SCM 410: Advanced Supply Chain Planning and Operations – Fall 2018

Monday and Wednesday 2:00pm –3:15pm

Instructor
Name: Dr. Brian Neureuther
Office: Au Sable Hall 335
Phone: (518) 564-4189
E-mail: neureubd@plattsburgh.edu (preferred method of contact)

Office Hours
M, W: 11 am – noon, and by appointment T, TH: 1pm – 2pm, and by appointment F: by appointment

Texts
Hardcopy: Sunil Chopra and Peter Meindl. Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning & Operations, 6th edition. Pearson
Education Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2013. (ISBN: 978-0-13-380020-3)
or
E-Book: You can order or rent the e-book at a substantial discount here: https://www.vitalsource.com/products/supply-chain-
management-sunil-chopra-v9780133800579

Note: This course further supplemented with material on Moodle. Please visit this site frequently to review the course lecture
notes, homework solutions, and other important and useful material. Keep in mind that most of this material is viewable
online, especially if you bring your laptop to class; this should reduce the need to print any of this material.

SBE Mission
Our mission as a School of Business and Economics is: To provide our diverse student population with an affordable, internationally
recognized and accredited high quality business education, emphasizing skills for successful careers in the global economy,
complemented by experiential learning and exceptional mentoring, and serving as an intellectual resource center for the Quebec / New
York Corridor and the global community.

Course Description & Learning Objectives

Supply chain management is unique and, to some degree, represents a paradox because it is concerned with one of the oldest and also
the most newly discovered activities in business. Supply chain operational activities – inventory management, warehousing, sourcing,
communication, transportation, and facility location – have been performed since the start of commercial activity. It is difficult to
visualize any product that could reach a customer without operational and logistical support. Yet, it is only over the last few years that
firms have started focusing on operations, logistics, and supply chain management as a source of competitive advantage. This
becomes even more important given that product life cycles are shrinking and competition is intense. Supply chain management today
represents a great challenge as well as a tremendous opportunity for most firms.

In this course we will view the supply chain from the point of view of a general manager and will focus on the operational and
planning perspectives. Operations management and supply chain management are all about managing the flows in a supply chain
(information, product, or funds) and ensuring the strategic fit of these flows across the organization. The design of a supply chain is
critically linked to the objectives of the supply chain. Our learning objectives in this course are to:
1) Understand how supply chain design impacts the performance of the firm and the entire supply chain.
2) Understand how supply chain operational & planning decisions impact the performance of the firm and the entire supply
chain.
3) Understand how supply chain structures are linked to logistical and operational capabilities.
4) Learn the strategic importance of supply chain design, planning, and operations.
5) Utilize information technology and software to enhance our ability to perform data analysis and to think critically in order to
make operational and planning decisions in the supply chain.

SBE Five Program Learning Outcomes

To support our SBE Mission, the following are the skills, knowledge and attributes the SBE wishes our students to possess upon
graduation.
1) Business Knowledge
2) Ethics and Professionalism
3) Oral and Written Communication
4) Global Awareness
5) Apply Technology to Decision Making

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Relationship of Course Objectives to SBE Program Learning Goals
The School of Business and Economics at SUNY Plattsburgh has identified learning goals that all graduates should have mastered upon
graduation. These goals have been incorporated into this course with emphasis as represented in the table below:

Heavy Moderate Minor

School Program Learning Goals
Coverage Coverage Coverage
Business Knowledge X
Communication Skills (written and oral) X
Ethics and Professionalism X
Global Awareness X
Applying Technology to Decision Making X

Course Prerequisites
SCM 301Global Operations Management, SCM370 Supply Chain Management, ECO 260 Business Statistics I

Grading
All assignments will be graded out of 100 points; however, the weight of each category of assignment is as follows:
Exam 1: 25% Cases: 25%
Exam 2: 25% Field Assignment: 25%

The dates for each exam are given on the course outline, which will be distributed with this syllabus. Please arrange your schedules
around these exam dates, as make up exams will only be given under rare and documented circumstances.

The grading scale is.

A: 93-100 A-: 90-92.99 B+: 87-89.99 B: 83-86.99
B-: 80-82.99 C+: 77-79.99 C: 73-76.99 C-: 70-72.99
D+: 67-69.99 D: 63-66.99 E: below 63

Attendance
Attendance is strongly recommended. The lecture will follow the book closely on some topics, but not on others. In addition, there is
a substantial amount of quantitative work that is best understood if students were in class. I strongly urge all to attend. It is the
responsibility of the student to obtain material and information missed because of class absences.

Exams
Exams will consist of multiple choice questions and will be administered using Moodle outside of class time. They will be conceptual
in nature and test you on your knowledge of material presented in the textbook. Please arrange your schedules around the exam dates
posted on the course outline as make-up exams are only given under rare and documented circumstances.

Projects/Cases
Projects will be assigned throughout the course. They most likely will be quantitative in nature and will require the use of Microsoft
Excel. Your answers to the project questions must be clearly stated and understood and be your best effort at answering the questions.
Please use the following guidelines in submission of your projects:

 Your final solutions should be written in memo format using Microsoft Word (or some other Word processor). Feel free to embed
in your memo graphs, tables, or other data display techniques that will help the reader understand your solution. Your answer
should be written clearly, in sentences (no outlines) using good college-level English. Spelling, punctuation, and grammar count.
 Your quantitative analysis will most likely be done in Microsoft Excel. Since I will look over the spreadsheet as well as your
memo, your spreadsheet should meet the following guidelines:
o Be easy to follow and understand; make use of color or other techniques to highlight the solutions in your spreadsheet
o Make the use of cell references
o Should be robust, that is, they should make use of a data input section so that changes to input parameters can alter your
solution.

Field Assignment
Student groups are required to visit local companies and complete a report on what they have learned from a supply chain and
operational perspective. Additional information on this assignment and milestone dates are available on Moodle. Students who have
completed an internship experience may not use the company for which they interned for this field assignment.

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My Expectations of You
Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with that of business professionals. The following are my
expectations for all students:
1) To turn in all work on time, in a neat and organized fashion, and completed to the best of your ability. Remember, the
business world does not wait for you. If you do not complete tasks in business on time, professionally and correctly,
someone else will. They more than likely will take your job or that promotion that you have been working for.
2) To treat the professor, all other students, and industry professionals with respect and courtesy. In business, respect and
courtesy go a long way; disruptive, rude and challenging behavior does not.
3) To come to class every day and on time. Punctuality is a necessity in business. Those that do not possess this characteristic
are usually not successful.
4) To be attentive in class (i.e. no text messaging, no reading of newspapers, no doing homework for other classes, etc.) and to
participate in classroom discussions. Business executives like to hear ideas that you have for improvement and more than
likely will look favorably on those employees who participate in discussions for company improvement. Those who sit
quietly and inattentively are frequently looked over for advancement.
5) To turn off (not manner mode or vibrating) cell phones, pagers, etc. when the class is being conducted. Laptops should be
closed unless you are using them to take notes or unless we are using them specifically in class. Please do not send e-mail,
texts, or browse the Internet during class. Interruption or non-attentiveness from these devices is considered rude and
unprofessional in the business world, therefore, in the classroom as well. Business executives do not look kindly on these
types of interruptions.
6) To be honest on all assignments and exams. Taking credit for others work in business will not get you far. Believe it or not,
your bosses know more than you think about who has put the work into a project and who has not.

I have high expectations of you and in order to improve the quality of instruction as it relates to your learning in this course, I expect
you to adhere to these expectations. I do so to prepare you for the business environment that awaits you. My thought is that it is
better to learn these expectations here, in college, then to learn them the hard way after you graduate.

You Can Expect from Me

1) I will learn your names.
2) I will respect your comments and answer your questions, both inside and outside of class.
3) I will return phone calls and e-mails in a prompt and timely fashion.
4) I will start and end class on time and will behave in a professional manner.
5) I will challenge you, but I will also work hard and try to make the course material interesting and relevant.
6) I will return assignments promptly and try to give feedback that is valuable and informative.
7) I will ask for and respond to feedback to improve the course and its delivery.

Extra Credit
The grade you earn in this course is a measure of your performance on the material in this class and it is my philosophy that extra
credit is not to be given. Extra credit does not demonstrate that you have gained more knowledge of the material in the course and
therefore should not be weighted in the class grade. Therefore, please do not ask if you may do extra work to bring up your course
grade. Your course grade will only be determined by your performance on the requirements outlined above.

Conduct / Academic Dishonesty

Students enrolled in this class are expected to support the letter and the spirit of the Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the College
Catalog. Any student who has been found to violate any part of the Academic Honesty Policy will receive an E for the course.

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle – Greening and Sustainability

In an effort to reduce the amount of paper that is used by university campuses, I will make use of drop boxes on Moodle so that you
can submit your work electronically. Reports that are written should be submitted to me this way. Also, even though lecture notes,
homework solutions, and other important information are available on Moodle, students should refrain from printing these out. You
have access to any of these documents at any time of the day to review them electronically.

Remarks
It is the student’s responsibility to keep abreast of the course. I strongly encourage you to ask questions during class if there are
concepts you do not understand. If you need help outside of class, feel free to visit me during the posted office hours. If these hours
do not fit into your schedule, please speak with me to make arrangements for an appointment at another time. Special classroom
accommodations will be made for students with documented disabilities at the request of the student. If you have a disabling
condition you must register with Student Support Services (Angell College Center - 564-2810) prior to requesting
accommodations.

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