Basic Operations Management

Operations management is a key managerial function impacting the whole of an organization and is concerned with designing, controlling, and improving the processes used to produce goods and/or provide services. This course serves as an introduction to the field of operations and supply-chain management and will provide you with an understanding of the strategic implications of the many decisions facing operations managers. You will develop your knowledge of manufacturing resources planning by exploring: forecasting, production planning, master scheduling, material requirements planning, capacity planning, world class manufacturing principles, and continuous improvement.

You will be introduced to problem solving techniques in design, planning, controlling of manufacturing and service operations, and quality. You will also participate in a systematic study of the managerial and mathematical techniques - along with information technology resources - used to make goods and services.

This course will enhance your appreciation of global issues related to the management of operations and may be especially valuable to your future career plans as the majority of US manufacturing and service organizations now emphasize the operations management function and demand that new managerial personnel comprehend the major significance of operations in the competitive success and strategies of the company. It has been argued that the failure of US managers to fully understand and appreciate operations management function has contributed to the declining global competitiveness of US businesses. For this reason, some of the cases studied during this course are drawn from global companies operating in foreign locations. Several case studies will be analyzed from an intercultural perspective of operations management.