The 20500 Operations Management course at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business’ MBA program is a core class. All MBA, EMBA, and PT MBA programs at the University of Chicago will encounter the program. Our Graduate level tutors offer tutoring for a variety of courses at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. This page covers tutoring for the 20500 Operations Management course at ChicagoBooth.
- Objectives of the 20500 Operations Management Course
- Who Should Choose to Study 20500 Operations Management Course at Chicago Booth
- Prerequisites for the Operations Management Course
- Operations Management MBA Specialization
- Teaching Format for the 20500 Operations Management Course at the University of Chicago
- Case Studies Used in the Operations Management Course at Chicago Booth
- Required Textbook for the 20500 Operations Management Course at Chicago Booth
- Key Questions Addressed in the 20500 Operations Management Course
- Teaching Faculty for the 20500 Operations Management Course at the University of Chicago
- Grading in the 20500 Operations Management Course at Chicago Booth
- Order of Topics in the Operations Management Course at at the University of Chicago
- Tutoring for 20500 Operations Management at University of Chicago
20500 Operations Management Course Objectives
The 20500 Operations Management course at Chicago Booth aims to equip students with the skills required to manage and improve a firm’s business processes. According to Professor Dan Adelman,
“Students learn to manage the operations of a firm and how operational issues affect and are affected by the many business decisions they will be called upon to make or recommend in their careers.”
Topics include Process flows, capacity analysis, product mix decisions, linear programming, batch processing, process improvement, queueing models, service operations, forecasting, economic order quantity, newsvendor problem and models, and safety stock, supply chain coordination, bullwhip effect, lean operations, JIT, Littlefield simulation, inventory performance and risk pooling strategies.
Who Should Choose to Study 20500 Operations Management Course at Chicago Booth
20500 Operations Management and BUS 40801-88: Operations Management courses are beneficial for careers in consultancy, investment management, entrepreneurship, and general management, given it’s applicability to any business. This course is useful for those interested in functional roles in marketing, finance, and accounting.
According to Professor John Birge, this course “focuses on understanding levers for structuring, managing, and improving a firm’s recurring business processes to achieve competitive advantage in customer response, price, quality, and variety of offerings.”
Prerequisites for the Operations Management Course
There are no formal prerequisites for the 20500 Operations Management course at the ChicagoBooth MBA program. However, understanding statistics will help with data analysis and grasping analytical models taught in operations management courses. Students can choose to opt for more advanced operations management courses offered by the Operations Management department at ChicagoBooth.
Operations Management MBA Specialization
Students choosing the Operations Management MBA specialization at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business will choose other operations courses in addition to the core 20500 Operations Management class, such as:
- 40911 – Queueing Models for Service Operations Management by Amy Ward
- 36106 – Managerial Decision Modeling by Philipp Afèche, Varun Gupta, Rad Niazadeh, Burhaneddin Sandikci,
- 36109 – Advanced Decision Models with Python by Donald Eisenstein,
- 36110 & 36111 – Application Development by Raghu Betina,
- 36912 – Stochastic Optimization by John Birge,
- 36922 – Online Learning, Operations, and Electronic Markets by Rad Niazadeh,
- 40000 – Operations Management: Business Process Fundamentals by Rene Caldentey, Ozan Candogan, Sergio Chayet, Linwei Xin, Yuan Zhong,
- 40101 – Supply Chain Strategy and Practice by Nicole DeHoratius, Levi DeValve,
- 40108 – Revenue Management by Rene Caldentey,
- 40110 – Managing Service Operations by Amy Ward,
- 40111 – Project Management by Sergio Chayet.
Teaching Format for the 20500 Operations Management Course at the University of Chicago
The teaching format for the 20500 Operations Management course at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business is primarily case study-based but also involves a combination of lectures, group assignments, and simulations. Simulation of the operations environment using the Littlefield Simulation game and the Beer game helps students see how the operation research theory is applied in practice. Students actively participate in class discussions, collaborate in groups, and engage with real-world operational challenges.
Case Studies Used in the Operations Management Course at Chicago Booth
The 20500 Operations Management course at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business uses several case studies to teach core concepts of operations management, including:
- Varsity Subs: To introduce strategic operational capabilities and business process flows.
- National Cranberry Cooperative: To explore capacity analysis and operational improvement.
- Merton Truck Company: To examine product mix decisions and capacity management.
- Beleza Natural: To analyze process improvement and financial flow linkages.
- Sof-Optics, Inc.: To understand queueing phenomena and capacity management under uncertainty.
- L.L. Bean: To introduce fundamental inventory management concepts.
- Barilla SpA and Toyota Motor Manufacturing: To explore supply chain coordination and lean operations.
- Mass Customization at Hewlett-Packard and JungleBooks.com: To study risk pooling and inventory performance.
- Webvan: To analyze e-distribution and internet-based business models.
Required Textbook for the 20500 Operations Management Course at Chicago Booth
The 20500 Operations Management course at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, does not have a mandatory textbook. However, Managing Business Process Flow by Anupindi et al. is an optional text is recommended for additional background:
Additional readings, notes, and case materials are provided through Canvas, Chicago Booth’s online learning platform.
Key Questions Addressed in the 20500 Operations Management Course
The 20500 Operations Management course at ChicagoBooth addresses several critical questions:
- How can firms structure and manage business processes to achieve a competitive advantage?
- What operational strategies can enhance customer response, product quality, and variety?
- How do capacity, inventory, and supply chain decisions impact overall business performance?
- What are the key operational levers that firms can use to improve efficiency and effectiveness?
- How can firms adapt operational strategies to new technologies and business models?
Teaching Faculty for the 20500 Operations Management Course at the University of Chicago
The 20500 Operations Management course at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business has been taught by a number of faculty including Professor Maximilian Muhn, Professor Bradford I, Professor Charles McClure, Professor John Birge, Professor Jonathan Bonham. Each of these faculty have extensive research experience in operations management. The most recent course was taught by Professor John Birge, a distinguished faculty member at Chicago Booth with extensive expertise in operations management.
The 20500 Operations Management course has at least two teaching assistants. Teaching assistants for the 20500 Operations Management course at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business are available for office hours by appointment.
Grading in the 20500 Operations Management Course at Chicago Booth
Grading in the ChicagoBooth’s 20500 Operations Management course is designed to evaluate both individual and group performance across various components. The final grade for the Operations Management 20500 Course at Chicago Booth is comprised of case assignments 10%, concept check assignments 10%, Littlefield Technologies simulation 5%, class participation and group contribution 10%, midterm exam 23% and final exam 42%.
Order of Topics in the Operations Management Course at at the University of Chicago
The 20500 Operations Management course is organized into the following weekly modules:
- Introduction to Operations Management: Operational capabilities and process flows.
- Capacity Management: Capacity analysis, product mix decisions, and linear programming.
- Process and Financial Flow Analysis: Process improvement and linkage to financial flows.
- Capacity Management under Uncertainty: Queueing models and service operations.
- Foundations of Inventory Management: Forecasting, newsvendor problem, and safety stock.
- Beer Game Simulation and Littlefield Simulation: Practical application of supply chain coordination.
- Lean Operations and Supply Chain Coordination: Bullwhip effect, lean operations, and JIT.
- Littlefield Debrief and Risk Pooling: Inventory performance and risk pooling strategies.
- E-distribution and Course Wrap-Up: E-commerce operations and course review.
- Final Exam: Comprehensive assessment covering all course topics.
Tutoring for 20500 Operations Management at University of Chicago
GraduateTutor offers tutoring for the 20500 Operations Management course at Chicago Booth. Our graduate-level operations management tutors provide personalized guidance to help students understand complex operational strategies and assistance with Microsoft Excel operations applications in assignments, operations simulations, and exam preparation. Our operations research tutors also assist students in preparing for the case study analysis, class discussions, and quantitative modeling for the 20500 Operations Management course at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.
Please call us, email us or use the sign up form below and we will be happy to assist you.