Rice University
Jones Graduate School of Business
Fall Semester 2022
MGMT 670: Operations Strategy
Section 1 ‐ Course Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR
David VanHorn
Professor in the Practice of Management, and
Managing Partner, Angel Rock Management Advisors
Phone: (281) 788‐3051
Email: david.vanhorn@rice.edu
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Operations and supply chain management are at the heart of all industries and are a critical
component of every executive’s strategic plan and agenda. It enables revenue growth by creating and
delivering products/services for customers and is one of the most significant parts of every company’s
cost structure. Operations and supply chains can deliver tremendous competitive advantage for
companies (e.g., Zara, Amazon, etc.) and can expose companies to significant risks (e.g., 2020 COVID‐
19 pandemic, 2016 Samsung Galaxy phone recall, 2011 Japanese earthquake/tsunami, Bangladeshi
clothing industry supplier safety issues, ever‐changing impact of recent trade conflicts, etc.).
This course explores content and pragmatic executive perspectives on overall operations/supply chain
strategies. It is valuable for students approaching it from the strategy discipline track as well as the
operations discipline track at JGSB. The concepts are applicable to manufacturing and service
industries; and, they are applicable to large corporations and small businesses. Students seeking
careers in operations/supply chain management; management consulting; and general business
strategy/management will find this course very valuable. Course activities provide an opportunity to
build content knowledge, apply your expertise to operations and supply chain management situations,
and discuss real‐world examples and applications. They will accommodate students with a wide range
of experience in operations and supply chain management from little to advanced.
There will be three main components to the course: (1) fundamental concepts/knowledge around
operations and supply chain strategy across multiple topics through lecture, in‐class exercises, cases,
and quizzes; (2) exploration of the advanced, leading edge topics of the operations and supply chain
world through a student research project/paper; and (3) current events discussions to show operations
strategy topics are unfolding via class discussions. See below for more details.
The course environment will be collegial, collaborative, and highly interactive with a mixture of team‐
based and individual activities. Class sessions include multiple activities and student preparation will be
critical to maximize the value of the class to themselves, as well as their classmates.
COURSE STRUCTURE
Teams: Much of the work in this class will be conducted in teams of 4 students. Though the course can
accommodate 3‐student teams, I would rather not have an excessive number of these to balance
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Rice University
Jones Graduate School of Business
Fall Semester 2022
individuals’ workload against the breadth of the course’s activities. Team rosters must be finalized
within the first week, since a case assignment is due Wednesday of the following week. Students can
select their teammates or they can be assigned to a team, if a student does not have a preference.
Cases: Case analyses and reports are team‐based assignments. There will be two graded case
assignments followed by class discussions. Questions will be provided to guide your case analyses.
Reports should not exceed four (4) double‐spaced pages with 11‐point font. Appendices are allowed
with unlimited page length and can be used for exhibits that relevantly support conclusions and
recommendations. All exhibits should be referenced in the main body of the report. Reports should be
written from the viewpoint of presentation to senior management with answers to the questions
woven into the general flow of the document. Reports should also be based on good analytical and
managerial approaches; reflect insight; and provide meaningful, specific recommendations.
====> Detailed guidance on case report‐writing is provided on Week 2 Canvas page.
Quizzes: Operations and supply chain management has many concepts, frameworks, and terminology
that is important for credibility in the discipline; thus, quizzes are meant to help reinforce the key
concepts that you should take away from the course. Three short, online quizzes will be given that are
due at the end of week 2, week 4, and week 6. They will cover materials from the two prior weeks of
class leading up to the quiz deadline. Questions will be open‐ended, application questions. From past
experience, students have typically taken ~45 minutes to complete the quizzes.
Current Events: Operations and supply chain strategic issues permeate the news every day and provide
an outstanding avenue to see what this course covers in action. Thus, at the beginning of each class,
we will spend a short period of time talking about current news stories and the operations and
strategic aspects of them. I will bring in stories, but also encourage you to bring stories for discussion.
Examples over the past couple of years have been the explosion of new tariffs and trade policies,
Samsung Galaxy phone recall, and GM’s strike. This year should offer a plethora of COVID‐19 related
stories. Sometimes we will go in‐depth into an issue, such as designing the operations/supply chain
approach to the Samsung situation in detail together in class.
Individual Participation: The value of individual participation is a significant component of the learning
experience at the Jones School, as students should learn from each other’s insights and experiences as
well as from those of the instructor. Much of the class sessions are structured around discussions of
subject matter, cases, and research projects. While the instructor will help structure these discussions
with specific questions, individual participation will truly amplify the quality of these sessions. Thus,
your comments and questions should be insightful and on point. You should try to build on and expand
others’ insights in ways that should aid the learning process for everyone. You will be graded mostly on
the quality and not purely on the quantity of your participation.
Leading‐Edge Operations and Supply Chain Topics Paper (aka, the Final Exam): Yes, that is correct –
there will be no final exam, but this project will take its place. This is a team‐based assignment (same
team as you use for case assignments) and you will work on it throughout the semester. Some
candidates topics will be provided, but your team can provide your own topics and/or customize one of
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Rice University
Jones Graduate School of Business
Fall Semester 2022
the provided ones. Work on it will include secondary research as well as some primary research
(typically informational interviews, but a survey could also be done). A detailed description of the
assignment parameters, etc. will be provided separately on Canvas, as well as a folder of a few
examples of Final Reports from the past to help set expectations. Work on the project can be highly
interactive with me, in terms of providing guidance and feedback. Knowledge of the leading‐edge
issues and topics is crucial to your career development and separates you from others – these are the
strategic things that companies and industries are thinking about for their futures. After all reports
across both sections have been submitted, I will share these with both sections so that you can learn
from others’ work as well as your own project.
TEXTBOOK
Title: Operations Strategy
Authors: Nigel Slack and Mike Lewis
Publisher: Pearson, 6th Edition
COURSE TIMELINE AND ASSIGNMENTS
The timeline for the course and assignments follows (all times are Central). Weekly readings will be
provided on the weekly Canvas pages available via the Canvas home page. These will include some
classic articles on operations and supply chain strategy, but the lists may be updated throughout the
semester to reflect additional interesting materials that may go deeper into a topic that emerges
during the semester. Thus, check on them at least a week in advance of class.
Week 1: August 22 and 24 (9:50am – 11:20am) Monday/Wednesday
Lecture Topics
 Course Introduction
 Core Concepts
Case
 n/a
Quiz
 n/a
Final Project
 Form teams and explore
topics
Week 2: August 29 and 31 (9:50am – 11:20am) Monday/Wednesday
Lecture Topics
 Vertical Integration
 Make‐Buy Decisions
 Sourcing
Case
Quiz
 American Connector Co.  Quiz #1,
(due Sunday 9/4 –
(submit write‐up to
Canvas by start of class
11:59pm)
on 8/31)
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Final Project
 Topic Selection
(due Sunday 9/4 –
11:59pm)
Rice University
Jones Graduate School of Business
Fall Semester 2022
Week 3: September 7 and 12 (9:50am – 11:20am) Wednesday/Monday (note the change in order)
Lecture Topics
 Capacity Strategy
Case
 Bergerac Systems ‐
(submit write‐up to
Canvas by start of class
on 9/12)
Quiz
 n/a
Final Project
 Continue working on
project
Week 4: September 14 and 19 (9:50am – 11:20am) Wednesday/Monday
Lecture Topics
 Supply Chain and
Continuous
Improvement Programs
Case
 n/a
Quiz
 Quiz #2,
(due Sunday 9/25 –
11:59pm)
Final Project
 Continue working on
project
Week 5: September 21 and 26 (9:50am – 11:20am) Wednesday/Monday
Lecture Topics
 Supply Chain and
Continuous
Improvement Programs
(cont.)
Case
 Apple Inc. ‐
(be prepared for class
discussion by Monday
9/26)
Quiz
 n/a
Final Project
 Interim Report
(due Sunday 9/25 –
11:59pm)
Week 6: September 28 and October 3 (9:50am – 11:20am) Wednesday/Monday
Lecture Topics
 Service & Aftermarket
Operations and
New Product
Development
Case
 n/a
Quiz
 Quiz #3,
(due Sunday 10/9 –
11:59pm)
Final Project
 Final Report
(due Sunday 10/9 –
11:59pm)
GRADING
The final grade for this course will be a ‘letter‐grade’ based upon 100 points accumulated from:




Case Assignments: 30 points (15 points/case)
Quizzes: 30 points (10 points/quiz)
Individual Class Participation: 10 points
Final Paper: 30 points
All team‐based assignments (cases and simulations) will be graded on a team‐basis; in other words, all
members of the team will receive the same grade. Individual class participation grades will be based on
the instructor’s observations of the quality/quantity of the student’s participation in class discussions
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Rice University
Jones Graduate School of Business
Fall Semester 2022
and on peer evaluations from team‐based activities. A confidential individual survey will be done at the
end of class for students to comment on their teammates’ work in team‐based activities, including
consideration of individuals who display either exceptional or deficient quality of their contributions.
COMMUNICATION
The MGMT 670 Canvas site will be used as the primary communication medium for the course,
including serving as a repository for the syllabus, cases, etc.; submittal of assignments; return of
grades/assignment feedback; and major announcements. However, students should not hesitate to
contact the instructors directly through e‐mail, phone, etc.
HONOR CODE POLICY
All work required in this course is covered by Rice University’s Honor Code. All written assignments
submitted to the instructor must carry the Honor Code pledge, “On my honor, I have neither given nor
received aid on this paper” and be signed via ID# or electronic signature. Any assignment not so signed
will be returned to the student ungraded. Students are not permitted to share or compare any
assignment grades or written feedback from the instructor on completed assignments with other
classmates, except their teammates. Any form of plagiarism or cheating will result in an Honor Code
violation.
LAPTOP AND CELLPHONE POLICIES
In light of COVID and the dual‐delivery nature of this course, students are allowed to use their laptops
at all times during the course. We will adhere to Jones School policy that students should have their
cell phones turned off while class is in session.
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
Any student with a documented disability seeking academic adjustments or accommodations is
requested to speak with the lead instructor during the first two weeks of class. All such discussions will
remain as confidential as possible. Students with disabilities will need to also contact Disability
Support Services in the Allen Center.
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