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OPIM 101 Introduction to the Computer

as an Analysis Tool

Home page & email: http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~opim101/spring02/

opim101@opim.wharton.upenn.edu

Spring 2002

File: lecture01spring02.ppt

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Topics

• Staff• Syllabus and organization of the course• What’s new and different this semester• Problem solving with computers• Some URLs

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Staff

• Instructors– Jan W. Buzydlowski janb@wharton.upenn.edu – Steven O. Kimbrough sok@equity.wharton.upenn.edu– Catherine Yang yiyang@wharton.upenn.edu ???

• Graduate assistants– Karthik Balasubramaniam, Head TA

karthikb@seas.upenn.eduphone: (215) 898-6806

– Ming and Hong, Graders ???

• Undergraduate assistants

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Course Objectives: Empowerment

• Develop analytical, quantitative, & problem-solving skills for– using computer to model, analyze, and solve management problems– communicating analyses, conclusions, and recommendations for

managerial action

• Master cutting-edge tools for – other courses– summer jobs– professional career after college

• Gain insight on – effective use of information and decision technology to solve problems– operations and information management

• Not “a course on how to use Excel”!– Education vs. training

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Texts

• Required:– Kimbrough (2001). Information and Decision Technology: An

Introduction to Computer-Based Modeling and Analysis» “IDT Book” Online in PDF from course homepage

– Non-Programmers Tutorial for Python by Josh Cogliati.

» “EasyTut” Online at http://www.honors.montana.edu/~jjc/easytut/ and at

http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~sok/idtresources/python/easytut.pdf – Course Pack #1– Walkenbach (1999). Excel 2000 Bible– MOUS Essentials: Excel 2000– MOUS Essentials: Access 2000

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Course Requirements

• Classroom sessions • Homework assignments

– Reading materials– Homework Exercises (not graded)– Tutorials in Excel and Access

» http://trainassess.phgenit.com

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Final Grade Basis

• Semester Grade Points Based on:– Cases

» Internet 10% ???» Excel 10% » Python/DB/LP 10% ???

– Midterm Exam (35%)– Final Examination (35%)

• MOUS Exams– Practice Exams in Excel and Access– Two Exams

» May be taken twice within two week period» Failure to achieve >= 75% may result in loss of 10% and/or

incomplete

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Grading Policies

• Grades curved per Wharton core-course guidelines - approximately – 25% As– 40% Bs– 30% Cs– 5% Ds and Fs

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Important Dates ???(“chiseled in stone”)

• Friday, September 21, 2001: Last day to add classes. • Monday, September 24, 2001, 10:00 a.m.: Internet Case due. • Friday, October 12, 2001: Last day to drop classes. • Monday October 15, 2001, 10:00 a.m.: Excel Case due. • Wednesday , October 17, 2001 – Wednesday, October 31,

2001: MOUS Excel Exam open. • Thursday, November 1, 2001, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.: Midterm

examination. • Monday, December 10, 2001: 10:00 a.m. VBA and database

case due. • Monday, December 10, 2001: Last day of fall classes. • Wednesday, December 5, 2001 – Wednesday, December 19,

2001: MOUS Access Exam open. • Thursday, December 20, 2001, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.: Final

examination.

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Tips• Learning is not a spectator sport!

– Hands-on essential to learning

• Do assigned work on time– Do assignments and attend class– Catching up in OPIM 101 is difficult– Case and tutorials take time -- plan ahead

• Get help when you need it– RTFM: read the manual– online help (e.g. Office Assistant)– opim101 newsgroup for questions of general interest (check frequently)– e-mail: opim101@opim.wharton.upenn.edu– office hours (TAs, Graders, Faculty)– for info re private tutor for any Wharton course, contact Anita Henderson

(215.898.7608)

• Check course newsgroup and homepage regularly– upenn.wharton.opim101-spring ??

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Working with the Staff; Etiquette

• OPIM 101 is demanding for the staff also, so please be thoughtful.

• All questions about the grading of the case should be directed to the grader for the case, not the TAs.

• Please prepare before coming to office hours to use TAs’ efficiently– If your questions will require access to your file, please upload it to

your futures account for downloading during office hours.

• Use the newsgroup– Pose your question there if the answer might help other students. – Check it regularly– TAs will try to respond within 24 hours.

• Maintain high standards of civility / protocol.

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Academic Integrity

• We strongly endorse the University of Pennsylvania’s Academic Code of Integrity, and will report any violation for official action.

• Each student must work independently on Case 1: Internet and???? Case 2: Excel. Groups may cooperate for Case 3: Database.

• Do not discuss the contents of MOUS Exams with others until everyone has taken it.

• Otherwise, we encourage you to:• discuss with other students the course materials –

readings, tutorials, and homework exercises– create an effective study group– form a project group for Case 3????

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EncouragementsEmail from a recent OPIM student:

Profs Kimbrough/ Laing,As much as I wish it weren't the case, all I've

been doing all summer is OPIM. As soon as my boss heard I knew VBA, he got me a laptop and said for the rest of the summer I'd be writing code. It's like I never left your class.

I just wanted to write and let you know that you were right when you said OPIM would be extremely useful to me. I doubted it at the time, hoped you were lying. I just realized though that a lot of what you taught me actually sank in, and it has been very useful to say the least. So thanks for everything.

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Course’s Main Topics

• Internet (and the WWW)

• Spreadsheet modeling

• Scripting (Python, Visual Basic for Applications)

• Linear programming

• Database Management Systems

• Decision analysis

Additional Topics…• Monte Carlo simulation

• Discrete event simulation

• Behavioral decision making

• Information retrieval

• Genetic Algorithms

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What’s New and Different This Semester?

• Greater emphasis on scripting (programming) throughout the semester?

• Why?– Former students recommend it– Will reduce anxiety and difficulties for you for case 3– Will give you an advantage in the job market– Will empower you even more– New programming (scripting) tools available that are both

easier to learn and more powerful

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What’s New and Different This Semester?

• Four kinds of programming– Systems programming

» Computer Science– Applications programming

» Both business and engineering. OPIM MIS concentration– Utility & analysis (U&A) programming

» Prototypically: with scripting languages» Power users; analysts with jobs to do

– End-user programming» Savvy with applications such as Excel, Access

• OPIM 101– A start on end-user programming and U&A programming– Highly valued in the market

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What’s New and Different This Semester?

• Programming with Python– Much reduced emphasis on VBA

• Why Python?– An excellent, easy-to-learn scripting language– Widely used; supported by a vibrant community– Free; open-source; runs on all modern platforms (Windows,

Mac OS, Unix, Linux, etc.)– Skills rapidly transfer to other languages– VBA is in transition (to VB.NET) and will shortly be seriously

obsoleted by Microsoft– Python makes it easy for you to do things which cannot be

done easily at all in VB/VBA (e.g., Case 1)– Named after Monty Python

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Problem-Solving/ Decision-Making Life Cycle

• Organizing concept for the entire course• Develop a concept for representing and solving the

problem– Spreadsheet modeling, LP, decision analysis, programming, database,

IR– How shall we think of solving the problem? What is our solution

concept?

• Implement the solution– How can we actually solve the problem by gaining effective access to

the data, models, documents, etc. needed to implement our solution concept?

• Analyze, interpret, and communicate the solution results– How good is our solution? Metrics? What exactly does it mean? Are

the findings stable or do they rest on precarious assumptions?

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Example: Information Retrieval

• Recognition of a problematic situation– The problem: find documents(here, Web pages) relevant to an

information-based task at hand.

• Problem representation or model– Solution concept: Use search engines to find relevant

information

• Solution implementation– Implementation: Use search engines available on the Internet,

using key word searching techniques, to find relevant information

• Solution interpretation– Interpretation: Explore cyberspace, looking for what you are

after. How effective is your search technique?

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Example: Investment Analysis

• Recognition of a problematic situation– The problem: to decide whether to accept an investment opportunity.

• Problem representation or model– Solution concept: Think of the cash inflows and outflows as time-

dependent, and make them time-equivalent by taking NPVs.

• Solution implementation– Implementation: in Excel. Lay out the cash flows in a well-organized

spreadsheet and use available functions to make the calculations needed to implement the solution concept.

• Solution interpretation– Interpretation: perform sensitivity analysis, plot results and reflect upon

them.

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Example: Data Interpretation

• Recognition of problem– The problem: to understand what is actually going on in a business and to

take actions that improve the profitability of the firm

• Problem representation or model– Solution concept: The records of the firm’s business transactions contain

a great deal of useful information on how and how well the firm is conducting its business. Explore those records.

• Solution implementation– Implementation: in Access. Organize the transaction records in a well-

designed relational database. Use the database query facilities, especially SQL and QBE, to make the calculations needed to reveal the essential business patterns needed to understand what is going on.

• Solution interpretation– Interpretation: Use the query facilities to explore beyond a fixed set of

reports. Perform what-if queries, plot data, etc.

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Some URLs

• OPIM 101 home page http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~opim101/spring02/

• IDT Resources– http://grace.wharton.upenn.edu/~sok/idtresources/

• Homepages??http://faculty.cis.drexel.edu/~jbuzydlo/

http://grace.wharton.upenn.edu/~sok/

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Readings for Today

• IDT book– Chapter 1: “Introduction and Overview”– Chapter 5: “Why Program?”