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The article discusses the ideas of its author regarding how to bring a production and operations management (POM) course alive. It outlines how to ensure introductory POM courses are as challenging, current, and motivational as possible. POM is one of the most exciting things a professor can be doing in the late 1990s. It is a challenging, changing, alive field in which students at undergraduate and MBA levels are showing an interest in larger numbers than ever before. The author proposes an overall model f0r teaching POM. The model has many components, but since no two professors will approach the course identically, these components provide flexibility, not hindrance to effective communication in the classroom. In this article, the author touches on each component briefly. Components indicate a focus on numerous course components emanating from the choice of textbook, perhaps the natural slant from an author's perspective. This means that selection of a text effectively selects the subcomponents and is hence a major decision as to how the course will be taught.

Of critical importance to educators, students, and their colleges and universities are the demand for and supply of new Ph.D.'s in the quantitative methods field. This study examines projected academic employment conditions, over the period 1977-1981, for such doctorates in the southern region of the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a cost-benefit analysis of computerization for small business. Benefits of computer systems for small business; Applications of minicomputers; Factors to consider when deciding which particular system to buy.

The article offers information on the popularity of microcomputer technology in business schools in the U.S. In the 1980s, a major change in the way schools of business structure curricula, instruct, do research, and think has taken place. This change, perhaps more revolutionary than evolutionary, centers about the microcomputer. The questions facing business schools concern several key aspects of microcomputerization: managing the computer resource, curriculum changes, and interactions with industry. Microcomputer labs on campus have grown dramatically, with an 83 percent increase in the average number of installed micros between 1984 and 1986. Another increase of 49 percent is forecast by 1988. The demand for quality software has also grown, with spreadsheet, data-base, and word-processing packages found in over 98 percent of all microlabs. The use of statistical, MS, and project management software is still growing. Managing the new labs has raised major issues in software protection, equipment replacement, and maintenance and control.

This article presents the results of an extensive study of the current use of computer program in MS curricula. Reporting the findings for 109 business schools, the authors rank the availability use, and importance of 14 commonly used "canned" MS programs. We conclude that faculty interest in a package of MS computer programs analagous to SPSS is very high. However, current use of most program, especially in larger business schools and doctoral programs, is not widespread. The study provides an overview of the state of the art in today's computer linkage with Management Science, and the computer hardware currently in use in US business schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important concern to any educator in the Decision Sciences field is the improvement of the teaching of his courses. One factor influencing the effectiveness of the learning process is the textbook chosen and its ability to convey to the student the principles of the subject. The purpose of this paper is to present a survey of the readability of Operations Research and Operations Management books currently widely used at universities throughout the country. The Flesch Reading Ease Score is employed to rank tests based on their authors' writing style. It is suggested that the readability index be considered as one factor in the textbook selection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on a study on the effect of perceived product quality of price, brand name and store name. Three products were chosen for testing: a man's white dress shirt, an AM desk radio, and after-shave lotion. These three products represented the broader product lines of men's clothing, small home appliances, and personal furnishings. The levels to be used for each variable were established in a pretest of twenty five male students. The students were first asked to rate six department-type chain stores along a spectrum from "high" to "low" in quality. A similar technique was used to establish the dichotomy for brand image of products. In two of the three cases, that of the radio and of the dress shirt, clustering at the "high" and at the "low" ends of the perceived-quality spectrum was in evidence. Then high quality product were selected for further study and little familiar brands were deleted from the consideration. The dependent variable in the final study, that is, perceived product quality, was measured for each item on a nine-point scale with gradations from "very low" to "very high." Each subject rated the quality of one shirt, one radio, and one after-shave lotion for a randomly selected combination of store name, price, and brand name. This study tends to confirm the hypothesis that the quality which a consumer perceives a product to possess is dependent on a combination of controllable marketing attributes: Price, brand name, and outlet in which found.