M&L 781: Analysis & Design of Logistics Systems - Spring ’12
The Professor:
John Saldanha
524 Fisher Hall
Phone: 247-8003
saldanha_8@fisher.osu.edu
(please put “781” in the Subject line)
The Classes:
Classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-5:18 PM Mason 405.
Office Hours:
T, R 1:30 – 03:00 PM 524 Fisher Hall
The Course:
781 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 four
application modules (Forecasting, Routing & Scheduling, Facility Location, and Network
Design) and one methods module (Modeling). Each application module will consist of a
series of lectures on modeling and solution approaches to a class of problems, followed by a
special lecture on case-studies and/or implementation issues.
By the end of the course, you will:
 be familiar with several modeling problems commonly faced in logistics,
 understand the uses of, and the appropriateness of solving problems with, heuristics,
optimization and simulation,
 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.”
Readings and Texts: There is no course packet or text book for this course. There is no single textbook
dedicated to the material we cover. All required readings for the in-class discussion are available on-line
through the course web-site on Carmen or through Business Source Premier (see the reading list).
The Grade:
The final grade will be determined by the weighted average of the following:
35% Exam 1
40% Exam 2
25% Network Modeling Case
The following is the grade distributions:
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
E
[90, 100] [86, 90) [83, 86) [79, 83) [76, 79) [69, 76) [66, 69) [64, 66) [62, 64) [60, 62) [0,60)
≥90
86-89.9
83-85.9 79-82.9
76-78.9 69-75.9
66-68.9
64-65.9 62-63.9
60-61.9
<60
Homework: There will be 6 homework assignments assigned during the quarter. Homework, will not be
graded but is an essential part of the learning by reinforcing through practice the concepts and problem solving
methods taught in the classroom lectures. Hence, you are strongly encouraged to do the homework and then
correct your solutions using the solution notes and videos posted on the due dates marked on the schedule on
page 4 of this syllabus.
1
Extra Credit: Logistics Outside the Classroom (LOC):
5% extra credit can be obtained based on learning about logistics outside the classroom. There are a few
different ways to obtain extra credit:
1. Logistics in the News. You can write a one page review of a logistics-related news item. This
can come from a current newspaper, or logistics trade magazine. Please do not submit writeups of web-articles or company web-sites. If you use a web article or a web-site as your
source you will receive an automatic zero (see LOC tips below). Each write-up is worth 1%.
2. Article Presentation: You can also present the topic to the class (a 3-5 minute interpretive
review) and receive an additional 1%. A particular article, however, can only be presented by
one student.
3. TLA Meetings. The Transportation and Logistics Association (TLA) meets at 7:30 pm on
Tuesdays. You will receive 1% each time you attend a meeting featuring a visiting speaker
and then submit a one-page write-up on what you learned from the talk. Submitting a writeup for a meeting you did not attend will be treated as academic misconduct so make sure you
sign the meeting attendance sheet. NOTE: Attending a social meeting does not qualify, there
has to be an invited speaker at the meeting making a presentation on logistics.
TIPS about write-ups. Use the LOC document template from the Carmen course web-site. Type at least a full
page (double-space) using 1 inch margins (I give partial credit for write-ups that are not a full page. Writing
more than a page is fine). Use the reference style in the document footer. Incorrectly cited articles will be
given partial credit. You may access electronic full-text articles of news papers and trade journals through
Business Source Complete (see instructions at the bottom of page 5).
Write about logistics issues and draw your own conclusions on how events affect logistics. Don’t tell me about
announcements that were made at meetings, or what kind of pizza you had.
Since I don’t want to be inundated with a flood of LOCs at the end of the quarter (five times the number of
students in class) I have put due dates for the extra credit. For example, after Apr 10 you can only submit 4
LOCs, after Apr 19 you can only submit 3 LOCs and so on.
LOC SHOULD BE TURNED IN BEFORE THE END OF CLASS ON THE DUE DATE
***
***
Exams:
LATE LOC WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED ***
NO LOC WILL BE ACCEPTED BY E-MAIL
***
All exams will be closed-book and closed-notes. The exams are not cumulative although
some materials will carry-over.
Should you be sick on an exam day, you must contact the professor more than 8 hours before
the exam and schedule a make-up exam that must be taken within 2 days. You will also need
to provide a doctor’s note.
I take academic misconduct very seriously – see university policies attached below. Never represent
someone else’s work as your own. If I suspect any violation of the Code of Student Conduct, I will bring
it to the attention of the Committee on Academic Misconduct who will determine and impose an
appropriate sanction. This can range from a formal reprimand to dismissal. Trust me, I’m good at
catching misconduct and cheating isn’t worth the risk.
2
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY (ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT)
Academic integrity is essential to maintaining an environment that fosters excellence in teaching, research, and
other educational and scholarly activities. Thus, The Ohio State University and the Committee on Academic
Misconduct (COAM) expect that all students have read and understand the University’s Code of Student
Conduct, and that all students will complete all academic and scholarly assignments with fairness and honesty.
Students must recognize that failure to follow the rules and guidelines established in the University’s Code of
Student Conduct and this syllabus may constitute “Academic Misconduct.”
The Ohio State University’s Code of Student Conduct (Section 3335-23-04) defines academic misconduct as:
“Any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the University, or subvert the educational
process.” Examples of academic misconduct include (but are not limited to) plagiarism, collusion (unauthorized
collaboration), copying the work of another student, and possession of unauthorized materials during an
examination. Ignorance of the University’s Code of Student Conduct is never considered an “excuse” for
academic misconduct, so I recommend that you review the Code of Student Conduct and, specifically, the
sections dealing with academic misconduct.
If I suspect that a student has committed academic misconduct in this course, I am obligated by University
Rules to report my suspicions to the Committee on Academic Misconduct. If COAM determines that you have
violated the University’s Code of Student Conduct (i.e., committed academic misconduct), the sanctions for the
misconduct could include a failing grade in this course and suspension or dismissal from the University.
If you have any questions about the above policy or what constitutes academic misconduct in this course, please
contact me.
Other sources of information on academic misconduct (integrity) to which you can refer include:
•
•
•
The Committee on Academic Misconduct web pages (oaa.osu.edu/coam/home.html)
Ten Suggestions for Preserving Academic Integrity (oaa.osu.edu/coam/ten-suggestions.html)
Eight Cardinal Rules of Academic Integrity (www.northwestern.edu/uacc/8cards.html)
3
BUS M&L 781 SPRING '12 Schedule
Lecture Subject
Mar 27
Lecture 1: Course Overview and Intro to Forecasting
Apr 3
Apr 5
Apr 10
Apr 12
Apr 17
Intro to
Modeling
Mar 29
Forecasting
Date
Readings
Lecture 2: Intro to Time Series Approaches
Lecture 3: Dealing with Trend & Seasonality
#1, #2
HW 1
Lecture 5: Modeling Solution Methods - Heuristics, Optimization &
Simulation
#3, #4, #5
LOC 2
Lecture 6: Optimization: Formulating and Solving Integer Programs
HW 2
Lecture 7: Simulation: Concepts and Software (Demo)
HW 3
Apr 24
Lecture 8: Building Blocks†
May 8
May 10
May 15
May 17
May 22
May 24
Facility Location & Network Design
May 3
Routing &
Scheduling
EXAM 1 – 3:30-5:18 PM @ Mason 405
May 1
LOC 1
Lecture 4: Forecasting in Practice / Demand Management
Apr 19
Apr 26
Due
LOC 3
Lecture 9: Vehicle Routing (issues, using the sweep and savings
methods)†
HW 4
Lecture 10: Facility Location (issues, grid methods, median problem)†
Lecture 11 The Next Step: Intro to Network Design
HW 5
Guest Lecture: TBD
LOC 4
Lab @ Mason 405*
Lab @ Mason 405*
HW 6
Lab @ Mason 405*
LOC 5
Lab @ Mason 405*
Lab @ Mason 405*
May 29
Discuss Readings
#6, #7, #8
May 31
Course Review
Jun 5
EXAM 2 – 3:30-5:18 PM @ Mason 405
# Required Readings (see list on p. 5)
†Bring color writing materials (pen/pencils and highlighters)
*Bring a high capacity (>1GB) jump drive
4
Case
Required Course Readings
Forecasting
Intro to
Modeling
Network
Modeling
#1
Demand Forecasting: Reality vs. Theory
Steve Robeano
Carmen
#2
The Demand Management Process
Croxton, Lambert, Garcia
and Rogers
Carmen
#3
Heuristics: Rules of Thumb for Logistics Decision Making
Ballou
JBL, Vol. 10, #1
#4
Simulation in Logistics: A Review of Present Practice and a Look to the
Future
Bowersox & Closs
JBL, Vol. 10, #1
#5
Optimization Models for Logistics Decisions
Powers
JBL, Vol. 10, #1
#6
Designing an Integrated Distribution System at DowBrands, Inc.
Robinson, Gao &
Muggenborg
Interfaces, Vol. 23,
#3
#7
Strategic Service Network Design for DHL Hong Kong
Cheung, Leung & Wong
Interfaces, Vol. 31,
#4
#8
Global Supply Chain Management at Digital Equipment Corporation
Arntzen et al
Interfaces, Vol. 25,
#1
Note: JBL is the Journal of Business Logistics
All articles (except #1, #2) can be found in the library or on-line. If you want to access these on-line from off-campus you first need to
open the libraries home page @ http://library.osu.edu/ use the “Off-Campus Sign-in” to sign in to the libraries. After signing in from offcampus leave this window open and open Carmen in another window. Then, go to the course web-site on Carmen at
http://carmen.osu.edu. If you choose to access the articles through Business Source Complete go to http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/ and
click on "Research Databases", go to "B" and click on "Business Source Premier." 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.
5