Management Science (MGSC) 405
Quantitative Approaches to Decision Making (Revision 7)
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Delivery Mode: Individualized study online with eTextbook
Credits: 3
Area of Study: Applied Studies
(Business and Administrative Studies)
Prerequisite: MGSC 301 or MATH 215 or MATH 216, or permission of the course professor.
Centre: Faculty of Business
MGSC 405 has a Challenge for Credit option.
Overview
MGSC 405 provides students with an introduction to an area of management science that is sometimes called “operations research.” The objective of this course is to have you develop an appreciation of the management science approach to problem formulation and solution that is now so important in today's business and industrial sectors. The course focuses on quantitative approaches to decision making and introduces you to a variety of management science models, methods, and procedures. In this course, a greater emphasis is placed on problem modelling and the interpretation of results, and less emphasis is given to mathematical techniques and solution algorithms.
Credits earned in MGSC 405 may be applied toward the Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS) diploma.
Outline
- Lesson 1: Introduction
- Lesson 2: Linear Programming—The Graphical Method
- Lesson 3: Linear Programming—Sensitivity Analysis and Computer Solution
- Lesson 4: Linear Programming Applications
- Lesson 5: Transportation, Assignment, and Transshipment Problems
- Lesson 6: Integer Linear Programming
- Lesson 7: Network Models
- Lesson 8: Waiting Line Models
- Lesson 9: Decision Making Under Conditions of Risk and Uncertainty
Evaluation
To receive credit for MGSC 405, you must receive a grade of at least 50 percent on each examination and an overall course grade of at least D (50 percent). You are advised not to attempt the final examination until you have received feedback on both assignments. The weightings for each assignment and the examinations are as follows:
| Activity | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | 20% |
| Assignment 2 | 20% |
| Midterm Exam | 30% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
In response to COVID-19 containment directives, temporary online exam(s) are available for this course.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbook
Registration in this course includes an electronic textbook. For more information on electronic textbooks, please refer to our eText Initiative site.
Anderson, D. R., Sweeney, D. J., Williams, T. A., Camm, J. D., Cochran, J.J., Fry, M.J., & Ohlmann, J.W. (2014). An introduction to management science: Quantitative approaches to decision making (14th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781111823610
A print version of the eText may be available for purchase from the publisher through a direct-to-student link provided on the course website; you can also acquire the textbook on your own if you wish.
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.
Challenge Evaluation
To receive credit for the MGSC 405 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the examination.
Paper Exam
Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Course Registration Form
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.
Opened in Revision 7, March 07, 2016.
View previous syllabus