COMM 415 – Quantitative Policy Analysis

Climate change is pushing humanity to adapt. In some cases, the changes are already upon us, forcing adaptations in shipping or agriculture or travel. In other cases, companies, sectors, and governments are trying to alter the way they operate in order to slow down the effects of climate change and to be ready as those effects nevertheless arrive.

COMM 415 explores these changes through the lens of operations.

We will explore cases from all three sectors of the economy — Primary (resource extraction), Secondary (manufacturing & construction), and Tertiary (services) — to understand how operations within firms is already changing, and how it must continue to change. Sometimes taking a corporate perspective, and sometimes taking a policy perspective, we’ll analyze existing companies and industries, speculate about what is needed to achieve a climate-friendlier future, and develop recommendations for how to get there.

Learning objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the physical and economic impacts of climate change on different sectors of the economy, including primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors.
• Develop an understanding of the possible role of operations management in mitigating the effects of climate change and adapting to its impacts.
• Analyze the impact of climate change on supply chains in several key industries and identify strategies to reduce the carbon footprint.
• Develop quantitative models to analyze the impact of changes to supply chains and service sector operations.
• Identify the biggest polluting industries and understand the impact of their operations on the environment.
• Understand the role of policy in promoting sustainable operations and reducing carbon emissions.

Prerequisite: One of COMM 295, ECON 201, ECON 301.