Dr. Julie Ann Williams

Despite organizations increasingly seeking talent to identify data to make better business decisions, many assignments provide the data for the students. This article encourages curriculum to introduce data and information request dimensions, identify data sources, write data and information requests, and reflect on data request examples. We propose a three-step writing exercise with a data and information request rubric. A pilot study for an operations management data and information request revealed that participants struggled to specify four data request dimensions: an appropriate recipient, adequate data, a data format, and an information security level.

How can students prepare for potential business disruptions? The approach shown in this paper uses optimization modeling with parametric sensitivity analysis and further broadens the search for insights with structural sensitivity analysis in a series of contextual exercises. The exercises prompt students to identify critical resources for business impact analysis by extending production planning to include scenario analyses and contingency considerations. During virtual office hours, one participant described the exercises in terms of a “mystery” to solve. For an open-ended contingency planning question, some participants even proposed new product design decisions. Upon conclusion of the study, 25 of the 28 participants recommended the exercises for future semesters.

Our study examines whether student business writing in pre-requisite courses and student use of university-provided writing support services are associated with student writing performance in the business capstone course in strategic management. Our results indicate that the number of writing center consultations over time and student performance in a pre-requisite business communication course were both positively associated with writing performance in the business capstone course. In addition, student performance in both the operations management and business communication courses were found to be strongly correlated with student performance in the capstone course. These findings support engaging students in repeated practice of business writing.

This article examines a manageable approach that provides students with significant opportunities to write and improve their writing over time in an introductory quantitative business course. The study examines six elements of written communication skills, as evidenced by assessment data from memorandum assignments administered following pedagogical interventions throughout the semester in an operations management course. Results demonstrate that student performance of audience identification, action-oriented request, and punctuation improved. Interestingly, student performance of grammar slightly decreased. A follow-up analysis indicates that some writing mistakes were related to a lack of proofreading. This article also presents original memorandum assignments and suggestions for improvement.

Novices need to learn how to recognize and correct formulation, spreadsheet, and writing mistakes. Yet quantitative business courses historically focus on examples of model formulation and more recently spreadsheet solution. This paper presents a feedforward example for formal instruction of troubleshooting issues for three domains, i.e., model formulation, spreadsheet development, and professional memo writing. The example is provided in a format for an active learning exercise.

In this paper, we describe an active learning exercise for a fictitious business producing sea turtle bamboo beach towels. The students are asked to assume the role of a junior analyst at a company as they are led through a series of business memos, directed questions, nutshell summaries, and class discussions. In this role, students have the opportunity to discover how to review business communications to identify a new third decision, what additional data will be needed, and what changes will be required to reformulate the existing product mix model for sea turtle bamboo beach towels.

Operations Research/Management Science educators need to promote learning outcomes related to building, solving, and interpreting a model, and producing associated business communications. In this paper, we present a test instrument that requires an evaluation of a two-decision business scenario in three domains. The first domain is formulating a linear programming model. The second is a graphical solution analysis. The third is describing the problem and interpreting the recommendation in a professional memo. Using this three-domain
format in a quiz, we assess the quality of student performance across three domains, i.e., model formulation, graphical analysis, and management interpretation, for multiple problem components. Statistical results of the current study indicate that students struggle more with graphically solving and interpreting the model and its solution than with formulating the model. In the current study, students are least successful in graphing the isoprofit line, graphing the constraints, and describing those constraints in the management interpretation. To our
knowledge, these domains have not been previously reported for objective functions or constraints. Our study also shows that many students exhibit deficiencies in the mechanics of writing.

Frequently in Management Science courses, instructors focus primarily on teaching students the mathematics of linear programming models. However, the ability to discuss mathematical expressions in business terms is an important professional skill. The authors present an analysis of student abilities to discuss management science concepts through memo homework assignments. The findings indicate that average student grades on homework problems for linear programming formulations were always higher than average student grades on homework memos in which they write about their formulations. These results suggest that teaching managerial writing about analytical work is an important area for future business education research.

The ability to communicate a problem statement and an appropriate quantitative business method are important professional skills. This paper presents an analysis of student skill in writing a final exam essay that describes how a specific organization can improve decision making using mathematical programming, the business modeling approach that was the focus of the course. Although performance on assessments of professional writing and the description of a mathematical programming model averaged less than 80% across all essays written, improved writing when students received formative feedback in 2013 suggests that teaching students to identify and articulate the development and use of business tools through written communication is an important area for future business research.

In an environment of high client demand and provider shortages, missed appointments trouble rehabilitation clinic managers because they reduce the number of appointment slots used to serve clients. The attendance prediction models reviewed require time intensive data collection and many have low predictive power. Rehabilitation administrators need practical models for the prediction of missed appointments so that they can successfully develop and implement intervention strategies. In this retrospective cohort study, client non-attendance is analyzed in the specialty of physical rehabilitation, where multiple appointments may occur in a relatively short period of time. Five types of currently available data were collected from over 4,000 active client charts at three clinic health systems with a total of ten local ambulatory clinic facilities for physical rehabilitation. Multiple regression analysis showed that the four predictors—age group, payment method, proximity to clinic, and attendance history—significantly explain slightly more than a third of client attendance variability.