Supply Chain Management

Catalog description

The function of supply chain management is to design and manage the flow of material and information, starting from the raw materials until finished goods reach customers. Typically, logistics-related costs account for 20 to 25 percent of firms total costs. On the revenue side, the supply chain decisions have a direct impact on market penetration and customer service. With the globalization of the economy and advances in information technology, supply chain design and coordination have become important tools for gaining competitive advantage. Therefore, the objectives of the course are to (1) develop an understanding of individual components of the supply chain (such as order management, transportation, network design, distribution channel management, after-sales service, and customer service strategy) and their interrelationships with other functions of firms, such as marketing, manufacturing, and accounting (2) impart analytical and problem-solving skills necessary to develop solutions for a variety of logistics problems (3) understand the complexity of interfirm and intrafirm coordination in implementing programs such as quick response and vendor-managed inventories and (4) develop the ability to design logistics systems and formulate integrated supply chain strategy, so that all components are not only internally synchronized but also tuned to fit corporate strategy, competitive realities, and market needs.