Engineering & Global Operations Management Course Descriptions

Engineering & Global Operations Management - Course Descriptions

Core Courses

ES505 Design of Experiments
This course emphasizes methods of designing experiments so that statistical analysis of the resulting data will yield the maximum amount of useful information. The emphasis will be on practical methods, rather than on statistical theory. Topics covered include: fundamentals of experiment design, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, factorial designs, fractional factorial designs, and Taguchi methods. Students are required to apply the class concepts and tools to conduct a project. A statistical computer package will be used.
 

ES510 Strategic Project Management
Many organizations use project management as a means to achieve their objectives. In this course, the important phases of project management from project initiation to implementation to termination will be addressed. Topics covered include project selection, organization, planning, conflict resolution, budgeting, scheduling (Pert and CPM), resource allocation, information systems, control, auditing and termination procedures. Computer applications, case studies and student project teams will be an integral part of the course.


ES530 Environmental Sustainability and Risk Analysis
This course will consider the general principles and practices of human health and ecological risk assessment in industrial environments. Understanding the key elements of risk assessment, risk management and risk communication allow one to consider a systems approach to addressing complex environmental issues. Concepts of sustainability, life-cycle assessment and environmental management strategies will be examined in the context of an organization's long-term goals. To set sustainability as a goal for our industrial society we must identify targets and metrics to measure our progress. Using case studies we will examine liabilities and risk management approaches in manufacturing and service organizations.

ES540 Engineering Economics
This course focuses upon management problem-solving and decision-making approaches application in a manufacturing environment. Specifically the course will apply techniques covering economic analysis of investment and replacement decisions, problem identification and formulation analysis, decision matrices and trees, multivariate criteria, benefit-cost analysis and systems concepts. Cases and exercises will be assigned on an individual and on a team basis.


ES555 Global Supply Chain Systems Modeling
This course considers management of supply chains in a global environment. Topics covered include: supply chain design and operations, global logistic strategies, inventory and information management, warehousing and materials handling systems, and distribution and transportation systems. The enterprise resource planning concept and software will be utilized to illustrate the critical role of information technology to integrate the supply chain.

ES572 Quality Management and Process Control
This course will introduce students to both managerial and technical aspects of quality improvement techniques. The discussion of the statistical topics will be tied to Dr. W. Edwards Deming's philosophy for the improvement of quality, productivity, and competitive position. Topics include different quality philosophies, total quality management, Deming's managerial methods and the 14 points, statistical control charts, out-of-control patterns, diagnosing a process, process capability studies, and Taguchi methods and strategies.

ME504 Design Methodology
Focusing on the process of engineering design, this course covers the techniques needed to progress from abstract product definition to final detailed design. Topics covered include: quality function deployment; concurrent design; robust design; design for manufacturing; functional mapping; Pugh's method; technology assessment; function driven embodiment; force flow; form refinement; liaison diagram. Students are assigned open-ended design problems to apply the methodology covered.

OS657 Leading Organizational Change
This course examines the processes of organizational change in dynamic technological and global business environments to enhance organizational quality, productivity, and overall operation. The course focuses on leadership approaches that facilitate stakeholder acceptance of change and employee contribution to the management of change. Topics include: change models and theories, the various types of organizational change, resistance to change, the role of change management consultants and human resource management practices that facilitate change. The types of change considered range from minor change interventions to transformational change, including technological, cultural, and work design changes. The course utilizes case studies, skill development exercises, and group projects in the study of organizational change.

SB696 Global Business Strategies
The goal of this course is to familiarize and sensitize students to current issues and practices relating to the globalization of markets. Topics include global manufacturing and international competitiveness, international marketing, international finance, and international management strategies. The case study approach is used to introduce a diversity of perspectives into the classroom. This course is team-taught by faculty from the Production/Operations Management, Marketing, Finance and Organizational Studies areas.

Typical Elective Courses

ES509 Management of Technology
This course focuses on the process of managing technology development, implementation, and diffusion in new products, in manufacturing processes, and in other operations. Topics treated include the relationship between corporate and technology strategies, technology forecasting, product development cycle, sources of innovation, the R & D function, product life cycles, project selection and evaluation, project management, and technology dissemination and transfer. Lectures, readings and case studies highlight these topics.

FN608 Financial Management
The course covers the application of the tools and models that produce better short- and long-term decisions for the firm. Asset selection, risk management, inventory management, credit and capital acquisition, and overall value enhancement are covered. Emphasis is put on the quantitative tools, the practices of existing corporations, and the international environment. An additional integrative and comprehensive project is required.

IS606 Information Systems (Web-Based Course Only)
This course introduces the concepts and tools necessary to design and use information systems applications and utilities which assist managerial decision making. Students should be able to: recall and use appropriate IS terminology; understand, recall and use the systems approach, data flow diagrams, micro-mainframe hardware and software, database management systems and data communications applications; understand and use concepts and standard industry software used in information systems and decision support systems, as applied in the functional areas (accounting, finance, manufacturing and marketing); and communicate their knowledge effectively.


IS628 Management of e-Business Information Systems
The purpose of this course is to expose students to concepts, issues, strategies and technologies involved in enabling business-to-business (B-2-B) transactions. The course will focus on the redesign and management of core supply chain processes including designing, planning, procuring, producing and distributing products and services over the Internet. Technologies for integrating internal business processes with systems for joint planning and execution of supply chain operations will be covered in the context of inter-enterprise systems. Course material will comprise of text material, cases and journal articles, as well as project work.


LP580 Professional Ethics Within and Across Cultures
This course will view the everyday decisions of professional life, from engineering design questions to testing and marketing, risk analysis, legal and ethical responsibility, as the interplay between personal decision making and the influences within and across cultures. These cultures include our technical cultures (engineering, operations, accounting, etc.), our corporate cultures, our family and community cultures, and the myriad of international cultures in which our businesses operate. Utilizing case studies, readings, and personal experiences, the course will explore the influence of these cultural norms, and the often conflicting assumptions they make about the world, on ethical decision making.


MK697 Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing
This course focuses on management activities that enable a supplier firm to understand, create and deliver value to other businesses, governments and/or institutional customers as distinguished from lay consumers. Contemporary B2B principles provide practical frameworks, concepts, and tools for organizations as diverse as management consulting firms, investment banks, software solutions providers, integrated supply management operations, and genetic engineering firms. Some core topics to be addressed include buyer behavior in B2B space, supplier selection and supplier evaluation processes, the role of contemporary information technology on the B2B functions, linkages between B2B marketing and supply chain management, the role of relationship management in the conduct of B2B activities and processes, and the increasingly global scope of B2B marketing.

OM650 Operations Strategy & International Competitiveness
This course seeks an understanding of the impact of the globalization of markets and the role of operational strategies on the success or failure of companies in various industries. The course begins by examining several manufacturing and service industry case studies (i.e., airlines, automobiles, banking, machine tools, semiconductors) to develop an understanding of international competitive issues. The work of several scholars is reviewed to provide frameworks for analysis. Cases of leading international companies are analyzed to identify the role of manufacturing and operations strategies in creating and sustaining competitive advantage. Finally, the course examines a framework for dealing with the concept of focused improvement efforts and the strategic management improvement efforts.

OS652 Strategic Human Resource Management
This course emphasizes the potential for strategic human resource management (HRM) to enhance organizational effectiveness. In the course, students should gain an understanding of how to manage people, including the recruitment and selection of employees, training and development, performance appraisal, employee motivation, compensation and benefits, and employee and labor-management relations. These topics should be understood in the context of business strategy, pressures external to organizations, and relevant theories of human and organizational behavior.

OS665 Industrial Relations
This course emphasizes everyday problems a manager encounters in dealing with the human element in business. Topics covered in the course include: grievance procedures, labor unions and managers, motivating employees, turnover and absenteeism problems, the poorly performing employee, appraising performance, merit and incentive systems, and work design. The course is meant to give managers a broad appreciation of the problems the human component introduces into the running of an organization.

OS666 Negotiations and Relationship Management
This course examines the complex problems associated with the management of stakeholder relationships under conditions of rapid economic change and intense global competition. The course emphasis is on the establishing, negotiating, building, sustaining and repairing of both workplace and external relationships, including relationships with employees, management, customers, suppliers, manufacturers, shareholders, society and other key stakeholders. This course provides an in-depth understanding of the theories of negotiation, conflict, complaint handling, and norms and ethics of fairness. The course also provides a foundation on labor relations, collective bargaining, and U.S. labor and employment laws, with an emphasis on the corresponding implications for union and nonunion workplaces. The course is intended to be applicable to a broad spectrum of work- or business-related relationship issues faced by managers and professionals.

SB641 Advanced Topics in Supply Chain Management

This course provides a theoretical and analytical framework for managing critical supply chain components. Topics include revenue management, dynamic pricing, supply chain risk and disruption management, supply chain agility and flexibility, supply chain network design under uncertainty, and supply chain contracts. Hands-on simulation provides an opportunity to gain experience dealing with complex strategic and tactical global supply chain issues.