Let’s say that you’re interested in operations. Then you know that keeping a business running smoothly requires that you keep your production lines from producing too many defective items. How can you     ship products from your production facilities to your warehouses and then to your customer outlets?     What inventory levels should you maintain to avoid shortages while keeping costs low? How many         servers do you need to keep your customers from waiting too long and thereby switching to your            competitors? If you understand decision analytic techniques, then you have a strong competitive advantage over those who do not.

Whether you are interested in human resource management, information systems management, accounting, or any other business discipline, you will need to understand how to deal with problems like these. Whether you work in health care management, energy, transportation, retailing, business-to- business, real estate, or any other industry, you will find yourself making complex decisions in which       your ability use decision analysis methods (and understand analyses performed by others) will be a key   to your success. That’s why business students need a course like this.

College of Business Learning Objectives

This course contributes to the College of Business Learning Objectives in the following way:

Course Learning Objectives

When you have successfully completed this course, you will be able to:

1.    Recognize many types of business-related decision analytical models.

2.    Recognize the distinction between descriptive and optimization models in business decision making.

3. Select the appropriate model to support a business decision.

4.    Understand the importance of uncertainty in business decision making.

5.    Formulate and solve (using Excel) a wide variety of business-related optimization models.

6.    Formulate and solve (using Excel) basic business-related simulation models.

Textbook and Computer Software

The textbook is An Introduction to Management Science, 16e, Camm, Cochran, Fry, Ohlmann, Anderson, Sweeney, Williams. Published by Cengage.

When you come to class, please bring a computer that has Microsoft Excel installed. You can visit http://it.stonybrook.edu/software/title/microsoft-officeto download Microsoft Office for free. We will use Microsoft Excel as our modeling platform.

Also, make sure that you activate the Solver Add-In. You only need to activate Solver one time. To do   so, follow the instructionshere. You will need to use the function keys for some Excel operations. To do

so on a Mac, read thislink.

Do this before our next class meeting!

Brightspace Web Site

We will use Brightspace (not Blackboard) to post announcements and distribute course materials.   Access the Brightspace page athttps://mycourses.stonybrook.edu/. For help with Brightspace, visit

https://documentation.brightspace.com/EN/-/-/-/welcome_page.htm.

Class Attendance and Contributions

Your attendance in every class (like every business meeting) is important! You cannot succeed in this course if you miss class. More importantly, your contributions in every class (like in every business meeting) are critical! Ask and answer questions. Get engaged!

I will take attendance at the beginning of each class meeting, which will be part of your final grade.

Assignments and Examinations

You will complete homework assignments and take both your Mid-Term Exam and your Final Exam using an online system from Cengage called WebAssign. To enroll in your course and complete          assignments, visit:

https://webassign.net/login.html

The Course Key for this section is: sunysb 5034 0856. Do not share this code!

Grading System

The following table shows the grading allocation for the course. You will need a 90% course average to receive a final grade of A, 80% for a B, 70% for a C, and 60% for a D. Of course, I will also use plus and    minus final letter grades. I do not “curve” grades – potentially everyone in the class can receive an A . Please note that I will not accept late assignments . You will receive credit for work you complete prior to the deadline. The last day to add/drop is Friday, February 3, 2023, at 4:00 PM.