Tag: case studies

Teaching Tip: Assigning Case Studies through MyOMLab

With close to 100 short  (1/2 -1 1/2 page) case studies in our text and on MyOMLab, Jay, Chuck, and I are big believers in the benefit of cases for both undergrad and MBA students. They bring a real world sense to the classroom and encourage students to analyze OM issues on a deeper level than that in homework problems. But, of course, grading case study solutions in a large class is an onerous task that may detract from the advantages of assigning them. So, for fall semester, we propose a solution. We have selected 1-2 case studies in each chapter and created four multiple choice MyLab questions for each case. The questions are not trivial and require a thoughtful analysis before responding. The idea is to provide you with more pedagogical options. And if you like the idea, please email us (or comment below) and we will add this feature to all of the text’s cases. Here is a list of the MyLab coded cases available by chapter:

Ch 1 Zychol Chemical

Ch 2 Rapid-Lube

Ch 3 Southwestern University: (A)

Ch 4 Southwestern University: (B)

Ch 5 DeMar’s Product Strategy

Ch 6 Southwestern University: (C) and Westover Wire

Supp. 6 Bayfield Mud Co.

Ch 7 Rochester Manufacturing’s Process Decision

Supp. 7 Southwestern University: (D)

Ch 8 Southern Recreational Vehicle

Ch 9 State Automobile License Renewals

Ch 10 Jackson Manufacturing

Ch 11 Premier Bicycle’s COVID Problem

Supp. 11 JIT after a Catastrophe

Ch 12 Zhou Bicycle Co.

Ch 13 Andrew-Carter

Ch 14 Hill’s Automotive

Ch 15 Old Oregon Wood Store

Ch 16 Mutual Insurance

Ch 17 Worldwide Chemical

Module A Tom Thompson’s Liver Transplant

Module B Coastal States Chemicals

Module C Custom Vans

Module D New England Foundry

Module E SMT Negotiation with IBM

Module F Alabama Airlines’ Call Center

Teaching Tip: Teaching Covid and OM

We think that when you review your lecture outlines on supply chains and OM this semester and in Spring, you may find the need for some reworking. As a matter of fact, “the disruption of the pandemic in 2020, coming on top of the uncertainties surrounding trade wars, has helped turn OM/SCM into a theme of growing concern for businesses, business schools and wider society,” reports Financial Times (Oct. 8, 2020). 

Shortage of bikes at Walmart during the pandemic

Cross-border trade comprised just 5% of GDP in the mid-20th century but today it is closer to 50%. That has been accompanied by a rapid extension of global supply chains with products and their components often manufactured in numerous countries, driven by cheap labor and easier transport and communication.

London Business School Prof. Jeremie Gallien states: “supply chain management used to be perceived as a ‘somewhat niche component’ of the business education curriculum. In the aftermath of the first Covid wave, many firms found themselves either fighting for survival or realizing the importance of increasing their resilience to reduce the costs they will incur during the next disruption It is harder to get student interest if one teaches supply chain concepts without being able to relate to Covid-19.”

Jay, Chuck, and I agree. And as authors of the top selling OM text in U.S. and global markets, we are here to help make your lectures more timely and relevant. We hope you will incorporate Table 11.3 (“Supply Chain Risks and Tactics”) in Ch. 11 (p. 450) and the section called “Evaluating Disaster Risk in the Supply Chain” in Supp. 11 (p.472-3) into your syllabus.

And to bring more currency into case discussions, we have just written a new case called Premier Bicycle’s COVID Problem. This case will appear in MyOMLab’s Spring edition, but here is the link should you want to preview the case or teach it this term.

 

Teaching Tip: Three Active Learning Strategies for Your OM Students

We would like our students to retain every bit of learned material in our OM classes. However, many students come to us having achieved academic success by memorizing the content, regurgitating that information onto an exam, and promptly forgetting a good portion of it, reports Faculty Focus (Sept. 27, 2018). In OM, as well as other disciplines where new material builds upon the previous material, it is important for students to retain what they learn and as they begin their management careers.

Here are three active learning strategies for pushing students beyond simple memorization.

  1. Case studies stimulate the student’s own thinking and reflection, both individually and in groups. Through reflection, the student gains a broader view, increased understanding, knowledge, and deeper learning. We have 41 video case studies and 20 traditional case studies in the text (plus 2 dozen more at our web site) to select from.
  2. Simulation is another  a good method to help the student apply knowledge to real world scenarios. Our five simulations have proven to be one of the most popular tools we offer in MyOMLab.
  3. One-Minute Papers – Among active learning techniques, the 1-minute paper remains a simple yet effective way to gauge student learning. These papers get students to reflect on what went on in the classroom that day. Questions should be open-ended so as to encourage reflection and feedback on the subject matter. Possible prompts for a 1-minute paper include:
    The clearest point of today’s class was:
    The muddiest point of today’s class  was:
    How I prepared for class today:
    What I liked best that helped me learn:
    What I wish had been discussed during today’s class:

We all know that lecturing is not the most effective manner of teaching OM, any more than cramming is an effective form of learning. Active learning strategies can move students from passive to active participation in learning; boosting retention in the process. As an added bonus, these methods fit well in the flipped learning environment that many of us are using today.

Teaching Tip: Engaging Your On-Line Students

Teaching online is a unique experience for faculty and students. One of those challenges is how to engage online students in activities that push them to go beyond simply reading, interpreting, and interacting. As such, we are constantly seeking ways to engage students in learning that goes beyond the “click-through” material. Here are two ideas from Faculty Focus (Aug. 14, 2017):

Scaffolding the Recording Experience. To effectively engage in online learning that involves interactivity, students need to develop a sense of technology competence. While most tech-savvy students have no problems jumping right in, others may need a scaffolded approach to engaging in online interactivity.
Most LMS platforms allow for the submission of video and audio files to a drop-box, assignment submission folder, or other location for grading within the course. Rather than asking students to record and post a video, you could craft scaffolded assignments that promote real-time connectedness. For the first assignment, you could leverage Instant Messaging (IM) by asking students to work in pairs, sending messages back and forth in a “text-only” interactive session.  Next, students could collaborate using the synchronous video option either provided by your LMS or by a third party (e.g. Skype and Adobe Connect) and submit this work for feedback.

Case Studies. The general procedure of popular case studies is to supply the case and ask the student to respond by answering questions based on the text material. With the addition of technologies like Adobe Captivate or Articulate Storyline (or others), you can prompt students to take actions to move the story forward, select response options with variable feedback, and participate in a way that adds a visual component to the experience. Although somewhat labor intensive, these activities can be used in nearly any LMS and can be reused, edited, and revised as needed. This allows for case studies to presented in a way that calls for interactivity and that is represented in a way that visual cues and information can be displayed to students. Students perceive the experience as a more real-life activity rather than an academic exercise.