MSCI Course Descriptions

Management Sciences (2009-2010)

An introduction to the methods and principles of management engineering. Written, graphical, and oral forms of technical communication. Engineering graphics fundamentals of projection, computer-aided design, freehand sketching, and the interpretation of technical drawings. Introduction to quantitative methods of data analysis, planning, forecasting, decision modeling, and work flow analysis. Engineering design, including a management process design project with small groups. Aspects of the engineering profession including ethics, safety, and intellectual property. Professional development including résumé skills, interview skills, and preparation for co-op terms. [Offered: F]

General Seminar. [Offered: W]

The course introduces fundamental concepts in two main areas: The first is work analysis and design where work methods design, motion and time study, and work sampling are covered. The second covers basic concepts in facilities planning such as process analysis, flow design, facility location and layout, and material handling systems. Students will apply these concepts in design activities in labs and projects. [Offered: W]

General seminar. [Offered: F, first offered Fall 2008]

General seminar. [Offered: S, first offered Spring 2009]

Introduction to the concepts of learning, person perception, attitudes and motivation in an organization. Consideration of communication, roles, norms and decision making within a group. Discussion of power, control, leadership and management in light of the above concepts. [Offered: F, S]

Design and analysis of data structures and algorithms. Mathematical and conceptual analysis of algorithms for set operations, sorting, graphs, and priority queues. Comparison of algorithms on different data structures. Algorithmic and data structural solutions to common engineering problems in computer science. Mathematical analysis of space and time complexity as well as other forms of computational complexity in algorithms. [Offered: F]

This course introduces fundamental concepts in probability and statistics. It covers topics in probability, random variables, discrete and continuous probability distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, sampling, and introductory linear regression. Students are exposed to software packages that enable statistical analysis. [Offered: F]

Introductory Finance: time value of money, cash flow analysis. Investment evaluation methods: present worth, annual worth and internal rate of return. Depreciation models and asset replacement analysis. The impact of inflation, taxation, uncertainty and risk on investment decisions. [Offered: F,W,S]

This course provides students with an understanding of how costs are calculated and allocated within an organization. The focus is on developing an understanding of how all aspects of engineering impact the cost structure of an organization, and how these costs are analyzed and used in corporate planning and decision making processes. [Offered: F]

This course introduces students to key concepts in microeconomics and macroeconomics, with an emphasis on applications to managerial decision-making. Topics from microeconomics include: basic analysis of supply and demand, demand functions and the theory of consumer behaviour, production functions, cost functions, and market structures. Topics from macroeconomics include: national accounting, inflation, unemployment, balance of payments, foreign exchange. [Offered: S]

This course introduces students to first and second order ordinary differential equations, vector calculus, and numerical methods for solution of systems of equations and ordinary differential equations. Applications in Management Engineering are emphasized. [Offered: F]

General Seminar. [Offered: W, first offered Winter 2010]

General Seminar. [Offered: F, first offered Fall 2010]

The focus of this course is on the procedures and variables involved in the design and redesign of organizations. Issues such as departmentation, differentiation, integration, internal politics, innovation, authority and control are discussed in the context of the underlying technology of the organization. Emphasis will be placed on how one designs both the technical and the organizational systems to ensure their compatibility, noting the effects that one has on the other. [Offered: F, W]

This first course in optimization uses a quantitative approach to problem solving involving, mathematical modelling and formulations, solution methods, and output analysis. Students are introduced to a variety of practical problem formulations in Management and Engineering, a number of solution methods, including, but not limited to linear optimization, network models, project management, and decision analysis. Students are also involved in a group project, where they go through conceptual and operational model design, analytical solution, output analysis, and recommendation. [Offered: F, W, S]

This course builds on the material presented in MSCI 331, and explores more advanced optimization techniques and applications. Methods, such as integer optimization, dynamic programming, and heuristics are introduced and used to design solution alternatives for applications from Management Engineering. This may include network and process design in logistics, transportation, telecommunications, and healthcare. [Offered: F, first offered Fall 2010]

This course introduces the use of discrete event simulation as an approach for understanding and analyzing complex management systems. Topics include an introduction to simulation modeling, general purpose and special purpose simulation languages, designing valid and credible simulation models, input data analysis, output analysis and experimental design. [Offered: F, first offered Fall 2010]

The purpose of this course is to study methods necessary to cost-effectively address difficult problems arising in the development, management and evolution of software systems. Topics include requirements engineering and analysis; different methods for software design; techniques for building dependable software systems; verification and validation of systems cost estimation, resource estimation and project management; and maintenance issues. [Offered: F, first offered Fall 2010]

This course is designed to provide in-depth exposure to the concepts of human-computer interaction and methods of interactive information system design. The course will focus on techniques for building information systems that meet human needs and capabilities by following a system development lifecycle: user requirements analysis, information and interaction design, prototyping and evaluation. [Offered: F, first offered Fall 2010]

Design and implementation of database solutions to common engineering and management problems. Multiple analytical methods for choosing optimal database designs. Topics include relational database design, data definition, entity modeling, structured query language and emerging types of database systems. [Offered: W, first offered Winter 2010]

General Seminar. [Offered: S, first offered Spring 2011]

General Seminar. [Offered: W, first offered Winter 2012]

This is the first course of a two course sequence to provide students with an opportunity to engage in a significant design experience based on the engineering knowledge and skills gained in previous courses and on cooperative work terms. The instructor will review and extend concepts of project management studied in earlier courses, and students will apply these project management skills. Teams of students will select a large scale design project. Each student is required to define a design sub-project within the context of their team's project, obtain approval of the sub-project, make oral presentations for preliminary and interim design reviews, and submit a written interim report describing the proposed design solution. [Offered S, first offered Spring 2011]

This is the second course of a two course sequence to provide students with an opportunity to engage in a significant design experience based on the engineering knowledge and skills gained in previous courses and on cooperative work terms. Each student is required to complete the detailed design for the sub-project defined in MSCI 401, to integrate their solution into the overall team project, and to submit a written report describing the final design. Each team is required to make an oral presentation of their overall design project solution. [Offered: W, first offered Winter 2012]

This course covers (a) the competitive strategy that a firm uses in its product markets, and (b) the firm's organizational strategy, i.e., how the firm organizes to meet its objectives. The course will be taught from an economic perspective, but findings from other social sciences will also be presented along with their impact on the strategy-making and implementation process. A special focus will be placed on technology firms. [Offered: S]

This course is designed to analyse the impact of technological change and entrepreneurship at a firm and societal level, primarily in terms of the economic antecedents and consequences of new technology. The scope of the course ranges from the study of the determination of productivity and its effect on economic growth to the determination of innovative activity and performance. Prereq: (One of CIVE 292, ECON 101, ENVE 292, MSCI 261, SYDE 331) and (One of BIOL 460, CHE 220, CIVE 224, ECE 316, ECON 221, ENVE 224, ENVS 271, 277, 278, ISS 250R, KIN 222, MSCI 252, ME 202, MTE 201, NE 115, PSCI 214, PSYCH 292, REC 371, 371A, SOC 280, STAT 202, 204, 206, 211, 221, 231, 241, SYDE 214) and level at least 3A. [Offered: F]

This course examines technical and organizational aspects of managing new product and process innovation. Topics include human creativity and problem solving, product design and development, product feasibility assessment, requirements engineering, managing research and development, project management, team communication, technology implementation, and innovation strategy. [Offered: W, first offered Winter 2012]

This course examines the management of organizational knowledge from a cognitive perspective. Topics include concepts, categories, language, information theory, and theories of organizational communication. Practical aspects of the design of computerized knowledge management systems and their effectiveness for encoding and transferring organizational knowledge will be discussed. [Offered: W, first offered Winter 2012]

Introduction to Operations Research models and methods for problems with random, stochastic and probabilistic components. Topics include birth and death processes, branching processes, waiting line models, and Markov decision processes. Applications include, the design, modelling, and analysis of service and manufacturing systems, with emphasis on important functions such as queueing, inventory, reliability, equipment replacement, and maintenance. [Offered: W]

Introduction to management, planning, and control decisions in manufacturing and service settings using quantitative approaches. Topic areas include production, inventory, distribution, quality control, facilities layout, and process design. Students are exposed to a number of examples and case studies, and work on a project that involves analysis and discussion of improved designs. [Offered: F, W,S]

This course exposes students to a variety of application areas in management engineering and introduces to them the challenges inherent in implementing new management engineering systems. Topics will be chosen from areas such as: manufacturing, services, logistics, finance, healthcare and engineering. [Offered: W, first offered Winter 2012]

This course focuses on the efficient use of material, information, physical and human capital resources in supply-demand networks consisting of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and customers. It emphasizes analytic tools used to design, implement and sustain competitive supply chain systems. The material will highlight application of supply chain practices in industry and supply chain implementation challenges. Issues associated with international or global supply chains will be discussed. [Offered: S, first offered Spring 2011]

This course covers more advanced topics in optimization that go beyond the contents of MSCI 331 and MSCI 332. The course will cover topics such as constraint programming, stochastic programming, large scale optimization, or complementarity problems. [Offered: W, first offered Winter 2012]

This course provides an introduction to analysis, design and implementation of decision support systems for engineering and business applications. Operations research modeling techniques and software are integrated with database systems and computer interfaces to create systems that aid managerial decision-making. This course also will discuss challenges in designing and implementing decision support systems based on models drawn from Operations Research. [Offered: W, first offered Winter 2012]

This course is designed to familiarize the student with issues related to the impact of computer-based technologies on individual jobs, organizations, and broader societal level. Particular emphasis will be placed on critical examination of various issues including privacy, security, ethical concern and professional responsibilities. [Offered: W]

This course provides a descriptive introduction to terminology and workings of telecommunication technologies, with a view to appreciating how these technologies can be applied and better managed. Topics include: Introduction to LANs, WANs and Internet technologies, applications of telecommunication media, internet pricing, impact of wide area information systems, social and legal aspects of telecommunication technologies. [Offered: W]

The course is intended to provide students with the knowledge of the theory and practice of information systems development stages, techniques and methodologies. Course topics may include: requirements analysis, structured and object-oriented design techniques and system implementation strategies.

This course will present state-of-the-art practice and research in the storage, extraction, manipulation and analysis of data, with a view to using these processes for making better management decisions. Topics include: extracting, cleaning, and organizing data from transactional databases, discovering and validating patterns and relationships using statistical techniques, and using the extracted patterns for making improved management decisions. [Offered: F, first offered Fall 2010]

This course deals with normative, descriptive, and prescriptive theories of decision making under uncertainty. It begins with analytical models such as decision trees, Bayes Theorem and Bayesian revision, value of information, basic utility theory and multi-attribute decision making. The course continues with an examination of how these theories can fail to predict actual decision making behavior. This course applies the concepts of decision-making to managerial and consumer behavior as well as behavior in negotiations. [Offered: S]

This course discusses how information systems support the execution and management of internal and inter-organizational activities from the perspective of critical business processes. Topics include the information and security requirements necessary to support: the internal "order-to-cash", "procure-to-pay", and "plan-to-produce" processes, as well as inter-organizational business processes such as: Collaborative Planning Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) and e-Procurement. Requirements and success factors for inter-organizational business relationships are also addressed as they relate to information and process sharing. [Offered: S, first offered Spring 2011]

Technical entrepreneurship is examined considering the role of independent business, entrepreneurial behaviour, types of business and enterprises, business structure, sources of venture concepts and capital, company operation and control, and business start-up. [Offered: W]