AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT
BUSI 311: Quantitative Analysis, Fall 2003
(626)
815-3823; rconover@apu.edu
Summary:
This course presents students
with mathematical tools useful for business decision-making. In addition,
management tools such as forecasting, linear programming and project management
techniques will be developed. The course will use a textbook, lectures and
discussions. Student evaluation will be based on exams, presentations,
participation and a comprehensive final exam.
This is a course about
how to make good decisions. "Quantitative" means that most of the
decisions that we will look at have numbers associated with them (an
inescapable result of the fact that business decisions are usually associated
with issues of goods and money). "Analysis" means that we will not be
satisfied until we have developed a well-structured way of thinking about the
issues. In the complex world of modern business, the failure to think clearly
about the problems that you encounter will have serious consequences for your
ability to accomplish your business goals.
At the beginning of this class, you should be
able to:
1. Apply college algebra to solving problems. College Algebra (or higher) is a prerequisite for this course.
2. Use Microsoft Excel (or an equivalent
spreadsheet program).
Upon completion of this
course, students should:
Required Text: Introduction to Management Science, 2nd
ed., by Hillier and Hillier
(Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2003).
Office Hours: Make an appointment with me or drop by MWF
2:15– 3:30. E-mail is also a good way to get some questions answered.
Revisions:
This syllabus may be
revised during the semester by the professor as needed.
Classroom Decorum:
From The Chronicle of Higher Education,
3-27-98: “Professors are complaining that
their courses are being hijacked by 'classroom terrorists.’ Among the milder affronts: Students are
arriving late and leaving early, napping in the back of the room, carrying on
running conversations, reading the newspaper, even bringing portable
televisions into class.”
Please respect and love
your fellow students. Demonstrate that love by preparing for the day’s class
ahead of time so that you can actively share your insights with the others.
Come to class on time. Turn your cell phones off as you enter. Refrain from
talking except in the general discussion. Do not pass notes to one another in
class. Be civil and courteous to one another. Correct those who fail to show
respect for the rest of the class, but do so in love.
Attendance Policy:
Students are expected to
attend every class, and attendance will be taken. Students that arrive after
class has begun will be counted as absent. Points will be deducted from a
student’s final score according to the following schedule:
0
to 2 = 0; 3 or more = 20 points each.
Students that are late or
absent because of an approved university event must inform the instructor prior
to such an event. While students are still responsible for assignments due and
material presented on such days, this absence will not be counted against their
total.
Academic Honesty:
Academic honesty is an
assumed ethical standard at this university. Any work throughout the course
that is copied from another source without appropriate citation of that source
violates the standard of academic honesty. If violations of the academic
honesty policy occur, all papers involved will receive zero points, the
situation will be reported to the Dean of Students and further steps may be
taken in accordance with the Academic Honesty Policy in the APU Student
Handbook. I do not give "warnings."
Educational Support:
Please make use of the variety of support systems developed to enhance your achievement in this class. First, a Supplemental Instruction (SI) tutor will be available for this course. See the SI for additional information on meeting times and places. I also strongly recommend making use of my office hours for help with the material in this course. We can make an appointment if my office hours do not match your schedule. The book’s website also has helpful information for the text. It’s at:
Any student in this course who has a disability that
might prevent you from fully demonstrating your abilities should meet with an
advisor in the Learning Enrichment Center as soon as possible to initiate
disability verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to
ensure your full participation in the successful completion of course
requirements.
General Grade Expectations:
Your grade will depend
upon your performance on the tests and the final exam. No extra credit is
available except as may be occasionally announced in class. Students who are
concerned about their grades should see the instructor as early as possible
during the semester to work out possible strategies for improving your
performance. Grades will not be changed after the course is over except in the
case of clerical error. Grade appeals procedures may be found in the Student
Handbook.
In general, the following
guidelines will apply to this course. Your specific grade will be determined by
the point total that you accumulate throughout the course.
Grade A: Outstanding knowledge regarding details,
assumptions and implications of quantitative analysis; demonstrates superior
thinking with information relevant to application, critique, relationship to
other information.
B: More than adequate knowledge regarding technical terms,
distinctions, ability to begin using information; demonstrates ability to think
clearly about the information and its relationship to other information.
C: Basic knowledge needed to function and carry on learning regarding
major principles, central terms, major figures, awareness of the field.
D: Serious gaps in knowledge, confusion of concepts and categories,
inability to recall basic information.
F: Absence of knowledge, incapable of carrying on a conversation about
the subject, misunderstands most concepts, confuses all categories.
Specific Grading Policy: There are 450 points possible in the course:
Exams (3 x 100) 300 (Scales TBA)
Final (comprehensive) 150 (Scale TBA)
450
The exams will be one
class period each. These and the final will consist of a combination of
objective/short answer problems, multiple choice problems, Excel spreadsheet
design problems and calculation problems. No notes or study aids (including the
papers of other students) may be used. Basic-function calculators are
permitted. Programmable or graphing calculators, cell-phones or PDAs are not
permitted.
The final will be
comprehensive. There will be no
make-up exams. With prior approval of a valid, documented excuse, the
points on one missed exam will be added to the value of the final and
the results scaled appropriately. There is no provision for missing more than
one exam, and you must take the final.
Problem Solving:
Practicing by solving
problems is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to learning mathematical techniques. The
following is a list of problems from the end of the chapters that we will cover
that I would suggest represents the minimum required for a basic understanding
of the material. I expect that you will work more problems than just these. In class
on specified days, I will review any of these questions that people would like
to discuss. While these will not be turned in, I may ask class members to
(informally) present their answers to portions of the problems to the rest of
the class. I cannot stress enough the importance of working these and other
problems from the chapters!
Chapter 1: 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
Chapter 2: 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 30, 36, 45
Chapter 3: 2, 4
Chapter 4: 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 23
Chapter 5: 1, 2, 8, 9, 10
Chapter 7: 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 17
Chapter 8: 3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20
Chapter 13: 2, 6, 7, 13, 17, 23, 30, 32
SCHEDULE
OF CLASS MEETINGS: BUSI 311- Quantitative
Analysis
WEEK TOPIC HAVE
READ
9/3-5 INTRODUCTION-
(and Graphing) ---
8-12 Linear
Programming 1,
2
15-19 Linear
Programming,
22-26 LP
and Spreadsheets 3
Exam
#1 (9/26) Chapters 1-3
29- Applications of Linear Programming 4
10/3
6-10 Applications
of Linear Programming;
Sensitivity
Analysis in Linear Programming 5
13-17 Sensitivity
Analysis in Linear Programming -
Exam
#2 (10/17) Chapters 4-5
20-24 Network
Optimization Problems 7
27-31 Network
Optimization Problems,
Project Management 8
11/3-7 PERT / CPM -
10-14 PERT / CPM:
Uncertainty -
17-21 PERT / CPM:
Crashing -
Exam
#3 (11/21) Chapters 7-8
24-26 Forecasting 13
12/1-5 Forecasting -
12/9-12 FINAL
EXAMS: PLEASE CHECK THE FINAL EXAM
SCHEDULE FOR TIMES.