Matthew W Ford
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Matthew W Ford
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MGT 305 News & Info (Updated 02/08/2012 09:54 PM)Study notes for week 6 and week 7 have been posted. This week, we'll complete our investigation of process choice. Then, it's on to perhaps the most difficult OM decision to get right: capacity. Our second class forum (topic here) is scheduled for Wednesday, February 22nd. Same format as before. Never too early to get going... You can earn extra credit if you attend sessions during the Haile/US Bank College of Business Business Week (Feb 13-16). Attend a session and provide me with a short writeup on what you learned, and collect one point of extra credit toward the mid term exam. You can do this for up to three sessions. If you attend the keynote address on Thursday, Feb 16th, then collect an extra point (two points total) for that session. Writeups due Wednesday, Feb 22nd. Individual work only. If you're on the job market, make sure you take advantage of NKU's Career Development Center (CDC). CDC is offering various workshops during the semester on job search topics and skills. On Wednesday, February 22nd, CDC is hosting Job Expo 2012, with dozens of prospective employers in attendance. Consider attending...at the very least, programs like this provide great opportunity for improving your networking skills. Here is the U.S. productivity data that we will share in class (source here). What is a good rule of thumb for the long term average annual productivity improvement in the U.S.? Has long term (e.g., 50 yr) productivity improvement in the U.S. been going up, going down, or basically stationary (no up or down trend)? Since about 1980, which has generally shown higher annual productivity improvement: manufacturing or non-farm business? What does this imply? A reminder that all assignments and forums must be completed in teams of three or more. A team leader must be designated for each project. On submitted reports, all team members should be listed. The member who served as team leader should be noted as well. Baffled by how to calculate the percentage difference between two values? You'll need to learn how to be a better manager. Click here for a tutorial. Spring 2012 potpourri (archives). Do current unemployment levels reflect 'technological unemployment?'...Payroll gains may reduce Federal Reserve intervention...PG to cut 1600 jobs...Parents as mortgage lenders...Is US manufacturing position really deteriorating?...Role of glaciers in shaping Cincy region...US GDP reported as up 2.8% in Q4 2011...PG earnings declined in recently ended quarter...UPS shrinking operations at NKY facility...Late night sales increasing for US fast food operators...Jack Daniels' marketing magic...Fragile nature of many global supply chains...Hong Kong rated highest in terms of economic freedom...Could the 1937 flood happen again?...US savings rates trending lower (again)...Yuengling now largest US owned brewer...Majoring in debt, minoring in college...Affluent types showing up in soup kitchens...Hostess Brands, home of the Twinkie, files for bankruptcy...Will 2012 mark the end of the debt supercycle? Slight upturns in recent US, China Purchasing Managers Index measures...How high performing organizations stay consistently successful in turbulent environments. Due dates for upcoming assignments appear below. Assignments must be submitted in memo format and stapled. No late work will be accepted.
Here is the US capacity data that we will examine in class. What do current levels and trends of capacity utilization suggest about the state of economic activity? Here are the inventory:sales data to be shown in class. Is the long term trend in inventory up or down? What activities have operating managers employed to be able to operate with lower levels of inventory? Here is the Dell asset management data to be shown in class. What are the trends in this operator's asset management effectiveness--i.e., is it getting better or worse? What initiatives might Dell employ if it wanted to improve its effectiveness? Top performers in this class will get their names added to the MGT 305 Wall of Achievement. Could be a worthy goal this semester!
Our Vision The Haile/US Bank
College of Business at Our Mission Our mission is to prepare our graduates for successful careers as ethical and effective business and community leaders in the global economy. We pursue this mission with dedicated and caring faculty committed to active learning, rigorous scholarly inquiry of all types, and public engagement. Assurance of Learning The College of Business has established learning outcomes for all its majors. All business majors share some learning outcomes, and some learning outcomes are specific to the majors. MGT 305 is designed so that graduating business majors can demonstrate achievement of the following learning objectives:
Course Objectives This is a “survey” course, designed to introduce the student to the concept of operations management (OM) and its function in organizational activities. Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
Catalog Description 3 credit hours. Concepts of operations in production and service organizations; application of quantitative and qualitative techniques to quality, human resources, forecasting, inventory, and process improvement problems. Prerequisites: MAT 111, MAT 212; junior standing Text (Optional) Stevenson, W.J. (2012). Operations management, 11th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. (older versions ok) Course Policies a) Grading Components and Determination
Exams. Preliminary plan is ‘bluebook’ format (a combination of short answer, essay, and problems) although I am considering a switch to multiple choice format. Assignments. Meant to provide exposure to problem solving and written report writing (key skills of effective operations managers). A1 is mandatory plus two other case-based assignments from the assignment list (selection criteria to be discussed in class). A written report for each assignment is to be submitted in memo format on the specified due date. Work in groups of three or more on each assignment. Class Forums. There will be at least three class forums during the term. Forums are in-class discussions centering on OM topics relevant to organizations and society. You will prepare a one page brief on the topic ahead the discussion (50% of the grade) and then participate in the discussion (the other 50% of the grade). Work in groups of three or more on each forum. Professionalism. My assessment of your degree of engagement during the term. I will focus on mannerisms that you should exhibit as an effective manager. The extent to which you demonstrate respect, initiative, persistence, teamwork, and participation will weigh heavily on your professionalism mark. Extra Credit. Will be possible as term unfolds. More later. Course grading policy follows a conventional +/- scale. Percent of total class points between: 93-100 A, 90-93 A-, 87-90 B+, 83-87 B, 80-83 B-, 77-80 C+, 73-77 C, 70-73 C-, 67-70 D+, 60-67 D, <60 F b) Attendance Lack of attendance and low levels of participation will impact your professionalism mark. Moreover, due to the nature of our class format, you WILL struggle if you miss a lot of class. c) Student Rights and Responsibilities Maintenance of academic standards and integrity includes the obligation not to cheat or plagiarize. A student who uses a dishonest or deceitful means to obtain a grade is guilty of cheating; a student who submits another’s work as one’s own without adequate attribution is guilty of plagiarism. Identical work will earn a grade of zero. Students are fully responsible for learning the course content and material disseminated in the class. Absences do not release you from this responsibility. Please see the NKU Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities at www.nku.edu/~deanstudents. For cheaters, I will enforce school policies to the fullest extent possible. d) Syllabus Changes and Current Information: Class Website Dates and assignments documented in this syllabus are subject to change at my discretion, meaning that this paper version of the syllabus will become outdated as the term progresses. While I will try to announce significant changes to our syllabus during class meetings, the electronic version of the syllabus posted on the class website will be updated as necessary to provide the definitive reference. Indeed, our class website is your best source for course information. Refer to it often. e) End of Semester Online Course Evaluations Northern Kentucky University takes Instructor and Course
evaluations seriously. It is a
responsibility of NKU students as citizens of the University to participate in
the instructor and course evaluation process.
During the two weeks prior to the end of each semester, you will be asked
to reflect upon what you have learned in this course, the extent to which you
have invested the necessary effort to maximize your learning, and the role your
instructor has played in the learning process.
It is important that you complete the online evaluations with
thoughtfully written comments. Students who complete an evaluation for a particular course
(or opt out of doing so in the evaluation) will be rewarded for their
participation by having access to their course grade as soon as that grade is
submitted by the instructor.
Students who do not complete the course evaluation (or opt out of doing so in
the evaluation) should expect to incur a two week delay in access to their
grades beyond the university’s official date for grade availability. To complete online evaluations go to http://eval.nku.edu. Click “Student Login” and use your username and password as used on campus. f) Other Policies · You are training to be effective managers. Be responsible for your development. · Manage conflicts and deadlines like the workplace. Plan and notify ahead. Avoid surprises. · No grades given over phone or email. · Texting during class is an overt sign of disrespect and will be penalized. · No assignments accepted via email unless we have made arrangements in advance. · All written work greater than one page must be stapled (not clipped, folded, etc). · Hardcopies of work are due in class on the due date. No late work will be accepted (this includes excuses due to ‘lab printer problems’). Give yourself time to deal with unforeseen problems. Tentative Schedule
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