RE6018 OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAINS

The operations function in an organization is responsible for the design, control, and improvement of systems concerned with the production and delivery of goods and services. Because operations account for a significant portion of value added and cost in any business, even a small advantage in operations can mean the difference between winning and losing in a competitive marketplace. Beyond its internal operational processes, an organization can further create value by exploring other entities either upstream or downstream in its supply chain. Supply chain management is a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and retail stores and to efficiently manage material, information and financial flows so that merchandise is produced and distributed at the right quantities, to the right locations, and at the right time, in order to maximize system-wide surplus. In this course, students will learn about operations strategy, and how it supports corporate strategy or how it inspires business model innovation. They will learn how to measure, analyze and design processes, which are critical to operational excellence. Subsequently, they will learn how to optimally leverage on the drivers of facilities, inventory, transportation, information, sourcing and pricing in order to address the complexity, uncertainty, dynamic environment, and fragmented ownership inherent in supply chains. In the process, the course will cover the success stories of Amazon's centralization, Walmart's cross-docking, Hewlett-Packard's postponement, Dell's modular design, Timbuk2's mass customization, Sport Obermeyer's quick response, Barilla's vendor-managed inventory, Ford's flexible manufacturing, and Blockbuster's revenue-sharing contract.