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Monash University

FIT5157 Services science - Semester 2, 2009

Chief Examiner:

Mr Rodney Martin
Lecturer
Phone: +61 3 990 55289
Fax: +61 3 990 58731

Lecturer(s) / Leader(s):

Caulfield

Mr Rodney Martin
Lecturer
Phone: +61 3 990 55289
Fax: +61 3 990 58731

Contact hours: Wednesdays 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Thursdays 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Clayton

Lecturer: Rodney Martin

Contact hours: Fridays 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Tutor: Purnima Gadiyar - Purnima.Gadiyar@infotech.monash.edu.au

Tutor: Suttisak Jantavongso - suttiis@gmail.com

Introduction

Welcome to FIT5157 Services Science for semester 2, 2009. This 6 point unit is a core unit in the Business Systems professional track of the Master of Business Information Systems, Master of Business Systems and Master of Information Management and Systems degrees, and an elective unit for others studying these degrees and other masters degrees from within the Faculty of IT. The unit has been designed to provide you with an understanding of the management, design and operations of service organizations.

THE IBM DEFINITION: Services sciences, Management and Engineering (SSME) hopes to bring together ongoing work in computer science, operations research, industrial engineering, business strategy, management sciences, social and cognitive sciences, and legal sciences to develop the skills required in a services-led economy.

Unit synopsis

Services science draws from the social sciences, business, and engineering technology and applies scientific methods to the design and management of services. The use of IT is a crucial and essential part of services science and an understanding this area is of major importance to IT students. In the current business environment IT techniques and skills have become essential to successfully manage operations, services and projects. The focus of this unit is to provide students with sufficient knowledge of modern services science and business operations, concepts, and modern software, to work effectively in service operations roles in industry and government.

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of FIT5157 students will:

  1. Understand how service businesses operate and evolve;

  1. Understand the management principles, concepts and standards that guide service operations and project management practices;

  1. Be able to specify the organisational capabilities to support service operations management;

  1. Have the skills to design and develop an appropriate management structure for service operations and the management of service projects.

Contact hours

3 x contact hrs/week

Workload

  • One two-hour lecture and a
  • One-hour tutorial
  • A minimum of 2-3 hours of personal study per one hour of contact time in order to satisfy the reading and assignment expectations.
  • You will need to allocate up to 5 hours per week in some weeks, for use of a computer

  • Unit relationships

    Prerequisites

    Students are expected to have a background in IT, Engineering or Science.

    Relationships

    FIT5157 is a 6 point unit and is a core unit in the Business Systems professional track of the Master of Business Information Systems, Master of Business Systems and Master of Information Management and Systems degrees, and an elective unit for others studying these degrees and other masters degrees from within the Faculty of IT.

    Teaching and learning method

    There will be a 2 hour lecture and a one hour tutorial per week.

    The tutorials will cover each topic of the course.

    There will be a numerical  questions assignment consisting of a question on each of four numerical topics.

     There will be a software assignment consisting of a small program to solve a business need for a service business.

    There will be a case study assignment.

    Timetable information

    For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

    Tutorial allocation

    On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system: http://allocate.cc.monash.edu.au/

    Unit Schedule

    Week Topic Key dates
    1 Introduction and Business Strategy  
    2 Business Strategy and Marketing  
    3 Marketing and Process Design Tools  
    4 Accounting  
    5 Project Management  
    6 Inventory Control  
    7 IT/internet in services operations 4 September - Submit numerical questions assignment: Accounting and Project Management
    8 IT/internet in services operations 11 September - Submit numerical questions assignment: Inventory Control
    9 IT/internet in services operations  
    10 Mathematical Optimization  
    Mid semester break
    11 JIT, Barcoding 9 October - Submit numerical questions assignment: Mathematical Optimization question
    12 ISO9000 October 16 - Submit IT/Internet assignment and Case Study assignment
    13 Quality, ISO9000  

    Unit Resources

    Prescribed text(s) and readings

    Lecture notes will be supplied on Blackboard.

    The following text book will be helpful:

    "Successful Service Operations Management", Metters et al, Thomson, South-Western, 2006, ISBN-10: 0324224370, http://academic.cengage.com/cengage/student.do?product_isbn=9780324224375&disciplinenumber=412

    Recommended text(s) and readings

    The following references will be available on Blackboard:

    Lecture notes, tutorial exercises and worked examples.

    Equipment and consumables required or provided

    Students studying off-campus are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the Faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access. On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook. You will need to allocate up to 5 hours per week for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

    Study resources

    Study resources we will provide for your study are:

    Lecture notes, tutorial exercises and examples are available on the Blackboard site and ftp site ftp://ftp.monash.edu.au/pub/rlmartin

    Assessment

    Overview

    Examination (2 hours): 50%
    + Assignments: 50%

    Faculty assessment policy

    To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

    • 40% or more in the unit's examination, and
    • 40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment, and
    • an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

    If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 44% then a mark of no greater than 44-N will be recorded for the unit.

    To pass this unit, a student must obtain :

    • 40% or more in the unit's examination and
    • 40% or more in the unit's non-examination assessment
       and
    • an overall unit mark of 50% or more

    If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination assessment then a mark of no greater than 44-N will be recorded for the unit.

    Final marks will be standardized.

    Assignment tasks

    Assignment coversheets

    Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
    You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

    Assignment submission and return procedures, and assessment criteria will be specified with each assignment.

    • Assignment task 1
      Title:
      IT - Internet Assignment
      Description:
      A small program to solve a business need.
      Weighting:
      10%
      Due date:
      16 October
    • Assignment task 2
      Title:
      Case Study
      Description:
      A case study of a service business. Groups of 2 students. The case study will involve planning out the operations of a service business, estimating financial aspects, and preparing a project plan to build and start the business. Variations on this description are invited.
      Weighting:
      20%
      Due date:
      16 October
    • Assignment task 3
      Title:
      Numerical Questions Assignment
      Description:
      A small exercise on each of the numerical topics: (1) Accounting, (2) Project Management, (3) Inventory Control, (4) Mathematical Optimization - 5% for each topic, making 20% total
      Weighting:
      20%
      Due date:
      4 September - Accounting/Project Management, 11 September - Inventory Control, 9 October - Mathematical Optimization

    Examination

    • Weighting: 50%
      Length: 2 hours
      Type (open/closed book): Closed book

    See Appendix for End of semester special consideration / deferred exams process.

    Due dates and extensions

    Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are not regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

    Students requesting an extension for any assessment during semester (eg. Assignments, tests or presentations) are required to submit a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task), along with original copies of supporting documentation, directly to their lecturer within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days. The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.

    A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

    Refer to the Faculty Special consideration webpage or further details and to access application forms: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html

    Late assignment

    Late assignments will be accepted without penalty up to the date of the examination, or publication of the solution, whichever is earlier.

    Solutions to the numerical questions exercises will normally be published one week after the due date.

    Return dates

    Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

    Appendix

    Please visit the following URL: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/appendix.html for further information about:

    • Continuous improvement
    • Unit evaluations
    • Communication, participation and feedback
    • Library access
    • Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)
    • Plagiarism, cheating and collusion
    • Register of counselling about plagiarism
    • Non-discriminatory language
    • Students with disability
    • End of semester special consideration / deferred exams
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