Management Science (MGSC) 418

Overview

MGSC 418: Supply Chain Management is a three-credit course that examines supply chain management (SCM), and discusses its importance and benefits to the overall strategy and competitiveness of firms of all sizes. Companies are evolving in an increasingly demanding and competitive global market. The course explores all of the key elements that comprise SCM.

• Supply management—long-term relationships with suppliers, finding alliance partners, supplier management, strategic sourcing; also known as purchasing.
• Operations—forecasting and inventory responsiveness using techniques such as demand management; collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR); material requirements planning (MRP); enterprise resource planning (ERP); just-in-time production (JIT); and total quality management (TQM).
• Logistics—the logistics behind transportation, customer relationships, network (re)design, and service management; also known as distribution.
• Integration—linking and sharing critical information systems: coordinating/integrating responsive systems; global integration; measuring key performance indicators (quality, accuracy, timeliness, and cost).

Credits earned in this course can be applied towards the requirement for maintaining certification with the Supply Chain Management Association (SCMA) as a Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP)

Outline

MGSC 418 consists of 14 lessons, as outlined below:

• Lesson 1: Introduction to Supply Chain Management
• Lesson 2: Purchasing and Supply Management
• Lesson 3: Creating and Managing Supplier Relationships
• Lesson 4: Strategic Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing
• Lesson 5: Demand Forecasting
• Lesson 6: Resource Planning Systems
• Lesson 7: Inventory Management
• Lesson 8: Process Management: Lean and Six Sigma Quality in Supply Chain Management
• Lesson 9: Domestic and International Logistics
• Lesson 10: Customer Relationship Management
• Lesson 11: Global Location Decisions
• Lesson 12: Service Response Logistics
• Lesson 13: Supply Chain Process Integration
• Lesson 14: Performance Measurement Along the Supply Chain

Learning outcomes

1. Define supply chain management, identifying its important elements and describing its importance to organizations.
2. Explain the function and role of supply element in supply chain management:
   • identify the major activities involved in purchasing including the basic manual purchasing process, e-procurement, and supplier sourcing and selection;
   • explain the factors contributing to the make or buy decision;
   • describe the key factors for building successful supplier partnerships and alliances;
   • discuss the development and implementation of a strategic sourcing plan.
3. Explain key operational issues in supply chain management:
   • discuss demand forecasting and collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR), including their important role in the supply chain;
   • apply techniques for aggregate planning and inventory management such as materials requirement planning (MRP), available-to-promise (ATP), and economic order quantity (EOQ);
   • identify key process management techniques and their main elements, explaining the importance of these to supply chain management.
4. Explain key logistics issues in supply chain management:
   • explain transportation and warehousing options, and discuss their strategic importance to an organization and its supply chain management;
   • describe customer relationship management, identifying its importance in supply chain management;
   • explain the impact facility location has on a supply chain, identifying the various factors that influence facility location.
5. Compare and contrast supply chain management in service companies to that in non-service companies.
6. Apply appropriate management techniques for managing service capacity, queues, quality, and distribution in the service industry.
7. Identify categories of software systems important in the supply chain, and explain their importance.
8. Design appropriate performance measurement system for SCM, including identification of key performance measures.
9. Identify and discuss issues that will impact upon the future of supply chain management.

Evaluation

To receive credit in MGSC 418, you must achieve a mark of at least 50 percent on the final examination, and a composite course mark of at least a D (50 percent). The composite mark is weighted as follows:

The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.

Materials

Digital course materials

Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:

Wisner, J. D., Tan, K. C., & Leong, G. K. (2019). Principles of supply chain management: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-337-40649-9

Challenge for credit

Overview

The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.

Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Evaluation

To receive creditfor the MGSC 418 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent)on the examination.

Paper Exam

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services at AU