I recently took a basic OR workshop titled "OR for Managers" where I gave students a bird's eye view of the potential of Operations Research in solving everyday business problems across a wide range of domains. Most of the sessions focussed on problem formulation and solution using excel solver. However, I didn't explicitly cover any algorithms/heuristics one usually attributes to a subject titled Operations Research. While the main reason was the paucity of time, I also believe that these algorithms are pretty standard and could be picked up from the ubiquitous online resources available. One such good resource is Introduction to Operations Research series of videos (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7EChoEITPjhoriOk-igVfQ/videos). This channel contains everything all the basic algorithms required to be known by anybody doing a first course in OR. However, if your requirement is specific i.e you want to know how to solve a specific type of problem without having to go through all the videos in the aforementioned channel here are a few links. I promised the students I would put together a list of useful and credible online resources so that they could "minimize" their search time! That will quickly give you a basic idea.
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Yesterday, I took a one off session in the course titled Supply Chain Management.
We discussed the idea of the Triple A supply chain pioneered by Prof. Hau Lee of the Stanford Business School. Supply Chains should have
Slides on alignment and the relevant excel file has been attached herewith. Prof. Hau Lee is an eminent scholar in the area of supply chain management. He is the one who coined the term Bullwhip effect and his work has had a lot of impact on the field of supply chain management. Find an interview below.
One key turning point of the quality revolution in the USA was a this 1980 NBA documentary in 1980 which pulled up the American manufacturing sector for not getting their house in order. It prominently features Dr. Edward Deming. This is the first time the US industry would take notice of the Quality "prophet" amidst them. The rest, as they say, is history! While it is old, it is still very much relevant and there is a lot to learn. It is actually fascinating how not much has changed since!! Being new to the teaching field, I am always looking for feedback from students. The Academic Commitee of IIM Raipur recently collected interim course feedback for my operations management - 2 course. Here are my responses to the points raised in the feedback provided to me.
Case studies have been really appreciated by the batch. A very high percentage of the class seems to be satisfied with the current format. Thanks for the feedback. The case method is most effective when the students are deeply engaged. I found a "very high percentage" of students sincere in their efforts to contribute to the class. Many students feel that the speed with which cases are dealt with is a little fast for them to catch up and retain. Speed is an issue in case teaching, especially with highly engaged students like you all. The flow of the discussion is unpredictable and might vary across sections. In the interest of homogeneous coverage of all relevant issues , I tend to give cursory treatment for a few issues. This might make the discussion seem fast. Anyways, from now on I shall definitely try to slow down a bit, reinforce all relevant points at regular intervals during the class. Excel sheets those were being used in the class during the case discussions are sometimes difficult to understand. Point taken. I shall be more careful while dealing with excel sheets from now on. In fact, after the next couple of sessions, the need for excel sheets might be minimal. All excel sheets apart from case solutions are shared in the website. Include more practical examples Cases are meant to be practical examples which we deal with in depth. For cursory examples, you can refer to the textbooks. I shall however strive to include more examples during the class as well. Please allow laptops to the class during the case discussions where we can practice You can get them. However, anybody found facebooking, tweeting in class could be penalized. To include videos in the class along with the online portal. Even I would love to do this. The classroom infrastructure is not conducive enough for this to be done. That is the problem. If that gets fixed, I am all for usage of videos during class. Some students feel that quiz was a bit tough. Quiz was meant to be tough. How else can I separate out the men and women from the boys and girls! Nothing to be done on this front.
In this post, I shall create an inventory of informative and good quality OM learning videos. These can be used by students to gain more clarity on some key OM concepts.
While these would be of great use, I am slightly(gravely, in fact!) scared that these videos can essentially replace me as a faculty!!! As we come to the end of the Service Operations elective, I take this opportunity to tell you all that you have all been a great bunch of students. Never before I have seen a batch so enthusiastic and so involved in the proceedings of the class. Kudos to all your efforts during the course.
I have tried to bring in both theoretical aspects of service management and the practical side of things (through practitioner guest lectures) in the course. Further, I have tried to provide you with timely (& private) feedback on your performance and anytime access to all course content through my teaching website. I hope you found all these useful. Your feedback on all fronts is very much welcome. If I have caused any embarrassment or offense to anybody during the course, I sincerely apologize for the same. See you all on Sep 12th during the end term. The end term will be open book and case based. As mentioned the case will be much smaller. If you have followed the in-class discussion, you should be able to crack the exam without much prep. So sit back, relax and listen to Hotel California or prepare for the other exams if you wish! ;)
Now, this is the first time I am doing a podcast. So do let me know how you liked/disliked it.
Government services, you need them but you hate them! They are characterized by unending red tape, glaring mismanagement of resources, mostly needless information asymmetry and a utter lack of coordination among various agencies. This not only leads to unpleasant citizen experience while availing these services but also leads to a colossal wastage of taxpayer's hard earned money.
Over the last few years, governments across the world have increasingly adopted a one-stop-shop system to deal with these issues. By bringing more and more services into the fold, one stop shop systems could work as a backbone for efficient, citizen friendly and hassle free government services. However, this would need a fundamental organizational and process changes and an integrated IT infrastructure. The following article from the July 2015 edition of McKinsey Insights analyzes the issue of citizen services in detail. Link to the article: http://bit.ly/1H6W6Hu Here is an example of a one-stop-shop e-governance portal of the Qatar government. A lot is always said about the potential for growth of organized retail sector in India. There is a lot to be gained from the economies of scale, efficient supply chains and higher consumer welfare. These gains might help compensate, to an extent, the social cost of elbowing small retailers out of business.
In spite of all this, the share of organized retail in the overall retail pie of India is pegged at around 10.2% (Source). One key issue faced by the organized retail is with regards to in-store operations: Shelf space decisions, managing displays and in-store promotional activities etc. A lot of research has gone into determining how these operational decisions impact overall sales of particular items. Organized retailers in the west use this research to manage their in-store operations in an organized and scientific manner. This is where, I believe the Indian retailers need to catch up on. This McKinsey Insight August 2015 article talks about an activity based approach to reduce store operations cost. Do check it out: http://bit.ly/1NTsJBb
Today, we discussed the ITC echoupal initiative and drew significant service lessons from it. Firstly, that service orientation is not limited to customers and employees alone but also to suppliers. Yet another key insight of the discussion was how ITC took significant risks in developing the social contracts to ensure an efficient supply chain. The last key insight was about how the ITC reinvented the farmer engagement initiatives by weaving it into the social fabric the farmers were already a part of.
As practicing managers, sometimes you have to think radically differently to redefine your service concept and rethink the type of interactions your employees, customers or suppliers are having. Here is a link to a talk by Prof. Kamalini Ramdas, of the London Business School who is a key proponent of innovation in services through radical rethinking of interactions. Full article here: https://hbr.org/2012/12/four-ways-to-reinvent-service-delivery/ar/1?referral=0060
If you feel the above video is too long, here is a link to two and a half minute version of the talk which pretty much gives the gist.
https://hbr.org/2012/11/dont-be-afraid-to-rethink-your.html |
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