BA501 : Syllabus
Syllabus - Quantitative Methods and Planning

I. Catalog Description: A web course combining the essential elements of BA201 and BA301. Basic Business statistics and an introduction to the operations management function.

II. Prerequisites:

Courses: none

III. Course Learning Outcomes: At the end of this course, students should be able to:

A. Study statistics material in the text and on-line to gain a basic understanding of
beginning business statistics.

1. Work and do calculations for specific problems in each topic area.

2. Utilize Excel to solve problems in statistics.

B. Utilize knowledge gained in the statistics module to solve problems in statistics
and in the production operation analysis (POM) module using Excel.

C. Study POM material in the text and on-line to gain an understanding of the basic
topics of POM.

1. Work specific problems in each topic area.

2. Utilize Excel to solve problems in POM.

IV. Course Materials: The materials required for this class may include on-line resources specified in each topic and textbooks for both statistics and POM.

Required texts: The texts for this course are available from the NAU bookstore.

(1) For statisitics: Kvanli, A. H., Guynes, C. S. and Pavur, R. J. Introduction to Business Statistics: A Computer Integrated Data Analysis Approach, 5th ed. West Pubishing Co., 2000. (ISBN-0-324-01207-1)

In addition to the material available at this web site, you may (optional) use WebTutor linked to WebCT. WebTutor is an interactive web site specfically covering the contents of the Kvanli (statistics) textbook assigned in this course. There is a fee for using this web site ($15). Have a credit card ready and click here to signup for this feature. When you have paid for WebTutor, you may click here to logon. You may download a free student guide to WebTutor by clicking here and then selelcting Student Support.

Optional and free on-line texts for statistics: HyperStat and StatSoft

(2) For POM: Heizer, J., and Render, B. Operations Management, 6th ed. Prentice Hall 2001. (ISBN-0-13-018604-x).

In addition to the material available at this web site, you may use myPhlip provided by Prentice Hall. MyPhlip is an interactive web site specfically covering the contents of the Heizer/Render (POM) textbook assigned in this course. The is no charge for the use of this site. Instructions on how to access this site will be given in the POM module.

V. Teaching Methods: The primary teaching methods for this course are completely web based. Students will be encouraged to communicate with the instructors by e-mail, telephone and/or in office visits.

The assumption is made that you have a working knowledge of the Microsoft Office 97 spreadsheet Excel 97 and word processor Word 97 (or the same for Office 2000).  Instructions will be given for any specific assignment, so you do not need to know the all the features of the software.  All Word and Excel documents found at this site are saved in the formats for Word 97 and Excel 97 and will open in Office 2000. You must have a copy of this software or be able to use a NAU lab where the software is installed. Instructions will be given for any specific assignment, so you do not need to know the all the features of the software. You must use a browser with javascript capabilities.  In general, Internet Explorer 3.0 and above along with Netscape 3.01 and above will work.  The latest version of either of these browsers should be used when possible.  They can be download free in most cases. The web site is view best on Windows 95 or above. You will need to have the True-Type font symbol (here in a zip file ) installed on your computer (most Windows PC have it already).

VI. Evaluation Tools: Students will send in homework and/or computer assignments for each topic. On-line testing will be used for the statistics and POM modules. See the class calendar for announcements, assignments and dates for exams.

Determination of Course grade:

Statistics homework: 30%

Statistics Mid-term exam (taken on-line): 20%

POM homework: 30%

POM Final exam (taken on-line and does not include statistics material): 20%

VII. Course Content:

A. Course Topics:

Statistics module:

1. Descriptive Graphs
2. Descriptive Measures
3. Discrete Probability Distribution
4. Continuous Probability Distributions
5. Sampling Distributions and Confidence Intervals
6. Hypothesis Testing
7. Correlation Analysis
8. Regression Analysis

POM module:

1. Total Quality Management
2. Statistical Control Processes
3. Forecasting
4. Production Planning
5. Inventory Management
6. Just in Time
7. Queuing Theory

Instructors:

For the statistics module: Dr. James V. Pinto (click for resume information). Dr. Pinto is the coordinator for both modules in the course. All assignments are to be sent to BA501@mail.cba.nau.edu. E-mail Dr. Pinto from your DANA account to receive the username and password for the course.

Click here for Dr. Pinto's web page for all his classes.

For the POM module: Dr. Rakesh Pangasa (click for BA301 class web page). Click here for his home page. All assignments are to be sent to BA501@mail.cba.nau.edu.

In order to be successful in this Web course, you will need to be self-motivated. Without the in-class clues provided by weekly attendance in a physical classroom, you will need to take responsibility to keep up with all assignments and exams on your own. We are here to help you and facilitate learning in every way possible. Please e-mail (preferred) or telephone during office hours with any questions, concerns and help solving problems. Use the Virtual Conference Center to post questions to help each other solve homework problems and/or prepare for exams. If you are on campus, please visit us during hour office hours. In addition, you need to complete the Web Course Boot Camp. If you are using an internet service provider (IPS) and their e-mail, please have your DANA e-mail forwarded to your IPS account.

It is recommended that you use NetScape 4.7x (not 6.x) to view this site and open files in Word or Excel. Internet Explorer 5.x may give you an error message such as "Enter Network Password" or "Please enter your authentication information." Click "cancel" and the file should open.

Please reference "BA501 (your last name) Assignment name and number" in the subject line of either below.

E-mail Dr. James V. Pinto at BA501@mail.cba.nau.edu
or call (928) 523-7356. Use WebMail for attachments.

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