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Keith Willoughby

Dean of the Edwards School of Business

Professor of Management Science

Ph.D. (University of Calgary) M.Sc. (University of British Columbia)

306-966-4786 willoughby@edwards.usask.ca

Address
Room 184.1
25 Campus Drive, Nutrien Centre, University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, SK, S7N 5A7

Biography

My teaching interests include production and operations management, business forecasting, operations research/management science, and statistics. My published scholarship involves the development of quantitative models in a variety of practical, relevant decision-making areas. Some of these themes include materials management and logistics, transportation analysis, sports and entertainment, and pedagogical innovation. My research in progress comprises topics such as lean systems in the electronics industry, the use of decision analysis in selecting cable television delivery options, and operations research models in health care (e.g. improving patient flow in emergency departments).

Courses

I currently teach the following courses in the Edwards School of Business:

COMM 205 - Introduction to Operations Management.  Click here for a brief description of this course.  An advanced version of this course (MBA 830) is taught at the graduate level.

COMM 207 - Statistics II.  Click here for a brief description of this course.

COMM 395 - Business Forecasting.  Click here for a brief description of this course.

COMM 494- Field Investigation in Operations Management.  Click here for a brief description of this course.

Recent Publications

  • "How Big Should Be My Dot?  Using Spreadsheet Simulation to Evaluate Process Improvement Data Collection Strategies", (forthcoming), INFORMS Transactions on Education (with GF Teare).

  • "Using Decision Analysis to Explore Cable Television Delivery: A Case Study in University Technology Adoption" (forthcoming), Journal of Modelling in Management (with CJ Zappe).

  • "Studying the Reasons for Delay and Cost Overrun in Construction Projects: The Case of Iran" (forthcoming), Journal of Construction in Developing Countries (with H Samarghandi, SMM Tabatabaei, P Taabayan and A MirHashemi). 

  • "Using Simulation to Test Ideas for Improving Speech Language Pathology Services", European Journal of Operational Research, 2016, vol. 252, no. 2, pp. 657-664.  (with BTB Chan and S Marques).  doi 10.1016/j.ejor.2016.01.029

  • "Optimization Modeling in the Transportation Industry: The Case of Tanner Valley Transit", Operations Management Education Review, 2015, vol. 9, pp. 49-66.

  • "A Decision Support System for Scheduling the Canadian Football League", Interfaces, 2012, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 286-295.  (with KJ Kostuk).

Research

My scholarship interests involve the application of analytical methods and operations management principles in these areas:

  • Health care
  • Materials management and logistics
  • Lean process improvement
  • Transportation analysis
  • Sports

I also study the development of pedagogical innovation in operations management (especially involving the use of spreadsheets).

The following working papers are at various stages of development:

Health care:

  • "Reducing Errors in Hospital Pathology Samples and Information Flow" (with D Schattenkirk and MJ Cote).  
  • "Applying Analytical Modeling to the Decentralization of Health Homecare Services" (with P Abbasi and A Patil).  

 Materials management and logistics:

  • "The Disposal of Excess Stock: A Classification of Literature and Some Directions for Further Research"
  • "Fill It Up?  A Comparison of Analytical Approaches for Determining Automobile Fuel Replenishment" (with JJ Chrisman).  

Lean process improvement:

  • "Developing Production Efficiency Through Lean Manufacturing" (with JS Hirneisen)

 Transportation analysis:

  • "Exploring Airline Fare Pricing"
  • "Fare Game: Exploring the Impact of Discount Airlines in Philadelphia"

 Applications of analytical model-building:

  • "Assigning Pastors to Parishes: Resource Management and Ministerial Service Enhancement"  
  • "Selecting Meal Plan Options: A Collegiate Dining Services Analysis" (with S Connor)

 Sports:

  • "Does the Number of Days Between Professional Sports Games Really Matter?" (with T Hardy)
  • "Who's on First: Simulating the Canadian Football League Regular Season"