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COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course focuses on management and improvement of supply chain processes and performance. It will
be valuable for students who would like to pursue a career in consulting or take a position in operations,
marketing or finance functions in a manufacturing or distribution firm. We explore important supply chain
metrics, primary tradeoffs in making supply chain decisions, and basic tools for effective and efficient
supply chain management, production planning and inventory control, order fulfillment and supply chain
coordination. We will also investigate topics such as global supply chain design, logistics, and
outsourcing, several other recent supply chain innovations.
The class format includes lectures, case discussions, guest speakers, and simulation games. The content
covers both quantitative and qualitative materials. The cases will feature high-tech companies as well as
firms in more traditional industries such as apparel and manufacturing.
COURSE MATERIALS
Text Book: Supply Chain Management by S. Chopra and P. Meindl, Prentice Hall, 2010 (4th Edition)
Blackboard Files - Additional articles and notes will be posted on the Blackboard
Course Reader - Containing a case which can be purchased from Harvard Business Online. To purchase
the case, you need to go to http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/access/9781444 and register / sign in. The
website will allow you to purchase the cases for $3.95 using your credit card. There is one case in this
online reader, other cases are in the text book.
This course covers both quantitative and qualitative materials, and uses many cases for discussion of
issues and illustration of approaches. Active participation in class is important throughout the course.
The cases are to be discussed within your team and you will submit (as a team) a written report. This
Syllabus provides some suggested questions that you should address in your analysis. Each team is
required to submit a written report on four case studies (Sportsuff.com, Zappos.com, Barilla SpA, World
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Co.) Case write-ups should be at most 5 pages and single-spaced (11 or 12 point font), with appendices
attached. The write-up should begin with an executive summary and be organized as follows:
Conclusions
You may choose to organize the report differently; however, please ensure that the above aspects are
covered and the report is well organized with clear section and sub-section headers. Please avoid
repetition of case facts and long expositions. General solutions to specific problems will get you little
credit. Consider what and why you believe are the most important factors. Both quantitative and
qualitative analyses are important. Creativity in analysis and suggestions that are grounded in case facts
will be given high credit. Please state any assumptions made clearly.
In addition to short case submissions, there will be problems sets. I will grade and return these problem
set submissions.
EXCEL PRINTOUTS
When printing your Excel file, each spreadsheet should be printed on a single page (let’s save some
trees!). This can be achieved by using the option Page Layout, Page Setup, Fit to 1 page(s) wide by 1
tall.
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post the group assessment form on Blackboard). If you do not submit your group assessment form, it is
assumed that you have assigned a rating of 100% to all your group members.
EXAMS
There will be one midterm exam and a final exam, and each will consist of two parts. The first part will
be qualitative and closed-book, with a combination of multiple choice, short answer and problem/essay
questions, while the second part will be quantitative and open-book.
According to the USC Final Exam Schedule, the final exam is scheduled for December 12th, at 8:00
am. Please take this into account when scheduling your trips! If there are extenuating circumstances that
prevent you from taking an exam, you must discuss the reason with me before the time of the exam. You
will not be given a make-up exam unless you obtain permission from me in advance. In addition, you
must be able to document the extenuating circumstance. If you miss the exam due to a medical
emergency that can be documented and verified, then a make-up exam will be given. Otherwise, a grade
of zero will be given for the missed exam.
CLASS PARTICIPATION
Class participation requires that you do the assigned readings, analyze the cases based on the questions
given and participate actively in class. I prefer substantive comments based on good analysis rather than
brief, general comments that add little to the discussion and learning. If you are reluctant to talk in class
but would like to show your preparation, please provide me with your analysis before class. Be prepared
to defend your suggestions or solutions with careful and thoughtful analysis! Useful criteria for measuring
effective class participation include:
Is the student absent too many times? Is the participant a good listener?
Are the points that are made relevant to the discussion? Are they linked to the comments of
others?
Do the comments clarify or build upon the important aspects of earlier comments and lead to
a clearer statement of the concepts being covered?
GRADING
Your grade in this course will be based on individual class participation, group assignments, individual
assignments and tests. I will try to assess your understanding of the tools and concepts covered, your
ability to integrate and apply those concepts and your contribution to the learning experience of the class
as follows:
Class Participation: 5%
Midterm: 25%
Final: 35%
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The use of unauthorized material, communication with fellow students during an examination, attempting
to benefit from the work of another student, and similar behavior that defeats the intent of an
examination or other class work is unacceptable to the University. It is often difficult to distinguish
between a culpable act and inadvertent behavior resulting from the nervous tensions accompanying
examinations. Where a clear violation has occurred, however, the instructor may disqualify the student's
work as unacceptable and assign a failing mark on the paper.
Examination behavior - any use of external assistance during an examination shall be considered
academically dishonest unless expressly permitted by the teacher
Plagiarism - the appropriation and subsequent passing off of another’s ideas or words as one’s
own. If the words or ideas of another are used, acknowledgment of the original source must be
made through recognized referencing practices
Other types of academic dishonesty - submitting a paper written by or obtained from another,
using a paper or essay in more than one class without the teacher’s express permission,
obtaining a copy of an examination in advance without the knowledge and consent of the
teacher, changing academic records outside of normal procedures and/or petitions, using another
person to complete homework assignments or take-home exams without the knowledge or
consent of the teacher
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with
Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved
accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the
semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
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FORRESTER RESEARCH
http://msbapps05.marshall.usc.edu:2207/rb/generalist
These reports are available at our Marshall Library via Marshall's intranet access. Forrester
Research offers the latest market trend about various supply chain issues such as ERP systems,
Information technology adoption, etc.
ONLINE JOURNALS/REPORTS
Supply Chain Link (http://www.manufacturing.net/scl/)
This is a portal that links with many helpful sites about logistics, ERP, manufacturing, software
and technology. It gives you an online version of selected article from many sources including
Supply Chain Management Review. You can download some free copies. It also provides some
news from Lexis-Nexis.
Logistics (http://www.inboundlogistics.com/)
This site will link you up with the relevant sites. A pretty good resource if you are getting into the
logistics issues.
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Readings:
Chapter 1 and 2
[Blackboard] What Employers Demand from Applicants for MBA-Level Supply Chain Jobs and the
Coverage of Supply Chain Topics in MBA Courses, Sodhi, Son, and Tang. Interfaces, 469-484.
November 2008
Reading:
Chapter 3
Assignment:
[Individual] Seven-Eleven Japan – Question #3 (due on August 31)
Readings:
Chapter 4 and 5
Readings
Chapter 6
Assignment:
[Group] Case Report for Sportstuff.com (due on September 12)
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Readings:
Chapter 7 and 8
[Blackboard] Note on Forecasting
[Chapter 8] Specialty Packaging Corporation (B) Case – in class exercise
Assignment:
[Individual] – Chapter 7 Exercises #3 and 4 (due on September 21)
Case: [Online Purchase] Zappos.Com: Developing a Supply Chain to Deliver Wow! (Stanford, GS-65)
Consider the following questions:
1. What are Zappos’ core competencies and sources of competitive advantage? How sustainable are
they? What role does corporate culture play in these questions?
2. How important is next-day air shipment to the customer experience? Is it worth the cost? How
might you change it in the cost-conscious environment facing the company in late 2008?
3. How would you expand the business? Would you add more products, more geographies, or by
selling private labels? As you expand the business, how can the company become more
profitable, particularly in light of the costs associated with the focus on service?
4. How would you expect the environment of a more cost-conscious consumer to affect Zappos’
business? What can Zappos do in such an environment to maintain sales growth?
Readings:
Chapter 9
Assignment:
[Group] Case Report for Zappos.com (due on September 28)
Readings:
Chapter 10 and 11
[Blackboard] Note on Inventory Models
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Case: [Course Reader #9] Hamptonshire Express (HBS #9-698-053) – in-class exercise
Please bring your laptops to class and download the required files to your laptop before the class
Reading:
Chapter 12
Assignment:
[Individual] Chapter 11 - Exercises #1, 2, 7, and 8 (due on October 26)
Reading:
Chapter 13
Assignments:
[Individual] Chapter 12 – Exercises 1, 2, 6, 7 (due on November 2)
Readings:
Chapters 14 and 17
[Blackboard] The Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chains, H.L. Lee, P. Padmanabhan, S. Whang, Sloan
Management Review, Spring 1997, pp. 93-102
Assignment:
[Group] Case Report for Barilla (due on November 9)
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Case: [Online Purchase] Supply Chain Management at World Co., Ltd. (HBS #9-601-072)
Consider the following questions:
1. Examine the features of fashion retailing in Japan. How can a company use its supply chain
to compete in this environment?
2. Identify important aspects of World’s supply chain focusing on the processes for
manufacturing, demand forecasting and inventory planning.
3. How do the features of the supply chain explain the company’s remarkably short lead times
(relative to U.S. apparel supply chains)? Examine the features of the supply chain and
identify why the company is able to respond so effectively.
4. Can the World’s supply chain processes be replicated at other companies? Identify potential
barriers.
Readings:
Chapter 15
Assignment:
[Group] Supply Chain Management at World Co., Ltd. (due on November 16)
Reading:
Chapter 16
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