Overview
MGSC 368 is a three-credit management science course that examines production and operations management (POM) and discusses its importance to the overall strategy and competitiveness of a firm. This course also focuses on specific tools used to manage and enhance a firm's operations and production, such as facility layout, product design, aggregate planning, inventory management, and forecasting.
Credits earned in MGSC 368 may be applied toward the Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS) diploma. For more information regarding the CORS diploma, direct email to walid@athabascau.ca.
Outline
MGSC 368 comprises 10 lessons:
- Lesson 1: Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management
- Lesson 2: Product Design and Process Analysis and Selection
- Lesson 3: Facility Layout
- Lesson 4: Demand Management and Forecasting
- Lesson 5: Aggregate Planning
- Lesson 6: Inventory Systems for Independent Demand
- Lesson 7: Material Requirements Planning
- Lesson 8: Operations Scheduling
- Lesson 9: Quality Management and Statistical Quality Control
- Lesson 10: Project Management
Learning outcomes
After completing this course, students should be able to
- define and discuss operations and supply chain management.
- determine the supply chain transformation processes of various types of organizations.
- discuss the product design and development process tools, analyze flowcharts, and study break-even analysis.
- analyze and solve some variations of the processing problem using quantitative or qualitative input and assembly line balancing problems using task assignment rules.
- explain the difference between dependent and independent demand forecasting methods, study time series, moving averages, exponential smoothing, and seasonal variations.
- demonstrate an understanding of management considerations and trade-offs.
- analyze and solve variations of independent demand inventory models.
- represent the structure of a product as a product structure tree, develop an MRP, and discuss general scheduling approaches used by an organization, such as project scheduling, assembly line balancing, and job shift scheduling.
- examine process control, and control charts for different variables.
- define project management and draw networks using activity-on-the-node convention.
Evaluation
To receive credit for MGSC 368, you must achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on each examination and a minimum overall grade of D (50 percent) for the entire course. The following chart summarizes the evaluation activities:
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1 | 20% |
| Midterm Exam | 30% |
| Assignment 2 | 20% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
The midterm and final examinations for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Jacobs, F. R., & Chase, R. B., (2024). Operations and supply management (17th ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9781260579437
Other Resources
All other learning resources will be available online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the MGSC 368 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the examination.
Online Exam
Challenge for credit course registration form