BA 561 Supply Chain Management

Winter 2007

Instructor: Zhaohui Wu, Ph.D.

Office: 422 C Bexell Hall

Office Phone: 737-3514

E-mail: wuz@bus.oregonstate.edu

Office hours: Monday and Tuesday 10:30 - noon

and by appointment

Class website: http://my.oregonstate.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:

This course serves two main purposes. The first is to expand your knowledge of supply chain management. Topics will be covered in a manner such that the information should be applicable to managing and improving the operations of all organizations, and supply chains.

The second function of the course is to get you to use skills that employers have identified as important. Chief among these will be communication skills, both oral and written. In addition, you will be expected to work in teams when appropriate. Finally, where applicable, you should make use of the appropriate computer technologies to perform your work.

Specific Learning outcomes:

1. Have a working knowledge of key supply chain topics

2. Be able to apply key topics to actual supply chain decisions

3. Be able to apply simulation tools in a supply chain decision making context

4. Understand the linkages between key supply chain members

5. Demonstrate the ability to work in groups

6. Demonstrate the ability to make a professional presentation of a business case

TEACHING MATERIALS:

Required reading-

Cases – you need to buy them from Harvard Business School Publishing Online at www.hbsp.harvard.edu

Required readings are posted on blackboard except Harvard Business Review articles due to copy right protection. You can download them through OSU library website. I will leave a copy of these HBR articles at the MBA lounge.

I will also distribute reading hand-outs throughout the term.

Optional reference textbooks-

D. Simchi-Levi, P. Kaminsky and E. Simchi-Levi. Designing & Managing the Supply Chain. McGraw-Hill, 2003. ISBN: 0-07-284553-8.

C. Cachon and C. Terwiesch. Matching Supply with Demand: An Introduction to Operations Management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin; 1 edition (January 5, 2005), ISBN-13: 978-0072918991

J. Heizer J. and B. Render Operations Management. 2005. 7/e/ Prentice Hall. ISBN 0131058452

EXPECTATIONS:

No course teaches itself. And no professor can make up for lack of effort on the student’s part. If you want to get the most out of this class you must: 1) have the required prerequisites, 2) be prepared for class, 3) participate in class, 4) be a useful member of your group, 5) display mastery of the subject matter, and 6) act professionally.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

All students are expected to abide by the university’s rules on academic honesty. Failure to do so will result in failing the class. Students should be aware of what constitutes cheating as well as plagiarism. For example, if you use five consecutive words in a sentence from a source without clearly citing the source, it is considered plagiarism.

STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

If you have any special needs that will need to be addressed please contact me during the first week of the term.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL:

Individual Work

Test

There is one test scheduled for the term. The test will be comprised of essays and problems. Anything we do in class is testable. However, the purpose of the test is to ensure that you have mastered core concepts covered in class, especially topics that were not directly covered in a case or assignment.

Queuing (waiting line simulation) problem

The queuing problem is due at the beginning of class on 2/27/07. This will be an individual assignment. Collaboration on this assignment is not allowed. You may discuss the basics of building the models or of using the software, but you can not discuss the actual building of the model for the case. If you collaborate on this assignment you will fail the class.

Participation – in class

This class was designed under the assumption that all members of the class would be active participants. Therefore you are expected to participate in class. Participation is the way that you disseminate information to other members of the class, as well as to me. Participation is a way to show me that you understand a topic, as well as a way to inform me that a topic has not been fully explained. Participation is not just attending class, although attendance is a necessary condition to participate.

This class only meets once a week. And due to their nature, case discussions can not be made up. Therefore this class will have an attendance policy. Students may miss one class with no questions asked. However, additional absences should be discussed with the professor. Anyone who has more than 2 unexcused absences will fail the class.

In addition to attending class, all students are expected to engage in class conversation, answer questions, be willing and prepared to discuss the cases, and work in formal and informal groups. Students who do not meet these expectations can expect their grades to suffer, significantly. You will not get full credit for participation just for showing up to class.

Participation - in group

One of students’ persistent complaints about working in teams is that regardless of the professor’s intentions one or two team members end up doing the vast majority of the work, while the remainder of the team is guilty of “social loafing”. To avoid this, this class will have 2 control mechanisms.

First, all students will receive a grade from their team based on their individual contribution to the team- as assessed (anonymously) by the rest of the team. As part of participation all students will turn in a written evaluation of their team and the team process (on the last day of class) using a form I will post on the web. Students who do not perform this task will harm their own grades. The assessment will be used to adjust each team members’ grade for the case presentation and briefs. Your team’s score will be multiplied by your individual evaluation (the average from your team members) to give you an adjusted grade for the team work. For example if your team received an 80% for the case presentation and your average participation score was a 75%- you would get 60% (80% * 75%) for the presentation. So it is possible for a very poor performer to receive no credit from the team- and hence no credit for the group work.

Second, it is your responsibility to make every attempt to work with your team. However, there are occasionally team members who will not pull their own weight. If your team has such a member you can fire the offending person (they will fail the class) if you follow the procedure below.

1. Have a team meeting to discuss the problem. Inform me of the meeting as well as the results. I would suggest that at this stage you set formal expectations of all members of the team. I will not attend this first meeting.

2. If the problem persists set up a time to meet with me. I will meet with the members individually and collectively, as I see fit. The end result of these meetings will be a formal contract for all of the group members that will specify what each person will do, as well as when and how; for the remainder of the term.

If a member of the team breaks the contract, the team must send me a memo that they intend to fire the person. I will once more meet with the offending team member. Unless they can prove serious extenuating circumstances they will be fired.

Note: in special circumstances the process to fire a team member can / will be expedited

Group Work

Your group will do a number of formal and informal tasks throughout the semester. Key among these is the preparation and presentation of cases. There are 5 cases scheduled throughout the semester. Each group will have to present one case.

Case presentation

Each group will be assigned one case to formally present. This group will be expected to lead class discussion on the day the case is discussed. Each case is different and there is no set time limit for discussions. You will not be graded on the amount of time you use, but you will be expected to make good use of the class’s time.

In class your group will formally present the information with an emphasis on the analysis and recommendations. Please do not waste a great deal of time restating the case or your grade will suffer significantly. The presentation is expected to be professionally done and will be judged by both the professor and the class. We will formally discuss the expectations for case presentations during the second day of class. Criteria for the presentation include:

a. Identification of problem (15 points) – did the group get to the core problem or did they focus on symptoms?

b. Quality of analysis and recommendations (35 points) – was the group thorough? Did they overlook anything important? Did they do a good job integrating supply chain theory into the discussion? Did they do a good job integrating theory from other functional areas (if applicable)?

c. Quality of presentation (35 points) – Was the group professional? Did they read or talk? Were visual aides well done and appropriate?

d. Degree of preparedness in answering questions (15 points) – was the group able to answer questions? Were they prepared for questions that should have been “obvious”?

Case briefs:

Your group will be responsible for preparing a short (2 page maximum) brief for the cases you are not presenting. Briefs will be due by 8AM on the Monday of the week the case is being discussed in class. E-mail submission is required. Late submissions will not be accepted. Each brief will be graded on a 5 point scale. The group presenting the case to the class does not need to prepare a brief for the case they will present. Each brief will detail:

a. The problem being solved- especially if you think that the root cause of the issues in the case is not well stated in the case problem given you by the Dr. Wu.

b. Assumptions and key facts. What data did you find pertinent? What assumptions did you have to make?

c. Your recommendation based on a and b above.

Note- if you prefer (or if your schedule requires it) you may prepare briefs individually. Dr. Wu must be made aware of this decision before the first brief is due.

GRADES:

Case presentation – 20%

Queuing problem – 10%

Briefs - 20% - 5% each

Final – 25%

In class participation 25%

Grades are assigned as follows:

Grade	Percentage
A	93 up to 100
A-	90 up to 93
B+	87 up to 90
B	83 up to 87
B-	80 up to 83
C+	77 up to 80
C	73 up to 77
C-	70 up to 73
F	Less than 70

NOTE: This syllabus as well as the attached schedule are subject to change. Every effort will be made to adhere to these documents. However, things can change. When change occurs you will be notified in class. It is the student's responsibility to be aware of these changes.

Schedule Updated 1/21/07

Date

Topic

Assignments

Week 1 (Jan. 9)

Introduction to Course

a. What is supply chain

b. Case group formation

Supply chain coordination and system dynamics

Lee, Padmanabhan & Whang article

Article handout

Week 2 (Jan. 16)

Purchasing & Supply Chain Relationships Management

a. Transaction cost economics and its implication to supply chain relationships

b. Sourcing issues

Supply relationship

Helper article

Gottfredson, Puryear & Phillips article

Wu and Choi article

Week 3 (Jan. 23)

Supply Networks

a. Network structure

b. Supply network design

Case 1. Laura Ashley and Federal Express Strategic Alliance. hbsp#: 9-693-050

Both classes: Choi and Hong article

Thurm article

6PM also have: Helper article; Wu and Choi article

Week 4 (Jan. 30)

More on inter-firm relationships and outsourcing

Rossetti and Choi article

Dyer article; Uzzi article

Case 2: Amazon.com's European Distribution Strategy.

hbsp #: 9-605-002

Week 5 (Feb. 6)

Virtual and Sustainable Supply Chain

Joint session with BA562 and COB Sustainability Initiative Speaker Series

GreenDisk President David Beschen

6PM at L.S. Stewart Center Construction and Engineering Hall

Week 5 (Feb. 13)

Lean System

a. Lean and TQM

b. JIT concept through a production game

c. Value stream mapping

Nishiguchi & Beaudet article

Article handout

Case 3; Toyota Motor Manufacturing, U.S.A., Inc. hbsp #: 9-693-019

Queuing homework assigned & due 2/27

Week 7 (Feb. 20)

Logistics

a. 3^rd party logistics

b. Postponement & speculation

c. Risk pooling (centralized vs. decentralized system)

Distribution networks

Pagh & Cooper article

Fisher article

Article handout

Case 4: Hewlett-Packard: Singapore (A) hbsp #: 9-694-035

Week 8 (Feb. 27)

D. Simchi-Levi, P. Kaminsky and E. Simchi-Levi. Designing & Managing the Supply Chain. McGraw-Hill, 2003. ISBN: 0-07-284553-8.

Test

Queuing (waiting line simulation) problem

Participation – in class

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