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MIS41160

Academic Year 2024/2025

Optimisation in Business (MIS41160)

Subject:
Management Information Systems
College:
Business
School:
Business
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
7.5
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Paula Carroll
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
Blended
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Core.
A foundational module giving an overview and a complete taxonomy of the field of optimisation, and detail on some specific approaches, with some focus on classical optimisation.

Topics:
● Foundations of Operations Research
● Just-in-time maths (eg Calculus prerequisites)
● Numerical and gradient-based optimisation
● Combinatorial and convex optimisation with exact methods
● Heuristic search and optimisation (hill climbing, etc), also greedy approaches
● Software implementations

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this module, students should be able to:
1. Translate a verbal optimisation problem into a formal mathematical model and select a computational solution approach;
2. Choose an appropriate software tool to implement and solve the mathematical model;
3. Interpret the solution results in detail and discuss the limitations of the chosen solution approach;
4. Describe the similarities and differences between different optimisation approaches.

Indicative Module Content:

1. Problem formulation - Mathematical Modelling;
2. Mathematical Functions and Operations;
3. Continuous Functions - what we measure;
4. Discrete Maths - what we count;
5. Optimisation Applications.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

48

Autonomous Student Learning

70

Lectures

36

Small Group

1

Total

155


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
In compliance with health advise on social distancing, activities may take place online and may include:
active/task-based learning;
peer and group work;
face-to-face and recorded lectures;
self-assessment practice exercises;

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Exam (In-person): End of term written exam End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
Graded No
70
No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Online MCQ Week 8 Graded No
10
No
Group Work Assignment: Team assignment: Optimisation problem - mathematical model and solution report. Week 11 Graded No
20
No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Individual grade and summary class feedback for MCQs; Grade per team and summary class feedback for team assignment.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Thurs 12:00 - 13:50
Autumn Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: Weeks 2-12 Wed 16:00 - 16:50
Autumn Lecture Offering 2 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Thurs 09:30 - 11:20
Autumn Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - Autumn: Weeks 2-12 Wed 14:30 - 15:20