SYLLABUS

BANA 6640, Decision Analysis, Spring 2020

Section 001, Call#32215, Session Meets Wednesday, 6:30pm to 9:15pm
Course active from January 22, 2020 to May 13, 2020
Instructor: Michael D. Harper, Ph.D.
Schedule: BANA 6640, Decision Analysis
Assignments
Due Monday by 11:59pm In-Class Session
Wee No Late Assignments accepted
k
Wednesda
Monday Homework Topics Text (Ch.Sec)
y
1 Jan 22 Syllabus. Introduction. 1
2 Jan 27 Jan 29 1. Decision Analysis 14.1-14.10
3 Feb 3 Homework 1a Feb 5 1. Decision Analysis 14.11-14.13
4 Feb 10 Homework 1b Feb 12 2. Bayesian Analysis 14.14
5 Feb 17 Homework 2a Feb 19 2. Bayesian Analysis Notes
6 Feb 24 Homework 2b Feb 26 3. Utility Theory 14.15
7 Mar 2 Homework 3a Mar 4 3. Utility Theory Notes
8 Mar 9 Homework 3b Mar 11 4. MCDM & AHP 14.16-14.17, 14.18
9 Mar 16 Homework 4a Mar 18 4. MCDM & AHP Notes
10 Mar 25* No Class
11 Mar 30 Homework 4b Apr 1 5. Optimization, LP 3.1-3.14
12 Apr 6 Homework 5 Apr 8 6. Optimization, DEA 3.15
13 Apr 13 Homework 6 Apr 15 7. Optimization, IP 6
14 Apr 20 Homework 7 Apr 22 8. Optimization, GP 7
15 Apr 27 Homework 8 Apr 29 9. Extensions & Review
16 May 4 May 6 Exam. Topics 1-8
Project Presentations in Class
17 May 11 May 13**
Individual Reports due through Canvas
*No Class on March 25
**End of Course is Wednesday, May 13, 2020. Nothing considered after the end of the course.
Grading
Cours
Percentag
e Description Individual Grade Measures
e
Grade
90 to 100 A Excellent 12 Homework Assignments @ 10 points = 120 points
80 to 89 B Good 1 Exam = 80 points
70 to 79 C Competent 1 Project = 50 points
60 to 69 D Below Average Total Points = 250 points
0 to 59 F Failing
Grades based solely on grade measure performance
During the course, individual grades posted on Canvas
Course grade reported to registrar and not on Canvas
No +/- grades
Course Grades are not negotiated
The policies and procedures in this syllabus apply to every student.
Each student is responsible to know and comply with all policies and procedures.

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Course Description: BANA 6640, Decision Analysis
Introduces a quantitative approach to business decision making under conditions of risk and uncertainty.
Emphasis will include introductions to decision analysis theory, risk analysis, utility theory, multi-criteria
decision making, Bayesian decision analysis and hierarchical structured models. Psychological issues and
qualitative approaches in the decision-making process will be discussed. Student computer-assisted projects are
included. Prereq: BANA 6610 or permission from instructor. Restriction: Restricted to graduate majors and
NDGR majors with a sub-plan of NBA within the Business School.  Max hours: 3 Credits.
Course Policies.
Course Structure. This course consists of class lectures, homework, reports, presentations, and an exam.
Course grade is based solely on student’s performance on the grade measures. Grades are not negotiated. No
curves or extra credit. No incomplete grades are given. No work is accepted after the end of the course. There
will be online material available throughout the course available through the website “MDHarper.com”. You
are expected to know the material in the lectures, online, and in the reading material. In taking this course,
each student is responsible to know and adhere to the policies and procedures in the syllabus.
Required Material:
1. Syllabus, material and textbook available through the website [ MDHarper.com ].
2. Spreadsheet Modeling and Decision Analysis, 8th Edition, 2018, C.T. Ragsdale,
Cengage Learning, ISBN: 9781305947412
3. Syllabus and course assignments available on Canvas.
Attendance. Attendance during classroom sessions is required which means that you are responsible for the
content of each classroom session. If you are absent from a class, you are solely responsible for the content of
the class.
Communication and Availability.
I will be available before and after each class period for students to ask specific questions.

I will have office hours from 12:30pm to 1:30pm on Monday and Wednesday in my office #4205 in the
Business School Building 4th floor. No appointment is required or made. I will meet with students on a first
come first served basis. During office hours, I will not respond to requests such as grading assignments,
working your assignments for you or with you, giving lectures, or giving out answers to assignments. Each
in-class session is designed to address the class in general. Office hours are provided to answer specific
questions. The purposes of these two times will not be exchanged. Office hours are not the only source of
help for understanding the material. I encourage students to utilize the multiple sources available in this
course in addition to office hours. Respect the time a student has during office hours and do not interrupt. I
do not conduct office hours or answer questions about the material between exams or between final exams.

Discussions are provided on Canvas for students to discuss course material. Use the Canvas discussions for
asking questions about the course material, answering questions about the course material, organizing study
groups, making announcements about study groups and other communications helpful for learning.

Should email be necessary, use the email address [ Michael.D.Harper@ucdenver.edu ] and include “BANA
6640, Section #” in the subject area. If this email address is not used, I may not receive the email to read the
email. Try to avoid messaging through Canvas. I will make every attempt to read and respond to emails,
when possible, every evening.

In summary, I am available in various manners throughout the week. I am available before and after class to
answer questions in person. There will be times that I am not available in person or by email.
...
Collaboration. Collaboration on work is encouraged to understand the material but not required. Each student is
responsible to submit their own work when due. Submit only original work. Collaboration does not include
copying from another student or allowing a student to copy from you. Lack of collaboration or failure to attend
class does not alter a student’s responsibility to submit work when due. No collaboration is allowed on the
exam.

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Homework Assignments. Homework assignments are required in this course. Homework assignments will be
based on introductory material and application of material covered online and in class. I will post homework
assignments online which can consist of multiple-choice questions, computer assignments, or general requests.
Homework answers are submitted through Canvas. No submission will result in a zero. No late submissions
will be accepted. Answers will be posted online after the due date and will be discussed in class.
Submission of Work and Late Policy. Work submitted through Canvas in this course will consist of homework
assignments and an individual project report. No late assignments are accepted. No late homework
assignments are accepted. No late individual reports are accepted. Submit only original work. Submit work
through Canvas in the format requested. Student is responsible to submit work through Canvas correctly,
completely, and on time. Submit work only once. Work submitted will be accepted as an entire assignment
and graded as an entire assignment. Work must be submitted on or before the due date and time indicated.
Work not submitted will have a grade of zero. No work will be accepted or considered after the end of the
course. Answers to the homework assignments will be posted online after the due date and will be discussed in
class. No partial credit. Any grading errors should be resolved as soon as possible. No corrections to graded
material will be considered after the end of the course.

When submitting assignments through Canvas, carefully follow this procedure. Download the assignment from
Canvas which will be in a Word file. Obtain all the answers for the entire assignment. Only when all the
answers are ready to submit, submit all the answers at one time through Canvas. Each student is responsible to
submit answers through Canvas correctly, completely, and on time. Assignments submitted will be accepted as
an entire assignment and graded as an entire assignment. Answers may be submitted only once. Once you
begin submission, you have exactly 60 minutes to submit all the answers to an assignment only if all the
answers are submitted on or before the due date and time for the assignment. The due date and time are strictly
enforced by Canvas. Canvas will not allow submission after the due date and time even during the 60-minute
time window. The entire assignment must be submitted on or before the due date and time indicated.

Exam. Exam will be in-class, open-book, multiple-choice, and timed. No collaboration is allowed. Exam not
taken has a grade of zero. If the exam is not taken, a make-up exam may be taken before the end of the course
to replace the zero with the grade earned. An exam may be taken only once and must be taken before the end
of the course. No work is accepted after the end of the course.
...

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Team Projects. Small teams will be formed by students to select and conduct independent research on a topic
related to the material in this course. The topic can either be an extension of a technique in this course, a
technique not covered in this course, or a case study of an application of a technique in this course. The
research topics for the team projects will be discussed during the course. The deliverables will include a team
presentation and an individual report. The grade for each student will be 10% on the presentation and 90% on
the individual report.
The originally composed individual report shall be based on research conducted by each individual on the team.
Each individual report shall demonstrate the student’s knowledge of course material and an ability to
effectively apply the knowledge within a business environment. Each individual report must be unique. The
individual report length should be at least two pages, but the report should follow the guideline of “succinct but
adequate”. Length (too long or too short) will be considered a negative if content is not significant or complete.
Submit the completed individual report through Canvas on or before the due date and time in the format
requested. Each report may be submitted only once, may only be submitted as a complete report, and must be
submitted by the due date and time. A report not submitted has a grade of zero. No report is accepted after
the end of the course. Collaboration is encouraged on the team projects. But each student is required to
submit original material for their individual report. Collaboration does not include copying from another
student or allowing a student to copy from you on individual work that is submitted.
For consistency, use the following format for the individual report where the student supplies the information in
italics:
{Project title}
Individual Project Report Submitted as partial fulfillment of requirements for
Decision Analysis Course at University of Colorado Denver
By
{name}
On {date}

{Content}

During the team project presentation, each student on the project team is required to present. The presentation
time of each individual student is limited to two minutes. Points will be deducted for an individual presenter
whose presentation exceeds two minutes not including questions and answers. Consider each presentation as a
formal production beginning with PowerPoint slides and moving smoothly between each presenter. The
primary purpose of the team project presentations is to inform your colleagues of the main points of your
research. The presentation could incorporate other media, possibly including but not limited to, pictures,
Word, Excel, or video. Each group may be as creative as they wish.
...

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General Policies.
Academic Dishonesty. In the event academic dishonest occurs on work submitted for a grade, the work will
receive a grade of zero. Any incident of academic dishonesty may be reported to Internal Affairs Committee
of the Business School at the University of Colorado at Denver for further action.
Conduct. I expect strict adherence to the code of conduct as stated in the Catalog of the University of Colorado
at Denver.
[ http://www.ucdenver.edu/life/services/standards/Documents/CUDenver-CodeofConduct.pdf ]

I will take action and initiate due process against violations of the code of conduct. Violations include verbal and
physical disruption or intimidation. Actions to initiate due process can include a formal report to the
Behavioral Assessment and Threat Assessment Team (BETA)
[http://www.ucdenver.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/assembly/downtown/Documents/BETA
%20BROCHURE%20Fall%202012%20October%202012.pdf],
the Campus Assessment, Response, & Evaluation Team (CARE)
[ WWW.ucdenver.edu/life/services/CARE ],
or the Internal Affairs Committee of the Business School at the University of Colorado at Denver.

Conduct also includes etiquette before, during, and after each class that is respectful to all people, the facilities,
and the institution. Respectful behavior before, during, and after classes is expected which includes talking
during lectures, arriving late, leaving early, use of cell phones, conducting work during lectures, asking
inappropriate questions during lectures, or disrupting other students during lectures. It is expected that
everyone supports and promotes an open and supportive learning environment.
Hour Commitment Expectation. Faculty policies state that courses in the business school should require a
student workload in and out of class that enhances quality education and is consistent with the amount of
academic credit granted for a course. This course requires work due on a regular basis. Each student is
expected to work in and out of class.
Statement. Policies in this syllabus apply to every student. Although I may consider special circumstances
during the course, standards will never be compromised, and all work must be done before the end of the
course. Any action taken by me that may be considered to vary from these policies shall not be cause to
eliminate or alter any student’s responsibility to adhere to all the requirements of the course or to prevent my
action in enforcing the policies in the course to every student.

* * * END OF SYLLABUS * * *

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