Operations and Strategies

Operations refer to the processes through which businesses produce and deliver products or services. The objectives of the course are to introduce operational problems and challenges faced by managers, and effective methods for confronting such problems. The first half of the course focuses on acquiring language, analytical frameworks and techniques, and conceptual models that are broadly applicable in confronting operational problems in a variety of domains. The second half of the course focuses on how different operations decisions should be interconnected under the umbrella of an operations strategy that supports the business strategy of the firm, and demonstrates this through a segment on the design of global supply chains. With the first part of the course being compressed with quantitative analysis, it is designed for students with a quantitative background (for example, in engineering) that is not necessarily related to Operations.