The operating end of a business is: where resources are transformed into goods, where services are provided, where most of the money is spent, and where most of the people are employed. How operations are managed is the central issue this course addresses. This course is designed to familiarize students with the essentials of the operations function in a business. Operations management will acquaint any business student with the various production responsibilities and how those responsibilities integrate with other functional areas. In order to be successful in your business career, regardless of your major area of study, you should understand the operations function.
Operations management (OM) activities are diverse. Plant maintenance, demand forecasting, job scheduling, purchasing, and planning for labor needs are just a few of the OM functions. All of the OM functions are concerned with either managing the operations (producing the outputs) or managing the resources used in the operations (the inputs). This course will introduce the student to many of those functions.