Department of Management and Information Systems

Kent State University

Fall 2014

Course: Global Supply Chain Management (SCM) Models - MIS 64028

Course Delivery: Web-based Distance-Learning

Course Instructor: Dr. Maha Muzumdar

1.      Course Description

Course Description

Supply-chain management (SCM) represents an integrated and coordinated approach to managing the flow of goods, information, and cash across multiple entities including suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and the final end-customer.    This course offers a managerial guide to the concepts, processes, and strategies used in the development, transformation and management of global supply chain models.  Students will learn about the Supply-chain Operations Reference-Model (SCOR) to provide a complete and holistic perspective for global supply chain management.  This course will focus on end-to-end supply chain processes coupled with key SCM processes such as plan, source, manufacture, deliver and return.  In addition, the course will focus on supply chain model transformation strategies and case studies (such as transformation from a supply-centric model to a demand driven supply chain.)  Emphasis will be placed on case studies, analysis and interpretation in support of decisions to coordinate and improve supply chain operations. This course will be taught through the use of textbook materials, outside readings, and case studies.

TEXTBOOK:  Reading materials and all articles and cases will be provided by the instructor through email or via website. Class Materials will include:

i)                    Supply-chain Operations Reference-Model (SCOR) Slides (provided by instructor to students free of charge.)

ii)                  Harvard business review articles on managing supply chains, 2011

iii)                Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management, Dr. Dawei Lu, 2011 - Electronic Textbook (provided by instructor to students free of charge.)

iv)                Other articles will be provided.

2.      Goals and objectives:

At the conclusion of the course the student should be able to understand:

·         Understand how to use the SCOR Model for process modeling and analysis

·         Understand how to develop and manage efficient and effective global supply chains

·         Understand how IT/systems are key enablers for gaining and maintaining competitive advantage

·         Understand performance measurement in global SCM

·         Develop skills to articulate key value propositions for world class SCM

·         Understand and articulate best practices in SCM

·         Enhance skills for presenting/communicating issues & opportunities in supply chain to executives

This course will prepare students as managers and consultants who may need to articulate the various supply chain processes or models and / or manage various aspects of a globally expanding supply chain to support key organizational decisions.

3.      Instructional Methods and Grading (This is subject to change):

1)      Two Short-Answer Quizzes Based On Readings Or Case Studies: 20% (200 Points)

2)      Individual Narrated Presentation: 30% (300 points)

Students will do individual research and prepare and present a narrated PowerPoint Slideshow lasting ~15 minutes on topics related to Global Supply Chain Management.  All topics will cover around 15 narrated PowerPoint slides (without any embedded videos) in 15 minutes or less. 

Students can pick one from the options (a) OR (b) below.

(a)    A real life supply chain transformation by a company (many examples are available on the internet (e.g., Home Depot, Dell, Amazon…etc.)  Select a company and develop your narrated presentation.

(b)   Pick one topic from the recommended topics listed below.

1.      Demand management & supply planning

2.      Sales & operations planning / Integrated business planning

3.      Technology enablers for global SCM

4.      Sustainability & global supply chain management

5.      Risk & uncertainty in global supply chain management

6.      Or you may propose a topic to me if it is relevant in your current job or a particular topic in global supply chain management that you are interested in.

General guidelines for presentation format / structure are listed below.  Depending on your choice of (a) or (b) above, feel free to modify your format / presentation structure to communicate your “story.” 

·         Overview/Executive Summary (1-2 Slides)

·         Why It Matters / Is Important (1-2 Slides) – if possible, use 3^rd party data to support your points

·         Key Challenges (1-3 Slides)  - ( i.e., problems companies are facing in this area)

·         Key Opportunities / Best Practices (2-3 Slides) – (i.e., how can companies benefit from this, what best practices are available)

·         Key Enablers (2-3 Slides) – (can be technology, people, process, etc)

·         Key Results (1-2 Slides) – (can be technology, people, process, etc)

·         Takeaways or Managerial Recommendations (1-2 Slides)  - (i.e., as a manager what would you recommend executives to do to address key challenges and achieve benefits)

(Note: Tutorials for narrated presentations can be found at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/CH006350068.aspx or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZp3jumnWUg. A narrated presentation is a great training tool and you can use them in your own organizations and reduce variances in delivery and focus.)

3)      Short Paper Write-Up / Literature Review Based On Readings / Case Studies: 40% (400 Points)

Assorted articles, cases and videos from a variety of sources including Harvard Business Review,, devoted to Global Supply Chains. All articles will be posted on the course web site. 

Your short write-ups (2-3 pages) will include: a brief, executive summary, your analysis (key points covered in the article, what you agree and disagree with, and key takeaways.)  For some articles/case studies, questions will be provided in advance.

4)      Online Discussion / Blog Participation / : 10% (100 Points) – Share an article per week

You should share and start a discussion on one current news / article per week on supply chain management.  These news articles can be write-ups from The Wall street Journal, Supply Chain Management Review or any other source.  This could be related to a company, a technology innovation or any relevant topic.  Every individual in the class should contribute their thoughts and opinions.  Every student should respond at least twice to every posting.

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Grading Policy

            Evaluation                 Weight               Date

            Short Quizzes/Q&A     20%                1 Week after administering, date TBD

             Class Presentations         30%                  1 narrated presentation, date TBD

            Literature review          40%                  Article review / short write-ups

             Online Discussion       10%                Ongoing every week

            Total                           100%

Letter Grades will be assigned based on University Guidelines of A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc.  Your letter grade for the course will be assigned based on the following scale

            OS             Letter Grade           OS          Letter Grade

            93-100             A                     77-79           C+

            90-92               A-                    72-76           C

            87-89               B+                    68-71          C-

            83-86               B                      60-67           D

            80-82               B-                     0-59             F

4.      Weekly Schedule (we will focus more on self-paced learning)

1.      University Course Administration and Policies

Registration Requirements

Check the official registration deadline with the IAKM office. University policy requires all students to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course. Each student must confirm enrollment by checking his/her class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashFast) prior to the deadline indicated. Registration errors must be corrected prior to the deadline.

Course-related Technology

It is the responsibility of all students to check that they have access to the Web-platform (e.g. Vista) where the course is being offered). Ensure that you make backups of your files as all deliverables are electronic. Students must be familiar with basic computer operations (e.g., copying and printing files, moving among directories and subdirectories), logging on to a network, etc. Students must have a working version of word processing and spreadsheeting software. Additional software, if any, will be made available as free downloads.

Students with Disabilities

University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (330-672-3391) or visit www.kent.edu/sas or http://www.registrars.kent.edu/disability for more information on registration procedures.

Policy on Incomplete Grades

A complete statement on INCOMPLETE grades is available upon request. In summary, it states that the student must be earning a "C" (2.0) grade or better and be unable to complete the work before the end of classes due to extenuating circumstances. The request for an Incomplete grade is not to be used as an excuse for making up for poor performance. The student must initiate the request, provide appropriate documentation, and make arrangements to make up the incomplete work. For undergraduate students, Incompletes must be made up by the end of the following semester, and for graduate students, Incompletes must be made up within one calendar year, or an extension granted, otherwise a default grade of "U" will be assigned. However, while the university policy is set for a maximum for one semester for undergraduate students and one calendar year for graduate students, the instructor has the right to set earlier deadlines, based on circumstances and other considerations.

Cheating and Plagiarism

Cheating and plagiarism constitute fraudulent misrepresentation for which no credit can be given and for which appropriate sanctions are warranted and will be applied. The university

affirms that acts of cheating and plagiarism by students constitute a subversion of the goals of the institution, have no place in the university and are serious offenses to academic goals

and objectives, as well as to the rights of fellow students. Both cheating and plagiarism are prohibited. One area that many students may not realize as cheating is the following. "Using a substantial portion of a piece of work previously submitted for another course or program to meet the requirements of the present course or program without notifying the instructor to whom the work is presented." [For the complete policy and procedure, go to www.kent.edu/policyregister and search for policy 3342-3-01.8, or see http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/chap3/3-01-8.cfm or http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/chap3/upload/3342.3.01.8.pdf ]