BUS ML 7380
Logistics Management
Spring 2015 (Term 1)
Instructor:
Thomas J. Goldsby, Ph.D., Professor of Logistics
Meeting Time:
Wednesday; 6:00 – 9:15 p.m.
Meeting Place:
Gerlach Hall 355
Office Location:
Fisher 536
Phone:
247-4261
E-mail:
goldsby.2@osu.edu
Office Hours:
Monday & Wednesday, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Other times by appointment
Course website:
A course site is located on the OSU Carmen system.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Develop an understanding of key drivers of logistics performance and their inter-relationships
with strategy and other functional areas. Focus on developing analytic, problem-solving, and
cost trade-off management skills.
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE:
The course is designed to give you:
1) An understanding of the basic concepts and techniques important to analyzing business
logistics problems;
2) A thorough presentation of how the various activities important to logistics are related to
each other;
3) An appreciation of the role of logistics and its relationship to other functional areas of
business responsibility within a single firm as well as across multiple firms; and
4) An exposure to management and control techniques in logistics.
PREQUISITES:
Enrollment in MBA or MBLE.
TEXTBOOK:
Bowersox, Closs, Cooper, and Bowersox, Supply Chain Logistics
Management, 4th ed. (McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2013); ISBN 978-0-07802405-4
Supplementary case studies will be posted to Carmen.
GRADING:
Components
Mid-term Exam
Written Exercises
Final Exam
Participation
Total
Points
100
60
120
20
300
% of Total
33%
20%
40%
7%
100%
Final Grade Scale
276 – 300 points …..
270 – 275 ………….
264 – 269 ………….
246 – 263 ………….
240 – 245 ………….
234 – 239 ………….
216 – 233 ………….
210 – 215 ………….
204 – 209 ………….
186 – 203 ………….
180 – 185 ………….
179 & below ………
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DE
Honor Code
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.
WRITTEN EXERCISES:
Homework #1: From the Headlines
Write a short paper on a recent news item involving strategic logistics management. The
topic may be selected from current world news or from events and initiatives within industry.
The key question is “How does this event/news item relate to strategic logistics
management?” The paper should be no longer than three (3) pages in length (double-spaced,
one-inch margins and 12-point font). The paper should reference all sources, providing brief
reference citations within the text and full citations at the back. A 20-point scale will be used
for this assignment. Submit your paper to the dropbox in Carmen. Due: January 21, 6:00pm
Homework #2: Top 25 Supply Chains
Gartner, Inc., a Stamford, Connecticut-based industry research and advisory group, publishes
a report ranking the best supply chain companies based on perceived capabilities and
performance. The report is met with much anticipation each year as being named to the Top
25 list provides a sense of recognition for the company and its supply chain organization. The
lists can be found at: http://www.gartner.com/technology/supply-chain/top25.jsp/. Your
assignment is to select a company that has appeared in the Top 25 list on at least one occasion
in the past five years (2010 – 2014) or in one of the sub-lists (Healthcare, Automotive, Global
Regions (APAC, Europe). While primary research (i.e., first-hand experience) is welcome,
secondary research (web searches, business literature, news accounts) should be used to
explore why this company has found recognition as one of the best supply chain performers.
Does this ranking seem justified, based on your research? Has the ranking changed
significantly over the course of the recent evaluation periods? Does the purported supply
chain competence provide a source of competitive advantage? If so, how is advantage
achieved and can it be sustained? How does logistics competence factor into the evaluation?
The paper should be no longer than five (5) pages in text length (double-spaced) with oneinch top, bottom and side margins. A 40-point scale will be used on this assignment. Submit
your paper to the dropbox in Carmen. Due: February 18, 6:00pm
COURSE SCHEDULE
We will cover the topics in the following order. Announcements will be made in class should
the topics or order of topics change.
Session
1
Date
Jan. 14
2
Jan. 21
3
Jan. 28
4
Feb. 4
Topic Title
Introduction to the Course & The Work of
Logistics
Customer Relationship Management
Assignment
BCCB, Ch. 2
BCCB, Chs. 2 – 3
Homework paper #1 due
Inventory Management (Introduction)
Supply Chain Game
Inventory Management
BCCB, Ch. 7
BCCB, Ch. 7
Take-Home Midterm issued
5
Feb. 11
Transportation
6
Feb. 18
Warehousing, Packaging & Handling
BCCB, Ch. 8
Take-Home Midterm collected
BCCB, Chs. 9, 10
Homework paper #2 due
7
Feb. 25
Final Exam Date:
Global Supply Chains & Logistics
Monday, March 2, 6:00 – 8:00pm
BCCB, Ch. 11