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DSCI 3870: Management Science
Course Outline: Spring 2023
Section 003 INET
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Instructor: Fouad H. Mirzaei
Office: 319 E – BLB
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: (940) 369 5072
Office Hours: Thursday 3:00 – 5:00 pm [via Zoom], or by appointment
(The details of test office hours to be announced during lectures)
COURSE OBJECTIVES
To provide the student with a working knowledge of management science/operations research
techniques for use in business. This will be achieved by using a real-world problem oriented
approach, and using examples that emphasize the multi-disciplinary nature of business problems.
Spreadsheets will be used to strengthen students’ ability to make business decisions. The course
uses case studies and assignments that require communication and interaction, to strengthen
students’ understanding. Techniques covered will include linear, integer, and non-linear
programming, network optimization and implementation issues. This course may seem
challenging, but it will provide you with "current" and "marketable" skills in the field of
Quantitative Analysis/Business Analytics.
Prerequisite(s): Please see UNT Undergraduate Catalog:
(It is assumed that students taking this course have completed the college algebra course and also
have a good foundation in calculus, basic statistics and probability theory as covered in the basic
statistics course. Although some review of elementary concepts and terminology is provided in the
textbook, it is not intended to replace a complete course, but rather to refresh your memory. While
a high degree of mathematical skill is not necessary in an “applied” course such as this, there are
certain insights into the course that are gained through the mathematics involved.)
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REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Anderson, Sweeney, Williams, Camm, Cochran, Fry and Ohlmann, An Introduction
to Management Science: Quantitative Approaches to Decision Making, 15th
Edition*, © 2018, Cengage Learning ISBN-10: 133740652X, ISBN-13:
9781337406529.
You can also purchase or rent the digital version of the textbook at the following
address: https://www.cengage.com/c/an-introduction-to-management-science-quantitative-approach-15e-anderson
* It is alright if you have bought the 13
th
,14
th
or 16
th
Edition of this textbook. (14
th
Edition, ISBN-
10: 1111823618, ISBN-13: 9781111823610).
If you intend to enroll in DSCI 4510 later, please don’t sell your book (any edition). We will be
using it in DSCI 4510 too.
ADDITIONAL ASSISTANT
Statistics Lab. This is available for students seeking additional help. Hours and link will be announced to
the course website on Canvas. The purpose of the lab is to assist students to overcome difficulties they may
encounter in attempting statistics problems. It is not meant to be an extensive tutoring service. Hours will
be announced during the semester and/or posted on the course website.
If you need any additional assistance, simply contact me via email. I am here to help you.
REQUIRED RESOURCES
Business or scientific calculator; must be able to perform at least the following functions: square,
square root, raise to nth power, extract nth root, logarithm. The lack of a calculator does not excuse
the student from making math errors on exams. Graph paper will also prove to be quite useful.
ASSIGNMENTS/READINGS
Problems, including those marked as “Self test” from the textbook will be assigned as the course
progresses. Some “Self test” problems are already assigned in the “Tentative Course Agenda”
which appears later. The student is responsible for solving these problems in a timely manner. The
assigned problems will not be collected or graded. However, I can provide you feedbacks if you
needed. Students are also welcome to see me if they have difficulty solving any of the assigned
problems. Some of the problems are challenging.
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In addition to the “Self test” problems, there are three assignments in this course. Please make
sure to submit your solutions to these assignments online by their due dates. You may work
together on homework assignments in groups of up to two people, however it is required each
student submit their own assignment individually. I will also provide you real business cases and
hand out readings (magazine articles, newspaper clippings etc.).
EVALUATION
Grades are a measure of the performance of a student in individual courses. Each student shall be
judged on the basis of how well he or she has command of the course materials.
Group Project = 14%
Group Evaluation = 8%
3 Assignments = 21% (3 × 7% = 21%)
Quiz 1 = 7%
Midterm = 20%
Final Exam = 20%
+ 10% your best performance over two exams (Midterm and Final)
Letter Grades:
90% + = A 80% + = B 70% + = C 60% + = D Below 60% = F
All exams will be multiple choice or a combination of multiple choice and problem
formulation/analysis. The exams will be open book, open notes. Laptops and calculators will also
be allowed. Extra credit assignments will be added directly to the overall grades.
Students are responsible for their materials on an exam. There will be no loaning or sharing of
books, calculators, or other items, or sharing of any type of information among students while
taking the exam. If the student fails to bring his or her required materials, she or he must perform
the exam to the best of his or her ability without them. Students are encouraged to collect the exams
when they are returned.
Exams are not cumulative of previous exam coverage. Exam information and marks will be posted
on course website. Since exams are not cumulative, please take all exams. Missed exams will
receive zero marks unless a legitimate excuse is presented. If you miss an exam, please follow the
steps below:
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Step 1: If you miss an exam for any acceptable reason, please e-mail the instructor as soon as
you are able about the reason why you missed the exam.
Step 2: Then, you may provide the instructor proof in the form of an official document as soon
as you are able with proper documentation. Your documentation should be acceptable based on
an interpretation of College of Business or University policy.
Step 3: After the instructor receives an acceptable proof, the instructor will then e-mail you to
schedule a make-up exam.
GENERAL COMMENTS
1. Doing the assignments is essential for success in this course. You are encouraged to keep
up with the homework and meet the submission deadlines.
2. You should not hesitate to ask questions to me, (the professor, Dr. Fouad Mirzaei) or the
teaching assistant. I will try to keep a FAQ section on Canvas for commonly asked
questions. Usually someone else has the same question, so, when you ask a question, others
can benefit from the question. Since we do not meet in person in class, such questions
become even more important for an online class.
3. Regular monitoring of the course material posted on Canvas is expected. There will be no
make-up if you miss any of the exams, unless you have a University-approved excuse.
Whenever applicable, such an excuse is to be provided to the instructor in writing, as early
as possible.
4. You have the final responsibility for seeing that you properly withdraw before the
scheduled last drop day, in case you wish to withdraw from/ drop the course. If you stop
attending class, you should execute the drop procedure since failure to do so will result in
a grade of “F” which cannot be changed.
DISABILITIES
The College of Business Administration complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act in
making reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disability. If you have an
established disability as defined in the "Act" and would like to request accommodation, please see
your instructor as soon as possible. Office hours and phone number are shown at the top of this
syllabus.
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HONOR CODE
http://facultysuccess.unt.edu/academic-integrity:
As an institution of higher education, UNT is committed to creating and sustaining an environment
that facilitates students’ academic, personal, and ethical development. This commitment balances
freedom of individual choice and expression with the expectation that individual members of the
community will:
• Be honest
• Demonstrate self-respect and respect for others
• Demonstrate respect for the law and University policies, procedures, and standards.
Engaging in any form of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism (representing the work or ideas
of others as one’s own without giving proper acknowledgment), cheating (e.g., using
unauthorized resources or assistance on coursework, copying the work of another person,
falsifying data, sabotaging the work of others, and the unauthorized use of electronics, media,
or data), or other acts generally understood to be dishonest by faculty or students in an academic
context will subject the student to disciplinary action. Any UNT policy regarding grounds for
Dismissal from the Course is effective in this course.
CAMPUS CLOSING POLICY
In the event of an official campus closing, please check your UNT e-mail account (EagleConnect)
for instructions about how to turn in various assignments, how the due dates are modified, etc. I
will do my best to accommodate your needs.
Please do not hesitate to contact me, if you need to discuss anything.
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TOPICS AND TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE
This schedule is subject to change according to the needs of the class. I will try my best to give
you advance notice about any changes.
Module TOPICS/CASES Practice Problems
Topic 1 Course Introduction Chapter 1
STE – 8, 12
Topic 2 An Introduction to LP Chapter 2
STE – 1, 2, 6, 13, 24
Topic 3 An Introduction to LP (continued) Chapter 2
– Case Problem STE – 34, 42, 43
Topic 4 Review for Quiz 1
Week 5: Quiz 1, February 18 – ONLINE
Topic 5 Linear Programming Chapter 3
Sensitivity Analysis and Interpretation of Solution STE – 6, 10
Topic 6 Linear Programming Chapter 3
Sensitivity Analysis and Interpretation of Solution STE – 12, 13
Topic 7 Linear Programming Chapter 3
Sensitivity Analysis and Interpretation of Solution STE – 12, 1
– Case Problem: Product Mix
LP Applications in Marketing, Finance and Chapter 4
Operations Management
Topic 8 LP Applications in Marketing, Finance and Chapter 4
Operations Management (continued) STE – 1, 15
Decision Theory
March 13 – 18, Spring Break
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Topic 9 LP Applications in Marketing, Chapter 4
Finance and Operations Management STE – 19
– Case Problem 3: Textile Mill Scheduling
Review for Midterm
Week 9: Midterm, March 25 – ONLINE
Topic 10 Distribution and Network Models Chapter 6
Decision Making Under Uncertainty STE – 1, 2, 6
Topic 11 Distribution and Network Models Chapter 6
STE – 11 (17), 17(9), 23, 29
Topic 12 Integer Linear Programming Chapter 7
Topic 13 Integer Linear Programming Chapter 7
Business Case: Decision Making Under Uncertainty STE – 2, 5, 7
– Case Problem: Textbook Publishing
Topic 14 Integer Linear Programming Chapter 7
Please prepare for your group project
Topic 15 PROJECT PRESENTATION
Final overview
Week 15: Final, May 6 – ONLINE
Some or all of the Case Problems may be solved in class. Self test Problems will not be collected or graded.
However it is imperative for students to solve these problems and also go through any assigned readings in
order to be better prepared for the examination.
“STE” above stands for Self test Exercises that appear in the book.
You can check deadlines at:
https://registrar.unt.edu/exams/final-exam-schedule
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GROUP PROJECT
As soon as you choose your project topic, clear it with me to avoid duplication. Sometimes your first choice
topic may not work out, so be sure to allow sufficient time to find an alternative. Scheduling to meet your
group members near the middle of the semester is best, but other schedules will work too. If you plan to
take pictures for project, be sure to get permission if needed. Turn in both a printed paper copy and an
electronic copy of your final report.
The goal of this project is to observe and understand an actual process and relate it to this course. Think
about the key strategic issues and decisions that a DFW-based company (or community, system, project,
etc.) faces and relate them to the analytical methods that we study in this course. That is, discuss which of
our methods and concepts they are now using, or could potentially use, for their marketing, operations,
finance, human resource, or accounting policies and decisions. Think of yourself as a management
consultant rather than a reporter, when doing this project.
Working in groups of two, three or four, this project begins with defining a relevant topic for your project.
Toward the end of the semester, each group will prepare a 10 to 15 minutes online presentation file to the
class on their group project. This file could describe a company's products (or services) and the
manufacturing process and how the decisions for the process are made. You present different aspect of your
analytical model (the decision factors, objective function, the relationship between factors, constraints), the
solution, the managerial insights and recommendations. It should include some kind of visual aids such as
PowerPoint slides, transparencies or paper charts to hang on the blackboard to make the presentation more
organized and interesting. Regardless of the visual aids, the presentation will need some rehearsing and
good coordination among the members of your team. If possible, highlight samples of the company's
product and/or raw materials to show to the class. The quality of the presentation, as well as the content is
important. Presentation PowerPoint and Excel files are due on the last week of the class.
Sample Outline for the Presentation File
1. Background on the subject/problem (not too long), why this topic is important?
2. Model description
3. Model solution
4. Recommendations for improving the management of the process
5. Final comments.
The file, which is due at the end of the semester, should be no more than 10 typed pages, plus all
attachments. Using what we have discussed in this class, make recommendations for how the management
of the process could be improved. This is an opportunity to be creative and develop insights by integrating
suggestions from each member of the group. Be sure to have everyone in your group proof read the report
to improve its style. Please not that copying text or the process diagram for your report from the website is
not acceptable. This paper should contain your own thoughts and how they relate to the material in this
course. Your project grade will be determined by the quality of the presentation file, and by your active
participation in the project as evaluated by other members of your group. Have fun and good luck!
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EVALUATION FORM FOR GROUP WORK
This form is for evaluating the relative contributions of your team members to the group project
and the homework (if done jointly). Make comments to clarify differences in the evaluations. This
form covers both the level of each member’s participation and the value of their contributions. List
each member of your team (including yourself) and rate their contribution from 8 (High) to 1
(Low) in the two categories. Then sign the form and turn it in at the final exam or return it to my
office. (You can fold it and slide it under the door or give it to me directly.) I will keep these
evaluations confidential.
Level of Value of
Team Member Participation Contribution
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Name: _________________________ Signed: ________________________________
Describe the things you did on the group project. (If jointly with someone else, say so.)
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DSCI 3870
STUDENT DATA SHEET
Name:
Major Field:
MINOR FIELD (If Applicable):
Classification (FR, SO, JR, SR):
Email (Students are required to have EagleConnect by University policy and regularly check the
“Official” folder in their account for class related emails. You can easily set an Auto-Forward to
your preferred (i.e. hotmail, yahoo etc.) email account from within EagleConnect if you don’t log
in regularly. Please provide your EagleConnect address below):
Are you taking this as a “required” course? As an optional elective?
Do you intend to work in the field of decision modeling or related areas in the future? In any case,
please pen a few words on your prospective future career choice i.e. after college.
Please read the above syllabus and agree to abide by the class policies and procedures set forth
therein. Please get an EagleConnect account and check it regularly for “official”
announcements.
