Research Guides: Master of Science in Management : OPIM 618

OPIM618: Decision Analysis by Assoc. Prof. Sharafali MOOSA

Course Description
Learning Objectives

The objective of this course is to introduce Decision Analysis, which is the application of the scientific method to managerial and personal decision-making. The decision analysis approach of analysing decisions consists of defining a problem, developing a model, acquiring data, developing a solution, testing the solution, analyzing results and implementing results. Decision models can be categorized as Prescriptive, Predictive and Descriptive. This course will discuss some Prescriptive and Descriptive models. To be specific, this course will introduce quantitative modeling tools such as linear and integer programming, and simulation.

On successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

Analyze business or personal problem situations and structure them
Formulate a quantitative model to represent the problem situation using the techniques learned. The models to be learned are linear and integer programming and simulation models.
Use Excel as the tool to model building, solution and analysis
Solve the problem using the techniques learned
Interpret the results and perform what-if analyses to gain insights
Explain the usefulness and the limitations of the modeling approach to solving decision problems

SMU Library Search

Useful Databases

ABI/Inform Complete This link opens in a new window
Use this database to search for articles in the broad areas of business, applied economics and law. It incorporates titles from ProQuest Asian Business, European Business, Accounting & Tax and Banking Information Source databases. It includes trade publications as well as Wall Street Journal (Eastern ed).
Business Source Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Business Source Ultimate covers business topics such as marketing, management information systems, accounting, finance, banking, and economics mostly from journals. Use the Company View to find detailed company information on finances, subsidiaries, products, employees and industry specifics for more than 1.1 million of the world’s largest public and private companies. Related content includes case studies, industry profiles, SWOT analyses, articles from business journals, magazines and trade publications, market research reports, product reviews, news articles and country reports. Access over 74,000 videos from the Associated Press. It indexes Harvard Business Review from 1922.
Ebscohost has a mobile web application at http://m.ebscohost.com/
EBSCOHost Databases This link opens in a new window
Search across the EBSCOHost databases which SMU subscribes to and retrieve articles from many subject areas, including business, economics, political science, psychology and sociology. Search multiple databases including Business Source Ultimate, Communication & Mass Media Complete, EconLit, Political Science Complete, PsycINFO and SocINDEX.
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Factiva combines more than 35,000 sources from 200 countries in 26 languages. Content type includes newspapers, magazines, trade journals, blogs, podcasts, websites, and newswires like Dow Jones and Reuters. Search in English, or another language of your choice. Find listed Singapore and international companies information under Companies/Markets. Take note that downloading of content for analytics is not permitted.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR gives access to an archive of the full text articles from scholarly journals, with a moving wall for current articles. Access the complete Arts & Sciences Collections I - X. The Arts & Sciences Collections includes business, economics, history, political science, language & literature, management, mathematics, sociology, statistics and Asian studies.
ProQuest Databases This link opens in a new window
Search across the ProQuest databases which SMU subscribes to and retrieve articles from many subjects like business, psychology, science and social sciences.
PsycArticles This link opens in a new window
Search the full text of more than 60 psychology journals. The journals are published by American Psychological Association and allied organizations. Use PsycARTICLES to find artlcles on general psychology as well as specialized, applied, clinical and theoretical research in psychology.
Search PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO and PsycBOOKS together.
PsycInfo This link opens in a new window
This database indexes psychology and behavioral sciences literature, from 1887 to current. Subjects include Education, Linguistics, Medicine, Organizational Behavior, Psychiatry, and Sociology.
Ebscohost has a mobile web application at http://m.ebscohost.com/

Search PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO and PsycBOOKS together.
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
ScienceDirect is Elsevier's full text platform for over 3,000 scholarly journals in business, economics, decision sciences, mathematics, statistics, computer science, social sciences and psychology. Advances in- and Research in- book series in the Business, Management, Economics and Psychology package are also available.
SMU Libraries has access to ScienceDirect API that can be used for text and data mining. More info here.

Recommended Text

Management Science by Stephen G. Powell; Kenneth R. Baker
Call Number: HF5548.2 .P654 2014
ISBN: 9781118582695
Publication Date: 2013-10-07
3-Hour Course Reserves
Another copy of this title is available on Level 4.
Managerial decision modeling by Cliff T. Ragsdale
Call Number: HD30.25 .R465 2011
ISBN: 9780538478731
Publication Date: 2011
3-Hour Course Reserves
Another copy of this title is available on Level 4.

Required Readings

Harvard Business Cases

Note that Harvard Business Cases are not available online or through the library. Please check with your school administration.

Harvard Business Review articles

For HBR articles, please use our library homepage to search for them.

Journals

Decision analysis
Business Source Complete 2004 to present (Embargo: 5 years)
Management Science
Business Source Complete 2004 to present (Embargo: 5 years)

Additional Resources

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis by Alessio Ishizaka; Philippe Nemery
ISBN: 1119974070
Publication Date: 2013-08-19
This title is an e-book.
Encyclopedia of Operations Research and Management Science by Saul I. Gass (Editor); Michael C. Fu (Editor)
ISBN: 9781441911537
Publication Date: 2014-02-03
This title is an e-book.
Management Science (Part I) by B. H. Rudall
ISBN: 9781846634512
Publication Date: 2007-04-20
This title is an e-book
Management Science (Part II) by Brian H. Rudall
ISBN: 9781846634819
Publication Date: 2007-06-22
This title is an e-book.