures:Students also attend two 50-minute tutorials each week: • one examples class and • one computer tutorial
Nicola Petty
Shane Dye
The first test is closed book. For the second test and final exam you may take in one A4 sheet of notes (or a specified alternative). Calculators are required. The final examination covers all lectures and tutorials and the assigned readings.The online assessments are a series of assessment tasks set throughout the course. A student passing all of the tasks gains 10% towards their final grade. The assessments will be run or submitted through Blackboard. Further information on these assessments will be given during the first week of teaching.
Balakrishnan, Nagraj. , Render, Barry., Stair, Ralph M; Managerial decision modeling with spreadsheets ; 2nd ed; Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007.
Recommended: Any self-help guide to Microsoft Excel.
Prerequisites:There are no prerequisites. However, we strongly recommend students are concurrently enrolled in or have completed some university mathematics and statistics (MSCI110 or STAT111 and MATH108) to ensure that you have the necessary prerequisites for 200-level MSCI courses. (Note that the Operations Research course MSCI216 requires MATH108). We also recommend that you take MGMT101 to gain an understanding of the management context in which Management Science lies.Relationship to Other Courses:This course introduces students to the discipline of Management Science, preparatory to further courses in Management Science, including Operations Research and Operations Management. It forms part of the requirements for the Bachelor of Commerce degree endorsements in Operations Research and Operations Management. It is important for students majoring in management or marketing, and a useful companion to mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, forestry, and economics.Departmental Academic Policies If you want a hard copy of this document, please ask the course co-ordinator. The Department assumes that you have read this document. You should also read the “Information related to courses and assessment” on page 350 of the Enrolment Handbook 2007 (also in UC Calendar under “General Course and Examination Regulations”).
Domestic fee $625.00
International fee $2,550.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Management, Marketing and Tourism .