Supply Chain Management

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2014:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Emerging trends in globalization and renewed emphasis on operations as a source of competitive advantage have led to organisational changes that focus on inter-functional coordination, often spanning several firms in the supply chain. This course discusses recent developments in manufacturing-marketing-supply chain linkages and studies operational decisions that make such interfaces efficient and effective. It explores inter-functional dependencies, sources of conflicts, and on effective managerial decision making paradigm. The course principles are based on the premise that an organisation can become globally competitive when all elements that comprise its supply chain network are efficient and decision making is coordinated across the chain. The course will present in detail issues related to market-led operations, managing supply and distribution channels, and methodology.

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Analyse real-world supply chains and evaluate their consistency of the supply chains with the firm strategy.
• Develop detailed analytical models for designing periodic and continuous review inventory systems.
• Utilize managerial levers available to lower safety inventory and improve product availability.
• Identify the factors affecting the optimal level of product availability and evaluate the optimal service level.
• Design incentives for improved inter-firm and intra-firm coordination of activities in a supply chain.
• To design logistics systems and formulate integrated supply chain strategy.
• To develop models to minimize the demand-supply mismatch costs using quick-response with reactive capacity.
• To develop robust approaches for minimizing bullwhip effect.
• Tackle challenges in ethical sourcing in global supply chain networks.

• Contribution to class learning (10%)
  • Throughout subject
• 3 Syndicate case assignments (45%)
  • each equivalent to individual 500 word asssessment
  • Week 4, 8 & 10
• Final examination (45%)
  • Hurdle requirement
  • 3 hours
  • End of subject

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.