American Tool Works Essay

This course focuses on improving the performance of the firm and its supply chain through coordination among multiple sites, functions, and economic actors (customers and suppliers). Students will know how to design and implement strategies for structure and management, both cross-functionally, with the firm, and across an industry value chain among interacting firms. These strategies include restructuring supply chain facility networks, coordinating information and materials flow, managing supplier relations, and managing customer order fulfillment processes. The theme of the course is that strategies that enhance integration throughout the supply chain can lead to improved performance (in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, quality, customer satisfaction, cost, flexibility, etc. ), providing firms with a source of competitive advantage. TEXTBOOK: D. Simchi-Levi, P. Kaminsky, and E. Simchi-Levi, Designing and Managing the Supply Chain: Concepts, Strategies, and Case Studies, 3rd ed. , McGraw Hill/Irwin, New York, 2008, ISBN 978-0-07-298239-8. READINGS:Additional articles and cases will be made available through WebCT and http://cb. hbsp. harvard. edu/cb/access/5023124 SOFTWARE:The Beer Game simulation software is available on the web and will be used for real-time ordering, planning, forecasting decisions in the supply chain. The Risk Pool Game is available on the CD that comes with the text. The Global Supply Chain Management Simulation is available through harvardbusinessonline. com and allows students to manage product design, procurement, and production for four simulated years. Excel will be used for inventory management, supply contracts, and for optimal resource allocation and distribution network configuration. PREREQUISITES: Second year standing COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. Recognize salient challenges and opportunities for managing supply chains. 2. Become familiar with supply chain strategies that have been adopted by leading companies. 3. Learn to use several analytical tools to assess tradeoffs and support decision making. METHOD: This course stress those models, concepts, and solutions methods that can be applied to the design, control, operation, and management of supply chain systems. The course includes lectures, case discussions, presentations, and hands-on, practical exercises and games to provide both a sound base of learning and an opportunity to test and develop skill. Students should do all of the assigned readings and cases before coming to class, and prepare for, and contribute to, class discussions. Excel is used to support the quantitatively intensive topics. STUDENT TEAMS: Teams will consist of about five students who will work together as the presenting and questioning teams for cases and articles as described below. The teams may allocate the work as desired, as long as all team members agree with the allocation. The team should let a member know if they are not performing at an appropriate level, and should contact the instructor if problems persist. Each team member will provide the instructor with an evaluation of their team members’ performance at the end of the term by allocating 100 total points (no self-allocation) between the other members. This information will be used to adjust team work grades. CASE PRESENTATIONS: Each student team will have the opportunity of serving as the â€Å"presenting team† for two of the cases and the â€Å"questioning team† for one of the cases that we will discuss in class. The â€Å"presenting team† will provide the background and content of the case, an analysis of what the company did correctly or incorrectly, and suggestions about what the company should do in the future. They should also address any questions given as part of the case write-up or indicated by the instructor. The â€Å"questioning team† will be responsible for questioning the presenting team, offering alternative solutions, and for leading the rest of the class in a discussion of the case. The questioning team will submit a written list of questions prior to the presentation. The members of the class will be asked to assess the performance of both teams. The instructor will incorporate the class evaluations into the presentation grades.