John Molson School of Business
Department of Supply Chain and Business Technology Management
Production and Operations Management
COMM 225 (credits 3)
Winter 2024
Instructor: Satyaveer S Chauhan
Email: [email protected]
Day & Time
lecturers Online
office hours Tuesday 3pm-4pm
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to contemporary operational issues and techniques in the
manufacturing and service sectors. Among the topics covered are: operations strategy, forecasting,
materials' management, total quality management, time-based competition, and minimal
manufacturing. Mathematical modeling in resource allocation is also introduced. Cases and
computer-aided quantitative tools for decision-making are used throughout the course with an
emphasis on the interactions between production/operations management and other business
disciplines.
Prerequisites: COMM 210, COMM 212, and COMM 215
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Operations are the core of every business. Successful implementation of any business strategy cannot
be achieved without the proper execution of operations. Global and local companies that are
experiencing a surge in market share owe this success among other things, to their excellence in
managing operations. This course considers operations from a managerial perspective and introduces
the basic Operations Management (OM) tools. It focuses on quantitative analysis of various OM
functions. At the end of the course, students will understand the various operation functions and their
importance in organizations in particular and the global economy in general. This course will help the
student achieve the following learning objectives:
• Acquire basic knowledge of the OM including terminologies, tools, concepts, and techniques.
• Apply OM concepts and methodologies to specific situations.
• Apply evidence-based approaches to decision-making.
• Analyze elements of manufacturing and service organizations to solve problems and make
decisions.
• Use computer technology to aid in making better decisions.
• Understand OM issues in organizations and the role of supply chain managers and logistics
professionals in the global economy.
REFERENCE BOOKS (Optional)
1. Operations Management, Sixth Canadian Edition by STEVENSION, HOJATI, AND CAO. Published
by McGraw–Hill. ISBN 978-1-26-030667-5
COURSE SCHEDULE
Session Topics 1 Chapter # of Activity
Lectures 2
1 Introduction to Operation Chapters 1 and 2 of 2
Management Hojati’s book Problem-solving,
Theoretical concepts Discussions
only
2 Project Management Chapter 17 of Hojati’s 3
book
Online Quiz 1 (Feb 4, Sunday, 9:30 am – 12:30pm), 2.5%
3 Forecasting Chapter 3 of Hojati’s 3
book Problem-solving
4 Inventory Management Chapter 12 of Hojati’s 4 Discussions
book
5 Concept of Supply Chain Chapter 11 of Hojati’s 2
Management book
Online Quiz 2 (March 3, Sunday, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm), 2.5%
Midterm (in person, 2.5 hours) March 10, 2024 (Sunday), 10 am – 12:30 pm , 35%
Excel Assignment (online submission) (10%)
Submission date: TBA
6 Quality Management Chapters 9 and 10 of Problem-solving
Hojati’s book 4 Discussions
Online Quiz 3 (March 31, Sunday, 9:30 am – 12:30pm), 2.5%
Waiting Line Models- 3
7 Chapter 18 of Hojati’s Problem-solving
Models 1,3, and 5
book Discussions, Excel
8 Concept of Linear Supplements 1 of 3 LINGO/Excel solver
Programming using Hojati’s book special introduction, end of
Graphical Solutions. edition for comm225 chapter questions
students
Online Quiz 4 (April 14, Sunday, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm), 2.5%
Final Examination: TBA, 45%
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Details are provided at the end of the course outline.
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1 Lecture = 75 Minutes
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COURSE EVALUATION (ONLINE)
The final grade for the course will be based on the relative weight for each component as follows:
Components Weight
Online quizzes (4) 10%
Midterm (1) 35%
Excel based Assignment 10 %
Final Examination 45%
• Online Quizzes: The quizzes are intended to reinforce concepts and quantitative problem-solving
techniques covered in class. These quizzes will significantly help you in understanding the material covered
and in securing a good grade in this course. There is NO replacement quiz or weight adjustment for missing
any quiz under any circumstances. Every student is expected to attempt these quizzes individually.
• Students should take the online quizzes using a desktop computer directly connected to the internet.
Students are responsible for the stability of the computer and the Internet connection that they use while
taking online quizzes. Usually, the Internet is very stable if you do not open any other applications (like
PPTs, word, excel, other websites, etc.). Before taking a quiz, you need to test the reliability of the setup
by completing the “practice quiz”. The instructor is NOT responsible for any errors resulting from the
computer or the internet connection. Only one attempt is allowed.
• Assignment: The instructions and deadline will be posted on Moodle.
• Midterm Examinations – Non-cumulative: To ensure information symmetry among all the examinees, the
instructor shall NOT answer any questions during the examination period. Note that employment/work
conflicts will not be considered as a valid reason to miss the midterm examination.
• Final Examination – Non-cumulative: The final examination will be scheduled by the Exams Office of
Concordia University. This examination covers only the post-midterm materials as outlined in the course. To
ensure information symmetry among all the examinees, the instructor shall NOT answer any questions
during the examination period.
• Conversion to Letter Grades:
Letter Grades Marks Obtained Letter Grades Marks Obtained
A+ 90-100 C+ 67-69
A 85-89 C 63-66
A- 80-84 C- 60-62
B+ 77-79 D+ 57-59
B 73-76 D 53-56
B- 70-72 D- 50-52
FNS 0-49
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TEACHING METHOD & COURSE MATERIALS
All the mentioned topics will be delivered in the form of class room lectures supplemented by tutorials. Each OM
tool discussed in the class will be supplemented by several examples and industrial applications. Numerical
examples, practice questions, etc. will be provided to enrich the learning environment as necessary.
Course Website:
• Moodle: The course websites for all the sections will be administered through “Moodle”. You can access
the course website through myconcordia portal at www.myconcordia.ca using your netname and
password. Your account will allow you to access the online course material and resources from the course
website for the duration of term.
• Students are expected to check the course website (Moodle) on regular basis for updates and postings.
They are also expected to use the appropriate forums in the Moodle for all judicious correspondences.
• All the practice quizzes and online quizzes will be administered through Moodle.
• Materials provided on the course website include the following: (Note: Commercial uses and unauthorized
production and distributions of the provided materials are strictly prohibited).
a) Lecture Slides: Electronic supplements of the classroom lectures (power point slides) may be posted on
the course website by the instructors. Note that these slides may not be self-explanatory and may not
cover all the outlined materials. Major part of the class lecture may include verbal explanations or
demonstration on black-board. Hence, students are expected to attend all the lectures. It is the
student’s responsibility to make-up for the missed classes.
b) In-Class Questions: These questions will be solved in class, and the solutions will NOT be posted on
Moodle. Hence, students are expected to attend all the classes.
c) Tutorial Questions: These questions will be solved during tutorials. Final answers to these questions will
be provided. For detailed solution, students are encouraged to attend the tutorials. Tutorials will be
conducted by the tutors. The tutorial hours will be announced on the course website.
d) Practice Questions: These questions are selected from the textbook. Detailed solutions will be posted
on the course website.
e) Multiple Choice Review Questions: Multiple choice questions on every topic will be posted on the course
website. These questions are mainly from the textbook. Students are expected to practice these
questions.
f) Exam Review Questions: These are drawn from previous mid-term and final exams. Detailed solutions
will be posted on the course website.
g) Formula Sheet: A formula sheet will be provided during the term.
h) Software: MS Excel Solver is an add-in package that will be used for solving linear programming models
of sales and operations planning problems that appears in Chapter 14. Students are expected to get
familiar with the excel solver.
i) Supplementary materials: Any other course supplements will be posted on Moodle.
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IMPORTANT NOTES (Must Read!!!)
• Students are expected to make use of office hours held by the instructors and teaching assistants.
• You will be communicating with your instructor and teaching assistant via Moodle (unless they have asked
you to contact via email). Please allow for a 2-business days response time.
• Neither programmable/graphical calculators nor electronic dictionaries will be permitted in the exam
room.
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The learning objectives are assessed through one Excel based assignment, online quizzes, and examinations.
Learning
Instructor specific Examinations (mid-
Learning Activity Quizzes Excel Assignment
task term & final)
Objective
Acquire basic knowledge of multiple-
In-class problems
the OM including choice and theory-based
focus on
terminologies, tools, fill-in-the multiple-choice
quantitative
concepts, techniques, and blank exam questions
techniques
methodologies. questions
Analyze specific situations The assignment
from an OM perspective will be based on
Quantitative
(Apply OM concepts and one or more
Questions in the
methodologies to specific topics such as
exam
situations). Inventory,
Short answer
forecasting,
questions in the
waiting lines,
exam
and Supply chain
management.
Analyze elements of
Application- Quantitative
manufacturing and service
based exam Questions in the
organizations to solve
questions exam
problems and make decisions.
Use computer technology to Computation
Software related
aid in making better decisions. intensive large
exam questions
question
Understand OM issues in In-class problem
Multiple-
organizations, and the role of will mimic real
choice Multiple-choice
supply chain managers and world problems
exam exam questions
logistics professionals in the faced by
questions
global economy. organizations
Apply evidence-based Excel-based
approaches to decision data-oriented
making individual
assignment.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The Academic Code of Conduct at Concordia University states that the "integrity of University academic life and of
the degrees, diplomas and certificates the University confers is dependent upon the honesty and soundness of
the instructor-student learning relationship and, in particular, that of the evaluation process. As such, all students
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are expected to be honest in all of their academic endeavors and relationships with the University"
(Undergraduate Calendar, section 16.3.14). All students enrolled at Concordia are expected to familiarize
themselves with the contents of this Code. You are strongly encouraged to visit
http://provost.concordia.ca/academicintegrity/, which provides useful information about proper academic
conduct. You can also visit the following web address:
http://johnmolson.concordia.ca/images/stories/undergrad_prog/undergrad_landing_page/docs/academic_integr
ity_may2009.pdf, which provides useful information about proper academic conduct.
ACADEMIC CODE OF CONDUCT
The Academic Code of Conduct is a University policy that outlines the procedures by which academic honesty or
integrity is enforced. It outlines offenses, procedures for dealing with offenses, and possible sanctions if charges
are upheld. The Code can be found in the University Calendar or on the Concordia website at:
http://secretariat.concordia.ca/policies/academic/en/AcademicCodeConduct2008.pdf
PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is the most common offense under the Code. The Code defines it as: “the presentation of
the work of another person, in whatever form, as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement”. This includes
material copied word‐for‐word from books, journals, Internet sites, instructors’ course notes, material that is
paraphrased but closely resembles the original source, a paper purchased through one of the many available
sources, or work done by a fellow student such as an answer on a quiz, data for a lab report, a paper, or an
assignment. Plagiarism does not refer to words alone – it can also refer to copying images, graphs, tables, and
ideas. “Presentation” is not limited to written work ‐ it also includes oral presentations, computer assignments
and artistic work. Several information sources have been developed to assist you in understanding the meaning
and implications of plagiarism:
1. http://learning.concordia.ca/Help/handouts/WritingHO/AvoidingPlagiarism.shtml includes information on what
plagiarism is and how you can avoid it, and
2. http://library.concordia.ca/help/howto/citations.html#citing, includes various guides for proper citation of
reference material prepared by Concordia's librarians.
WHAT ELSE DOES THE CODE ADDRESS?
Although plagiarism is the most common offense, the Code addresses other offences as follows:
• Stealing or obtaining exam questions, exam answers or any other University documents without
authorization.
• Possession and/or use of any non‐authorized materials, documents or devices such as calculators,
translators, crib sheets, or hidden notes, during an examination. Possession of the unauthorized material,
even if not used, is itself an offence. This also applies to books that can be accessed during the examination.
• Copying answers from someone else’s exam paper during an examination, or getting unauthorized help
during an examination.
• Communicating, for any reason, with any person other than the invigilator during an examination.
• Making any changes to an exam booklet, including tearing out pages or adding pages.
• Removing an exam paper or booklet from an examination room.
• Personation: assuming the identity of another person or having another person assume one's own identity.
For example, Mary who is not prepared for an exam asks her friend Jane, who took the course the previous
year, to write the exam in her place. Both Mary and Jane can be charged with personation.
• Giving your work to another student knowing that he/she will hand in all or part of your work claiming that it
is his/her own. Both students can be charged.
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• Submitting the same piece of work for evaluation in two or more courses without prior approval from the
course instructors.
• Falsifying documents. This includes any documents being submitted to Concordia as well as any Concordia
documents. Examples of falsified documents include transcripts and records for the purpose of admission,
notes from medical doctors, or other documents to avoid writing exams or handing in assignments on the
prescribed dates.
• Falsifying research facts, data or sources of information. For example, changing a few data points in your
experiment in order to improve on the experiment’s results.
The Student Advocate Program has recently produced pamphlets in English, French, Chinese and Arabic to help
students get a better understanding of the essential content of the Code of Conduct. You can access the
presentation and the pamphlets at: http://supportservices.concordia.ca/studentadvocateprogram.
DISCLAIMER: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the content and/or
evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.
Topics to be covered in each chapter
(Based on the current Text book, Operations Management by Stevenson & Hojati)
CHAPTER TOPICS TO BE COVERED LEARNING OUTCOMES
INTRODUCTION TO Full chapter Understand the role of operations
OPERATIONS management in managing business
MANAGEMENT
Understand the three major
functional areas of organizations
and describe how they interact.
Understanding the difference and
connection between production &
services
COMPETITIVENESS, Full chapter Multi-product productivity, and
STRATEGIC PLANNING, relation of operations with other
AND PRODUCTIVITY major business functions.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT Project planning Explain what is involved in project
planning and, how to manage
Work breakdown structure projects, costs and risks.
Gantt chart
Precedence network (AON) Discuss what a project is, its
PERT/CPM methods performance goals, and phases.
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- Deterministic durations
- Probabilistic durations
- Path probabilities Project planning, work breakdown
Project crashing structure, PERT/CPM technique
with deterministic durations to
schedule projects, Project crashing
and solving typical problems
Discuss project execution and
control, and earned value analysis.
Determine path probabilities when
durations are probabilistic, and
solve typical problems.
DEMAND FORECASTING Apart from theory, the following Capable to select and apply suitable
methods must be covered models of demand forecasts:
- Judgemental methods,
- Time series models
- Naïve methods Distinguish between forecasting
- Moving average time frames, describe common
- Weighted moving average features of forecasts, and list the
- Exponential smoothing elements of a good forecast and
Techniques for trend:
steps of the forecasting process.
- Linear trend equation Understand the components of a
- Trend-adjusted Exponential time series model, seasonality,
smoothing exploring various forecasting
Techniques for seasonality techniques, comparing and
evaluating models, and
- Seasonal relatives using CMA
Associative models implementing using excel.
- Simple linear regression
Accuracy and control
- MAD, MASE and MAPE
- Tracking signal
MANAGEMENT OF Full chapter with a focus on PDSA, Six Understand the importance of
QUALITY sigma, and Basic Quality tools quality as a competitive advantage,
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and various quality philosophies,
methods, and tools.
STATISTICAL QUALITY Central limit theorem Use an appropriate process control
CONTROL model to analyze processes,
Type 1 and type 2 errors comment on the state; analyze the
Sample mean and range control charts process capability, and recommend
the appropriate action to improve
P chart the process capability.
C chart
Process capability analysis
WAITING LINE MODELS Introduction to queueing system and Able to identify the service needs
performance measures and apply appropriate service
models to manage and improve the
Arrival and service patterns
operations.
Poisson and Exponential distribution
Queueing Models: Use Excel and a calculator to
- Model 1 -Single server model properly use various waiting line
(infinite source) formulas. Learn to identify an
- Model 3: Single server, constant appropriate waiting line model for
service durations evaluating services and design the
- Model 5: Multiple servers, services.
exponential service durations
Computation of total system costs
Determining the number of servers by
minimizing total system cost
INVENTORY Introduction, purpose, and objectives of Discuss the importance of
MANAGEMENT inventory. inventory, list major reasons for
holding inventory, and discuss the
Inventory related costs, inventory objectives of inventory
classification. management.
Basic Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)
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Economic Production Quantity (EPQ) Basic economic order quantity
model, the economic production
EOQ with quantity discounts, quantity model, the quantity
Reorder point. discount model, the planned
shortage model, and solve typical
Single period model problems based on those models.
Single period model, service level,
re-order point and solve typical
problems
SUPPLY CHAIN Full chapter with a focus on Logistics Identify supply chain activities and
MANAGEMENT
able to explain the importance of
collaboration in global supply chain
planning:
Apply more than one technique or
tool to design/evaluate supply
chains, and understand various
technical terms associated with
supply chains.
AGGREGATE PLANNING Concept of optimization,
AND INTRODUCION TO
LINEAR PROGRAMMING Two variables problem formulation, Able to formulate easily two
variable problems and obtain
Graphical solution procedure solution.
- graphing lines, constraints,
objective function,
- Identification of feasible region, Able to obtain solution using excel
slack, surplus, and optimal
for more than two variable
solutions.
problem.
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