Readers may have noticed, that in the 14th edition of our OM text, we have continued to add to the rich selection of solved problems and end-of-chapter problems (which now comprise about 1,000 static problems). When the multitude of algorithmic versions are added, the number of problems may exceed 10,000! (We have actually not tried to count them).
In addition to the end-of-chapter problems, MyLabOperationsManagement also includes a number of problem variations noted as ‘brief’, ‘alternate’, and ‘extension’.
‘Brief’ problems are designed to allow faculty to assign problems with a smaller data set (see Problems 4.3, 4.6). These may be especially useful for time-constrained testing situations or with assignments containing a number of other problems. In these situations, students focus a larger percentage of their time on applying the technique a few times rather than generating “busy work” by repeating the same technique over and over. While the problem should take less time to solve, the ‘brief’ problem may have a data set that is smaller than should be used for a reasonable sample in the real world. Faculty may want to note this for students.
‘Alternate’ problems are variations of the text problem(s) (see Problems 15.24, 15,25 and 15.26) to enhance the variety of problems available to assign to students.
Finally, ‘extension’ problems enrich the comprehensiveness of the problem, as in Chapter 15, for example, where the critical ratio option has been added as an ‘extension’ of the scheduling problem (see Problems 15. 25, 15.27)
In all cases these problems can be accessed by the instructor by ‘clicking’ the “Show other custom questions” in the Assignment Manager, under Instructor Tools.