RSM2406H – Operations Management Strategy (Spring 2023)

General Information

Instructor Bio

Mitch Max received his B. Com at UofT in 1982 and became a Chartered Accountant in 1984.  His career has included roles in major Canadian financial institutions in Treasury and Corporate Planning, and consulting roles at global consulting firms Price Waterhouse and Arthur Andersen focused in Performance Management.  At Arthur Andersen he was a partner with a leadership role in Financial Performance Management across North American financial institutions.  He is an expert in cost management and in the translation of cost analytics to operational management practices.

He has subsequently built and led a consulting firm focused in this area. In 2022, he was appointed as Executive Director for Lionpoint Group (www.Lionpointgroup.com) where he leads the Enterprise Performance Management practice in North America, a team of over 60 consultants focused in the implementation of EPM practices and tools for leading clients in the financial services, alternative investments and real estate sectors.

Mitch has taught Operations Management Strategy at Rotman since 2019.

Target Audience

Operations Management Strategy (Ops Strat) is a multidisciplinary course for students aspiring to leadership positions where thinking strategically, making sound decisions with limited data and devising and executing solid implementation plans spells the difference between average and outstanding executive ability. Ops Strat integrates the concepts, tools and practices of operations with competitive strategy, customer focus, innovation, change management and other goals such as sustainability — linchpins of firms’ competitiveness.

Specifically, students will learn how an effective operations strategy creates an integrated set of operational capabilities that, as evidenced by diverse firms across multiple industries become a formidable source of competitive advantage that competitors must try to emulate (but will be unable to achieve). During the Pandemic, we have witnessed how organizations with high levels of agility and operational flexibility have been able to sustain and even build value during times of extreme stress, and we will examine this in our discussions.

Furthermore, students will examine the role and measurement plays in successfully executing strategy in light of changing circumstances.

Course Dates and Format

The course is conducted in six sessions on consecutive Friday mornings.  Interactive discussion is a key component of the course and the Class Participation score will reflect each student’s individual contribution to the class.

Course Mission

Operations Management Strategy’s mission is for the course to be a powerful learning experience, one that enables students to achieve major gains in their ability to recognize, understand and make decisions about operations-critical issues and opportunities.

Course Scope

The course builds on the concepts, terminology and tools in the core operations course, focusing on the trade-offs involved in strategic issues that play a defining role in how a firm competes.

Classes involve discussion of operations’ role in specific businesses and the challenges faced by the firms being studied, including underlying factors, the pros and cons of available options and implementation considerations.

Evaluation and Grade Breakdown

Component	Due Date	Weight
Class Participation	Ongoing	20%
Group Case Write-Ups	2-3 Submissions	20%
Group Case Presentation	1 Evaluation	20%
Final	Take-Home Case due approximately 10 days after final lecture	40%

Required Resources

Course materials will be available through Quercus links.

Last Updated: 2022-06-24 @ 11:06 am

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