This core course focuses on the levers for structuring, managing, and improving a firm’s recurring business processes to achieve competitive advantage in customer responsiveness, price, quality, and product or service variety. These levers are as relevant to banks, hospitals, and brokerage firms as they are to traditional manufacturers. The course explores processes both within firms and across firms (i.e., supply chains). Students will examine the fundamental principles underlying state-of-the-art practices, learning how to critically evaluate these and other operational improvement programs.
The course introduces the basics of managing a firm’s operations and demonstrates how operational issues both influence and are influenced by business decisions that students will encounter in their careers. As such, it is essential for students aspiring to become consultants, entrepreneurs, or general managers. A working knowledge of operations is also invaluable for those pursuing careers in marketing, finance, or accounting, where effective collaboration with operations is critical. Moreover, understanding how firms achieve market leadership through operations is particularly important for investment professionals.
Most sessions feature in-depth case discussions integrated with theory. This structure makes the course excellent preparation for the types of cases often encountered in internship and full-time job interviews.
