In this assignment, you are asked to choose 3 recent (2014 or 2015) articles related to supply chain management from popular press (e.g. Globe and Mail), business magazines (e.g. Businessweek), or academic literature (e.g. Journal of Supply Chain Management), and
1. Write a summary of each (1.5 pages for each press)
2. Explain how the articles relate to each other and to what has been covered and discussed in the class so far (4.5 pages)
Following information is for the purpose of question 2:
Course Description:
From the graduate calendar:
This course provides students with the knowledge of supply chain and operational management necessary for effective managerial decision making. Problem solving topics include leveraging corporate resources on a worldwide basis to deliver goods and services to particular markets, aligning rapidly evolving information and communication technologies to corporate operating plans, and working effectively within the constraints imposed by a variety of host governments and business cultures.
Expanded: This course offers students the opportunity to investigate the fundamental guiding principles and emerging practices in global logistics and supply chain management. The aim is to prepare for the challenges faced by organizations as they deal with increasingly complex networks of production and consumption. The past two decades have witnessed significant changes in global economic systems: the increased importance of information and communication technologies in creating global channels for the diffusion of innovations, off- shoring of manufacturing and services, the increased distances between points of production and consumption, the growing economies in the developing world and the corresponding increase in their consumption of energy and consumer durables, the instability in fuel prices and financing, and inter- and intra-state conflicts and their impact on trade routes are all examples of a globalizing world where interdependencies between individuals, organizations, states, and societies have increased significantly. Realizing these complex interdependencies, this course equips the participants with analytical and managerial skills to improve the flow of goods and services from producers of raw materials to their final point of consumption.
Course Objectives:
The overarching goal is to develop the ability to make informed managerial decisions on the planning and operation of supply chains. For this, the students will develop the following knowledge and skills:
1. Supply chain and logistics concepts, models, and current practices?
2. Tradeoffs in supply chain management decisions and their organizational impact
3. Risk-adjusted cost-benefit analysis of tradeoffs?
4. Critical Analysis (analysis, reflection, and improvement) of solutions
1- Jan 13th Introduction – Understanding the supply chain, supply chain performance Chapters 1-2
2- Jan 20th Supply chain performance drivers Chapter 3
3- Jan 27th Supply chain network design Chapters 4-5
4- Feb 3rd Global supply chains Chapters 5-6
5- Feb 10th Decision Tree Models Chapter 6
Feb 17th No Class Reading Week
6- Feb 24th No Class Integrative week
7- Mar 3rd Demand Forecasting Chapter 7
8- Mar 10th Midterm Exam Covers material from weeks 1-5
9- Mar 17th Inventory management Chapters 11-12
10- Mar 24th Transportation in the supply chain Chapter 14
11- Mar 31st Sourcing decisions Chapter 15
12- Apr 7th Role of information technology and sustainability in supply chains Chapters 4,17-18