Nova School of Business and Economics

Operations Management

Code

2359

Academic unit

null

Department

null

Credits

3,5

Teacher in charge

Alper Nakkas

Teaching language

English

Objectives

Operations management is the study of processes: the sequence of activities by which organizations take inputs and transform them into goods and service that customers value. For example, a process might be the way in which a computer manufacturer fulfills an order for a desktop computer how does it assemble the computer, how does it manage the supply of components that go into the computer (e.g., disk drives), how does it deliver the computer to the final customer. Another process might be the way an airline transports its customers how should routes be structured, how should airplane turn-around be managed, how should planes and crews be scheduled, how should customers waiting times be managed In this class, we will explore questions like these that relate to the design, management, and execution of processes in a variety of businesses.

This is a survey course designed to give you an introduction to many areas in operations. In the introduction module, we begin with a discussion of operations strategy to develop an understanding regarding the relationship between corporate objectives and proper design and management of operational processes.

-In the second module, we study processes in more detail. Regardless of the setting, manufacturing or service, we study process analysis and the impact of variability in a process. In the third module, we study operational issues that are specific to service settings.

-In the fourth module, we will discuss supply chain management, the design and management of processes related to product and information flows between companies. In the last module, we discuss scheduling aspects of project management.

Prerequisites

Subject matter

Bibliography

Teaching method

There are two classes per week. Each class is of 1h20m. Lectures will be the predominant form of presentation and will be complemented by discussion of case studies, in-class exercises and/or projects discussion. The learning in the classroom is based on interaction among class members (including the instructor). Preparation for each case and project analysis and active participation in class discussion is critical when we are to learn from each other (individuals and/or teams, depending on the number of students) to facilitate learning, particularly for the case analysis and projects and case studies discussion.

All team members are expected to evaluate and to listen to the evaluation of their teammates and give feedback and suggestions to teammates on their work, as well (this will have impact on evaluation). No free riders are accepted to obtain approval on the course.

Evaluation method

Courses