MBA Operations and Supply Chain Management Concentration

Organizations are under increasing pressure to be better, faster, and cheaper. This pressure has driven many organizations to adopt process improvement methodologies, like Lean Six Sigma, to increase quality and decrease costs. This course is designed to equip students with the foundation of theoretical knowledge and skills necessary to manage Lean Six Sigma programs. The course integrates basic learning (through readings and lectures) with real-world examples. After completing this course, students should understand how to effectively manage and navigate a process improvement program.

Properly addressing risks and facing possible disruptions are of primary importance to supply chain management. With the wake of high consequence disruptive events, risk identification and disruption response activities have become ever more critical. The objective of the course is to provide an overview of key supply chain risk areas, particularly with the proliferation of outsourcing, use of information technology and global logistics. Equally important is how companies are managing the preparation, mitigation and response strategies to major disruptive events. Topics covered include science of catastrophes, vulnerability and threat assessments, resources and capabilities identification/integration, basic crisis management, contingency planning, disaster recovery and business continuity in supply chain settings.

Projects are major undertakings that have a defined lifetime and a specific outcome, undertaken with limited resources. As such, they require a unique approach to management and administration, and it is important to understand and appreciate the techniques and concepts used for successful project management in business organizations. Strategically managing projects combines technical skills with behavioral approaches as well. This course covers issues related to successful project management in business organizations and provides an opportunity for students to learn and apply tools and concepts of project management. This course guides students through the fundamental project management tools and managerial behavior skills necessary to successfully launch, lead and realize benefits from projects.