October 31, 2007

TO: Mark Schneiderhan, Chair

Senate Committee on Educational Policy

FROM: Midge Grosch

Director, Programs and Academic Assessment

I am forwarding for review and action by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy the attached Proposal to Establish a Minor in Business Operations.

The proposal was approved by the faculty in the College of Business Administration on September 26, 2007.

Attachment

Cc: J. Pierce

S. Bhattacharyya

Title:
Establishment of a Minor in Business Operations
Sponsor:
Department of Information and Decision Sciences
College of Business Administration
Description:
The Information and Decision Sciences Department in the College of Business Administration proposes to offer a minor in Business Operations. This minor can be used by the students in the College of Business Administration and other UIC colleges to enhance their knowledge and marketability.
Justification:
Streamlining business operations, coordinating complex supply chains, and managing customer relations have become critical success factors in business administration. The Business Operations minor will train the students in these skills and make them marketable.
Catalog Statement: No previous catalog statement exists.
Minor in Business Operations
(The requirements for the minor are separate from the IDS major requirements)
Streamlining business operations, coordinating complex supply chains, and managing customer relations have become critical success factors in business administration. The Business Operations minor will train the students in these skills and make them marketable. The minor program is open to majors from other units and colleges. Students must submit a request form to the Undergraduate Student Services (Room 1118 University Hall Building) to enroll. Students must also consult their home colleges about the acceptability and applicability of the Information and Decision Sciences course credit toward their degree. Registration for most IDS courses is restricted to students in the Department of Information and Decision Sciences; therefore students must register through the Department of Information and Decision Sciences (Room 2402 University Hall Building). A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.50 (A = 4.00) is required for admission to and completion of the minor field.
The minor requires 12 hours (4 courses) from the list below:
Course Credit Hours
IDS 312 Business Project Management 3
(The prerequisite for IDS 312 is IDS 200)
IDS 331 Business Analysis Using Spreadsheets 3
(The prerequisite for IDS 331 is IDS 200)
(Recommended background: ACTG 110)
IDS 420 Business Model Simulation 3
(The prerequisite for IDS 420 is credit or
Concurrent registration in IDS 331or IDS 355)
IDS 435 Organization Models and Methods 3
(The prerequisite for IDS 435 is IDS 355 and
Math 205 or the equivalent)
IDS 437 Stochastic Methods 3
(The prerequisite of IDS 437 is IDS 355
and Math 205)
IDS 446 Decision Analysis 3
(The prerequisite for IDS 446 is IDS 371)
IDS 450 Advanced Operations Management 3
(The prerequisite for IDS 450 is IDS 355)
IDS 454 Introduction to Supply Chain Management 3
(The prerequisite for IDS 454 is IDS 355)
Total minimum hours 12
Non-business students will be required to take three Business Core courses (IDS 200, IDS 270, and IDS 355) or their equivalent as prerequisites to complete minor.
Hours______
IDS 200 Introduction to Management 4
Information Systems
IDS 270 Business Statistics I 4
(The prerequisite for IDS 270 is MATH 160 or MATH 165)
IDS 355 Operations Management 3
(The prerequisite for IDS 355 is IDS 200 and IDS 270
and ENGL 161 and ECON 218)
Enrollment Residence Requirement in the Minor
A student must complete at least one-half of the course work required for the minor field in residence at the University of Illinois at Chicago. A 2.50 grade point average is required for all work completed for the minor at UIC.
Minority Impact Statement:
The minor provides an educational opportunity to minority students in other colleges and other units of the College of Business Administration. This change will make the discipline of information systems available to all students.
Budgetary and Staff Implication and Library Support:
These changes will have no impact on the budget or on library support. This change has the potential to increase student enrollment in the designated courses, however, the increase in the number of students is not anticipated to impact the teaching staff.
Space Implications: None
Unit (e.g. department) approval date: August 22, 2007
College (Fall Faculty Meeting)): approval dates: September 26, 2007
Contact Person: Sid Bhattacharyya , Associate Professor, Department of
Information and Decision Sciences
Proposed Effective Term: Fall, 2008

Course Descriptions: Information and Decision Sciences (IDS)

200 Introduction to Management Information Systems
4 hours. Introduction to concepts and application of information technology for solving business problems and supporting organizational functions. Includes hands-on instruction on use of computer-based productivity tools. Previously listed as IDS 100.

270 Business Statistics I
4 hours. Survey of concepts and techniques for business applications of statistics. Use of computer software for tabulation and analysis of data. Prerequisite(s): MATH 160 or MATH 165.

312 Business Project Management
3 hours. An integrative approach to learning how projects contribute to the strategic goals of the organization. Major issues: selecting projects, project management techniques and tools, budgeting, monitoring, risk mitigation, and interpersonal skills. Prerequisite(s): IDS 200.

331 Business Analysis Using Spreadsheets
3 hours. Analyzing business cases using spreadsheet software. Effective and efficient use of Excel. Spreadsheet automation using Visual Basic for Applications. Extensive computer use required. Prerequisite(s): IDS 200. Recommended background: ACTG 110.

355 Operations Management

3 hours. Application of management sciences to the planning and design of production, distribution, and service systems. Prerequisite(s): IDS 200 and IDS 270 and ENG 161 and ECON 218.

420 Business Model Simulation
3 hours. Simulation analysis of strategic business decision models for investment, marketing, product introduction, and operational policies concerning inventory, production planning, quality assurance, and supply chain management. Prerequisite(s): Credit or concurrent registration in IDS 355: or credit or concurrent registration in IDS 331 or the equivalent.

435 Optimization Models and Methods
3 hours. Linear, nonlinear, dynamic programming, combinatorial methods. Use of spreadsheet and other software tools. Duality, sensitivity analysis. Models for business operations and planning, computer systems, transportation, finance. Prerequisite(s): IDS 355; and MATH 205 or the equivalent.

437 Stochastic Methods
3 hours. Stochastic processes and other applications of probability theory. Use of spreadsheet and other software tools for analysis, simulation, and decision theory. Models for business operations and planning, computer systems, transportation, finance. Prerequisite(s): IDS 355 and MATH 205.

446 Decision Analysis
3 hours. Prior and posterior distributions; conjugate priors; value of information; applications to decision making in business. Prerequisite(s): IDS 371.

450 Advanced Operations Management

3 hours. Application of management science to the operation and control of production, distribution, and service system. Emphasis on inventory management, production planning, capacity expansion, and demand forecasting. Prerequisite(s): IDS 355.

454 Introduction to Supply Chain Management

3 hours. Supply Chain Management is studied as an information-intensive, integrated system for managing material flows, logistics, and interorganizational partnership to deliver products and services. Prerequisite(s): IDS 355.

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Revised on 10/20/07