BUS606: Operations and Supply Chain Management

First, read the course syllabus. Then, enroll in the course by clicking "Enroll me". Click Unit 1 to read its introduction and learning outcomes. You will then see the learning materials and instructions on how to use them.

Supply chain management is the efficient integration of suppliers, factories, warehouses, and stores so that merchandise is produced and distributed in the right quantities to the right locations at the right time. The main areas of the supply chain are purchasing, manufacturing, warehousing, and customers. These areas have conflicting objectives because of their inherent complexities and competing priorities. Purchasing needs to balance being stable and remaining flexible. Manufacturing needs to balance high quality with low costs. Warehousing needs to maintain low inventory and low transport costs but also have the ability to replenish goods quickly. Finally, customers demand shorter times, lots of inventory, and huge variety at the lowest possible price. Generally speaking, challenges associated with supply chains relate to working in a complex network while managing uncertainty. Virtually every consumer item we own is the result of a successful supply chain that sources raw materials, transports these raw materials to manufacturing sites, and ultimately delivers the products to stores. Managing the network of interconnected steps in a defined system requires designing, planning, executing, controlling, and monitoring with the ultimate objective of creating value, generating competitive advantage, leveraging systemic logistics, and balancing supply with demand with the ability to measure performance. Logistics is focused on managing the flow of items between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet demand. Essentially, logistics is concerned with managing inventory, purchasing materials, transportation, warehousing, and planning. Whether an entity is a manufacturer of goods or a service-based firm, production and operations management is vital. Organizations are concerned with inputs, outputs, and the many decisions that happen in the process. Operations management has roots in the industrial revolution, when society shifted from small, localized agrarian communities to large-scale, complex production. On a small scale, operations were quite simple and relatively easy to manage. However, as the scale of production, manufacturing, logistics, and distribution increased, organizations sought to increase productivity and decrease costs by increasing their overall efficiency. This focus on effectively managing operations allows companies to strategically position themselves to create results and gain a competitive advantage.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 13 hours.

This unit deals with a fundamental problem for managers of either a production process or service delivery, namely, how to meet changes in demand. As demand for a product or service increases (decreases), production must also increase (decrease). Designing the capacity to scale up (or down) quickly and efficiently is key to successfully meeting demand.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 11 hours.

This unit covers operations analysis of business functions with an emphasis on process optimization and operational efficiencies. The tools and methods presented here can help organizations understand their processes better and to evolve into leaner producers and manufacturers. By knowing where attention needs to be focused, businesses can effectively manage current and future challenges and maintain their competitive advantage. 

Completing this unit should take you approximately 8 hours.

This unit covers model analysis for firm short-term resource usage. While aggregate planning looks at overall operations in the medium- and long-run in a manufacturing or service firm, scheduling models focus on day-to-day operations and management of physical and human resources.

This unit covers the need for, different types of, and methods for forecasting demand. It is the first step in operations management and planning for changes in production and service capacity. Understanding statistical methods used in forecasting, and optimal levels of risk/uncertainty inherent in the analysis, is key to successful operations management.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 9 hours.

This unit covers process and inventory models. For process models, this includes quality control and the tools to measure and control quality such as statistical process control, total quality management, and six-sigma, and lean systems such as just-in-time logistics. Inventory models are covered which determine optimal inventory order schedules and lot sizes. Finally, the importance of safety-stock inventory buffers is considered to take into account disruptions in supply schedules.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 9 hours.

This unit covers the analysis of facility layouts, given layout objectives and types. Different requirements for manufacturing and service-industry building layouts are considered. Location decisions include analyzing the link between supply-chain networks and facility locations as part of operations optimization.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.

This unit covers the analysis of facility layouts, given layout objectives and types. Different requirements for manufacturing and service-industry building layouts are considered. Location decisions include analyzing the link between supply-chain networks and facility locations as part of operations optimization.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 10 hours.

This unit covers supply chain integration as an analysis of dealing with uncertainty in supply and demand, the tradeoffs between efficiency and responsiveness in supply chains, and different metrics of supply chain performance used in the analysis. Further, the Bullwhip effect, as one aspect of uncertainty, describes the variability magnification moving from customer to producer in the supply chain.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 13 hours.

Project management provides the framework and methodology for successfully addressing the complexities associated with supply chain management. This unit covers the principles of and different techniques used in project management. These include analyzing project structure and breaking projects into constituent work units and activity milestones. Also covered are activity-planning optimizing methods for work scheduling, along with methods to track overall project progress. 

Completing this unit should take you approximately 10 hours.

This study guide will help you get ready for the final exam. It discusses the key topics in each unit, walks through the learning outcomes, and lists important vocabulary. It is not meant to replace the course materials!

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Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.

To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt. Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.