MSCI 306S - Operations Management of Services - Summer 2002

Instructor: Professor Avi Dechter

Office:

BB 4137

Telephone:

818-677-2411

e-mail:

adechter@csun.edu

URL

www.csun.edu/~vcmgt0j3

Office Hours:

MTWTh 11:35 a.m. 12:05 p.m.

Course Description
Operations management is a field of study that focuses on the efficient transformation of resource
inputs, such as labor and materials, into useful outputs, such as products and services. Traditionally,
operations management has been a study of manufacturing processes, but as our economy has
become dominated by services, the concepts from operations management are being applied to
service industries.
The intent of this course is to provide students with the concepts and tools necessary to manage a
service operation effectively. The topics are organized around four modules: (1) Overview of
Services, (2) Service Quality and World-Class Service, (3) Design of Service Systems, and (4)
Managing Service Operations.
Course Format and Evaluation
The course consists of lectures, discussion of cases, and in-class presentations. A variety of work is
expected, including written case analyses, case discussion, and homework problems. Groups of
three students each will work as a team and prepare two written cases. A Walk-Through-Audit
(WtA) of an actual service operation will be designed and conducted by each team with
presentation of the results during the last two weeks of class. Assigned homework problems will not
be collected or graded, but they will provide an excellent preparation for the midterm and final
exams. Solutions to the homework problems will be provided.
Grading
Final grades will be given using the (+/-) system. Tentative weights used will be:
Written Case Analysis 2@10%

20%

Walk-Through-Audit

20%

Midterm Exam

30%

Final Exam

30%

Required Textbook
Fitzsimmons, James A., and Mona J. Fitzsimmons, Service Management: Operations, Strategy, and
Information Technology, 3rd Edition, Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2000.

(A Detailed Course Outline is shown on the reverse side)

Detailed Course Outline (tentative, subject to change)

Meeting

Dates

Subject

Reading

Case

Homework

June 3

Ch. 1

June 4
June 5

Introduction and
Organization of Course
The Nature of Services
Service Quality

2
3
4

June 6

Achieving Service Quality

Ch. 3 (59-69)

June 10

Quality and Productivity

Improvement

Ch. 18

June 11

Ch. 5

7
8

June 12
June 13

New Service Development

and Process Design
The supporting Facility
Facility Layout

June 17

Service Facility Location

10

June 18

11

June 19

Facility Location
Techniques
The Service Encounter

Ch. 7 (171-177,
186-190)
Ch. 7 (177-185)

12
13
14

June 20
June 24
June 25

15

June 26

16

Ch. 2
Ch. 3 (43-59)

Ch. 6 (143- 150)

Ch. 6 (150-157)

Ch 9

Midterm Exam
Exam Review
Forecasting Demand for
Services
Time Series Forecasting
Techniques

Ch. 10 (261267)
Ch. 10 (267276)

June 27

Managing Waiting Lines

Ch. 11

17

July 1

Ch 13 (365-373)

18

July 2

Demand Management
Strategies
Capacity Management
Strategies

19

July 3

Ch. 14 (403408, 419-423)

20

July 4

21

July 8

Managing Facilitating
Goods
Independence Day
No Class
Inventory Models

22
23
24

July 9
July 10
July 11

WtA Presentations
WtA Presentations
Final Exam

Ch.13 (373-380)

Ch. 14 (408419)

The
complaint
Letter
3.2, 3.3, 3.4,
3.6, 3.7, 3.8
Museum of
Art and
Design
100 Yen
Sushi House
HMO (A)
and (B)

6.1, 6.4, 6.5,

6.6, 6.8

HMO (C)

7.1, 7.4, 7.5,

7.11, 7.12

Amy's Ice
Cream

Oak Hollow
Evaluation
Center
Ill Be
Seeing You

10.1, 10.2,10.4,
10.5, 10.7, 10.8

Gateway
International
Airport

13.1, 13.2,
13.5, 13.6, 13.7

Elysian
Cycles

14.1, 14.2,
14.4, 14.7,
14.8,14.17

MSCI 306S - Operations Management of Services Summer 2002

Case Selection

Groups of three students each will work as a team and prepare two written case analyses from the
cases listed in the course outline. In general, the case write-ups should address the case questions
and be no more than four printed pages including any tables and exhibits. The case write-ups are
due one week after they are discussed in class.
During the first week of class, each student group will use the table below to identify, in priority
order, three cases (in each category) they wish to write up during the semester. I will assign one
qualitative case and one quantitative case to each group attempting to conform to the group's
request, but also ensuring that each case is covered by at least two groups.
Case Write-up Choices
Week
2
3
4

Qualitative Cases
The Complaint
Letter
Museum of Art and
Design
100 Yen Sushi
House

Priority

Quantitative Cases

Priority

Health Maintenance
Organization (A and B)
Health Maintenance
Organization (C)

6
8
9

Amy's Ice Cream

10
11

Ill Be Seeing You

Oak Hollow Evaluation

Center
Gateway International
Airport
Elysian Cycles

12

Team Members:

____________________________

_________________________________

____________________________