CSP: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ; CIS 8010 or CIS MBA 8120 or MBA 8150 or IB 8690

Articles, Books and Other Resources:

1. Simchi-Levi, David, Kamisnsky, Philip, and Simchi-Levi, Edith, Designing and Managing the Supply Chain: Concepts, Strategies and Case Studies, 2^nd Edition,   Irwin/McGraw Hill, 2003.
2. Resources made available through the course website

Course Description

Students develop the ability to conceptualize, design, and implement supply chains aligned with product, market, and customer characteristics.  Business competition is now between supply networks rather than individual corporations. Managing the flow of products, information, and revenue across supply chains differentiates the ability of supply networks to fulfill customer needs. Students develop the ability to evaluate how information flows can substitute for the stock of physical resources, such as inventory, and why such systems succeed or fail. They assess how internet technologies, dynamic markets, and globalization are impacting supply chain strategies and practices, including logistics, digital coordination of decisions and resources, inventory and risk management, procurement and supply contracting, product and process design, and revenue management. 

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this course, the student should be able to examine the design and performance of supply networks and processes in different business contexts.    Students develop capabilities in logistics, digital coordination for supply chain integration, inventory management, risk pooling, procurement, product and process design, and international supply chain management.  Specifically, the student will learn to:  

1. Conceptualize supply chain designs, which are aligned with business models for manufacturing and service companies
2. Configure logistics networks and assess their performance impacts on efficiency and service levels
3. Manage inventory efficiently and pool inventory risks across time, products, channels, and geography.
4. Design supply chain contracts for effective governance of supply chain relationships.
5. Diagnose information integration problems across the supply chain and their consequent impacts in deploying physical and financial resources
6. Evaluate alternate information sharing and lead time compression strategies, and supply chain coordination structures, and their organizational and performance implications.
7. Align supply chain integration strategy with the uncertainty conditions of supply and demand.
8. Optimally position the push-pull boundary to leverage economies of scale and economies of scope.
9. Evaluate strategic alliances for logistics and retailer-supplier relationships, such as vendor managed inventory. 
10. Design implementation processes for partnerships, such as vendor managed inventory, that involve information sharing and shared governance of processes and infrastructure.  
11. Evaluate outsourcing decisions by applying the buy-make framework.
12.  Manage the benefits and risks of outsourcing.
13. Design e-procurement strategies for a firm’s procurement portfolio of products and services.
14. Evaluate how the logistics process can be constrained by product design, and the implications of constraint reduction on logistics performance and market responsiveness.
15. Determine when and how a supplier should be integrated into the new product development process.
16. Apply strategic pricing for revenue management.
17. Determine the IT infrastructure requirements and IT integration strategy for supply chain management.
18. Determine the decision support system requirements for supply chain management.
19. Evaluate the risks and advantages of international supply chains.
20. Evaluate the implications of regional differences in logistics while designing international supply chains.

Evaluation and Grades

Grades will be determined using the following evaluation components and distribution of points:

 

 

Grading

Final grades for the course will be based on a normal 100% scale and will be determined by adding up the points earned. The overall grading scale for the course is as follows:

A          90-100 %

B          80-89.9 % 

C          70-79.9 %

D          60-69.9 %

F          below 60 %

Written assignments will be graded for form, as well as for content. Errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation can detract from or distort the message you are trying to communicate! As a result, such errors will lower your grade. An "A" reflects work which is clearly superior and exceeds the minimum criteria on all dimensions. A "B" means "okay" -- a good, solid performance which fulfills the basic requirements for a particular assignment. Any work that receives a grade of "C" or lower does not meet the minimum requirements for solid graduate work.  "W" and "WF" will be accorded as per university policies to students that qualify for such grades.  

Case Analysis and Discussion Guidelines

In-class Discussion

On the days when a case discussion is scheduled, preparation of the case is essential. The case method of teaching is only effective when participants have analyzed the case and are prepared to contribute to the class discussion.  Individuals will be "cold called" in order to open the case discussion.

Both the quantity of comments (i.e. how many times a student speaks) and, more importantly, the quality of the comments are important. The quality of your comments is assessed using the following criteria: 

·       Does the comment represent a solid analysis of a case or just a reiteration of case facts?

·       Does the comment address the question currently on the floor, or is it way off the mark?

·       Does the comment demonstrate an ability to listen to and build from what others have said?

·       Is the point made concisely, or is it buried in a long, rambling, diatribe?

·       Does the comment move the discussion to an important area or does it just rephrase what has been said?

·       If "cold called," was the individual prepared?

·       Does the comment reflect constructive disagreement?

·       Does the comment represent regard, respect and acknowledgment of other’s contributions?

The following participatory patterns will be viewed negatively:

·              Lack of involvement - silence, detachment or disinterest

·              Leading our discussion into unrelated topics

·              Spending undue amount of time on minor points

·              Long, rambling comments.

·              Being absent or unprepared, or passing on a cold call

Preparing Your Case Brief 

Briefs are due at the beginning of class.   Each group will turn in four written case briefs.  These briefs should be short synopsis-- not to exceed two pages, single-spaced (typed); the smallest typeface allowed is 11-point with 1-inch margins all around.   You can also include a one-page Appendix that includes supporting tables, charts, and figures.  The grading of the briefs will be based upon the quality of your analysis. Merely restating case facts will not help your grade and, in fact, will use up valuable space in your brief.   In writing your briefs, assume that you are a consultant to the company who is being paid to analyze the company's situation and make a set of recommendations.

For each case analysis, you should:

• Identify the core problems and issues being faced by the organization (or the core opportunities that are potentially exploitable),
• Use the case data, both quantitative and qualitative, to analyze identified issues
• Based on your analysis, make specific recommendation on the course of action that should be pursued by the organization.

Case Brief Evaluation Template (MS-Word Document).  Please fill in your team member names on the evaluation template and submit along with your case analysis.  Both the case analysis and the evaluation template should be collated in one electronic document and sent to me at arunrai@gsu.edu.  The evaluation template should be included at the end of your case analysis.   

General Course Policies

·        Prerequisites are strictly enforced.  Students failing to complete a prerequisites with a grade of “C” or higher will be administratively withdrawn from the course in which they are in violation with a loss of tuition fees.  There are no exceptions.

·        Students are expected to attend all classes and group meetings, except when precluded by emergencies, religious holidays or bona fide extenuating circumstances. 

·        Students who, for non-academic reasons beyond their control, are unable to meet the full requirements of the course should notify the instructor. Incompletes may be given if a student has ONE AND ONLY ONE outstanding assignment.

·        A “W” grade will be assigned if a student withdraws before mid-semester while maintaining a passing grade. Withdrawals after the mid-semester date will result in a grade of “WF”.  Refer to GSU catalog or Registrar’s office for details.

·        Spirited class participation is encouraged and informed discussion in class is expected.  This requires completing readings and assignments before class.

·        Unless specifically stated by the instructor, all exams and lab assignments are to be completed by the student alone. 

·        Within group collaboration is allowed on project work.  Collaboration between project groups will be considered cheating unless specifically allowed by an instructor.

·        Copy work from the Internet without a proper reference will be considered plagiarism and subject to disciplinary action as delineated in the Student Handbook.

·        Any non-authorized collaboration will be considered cheating and the student(s) involved will have an Academic Dishonesty charge completed by the instructor and placed on file in the Dean’s office and the CIS Department.  All instructors regardless of the type of assignment will apply this Academic Dishonesty policy equally to all students.  See excerpt from the Student Handbook below:

Academic Honesty

(Abstracted from GSU’s Student Handbook Student Code of Conduct “Policy on Academic Honesty and Procedures for Resolving Matters of Academic Honesty” - http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwcam/academichonesty.html)

As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The University assumes as a basic and minimum standard of conduct in academic matters that students be honest and that they submit for credit only the products of their own efforts. Both the ideals of scholarship and the need for fairness require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit. They also require that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonorable or unethical conduct related to their academic work.

Students are expected to discuss with faculty the expectations regarding course assignments and standards of conduct.  Here are some examples and definitions that clarify the standards by which academic honesty and academically honorable conduct are judged at GSU.

Plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes any paraphrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism frequently involves a failure to acknowledge in the text, notes, or footnotes the quotation of the paragraphs, sentences, or even a few phrases written or spoken by someone else. The submission of research or completed papers or projects by someone else is plagiarism, as is the unacknowledged use of research sources gathered by someone else when that use is specifically forbidden by the faculty member. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one’s reliance on other sources is also a form of plagiarism. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one’s reliance on other sources is also a form of plagiarism. Any work, in whole or part, taken from the internet or other computer based resource without properly referencing the source (for example, the URL) is considered plagiarism. A complete reference is required in order that all parties may locate and view the original source. Finally, there may be forms of plagiarism that are unique to an individual discipline or course, examples of which should be provided in advance by the faculty member. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility.

Cheating on Examinations. Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, texts, or “crib sheets” during an examination (unless specifically approved by the faculty member), or sharing information with another student during an examination (unless specifically approved by the faculty member). Other examples include intentionally allowing another student to view one’s own examination and collaboration before or after an examination if such collaboration is specifically forbidden by the faculty member.

Unauthorized Collaboration. Submission for academic credit of a work product, or a part thereof, represented as its being one’s own effort, which has been developed in substantial collaboration with assistance from another person or source, or computer honesty. It is also a violation of academic honesty knowingly to provide such assistance. Collaborative work specifically authorized by a faculty member is allowed.

Additional Course Policies

Collegiality, Classroom Conduct & Disruption 

You are responsible to contribute towards a collegial classroom environment.  You are encouraged, and expected, to raise questions, share experiences and express your views, based on expressed reasoning.  Please do not engage in any conduct that disrupts the class and concentration of students or the instructor.  For example, all cell phones, pagers, and other similar buzzing and ringing devices, must be turned off for the duration of the class.  You are welcome to make calls and check messages during class breaks.   

Submission Timeline for Assignments

No assignment will be accepted after the classroom discussion takes place. The classroom discussion would provide an unfair advantage to those who wrote the assignments later.    

Group Work and Managing Group Problems

Case analysis represents group work.  Most groups work well together, but sometimes group dynamics turn dysfunctional. I am willing to work with you to come up with a solution to solve problems that emerge in your specific group setting.  Please note that I am willing to meet concurrently with all members of a group facing a problem so that we can discuss the problem openly and work together to come up with an acceptable solution.  In the spirit of collegial and collective problem resolution, I will not meet with group members individually in such situations.

 

Week	Topics	Readings	Exercises/ Assignments
1	Course overview ·         Learning Process ·         Lectures, discussion and participation ·         Preparation and discussion of cases ·         Case briefs and analytical process ·         Preparing for class ·         Exams Introduction to SCM ·        What is SCM? ·        Global optimization ·        Managing uncertainty ·        Why SCM? ·        Key Issues in SCM	Chapter 1, textbook; p. 1-13
2	Introduction to SCM Application of concepts from chapter 1	Chapter 1, textbook, p. 14-21	In-class case discussion   Midtech Surgical (case at the end of chapter 1; please prepare to discuss each of the four identified questions on page 21; not one of four cases for case brief submission by groups. )
	Logistics Network Configuration ·        Model development ·        Model validation ·        Impact of aggregating customer & products on model accuracy ·        Number of required distribution centers ·        Location of distribution centers ·        Allocation of products in plants to distribution centers ·        Expansion decisions of production capacity	Chapter 2, textbook,  p. 23-42
3	Logistics Network Configuration Application of concepts from chapter 2		In-class question discussion ·        Questions 3, 4 (a, b, c, d, e & f) and 5; p. 41-42.
	Inventory Management & Risk Pooling ·        Introduction and forms of inventory ·        Single warehouse inventory problem ·        Economic lot size model ·        Effect of demand uncertainty ·        Supply contracts ·        Multiple order opportunities ·        Continuous review policy	Chapter 3 - Sections 3.1 and 3.2; textbook; p. 43-63.	In-class analysis exercise The Inventory Spreadsheet (Appendix C) It will be useful for each group to bring a notebook computer to class with Excel and the accompanying spreadsheet.  We will examine the five worksheets and evaluate changes that occur when parameter values are modified.
			In-class question discussion  Questions 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13; p. 73-74
4	Inventory Management & Risk Pooling ·        Risk pooling ·        Centralized versus decentralized systems ·        Managing inventory in the supply chain ·        Practical issues ·        Approaches to forecast future demand	Chapter 3 - Sections 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7; textbook; p. 64-73.	In-class simulation exercise Risk Pooling It will be useful for each group to bring a notebook computer to class with the Risk Pooling Game loaded.  We will conduct multiple simulation runs to examine the risk pooling concept and its performance consequences.
			In-class question discussion Questions 14, 15, 16; p. 74.
5	Inventory Management & Risk Pooling	Chapter 3; textbook, p. 76-90.	Sport Obermeyer Case Brief Due (Group assignment)   Sport Obermeyer Case Presentations & Discussion.   Groups 1 and 2 will present their analysis.  Each of the presenting groups should develop a few PowerPoint slides to assist them in their presentation.
5	The Value of Information ·        The bullwhip effect ·        Supply chain coordination structures ·        Information sharing & decision rights  ·        Centralized and decentralized decision-making and performance impacts ·        Learning organization principles and applications to the beer game ·        Structure-process-event dependencies and system dynamics in the beer game		In-class simulation exercise The Beer Game It will be useful for each group to bring a notebook computer to class with the Beer Game loaded.  We will conduct multiple simulation runs to examine the value of information in supply chains.
6	The Value of Information (continued) ·        Effective forecasts ·        Information for the coordination of systems ·        Locating desired products ·        Lead-time reduction ·         Information and supply chain trade-offs	Chapter 4; textbook p. 91- 104; p. 109-117.	In-class question discussion Questions 2, 4 (p. 117)
6	The Value of Information		Barilla Case Brief Due (Group assignment) Barilla Case Presentations & Discussion.  Groups 3 and 4 will present their analysis.  Each of the presenting groups should develop a few PowerPoint slides to assist their presentation.   Each presentation should last for about 15 minutes.
7	Exam I	Based on material covered up to this point in the semester.
7	Supply Chain Integration: Implications of Demand and Supply Uncertainty ·         Functional Products ·         Innovative products ·         Efficient supply chains ·         Responsive supply chains ·         Agile supply chains ·         Metrics of supply chain performance	Lee, H., Ultimate Enterprise Value Creation Using Demand-Based Management,” Stanford Global Supply Chain Management Forum, 2001, 1-12.  Available through course web site. Lee, H., Aligning Supply Chain Strategies with Product Uncertainties, California Management Review, 44(3), Spring 2002, 105-119.  Available through course web site.
8	Exam I discussion	Exams returned and discussed in class.
8	Supply Chain Integration ·        Push, pull, and push-pull systems ·        Demand-driven strategies ·        Impact of the Internet on supply chain strategies ·        Distribution strategies ·        Centralized versus decentralized control ·        Central versus local facilities	Chapter 5; textbook, p. 119-142.	In-class question discussion Questions 3, 6, 11 (p. 139) In-class case discussion The Great Inventory Correction (case at the end of chapter 5; please prepare to discuss the five questions on page 142; not one of four cases for case brief submission by groups. )
9	Strategic Alliances ·         Framework for strategic alliances ·         Third-party logistics ·         Retailer-Supplier Partnerships ·         Distributor integration	Chapter 6; textbook, p. 143-163.	In-class question discussion Questions 1, 3, 6 (p. 163) In-class case discussion Audi Duplication Services, Inc. (ADS) (case at the end of chapter 6; please prepare to discuss the five questions on page 163; not one of four cases for case brief submission by groups.)
10	Procurement and Outsourcing Strategies ·         Outsourcing benefits and risks ·         A Framework for Buy/Make Decisions ·         E-Procurement ·         A Framework for E-Procurement	Chapter 7; textbook, p. 165-190	In-class question discussion Questions 3, 4 (p. 190)
11	Online Marketplaces		FreeMarkets Online, Inc. Case Brief Due (Group assignment) FreeMarkets Online, Inc., Presentations & Discussion.  Groups 3 and 4 will present their analysis.  Each of the presenting groups should develop a few PowerPoint slides to assist their presentation.   Each presentation should last for about 15 minutes.
12	Coordinated Product and Supply Chain Design ·         Design for logistics ·         Supplier integration into new product development ·         Mass customization	Chapter 9; textbook; p. 207-230	In-class question discussion Questions 2, 4, 5, 8 (p. 230) In-class case discussion HP: DeskJet Printer Supply Chain (case at the start of chapter 9; not one of four cases for case brief submission by groups.)
12	Coordinated Product and Supply Chain Design		“Hewlett-Packard Company: Printer Design for Universality” Case Brief Due (Group assignment) Groups 3 and 4 will present their analysis.  Each of the presenting groups should develop a few PowerPoint slides to assist their presentation.   Each presentation should last for about 15 minutes.
13	Customer Value and Supply Chain Management ·         Dimensions of customer value ·         Strategic pricing ·         Customer value measures ·         IT and customer value	Chapter 10; textbook; p. 237-259.	In-class question discussion Questions 2, 3, 4, 6 (p. 259)
14	Information Technology for SCM ·         Goals of IT for SCM ·         Standardization ·         IT infrastructure ·         SCM system components ·         Integrating IT for SCM	Chapter 11; textbook; (p. 261-292)	In-class question discussion Questions 2, 3 (p. 292)
15	Decision Support Systems for SCM ·         DSS for SCM ·         Modeling challenges ·         Structure of DSS ·         DSS for SCM ·         Selecting a DSS for SCM	Chapter 12; textbook; p. 293-319.	In-class question discussion Questions 2, 3, 4 (p. 318)
16	International Issues in Supply Chain Management ·         Introduction to global SCM ·         Risks and advantages of international supply chains ·         Issues in international supply chain management ·         Regional differences in Logistics	Chapter 8; textbook; p. 191-206	In-class question discussion Questions 2, 5 (p. 206)