COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This is an upper level course designed to give the student practical experience in Total Quality Management principles. .

The principle method of instruction is lecture, with interactive discussion and casework. This is a writing intensive course, and therefore, there are a number of projects requiring a paper to be submitted for credit.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

      1.   James R. Evans and William M. Lindsay, The Management and Control of Quality, 6e, Thomson / Southwestern Publishing, 2005

ISBN  0-324-20223-7

Note: a small fee will be deducted from your KSU account for this book. It will be handed out during the first class.

1.      To acquaint the student with the many theories on Quality Management in an effort to provide a pragmatic approach to quality in the workplace.

2.      To acquaint the student with the different perspectives which managers and functional departments approach quality.

3.      To acquaint the student with the Contingency Approach to Quality Management, which requires the student to assess the current condition of the firm or organization and identify quality gaps as a basis for future improvement.

4.      To acquaint the student with the case method. By the study of relevant cases, the student should be able to infer the theoretical basis for actions and solutions found in the cases. This gives the student a real world access to practical applications of sometimes very abstract theory.

5.      To provide topics necessary for the American Society for Quality (ASQ) certification as a Certified Quality Manager (CQM). Students at the end of this course have the option to become certified by ASQ.

6.      To acquaint the student with the principles of Six Sigma Quality Systems and methodology.

There will be three tests and one take-home exam. The tests will be typical multiple choice and short essay type questions. Each of these exams is worth 100 points. The take home exam involves a case, which will bring all the elements of the course to bear. This exam is worth 100 points.   Exams are to be done individually, no collaboration with your team is allowed. The final exam can be done as a group but handed in individually.

 ASSIGNMENTS:

There are a number of assignments listed on the class schedule attached. They are due on the date indicated on the schedule.

Written Cases: You are required to submit six written cases that will be provided for you in the case book.  You are required to use the case analysis methodology as presented in class. These cases are worth 50 points each. You may work as a team on the case work and even submit the cases as a team. The team members must be clearly marked on the cover sheet for the case for credit to be given.

Readings: Readings that bear on the content of the course are also assigned and will be available in the case book.  You are expected to be able to discuss the readings and the relevance to the current material being studied in the class. You will earn participation points for these readings.

Participation: You are expected to contribute as a team during case and readings discussions. 

Peer Review:  Your team mates will assess your contributions throughout the semester.

GRADING:

There are a total of 1000 points available to determine your grade. The following is the break down by subject, which will determine your final grade.

Tests                           400 points

Written Cases           300

Problem Sets            100

Participation:             150

Peer Review:               50

GRADING:

I will use plus / minus grading this semester. Thus the grading for the course is as follows:

925 – 1000 POINTS                                                A

891 – 924                                                                  A –

860 – 890                                                                  B+

825 – 859                                                                  B

791 – 824                                                                  B-

760 – 790                                                                  C+

725 – 759                                                                  C

691 – 724                                                                  C-

<690                                                                           D

<590                                                                           F         

According to new University Guidelines the grades are converted to your grade point average by the following rules:

A   = 4.0

A-  = 3.7

B+ = 3.3

B   = 3.0

B-  = 2.7

C+ = 2.3

C   =  2.0

C-  =  1.7

D+  = 1.3

D    = 1.0.

F    =  0.0

The Following Policies Apply to All Students in this Course

A. Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.

B. Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Web for Students) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until [date will be provided by the Undergraduate Office in advance] to correct the error with your advising office.  If registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.

C. Academic honesty: Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.   The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade (0 points) for the work or course.  Repeat offenses may result in dismissal from the University.

.

D. For Fall and Spring semesters, the course withdrawal deadline is always the Saturday of the 10^th week of the semester.  For Intersession, the course withdrawal deadline is always the Saturday of the second week (of three total).  For Summer I and III, the course withdrawal deadline is usually the Saturday of the second week (of five total).  For Summer II 2004, the course withdrawal deadline is usually the Saturday of the fourth week (of eight total).

E. Students with disabilities: In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in this course, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required. Students with disabilities must verify their eligibility through the Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) in the Michael Schwartz Service Center (672-3391).