PhD Operations, Information, and Technology Courses
OIT 601. Fundamentals of OIT
The course covers the very basics of six topics: queuing theory, inventory theory, multi-echelon inventory theory, game theory, stochastic dynamic programming and econometrics.
OIT 602. Dynamic Pricing and Revenue Management I
In tandem with OIT 603, this course explores the application of stochastic modeling and optimization to two closely related problem areas: (a) dynamic price selection, and (b) dynamic allocation of limited capacity to competing demands. Emphasis will be on current research topics, especially in the realm of airline revenue management. Not taught in 2009-10.
OIT 603. Dynamic Pricing and Revenue Management II
In tandem with OIT 602, this course explores the application of stochastic modeling and optimization to two closely related problem areas: (a) dynamic price selection, and (b) dynamic allocation of limited capacity to competing demands. Not taught in 2009-10.
OIT 655. Foundations of Supply Chain Management
This course provides an overview of research in supply chain management (SCM). It has three parts. The first part reviews basic tools of SCM research through selected readings in economics, IT and operations research. The second part reviews the literature in SCM, covering topics such as inventory models, information sharing, information distortion, contract design, value of integration, performance measurement, risk management, and the use of markets for procurement. The last part is devoted to recent advances in SCM research. Not taught in 2009-10.
OIT 659. Operations Models in Homeland Security
In this course, we review the recent operations literature on homeland security. Topics include bioterrorism, pandemic influenza, nuclear security at ports and in cities, the biometric aspects of the US-VISIT program, the detention and removal of illegal aliens, suicide bombers, and electric power security. Not taught in 2009-10.
OIT 663. Methods of Operations/Information Systems
This course covers basic analytical tools and methods that can be used in research in operations and information systems. The emphasis is on foundations of stochastic inventory theory. Basic topics include convexity, duality, induced preference theory, and structured probability distributions. Much of the course is devoted to Markov decision processes, covering finite and infinite horizon models, proving the optimality of simple policies, bounds and computations, and myopic policies.
OIT 664. Stochastic Networks
Processing network models may be used to represent service delivery systems, multi-stage manufacturing processes, or data processing networks. The first half of this two-unit course consists of lectures on performance analysis (e.g., estimating congestion and delay) for classical product-form networks and for Brownian networks. The second half consists of student presentations of recent papers on managing processing networks, typically with game-theoretic aspects.
OIT 665. Seminar on Information-Based Supply Chain Management
This seminar will highlight the research advances on the use of information technology in supply chain management. Such usage has helped companies sharing information to coordinate their supply chain and to realign their incentives. It has also helped reduce the so-called bullwhip effect. Latest information technology like RFID (radio-frequency identification) has also enabled visibility and structural changes that result in significant supply chain performance enhancements. This seminar will focus on the modeling approaches used by researchers that tried to capture the values and potentials of such applications. Not taught in 2009-10.
OIT 667. Revenue Management
Systems for revenue management also called "yield management" or "revenue optimization" combine the use of information technology, statistical forecasting, and mathematical optimization to make tactical decisions about pricing and product availability. A familiar example is the passenger airline industry, where a carrier may sell seats on the same flight at many different fares, with fare availability changing as time advances and uncommitted capacity declines. This course will focus on the mathematical models that underlie contemporary revenue management practice, and on current research areas. The format will mix lecture and discussion with presentation of papers from the research literature. Not taught in 2009-10.
OIT 669. Doctoral Management Science Seminar
This course introduces the students to research concepts, models and approaches in the area of Operations, Information and Technology (OIT). The course covers both modeling and empirical approaches, with papers from the entire OIT spectrum. The course will use a combination of (1) lectures, (2) a discussion of homework assignments, and (3) critical reading of research papers in the field. Not Offered in 2009-10.
OIT 670. Applied Dynamic Optimization
This course provides an introduction to the methods of dynamic programming, Markov decision processes, optimal control, and stochastic control, with particular emphasis on business applications. Application domains include manufacturing, supply chains, economics, and finance. While there are no prerequisites beyond basic probability theory and optimization, the course emphasizes topics that are not usually covered in a first course on dynamics programming or Markov decision processes, such as continuous time systems and general state spaces. Not taught in 2009-10.