THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
FISHER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
BUSML 4382
LOGISTICS ANALYTICS
Instructor:
Office:
E-Mail:
Office Hours:
Dr. Xiang Wan
Fisher Hall 524
wan.207@osu.edu
MWF 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM; by appointment as needed
Email is the best method of reaching me on days outside of office hours.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
4382 can be described as a modeling course in Logistics. We will cover a variety of logistics issues and
discuss modeling approaches for solving them. The course is organized into five modules (Forecasting,
Modeling, Inventory Management, Routing, and Network Design). Each module will consist of a series
of lectures on modeling and solution approaches to a class of problems.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this course are to enable the students:

be familiar with several modeling problems commonly faced in logistics,

understand the uses of various methods to solve practical issues,

be able to solve many of these problems using efficient heuristics (i.e. methods for finding
good solutions to a problem) or optimization techniques (i.e. methods for finding the best
solution),

understand how companies address these problems in the “real world.”
COURSE MATERIALS
Carmen will be used to post course materials, announcements, changes to the course outline. Please
check Carmen on a regular basis to stay current with the course.
COURSE METHOD
Class meetings will be as interactive as possible. Everyone is expected to participate in class. Lectures
will be designed to introduce or explain some of the principles being discussed. The teaching method
will be a combination of lecture, class discussions on assigned topics, and some analysis/problems.
Problem solving skills are required in this course. Finally, Case study and examinations will provide a
final feedback opportunity for each student to demonstrate their knowledge of the material.
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GRADES
Grades will be made up of the following items:
Case Study. We will be using the computer lab to work on the case, but it will also require work
outside of class time. I will introduce the software on the first and second lab days and you will have
additional lab days to work on the case. The software is Windows-based, so if you use a Mac, you
will need to have Parallels. You are allowed to work on the case in teams of 3-4 individuals and hand
in one write-up for the team.
Student performance will be evaluated as a team, with each member receiving the same grade for the
project. Issues associated with group effort or dynamic should be brought to the attention of the
instructor as soon as possible. Waiting until the last minute to address these issues inevitably
results in an unsatisfactory outcome of most parties involved.
Examinations: There will be Three in-class examinations to measure the mastery of material for content
knowledge. All examinations will be closed book/closed note. The exams are not cumulative although
some material will carry-over.
Grade components
Case Study
Exam1
Exam2
Exam3
Total
Percentage
20%
25%
25%
30%
100%
In determining the final course grade, the following scale is used to convert points into letter grades:
A =
A- =
B+ =
B =
B- =
C+ =
93
90
87
83
80
77
- 100%
- 92.99%
- 89.99%
- 86.99%
- 82.99%
- 79.99%
C =
C- =
D+ =
D =
E =
73
70
67
60
0
-
76.99%
72.99%
69.99%
66.99%
59.99%
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Any student who feels she/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should
contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. In addition, you should contact the Office for
Disability Services (ODS) at (614) 292-3307 or visit them at 150 Pomerene Hall. ODS will coordinate
all accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
MAKE-UP EXAM POLICY
Exams should not be missed for the convenience of the student. The dates of the major exams are shown
on the Course Schedule. It is expected that you will schedule your activities around these exam dates.
If a major exam is missed due to an approved university absence, you must inform the instructor before
the exam. The format of the exam can be different from the exam given in class. Original documentation
supporting your absence must be furnished to the professor. There will be no make-ups for missed
exams without a university-approved excuse. An exam, whether regularly scheduled or make-up, that is
missed without an approved excuse will be assigned a grade of ZERO.
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GENERAL
Students are STRONGLY encouraged to see the professor at the first sign of any problem or lack of
understanding. Do not wait until it is too late!
Laptops should only be used to enhance the overall learning environment. Computer use and Internet
network access during class time is not granted for the purpose of ‘surfing the Web’ or checking ‘emails.’ Internet access may not be permitted during certain class times except as specifically authorized
by the professor.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The Fisher College Honor Code and the University Academic Misconduct Policy are strictly enforced.
Please familiarize yourself with both. A useful description of academic misconduct is available at:
http://oaa.osu.edu/coam.html.
It is the responsibility of the Committee on Academic Misconduct to investigate or establish procedures
for the investigation of all reported cases of student academic misconduct. The term “academic
misconduct” includes all forms of student academic misconduct wherever committed; illustrated by, but
not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with examinations. Instructors
shall report all instances of alleged academic misconduct to the committee (Faculty Rule 3335-5-487).
For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct (http://sja.osu.edu/page.asp?id=1).
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Date
Aug 26
Aug 28
Aug 31
Sep 02
Sep 04
Sep 07
Sep 09
Sep 11
Sep 14
Sep 16
Sep 18
Sep 21
Sep 23
Sep 25
Sep 28
Sep 30
Oct 02
Oct 05
Oct 07
Oct 09
Oct 12
Oct 14
Oct 16
Oct 19
Oct 21
Oct 23
Oct 26
Topic
Course Introduction
Basic Decision Theory
Introduction to Forecasting
Forecast Performance Measures
Time Series for Stationary Data
Labor Day – No Class
Career Fair
Time Series for Non-Stationary Data
Regression and Decomposition
Forecasting Examples I
Forecasting Examples II
Forecasting in Practice
Exam I Review
EXAM I
CSCMP Conference – No Class
Heuristics
Introduction to Optimization
Linear programming (LP) Graphical Solution I
Linear programming (LP) Graphical Solution II
Linear programming (LP) Graphical Solution III
Integer programming (IP)
Linear & Integer Programming Excel Solution I
Autumn Break – No Class
Linear & Integer Programming Excel Solution II
Vehicle Routing II
Exam II Review
EXAM II
Oct 28
Oct 30
Nov 2
Nov 4
Nov 6
Nov 09
Nov 11
Nov 13
Nov 16
Nov 18
Nov 20
Nov 23
Nov 25
Nov 27
Nov 30
Dec 2
Dec 4
Inventory Management I
Inventory Management II
Inventory Management III
Simulation I
Simulation II
Simulation III
Veteran’s Day – No Class
Network Design and Facility Location I
Network Design and Facility Location II
LAB on Case Study (SB219)
LAB on Case Study (SB219)
Self-practice in LAB (SB219)
Thanksgiving – No Class
Columbus Day Observed – No Class
LAB on Case Study (SB219)
LAB on Case Study (SB219)
LAB on Case Study (SB219)
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Readings
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5,#6
#7,#8
#9,#10
Dec 7
Dec 9
Final Exam Week
LAB on Case Study (SB219)
Exam III Review
Exam III
BUSML 4382 Course Readings
All readings are available through Business Source Complete on the library website.
#1. The Demand Management Process, Croxton et. al., IJLM, Vol. 13, #2.
#2. Xiang Wan, Philip Evers, and Martin Dresner. 2012. Too Much of a Good Thing? The Impact of
Product Variety on Operations and Sales Performance. Journal of Operations Management Vol.
30(4), 316-324.
#3. Heuristics: Rules of Thumb for Logistics Decision Making, Ballou, JBL, Vol. 10, #1.
#4. Optimization Models for Logistics Decisions, Powers, JBL, Vol. 10, #1.
#5. Simulation in Logistics: A Review of Present Practice and a Look to the Future, Bowersox &
Closs, JBL, Vol. 10, #1.
#6. Philip Evers, Xiang Wan. 2012. System Analysis using Simulation. Journal of Business Logistics
Vol.33(2), 80-89.
#7. Supply Chain Network Design: Applying Optimization and Analytics to the Global Supply Chain,
Watson et. al., Chapter 1, 12, and 13
#8. Xiang Wan and Philip Evers. 2011. Supply Chains Networks with Multiple Retailers: A Test of
Emerging Theory on Inventories, Stockouts, and Bullwhips. Journal of Business Logistics Vol.32
(1), 27-39.
#9. Designing an Integrated Distribution System at DowBrands, Inc., Robinson, Gao & Muggenborg,
Interfaces, Vol. 23, #3.
#10. Strategic Service Network Design for DHL Hong Kong, Cheung, Leung & Wong, Interfaces,
Vol. 31, #4.
Note: JBL is the Journal of Business Logistics, IJLM is the International Journal of Logistics
Management.
All articles can be found in the library or on-line through Business Source Complete. To find them
with BSC, go to http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/ and click on "Research Database List" on the right, go
to "B" and click on "Business Source Complete." From there you can conduct a search using any
combination of the author, the article title, or the journal title. Once you find the article, you should be
able to click on "PDF Full Text" to download the article in PDF format. For some readings, you will
have to click on the “Find It!” Button.
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