In this course, we explore a variety of common quantitative modeling problems that arise frequently in business settings, and discuss how they can be formally modeled and solved with a combination of business insight and computer-based tools. The key topics we cover include capacity management, service operations, inventory control, structured decision making, constrained optimization, and simulation. Through this course, you will learn to model complex business situations, and you will master tools to improve business performance. The goal is to provide you a set of foundational skills useful for future coursework at Wharton, as well as providing an overview of problems and techniques that characterize disciplines covered in the Operations, Information and Decisions Department.
The course assumes no specific background beyond basic mathematics skills. Familiarity with the basic operations of Excel is helpful, but not required—we will provide tutorials for the needed Excel skills. Furthermore, no prior experience with programming or statistics is expected.
