Students

STAT2579 – Operations Research I

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor/Lecturer
Nino Kordzakhia
nino.kordzakhia@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
12WW 610
see iLearn
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
FOSE1015 or STAT170(P) or STAT1170 or STAT171 or STAT1371 or STAT150 or STAT1250
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit surveys the field of operations research, which is the practical application of a scientific method to the operational, organisational and economic problems of business and industry. An elementary knowledge of algebra is assumed. Students are expected to use Microsoft Excel to find solutions to formulated problems. Topics are model construction; linear programming; transportation and assignment problems; network analysis (critical path and PERT); inventory analysis and waiting lines.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Apply mathematical modelling principles to real and simulated business scenarios.
  • ULO2: Use Excel Solver to find solutions to linear programming, transportation and assignment problems and interpret the output.
  • ULO3: Use the Critical Path Method (CPM) and Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) for optimal project scheduling.
  • ULO4: Formulate an inventory policy which will control the stock of goods at a minimum total cost in inventory models.
  • ULO5: Evaluate probabilities of various queue lengths, average queue length and the average time spent waiting in a queue.

General Assessment Information

ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Assignment submission will be online through the iLearn page.

Submit assignments online via the appropriate assignment link on the iLearn page. 

  • Assignment submission is via iLearn. You should upload this as a single scanned PDF file.
  • It is your responsibility to make sure your assignment submission is legible.

You may submit as often as required prior to the due date/time. Please note that each submission will completely replace any previous submissions. It is in your interests to make frequent submissions of your partially completed work as insurance against technical or other problems near the submission deadline.

LATE SUBMISSION OF WORK: 

  • All electronic quizzes must be done by the official due date and time.
  • In the case of late submission of an assignment, if special consideration has NOT been granted, the following deductions will be applied to the awarded assessment mark: 12 to 24 hours late = 10% deduction; for each day thereafter, an additional 10% per day or part thereof (including weekends and/or public holidays) will be applied until five days beyond the due date. After this time, a mark of zero (0) will be given. 

FINAL EXAM POLICY: It is Macquarie University's policy not to set early examinations for individuals or groups of students. All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester, that is, the final day of the official examination period. The only excuse for not sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these special circumstances, you may apply for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au.

If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the interval between the regular exam period and the start of the next session. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during this supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
iLearn Quizzes 20% No Week 3, 6, 9,11
Assignment 1 10% No Week 4
Assignment 2 10% No Week 8
Final Examination 60% No University Examination Period

iLearn Quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 3, 6, 9,11
Weighting: 20%

 

iLearn quizzes may be attempted multiple times. Reinforce and apply skills learned in lectures

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Use Excel Solver to find solutions to linear programming, transportation and assignment problems and interpret the output.
  • Use the Critical Path Method (CPM) and Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) for optimal project scheduling.
  • Formulate an inventory policy which will control the stock of goods at a minimum total cost in inventory models.

Assignment 1

Assessment Type 1: Quantitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 8 hours
Due: Week 4
Weighting: 10%

 

Reinforce and apply skills learned in lectures and SGTAs. Apply linear programming principles to business scenarios.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply mathematical modelling principles to real and simulated business scenarios.

Assignment 2

Assessment Type 1: Quantitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 8 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 10%

 

Reinforce and apply skills learned in lectures and SGTAs. Apply mathematical models to simulated business scenarios.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply mathematical modelling principles to real and simulated business scenarios.
  • Use Excel Solver to find solutions to linear programming, transportation and assignment problems and interpret the output.
  • Formulate an inventory policy which will control the stock of goods at a minimum total cost in inventory models.

Final Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: University Examination Period
Weighting: 60%

 

Formal invigilated examination testing the learning outcomes of the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply mathematical modelling principles to real and simulated business scenarios.
  • Use Excel Solver to find solutions to linear programming, transportation and assignment problems and interpret the output.
  • Use the Critical Path Method (CPM) and Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) for optimal project scheduling.
  • Formulate an inventory policy which will control the stock of goods at a minimum total cost in inventory models.
  • Evaluate probabilities of various queue lengths, average queue length and the average time spent waiting in a queue.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

The Lectures begin in Week 1 online.

The SGTAs (1- hour per week) begin in Week 2.

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

  • The lecture slides and SGTA material will be made available via iLearn.
  • Reference books:
  1. Quantitative Decision Making with Spreadsheet Applications (7th Ed) by Lawrence L. Lapin, William D. Whisler, 2002  
  2. Operations Research Applications and Algorithms (4th Ed), 2004 by Winston W. L. (PWS Kent) 
  3. Operations Research: An Introduction (8th edition), 2007 by Hamdy A. Taha (Pearson/ Prentice Hall) 

Technology Used and Required

Microsoft Excel

iLearn

Students can access the iLearn page by logging on at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au. Students must log in regularly to read the Announcements and access the teaching material.

Unit Schedule

Study

Week

 

Lecture topic

 

Assessment Due

 

1

 

Introduction; LP formulation

 

 

2

 

LP formulation; graphical solution

 

 

3

 

Solving LPs

 

Electronic Quiz

 

4

 

Sensitivity Analysis

 

Assignment 1

 

5

 

Simulation

 

 

6

 

Inventory

 

Electronic Quiz

 

 

 

Mid - Session Break

 

7

 

Project management

 

 

 

8

 

Project management cont.

 

Assignment 2

 

9

 

Transportation

 

Electronic Quiz

 

10

 

Transportation cont.

 

 

11

 

Queuing

 

Electronic Quiz

 

12

 

Revision

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook