THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2023/2024

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Business School : Business Studies

Undergraduate Course: Management Science and Operations Analytics (BUST10135)

Course Outline
SchoolBusiness School CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryManagement Science is the application of scientific methods of analysis to the problems of managing systems of people, machines, materials and money, the objective being to provide a basis for decision making. This course introduces students to a range of management science techniques and explains how these techniques are used in the area of operations planning.
Course description Lectures explain the concepts underpinning a range of management science techniques, describe practical operations planning problems and illustrate how the techniques are applied using examples and case studies based on these problems. The two coursework projects provide students with the opportunity to apply management science techniques to real-world operations planning problems and ask them to analyse the problem and present their findings in a written report.

Outline Content

The course is divided into three topic modules
(1. Simulation; 2. Dynamic Programming; 3. Queuing Theory)
and two application techniques modules.

Student Learning Experience

The lecture programme provides details of management science techniques and operations planning problems, supported by suggested readings from the recommended texts.

Students gain experience in the application of the techniques covered in the course by working through the example questions in the course booklet at their own pace, supported by the web-based materials provided.

The two coursework projects present students with real-world operations planning problems and ask them to analyse the problem and present their findings in a written report.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed:
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Business Honours entry equivalent - meaning students must have taken 2 Business courses with a pass of at least 50.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students must have at least 4 Business courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2023/24, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 20, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Revision Session Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 40 %, Coursework 60 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 30% Case Study (Group) -Including 20% peer review - Assesses all course Learning Outcomes.

30% Case study (Individual) - 2,000 words - Assesses all course Learning Outcomes.

40% Written Exam (Individual) - Assesses all course Learning Outcomes.
Feedback Formative: Feedback will be provided throughout the course.

Summative: Feedback will be provided on the assessments within agreed deadlines.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Describe the features of practical operations planning problems.
  2. Discuss critically the practical use of the techniques covered.
  3. Solve a range of operations planning problems using the techniques covered.
  4. Apply appropriate models to support the analysis of operations planning problems.
  5. Plan and carry out a quantitative analysis of a real-world operations planning problem.
Reading List
There is no set textbook for this course, but the following books will prove useful:
1. Taha H. A., Operations Research - An Introduction, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2017. (eBook and/hard copies)
2. Anderson, D.R. Sweeney, D.J., Williams, T.A. and Martin, K., An Introduction to Management Science: Quantitative Approaches to Decision Making, Twelfth edition, Thomson South Western, 2007.
3. Taylor, Bernard W., Introduction to Management Science, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2016. (eBook and/hard copies)
4. Albright, Christian S. and Winston, Wayne L., Management Science Modelling, Thomson South-Western, 2005.
5. F.S. Hillier and G.J. Lieberman, Introduction to Operations Research, Fifth edition, McGraw-Hill, 2001.
6. W.L. Winston, Operations Research: Applications and Algorithms, Third edition, Duxbury, 2004.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Knowledge and Understanding:

After completing this course, students should be able to:

Demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of contemporary organisational disciplines; comprehend the role of business within the contemporary world; and critically evaluate and synthesise primary and secondary research and sources of evidence in order to make, and present, well informed and transparent organisation-related decisions, which have a positive global impact.

Identify, define and analyse theoretical and applied business and management problems, and develop approaches, informed by an understanding of appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative techniques, to explore and solve them responsibly.

Cognitive Skills:

After completing this course, students should be able to:

Be self-motivated; curious; show initiative; set, achieve and surpass goals; as well as demonstrating adaptability, capable of handling complexity and ambiguity, with a willingness to learn; as well as being able to demonstrate the use digital and other tools to carry out tasks effectively, productively, and with attention to quality.

Understand how to manage and sustain successful individual and group relationships in order to achieve positive and responsible outcomes, in a range of virtual and face-to-face environments.

Communication, ICT, and Numeracy Skills:

After completing this course, students should be able to:

Convey meaning and message through a wide range of communication tools, including digital technology and social media; to understand how to use these tools to communicate in ways that sustain positive and responsible relationships.

Critically evaluate and present digital and other sources, research methods, data and information; discern their limitations, accuracy, validity, reliability and suitability; and apply responsibly in a wide variety of organisational contexts.
KeywordsManagement Science and Operations Analytics
Contacts
Course organiserDr Nader Azizi
Tel: (0131 6)51 1491
Email: Nader.Azizi@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Heather Ferguson
Tel: (0131 6)50 8074
Email: Heather.Ferguson@ed.ac.uk
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