Operations Research

for Managerial Decisions

Professor Charles Hofacker
QMB 4700 Section 01
FSU College of Business
Spring Semester, 2010

This is the paper syllabus for QMB 4700 Section 1 for Spring 2010. Please see the course
Blackboard Web site for the most up to date and detailed information. I will also use Bb for
making announcements during the term.

About Me
My office is in room RBB 255, and my phone number is 850.644.7864. The best way to
reach me, however, is by email: chofack@cob.fsu.edu.
My home page is
http://myweb.fsu.edu/chofacker/. My cell is 850.583.0386. My teaching and research revolve
around the use of computers and quantitative techniques in marketing.

Course Philosophy
This course is quite different than other marketing courses where the material is verbal in
nature. For most of us, and I definitely include myself in that list, it takes far more time to
read and understand equations and mathematical text than it takes to grasp words and verbal
text. Many of you will notice this extra time passing and you will be tempted to think, "I am
not that good in math." Very few of us have brains that are good in math. Our brains did not
evolve to do math! The difference between those who are good in math and those who don't
think they are good in math is primarily due to attitude and to the time you are willing to
commit to succeed (there is a great discussion of this in the recent bestseller by Malcom
Gladwell titled Outliers).
Another difference between this course and the usual verbal course is that modeling is more a
skill than a body of knowledge. In other words, you cannot learn how to model by
memorizing the six bullet points of modeling. The only way to acquire a skill is learning by
doing. This course will emphasize the doing.

Course Goals
Here are the three goals for the course:
1. To understand the role that models play in decision making in marketing.
2. To get an overview of the various techniques used by management scientists.
3. To use spreadsheets to solve management science problems.

Course Calendar
Class Meeting
Jan

W
M
W
M
W
M
W
Feb M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
Mar M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
Apr M
W
M
W
M
W
R

6
11
13
18
20
25
27
1
3
8
10
15
17
22
24
1
3
15
17
22
24
29
31
5
7
12
14
19
21
29

Textbook

Homework

1 - Introduction
2 - Problem Solving
Red Cross Influence 2.2
3,4 - Excel
5 - Spreadsheet Engineering

Shelf Space Graph

6 - Spreadsheet Analysis

Reid's Sketch 5.3

Reid's Base Case 6.3.a

7 - Data Analysis

Reid's Breakeven 6.3.b

Tissues 7.2.a-b

Exam 1
10 - Nonlinear Optimization
11 - Linear Programming

Advertising Allocation 10.6.a-b

Scheduling Staff 11.12.a

12 - Network Models

Oil Blending 11.9.a-b

Shipping Carpets 12.3.a-b

13 - Integer Programming
Assigning Engineers 12.6.a-b
Set Coverage Rectangle
Review Practice Problems
Final Exam 12.30p -2.30p

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should:
1. Register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center;
and,
2. bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type.
This should be done during the first week of class.
This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For
more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, look at:
http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/

Textbook
Powell, Stephen G. and Kenneth R. Baker (2009), Management Science: The Art of Modeling
with Spreadsheets, Excel 2007 Update, Second Edition, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Grades
Grades are based on a total score for the term. The total score is computed by multiplying
each grade, expressed as a percentage, by its weight, which appears in parentheses, then
adding the weighted grades.
Homework (30%) - Homework will be quite important for your performance in this class.
Modeling is more of a skill than a static body of knowledge. As such, you cannot learn by
memorizing; you must learn by doing. I may start a lecture by randomly picking a student
from the roster to present the homework for that day.
Full homework credit is 4 points per assignment. Late homework automatically receives 1
out of 4.
Homework files duplicated from another students work will result in 0 points for both
students.
Homework will not be accepted after 2pm US East Coast time on Wednesday April 21, 2010.
Attendance (10%) An attendance sheet will be passed around at the start of class during
pseudo-randomly chosen class meetings.
Exam #1 (30%) and Exam #2 (30%) - The exams will consist of a mixture of objective and
problem-solving questions.
Some semesters, bonus points may be available for participating in research studies.

Academic Honor Policy and Integrity Code

The University Academic Honor Policy must be followed at all times in this course. The
policy describes the Universitys expectations for the integrity of students academic work,
the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and
responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are
responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and to ... be honest and truthful and
strive for personal and institutional integrity The full text of the FSU Academic Honor
Policy is at
http://dof.fsu.edu/honorpolicy.htm

Further, all students, faculty, and staff in the College of Business are expected to uphold the
Colleges Integrity Code, and to adhere to the highest standards of academic excellence,
integrity, and to the norms of a serious intellectual community. The full text of the COB
Integrity Code is at
http://cob.fsu.edu/press/integrity_code.cfm

I can not tolerate violations of academic integrity in my class and I will therefore use all
means at my disposal to identify and punish any sort of cheating on assignments or exams.
Examples of additional penalties that may be meted out include but are not limited to a lower
or failing grade on the assignment or exam in question, a lower or failing grade in the course,
additional work, suspension, or expulsion.
Note that it is considered cheating for two students to turn in the same homework file, even if
that file has been modified. All students must write or type all their own work. If any two
students turn in the same file, however modified, both will be punished. You are not allowed
to copy or paste computer information; all assignments must be typed in by each student.
For further information, please refer to the URL for FSUs Academic Honor Policy, given
above.