Courses of Instruction, page 4
Institute of Safety and Systems Management

Systems Management (SYMA)

518 Principles of Systems (3) System principles; structure, behavior, and problem-solving approaches; historical development, multi-disciplinary cases; feedback loops, homeostasis, implementing system change, deductive and inductive thinking.

521 Operations Modeling and Analysis (3) Principles and techniques of modeling to analyze and predict the behavior of operational systems. Linear programming, inventory theory, queuing theory, network theory, computer applications.

525 Decision Analysis (3, Sp) Decision analysis in a behavioral context -- problem structuring, subjective probabilities and their assessment, Bayesian inference, multiattribute utility theory, sensitivity analysis, pitfalls of analysis, cognitive illusions.

535 Project Management (3) Implementing, executing and managing contracts for performance. Includes risk management, project control mechanisms, change management, subcontract management, and project coordination leading to successful project completion. Recommended preparation: SYMA 553.

538 Information Security (3) Role of systems managers in recognizing vulnerabilities and meeting threats to the security of information that affect national security, personal privacy, and commercial enterprise. Recommended preparation: SYMA 563 and SYMA 567.

547 Fiscal Aspects of Systems Management (3) Macro and micro aspects of finance examined from a systems perspective. Financial management concepts and functions, tools, cost/price relationships and life cycle cost analysis. Recommended preparation: SSM 513.

549 Systems Dynamics (3) Introduction to system dynamics principles and methods for analyzing persistent managerial and social problems. Conceptualization, formulation, and analysis of dynamic computer simulation models.

551 Project Planning (3) Planning to user requirements: development of task analysis, organization definition, schedule and cost projections, and resource requirements resulting in an integrated project plan. Recommended preparation: SYMA 535.

553 Systems Acquisition Management (3) The acquisition of large scale, high cost systems from the function and perspective of the program manager in government or industrial settings. Recommended preparation: SYMA 547.

555 Problems in Systems Technology (3) Application of systems technology and integration to highly technical, complex problems. The role of technology in the solution of such problems.

557 Systems Integration (3) Principles and techniques utilized in integration of subsystems into total systems; subsystem development and evaluation criteria, tradeoff studies, optimization, and interface problems.

563 Management of Information Systems (3) Development of relationships between management and automated information systems by examining the role of information systems within organizations, the structure of information systems, and how they operate.

567x Telecommunications Management (3, FaSp) Fundamentals of telecommunications, teleprocessing, and computer networks: data communications, distributed processing, interactive systems; telematics; analysis and design of telecommunications based information systems for systems management. Recommended preparation: SYMA 563.

569 Decision Support Systems (3) Role of computers in management decision-making processes; structured, semi-structured, and unstructured decision support systems for operational control, management control, and strategic planning. Recommended preparation: SYMA 563.

571 Risk Management (3, Fa) How to structure risk management tasks; estimate and analyze risks; compare and evaluate risks; and use this information in decision making and communication.

575 Global Environmental and Resource Problems (3) Global models of population growth, resource depletion, and environmental deterioration. Model structure and software. Role of technology in dealing with these complex societal problems.

579x Expert Systems for Systems Management (3) Fundamentals of systems management, related to applied expert systems; design and implementation, strategies of expert systems, natural language processing, and other AI topics; managerial-user oriented. Not available for major credit to computer science majors. Recommended preparation: SYMA 569.

585 Information System Policy (3) Information systems concepts; information needs of organizational functions are integrated in an information systems master plan, including structures, administration, and policy. Recommended preparation: SYMA 563.

665 Systems Analysis (3) Fundamentals of systems analysis. Production and utility theory. Criteria, effectiveness, and uncertainty related to resource allocation problems. Cost-benefit analysis, sensitivity analysis, and tradeoff studies. Recommended preparation: four MSSM courses.

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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
David Henriquez
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu