3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

For a firm to execute its competitive strategy successfully, its supply chain must be able to deliver on the firm’s promise to its customers. Therefore, it is important for all managers to have an understanding of key supply chain concepts. With this in mind, the goal of this course is to introduce the main trade-offs involved in supply chain management, and the associated challenges and opportunities. The course consists of two parts: • Supply chain fundamentals: This part focuses on managing the flow of material across the entire supply chain so as to achieve a profitable balance between supply and demand. • Challenges in decentralized supply chains: Almost all supply chains involve self-interested players, who must work together to meet the end customer demand. The theme of the second part is inefficiencies caused by a lack of collaboration among the players in the supply chain. Accordingly, we focus on managing supply chains so as to align the incentives of several inter-dependent players. We also illustrate how supply chains are being transformed due to environmental and social responsibility considerations. Class sessions will feature a combination of case study discussions and lectures. The course emphasizes (i) building spreadsheet-ready models that capture supply chain challenges, (ii) asking what-if questions by applying simulation and optimization tools to these models, and (iii) distilling managerial insights from what-if questions and communicating recommendations based on those insights.