Analytical Techniques

Beijing International Executive MBA, Class of 2008
December 2007
Professor Jonathan Eckstein

Last update time: Monday, April 27, 2009 16:45:16 -0400 (Eastern USA Time)

General Information and Links

• Syllabus
• Instructor Vita
• YASAI add-in to use if you have difficulty with Crystal Ball.
   

Day 1 (Saturday)

• Blue Ridge Problem
  • Graphical view  (PDF format)
  • Interactive graph
  • Spreadsheet, data only
  • Spreadsheet model, completed
• Make-or-buy
  • Spreadsheet model
  • Spreadsheet model, "buy" variables substituted out
• Tropic Sun transportation spreadsheet model
• Upton inventory spreadsheet model
• Taco-Viva financial spreadsheet model
   
• Solutions to in-class assignments
  • Paper recycling
  • Gas trading
     
• Zip archive of all day-1 files

Day 2 (Sunday)

• Introduction: Employee scheduling model
  • Spreadsheet model allowing fractions
  • Integer programming spreadsheet
• Binary variables: capital budgeting model
  • Basic spreadsheet model
  • Spreadsheet with additional logical constraint
  • Spreadsheet with second additional logical constraint
• Assignment grids: Machinco spreadsheet model
• Milkem spreadsheet model
• Additional handouts -- Milkem printouts missing from coursepack, additional in-class problem
• Simple nonlinear model: EOQ spreadsheet
   
• Solutions to in-class assignments
  • Apartment building design
  • Video game development
  • Chemical reactor usage
     
• Zip archive of all day-2 files

Day 3 (Tuesday Night)

Assignment:

• Read case 6.4 on pages 294-295 of the Ragsdale text
• An Excel file containing the problem data is now available
• Answer questions 1-3; you do not have to answer questions 4 and 5
• Hand in an algebra version of your model with all variables clearly defined
• Hand in the "standard printouts" of a completed Excel model.  The standard printouts are described on pages 12-13 of the coursepack.  Sample standard printouts are on pages 15-16 of the coursepack and pages 1-2 of the additional handout PDF file for Sunday
• Please hand in your assignment in printed ("hard copy") form, unless you have special permission from Prof. Eckstein to submit by e-mail.
   
• Solutions to the homework (in many versions; something equivalent to the first 3 pages would be a sufficient answer)

Class:

• One-product pricing model
  • Problem statement (same as in course pack, page 18)
  • Spreadsheet solutions (containing many sheets)
• Multiple-product pricing problem
  • Problem statement (same as in course pack, page 28)
  • Spreadsheet solution
• Blackstone mining -- an example problem with multiple objectives
• Hotel site example -- an introduction to decision making under uncertainty
   
• Zip archive of the four Excel files above

Day 4 (Thursday Night)

• The first 90 minutes of the class will be an exam covering the following topics
  • Linear programming models
  • Integer programming models
  • Nonlinear programming models
• There will be two questions, one in "algebra" format, and the other in a "spreadsheet" format
• Practice material is available
  • Practice questions (also illustrating the general format of the questions)
  • Practice solutions (also illustrating how I would like your answers to look)
  • The practice questions only cover linear and integer programming; I apologize that I do not at the moment have a library of nonlinear practice questions.
     
• A multi-stage decision tree: Com-Tech grant proposal
• Tree for discussion of risk
   
• Zip archive of the three tree spreadsheets above
   
• Homework assignment for Saturday (read online)

Day 5 (Second Saturday)

• Brief discussion of exam -- solutions and commentary (should also be handed out in class)
• Second homework due
  • Solution to second homework
     
• The value of information: Colonial motors
• Merck case solution
   
• Empty template for newspaper problem
• Completed newspaper problem with simulation results
• "Flaw of Averages" cartoon
• YASAI.XLA add-in file -- do not open directly; save to disk and then install with add-in manager
• Special YASAI installation instructions
• In class work: buying and selling exercise
  • Problem description (late addition, not in course pack)
  • Solution will be posted after class
     
• Binomial distributions -- Piedmont airlines model
• In-class work: Translators problem
  • Spreadsheet solution
     
• Poisson distributions: graphs
• Two-class overbooking model
   
• Zip archive of files loaded before class (except YASAI, due to technical difficulties)

Day 6 (Second Sunday)

• Go over solution to Translators problem
• New: repair jobs in-class exercise (solution later in class)
   
• Electric power generation model -- simulating continuous random variables
   
• Millennium Computer inventory simulation
   
• Waiting in line:
  • Taxi repair problem (slightly different from the one in the coursepack)
  • Taxi repair simulation
• Demonstration of specialized discrete-event simulation software
   
• Time permitting (probably not...)
  • In class work: the horse corral (solution to be posted later)
  • The belts simulation -- replacing worn parts
     
• Zip archive of the files above
   
• The last two hours of class will be reserved for the teacher evaluations and the second test
• The second test will have two questions:
  • A decision tree problem -- bring a calculator
    • Sorry, no practice material currently available for this question (but we have done a lot of examples)
  • A simulation problem resembling those solved in class day 5
    • Two practice problems for the simulation part of the test are available
    • Solutions to the two practice problems
       
• Thursday, December 20: a PDF file with the second exam and solutions