Management Science 2014-15 Coursework Administration and Submission Requirements
This coursework is worth 30% of the total module mark. It needs to be done in Groups, as assigned on Moodle. Please submit your report to Moodle as a single group report with the exception of individual contribution statements, which should be submitted individually. Marks are deducted for late submission according to standard Cass undergraduate regulations.
Submission is required by Wednesday 11 March 2015 by 4:00pm.
Individual Contribution Statements consists of an individual statement by each group member of no more than 250 words, outlining their contribution to the project and perspective on the contribution of others. If the statement is missing or does not
reach the acceptable minimum standard then the individual will be awarded zero. These reports should be uploaded by each individual themselves and not as part of the group report.
The minimum acceptable standard is defined to mean that:
? It is not a copy of someone else’s i.e. all statements are individual
? It conveys details of what you contributed.
I anticipate a single group mark for each contribution. However, if I deem your contribution to be significantly less than others, then I reserve the right to amend the marks to reflect contribution.
Each submission made should be entirely independent of any other submission. There are severe penalties for plagiarism.
You should use a 12 point font size and line spacing of 1.5 with blank line between paragraphs. Margins should be set to “Normal”.
Use Harvard System for referencing.
In the answer to each question, be sure to explain clearly which model you have decided to use and why.
Grading criteria will be the same for each case and based upon:
? Correct model choice and calculation
? Managerial interpretation of results
? Discussion of assumptions underlying analysis
? Appropriate presentation
Case 2: Boone Travel Agency (50%)
Having run a successful travel agency in Denver, Colorado, Jan Hall has decided to open a branch in Boone, Colorado. She must decide where to locate her office and which and how many employees to hire.
Jan has narrowed her choice of office to two locations. The one on Main Street is a large office with space for virtually any number of employees and customers. Jan estimates that the agency can attract an average of 12 customers per day at this location. Rent for this office is $1300 per month. Utilities, insurance and other expenses should average an additional $500 per month.
The second choice for an office is on Frontier Street, approximately two blocks off Main Street, This is a much smaller office that can effectively only hold one worker and at most four customers (including the one being served). It rents for $400 per month. Utilities, insurance, and other expenses should average an additional $200 per month. The out-of-the-way location would reduce the number of potential customers by 20% and any arriving customer finding the office full will presumably take his or her business to the other travel agency in town.
Jan has decided that if she opens the Main Street office, she will hire one or more local employees to staff the office. IF she opens the Frontier Street office, however, she will hire either Wendy Brown, an experienced travel agent form the Denver area, or a local employee to staff the office. Jan would have to pay Wendy a monthly salary (including benefits) of $2100, whereas she could hire local employees for $1200 per month (including benefits). Because of her experience, Wendy’s average customer service time is approximately 20 minutes, compared to 48 minutes for local employees.
Jan estimates that each customer served by the Boone Travel Agency will result in an average commission of $35. She also estimates a good will cost to the firm of $15 per hour for the time a customer spends waiting in the office for service to begin. In addition, goodwill costs of $50 are associated with any customers who find the Frontier Street location full and leave to go to another travel agency.
The travel agency will be open an average of 20 days per month, eight hours each day. Customers arrive according to a Poisson process, and customer service times follow an exponential distribution.
Determine the most cost effective option for Boone Travel Agency.