COURSE SYLLABUS
SCM 560: Strategic Logistics Management
Fall Semester, 2013
Dept. of Supply Chain & Information Systems
College of Business
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011 USA
Dr. Yoshinori Suzuki
3125 Gerdin Business Build.
515-294-5577
ysuzuki@iastate.edu
General Information
Class meetings:
6:00-9:20PM Tuesday 1117 Gerdin.
Office hours:
10:45-11:45AM, Monday & Tuesday (and by appointment).
Textbook:
Custom textbook is available from the University Bookstore.
Handouts:
Additional reading materials will be distributed throughout the semester.
Many of them are available online from the class web page as well.
Home page:
www.bus.iastate.edu/ysuzuki (password =
Prerequisite:
SCM 502 is required to take this course. Basic understanding of statistical
concepts is helpful, but not required.
)
The Nature and Objectives of the Course
SCM 560 is a course designed to give students the knowledge and experience of strategic
logistics management. Attention is given to such issues as transportation management,
warehouse and facility location management, inventory management, and customer service
strategies. The course encompasses both the qualitative aspect and the quantitative aspect of
logistics management. We will do class (case) discussions, numerical exercises, lectures, and
student presentations. You will need to form a team of 2 to 4 students to work on group
assignments. We will use several software packages to solve numerical problems. Although the
problem solving requires the use of technical procedures such as mathematical programming and
simulation, the technical details will NOT be discussed in class. We will focus on discussing
application issues only. A priori knowledge in advanced mathematics is NOT required.
Grading Policy
Your grade will be determined by the following factors: mid-term and final examinations (inclass or take-home), individual presentation on assigned logistics topics, individual presentation
on future of logistics, class participation, simulation game, and a case project. The weight for
each of these items, as well as the grading scale, is shown in the following table.
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Weights
Item
Presentation (topic)
Mid-term exam
Final exam
Class participation
Future of logistics
Simulation game paper 1
Simulation game paper 2
Simulation game rankinga
Case project
Total
a
Nature of work
Individual
Individual
Individual
Individual
Individual
Group
Group
Group
Group
Points
50
200
200
150
50
100
150
50
100
1000
Extra credit given based on simulation game ranking.
Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
94
87
80
73
66
59
52
45
40
0
 100
 93
 86
 79
 72
 65
 58
 51
 44
 39
Your grade can also be affected by the "peer evaluation form", which is the form that students
use to evaluate their group members (peers). Students submit this form to the instructor at the
end of the semester. The form is self-explanatory, and is available from the class web-page.
Exams
Each student is required to take two exams (mid-term and final exams). The exams will include
both the in-class (quantitative) part, which involves the use of software packages for problem
solving, and the take-home (qualitative) part, which include the questions from student
presentations on current logistics topics. The second (final) exam is not comprehensive. In the
event that you cannot submit the exam(s) on a scheduled due date, you must notify the instructor
in advance, so that a special arrangement can be made. You will also be asked to provide a
legitimate reason (with evidence when appropriate) for missing the due date to the instructor.
Failure to do so may result in “zero” points for the exam.
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Class Participation
Each student is expected to participate in class discussions. Participation will be evaluated based
on relevant contributions and thoughtful questions. This part of your grade reflect your works for
preparatory research (see below), and the quality of the submitted in-class numerical exercises.
On those dates in which cases are discussed in class, students are also asked to submit a brief
note describing their answers to the assigned questions. The instructor will subjectively assess
the quality and the quantity of class participation (questions, opinions, and discussions) and
objectively asses the quality of works on numerical exercises and submitted case notes. The
grade will be given on a “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” basis based on the overall score.
Students who skip class without notifying the instructor, consistently come to class late, or are
clearly not prepared will be considered “unsatisfactory”.
Preparatory Research
For almost every class, students are expected to do research on an assigned topic (this is marked
as “RE” in the class schedule table listed below). Students are not asked to submit the result of
their research, but are expected to discuss in class on what they have found via research. This is
a major part of your class participation grade. The details of the topics and how your research
should be conducted will be discussed in class.
Individual Presentation on Current Logistics Topics
Each student must do a presentation on current logistics topics or terminology. The duration of
the presentation should be about 10 minutes, excluding Q&A. These are the terms and/or topics
which is important for you to know, but are either not covered in your textbook or is covered
only briefly in the book. Each student needs to choose a term or topic to present from the list
available on-line from the class web site (first come first served). Students are also welcome
(and encouraged) to come up with the topics of interest outside of this list. The presentation can
be preformed everyday starting from the second week (up to two persons will be allowed to
present per day). You may present on the days of exams too, if you choose to do so. Your
presentation will be evaluated by both the instructor and the rest of students according to the
criteria listed in the evaluation sheet, which is available from the class web-page. Students can
schedule their presentation times by seeing the instructor, and must finish reserving their slots by
the end of the second class. Details of presentations can be found in the class web page.
Individual Presentation on Future of Logistics
At the end of the semester, the class will have discussions on what is the future direction of
logistics management. Each student should prepare a short (10 min) presentation on what he/she
believes to be the future trend or direction of the logistics management as a discipline. This
presentation should be based on what students will have learned in this class, as well as other
research he/she has done for the class. Your presentation will be used as a basis for class
discussions. The grade will be determined by the instructor based on the criteria similar to those
used for the individual presentation on current logistics topics.
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Simulation Game (Group)
In this class, each group will play the logistics simulation game. Students will play the roles of
logisticians of a hypothetical manufacturing firm, and groups compete with each other in terms
of how much profit they make during the specified planning horizon. For detailed discussion of
this game, see the simulation-game users’ manual (available on-line from the class web page).
Your must write two term papers for this game. Your fist paper, which is due in the second
class, should discuss how you plan to play the game (i.e., your strategy for the game). This first
paper should be relatively short (2 pages maximum single spaced), and should include your goals
expressed in figures. The second paper is due after the simulation game is over (the number of
weeks to play the game is undermined). This paper should be longer (4 pages maximum single
spaced), and should include the following: (1) review of what you have done during the game
(critiques), and (2) the future plan for the game (pretend as if you will be playing this game again,
and come up with a plan on how to improve your performance). The second paper should also
address what you have learned from the simulation game. Students will be asked to perform
presentations on this second paper. The simulation-game ranking will be used as an extra credit.
Case Project (Group)
Another group work is the case project (available in your course packet). Each group must
analyze the case and must submit a paper addressing the questions assigned to class (no limit on
the length of paper, but try to be short). This is a numerical case, in which you will be asked to
do number crunching. The use of sophisticated math techniques is not mandatory. On the due
date, the case problem will be discussed in class, so be ready to talk about what your group has
done and what you found (this will be a part of your participation grade) on the due date.
Computer Software
You will use several different software products in class to solve numerical exercises. These
products include LOGWARE, Risk Solver Platform, ProMiles. The first is available for
purchase. The second and third are available (limited-time trial version) free of charge from the
following web sites. The instructor can also give you free trial software on a CD, if you do not
have internet access.
Risk Solver Platform (16 week trial version): www.solver.com/student
ProMiles (15-day free trial): http://www.promiles.com/freetrial.asp
Required Cases for Class (Fall 2012)
(1) The Wheels Group: Evolution of a Third-Party Logistics Service Provider (904D04).
(2) Dollar Tree Logistics (UV1448).
(3) Seven-Eleven Japan Co. (KEL026).
(4) Greening Transportation in the Supply Chain (SMR338)
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Note: All of the above cases are available on-line from the following Harvard Business
Publishing web site. Each student is responsible for downloading and reading the cases prior to
the class. (You must pay a small fee to download the cases.)
https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/20774555
Required Readings for Class
(1) Caplice and Sheffi (2003), “Optimization-Based Procurement for Transportation Services,”
Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 109 – 128.
(2) CH. Robinson Worldwide (2012), “Stale Rates Research: Benefits of Frequent
Transportation Bids,” White Paper, Eden Prairie, MN. (Available from class web page.)
(3) Gardyasz, Joe, “Cost Crunch,” Des Moines Business Record, December 10, 2007. Available:
http://www.businessrecord.com/print.asp?ArticleID=5312&SectionID=4&SubSectionID=7
(4) Croxton, K. L., and Walter, Z. (2005), “Inventory considerations in Network Design”,
Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 149-168
Note: All of the above papers are available on-line from the Iowa State University Library ejournal section. Each student is responsible for downloading and reading the papers prior to
the class. A document discussing how to use the e-library is available from the class web page.
Note for Students with Disabilities
If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor early in the
semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide
documentation of your disability to the Student Disability Resources office, located on the main
floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076, 515-294-7220 (Fax 515-294-2397).
Announcement from the Communication Center
Across the College of Business, it is our goal to strengthen student communication skills and
enhance your critical thinking skills by creating opportunities for you to practice communication
skills throughout your academic careers. Representatives in our Communication Center are
available to support your written, oral, and visual communication assignments this semester.
These Communication Consultants will be available to:
- Review basic grammar
- Provide feedback on paper organization and flow
- Give suggestions on document design, including written documents and slide presentations
- Other services as needed
To schedule an appointment please e-mail commctr@iastate.edu or call 515.294.9693. The
Communication Center is located in 3132 Gerdin.
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Academic Dishonesty
The class will follow Iowa State University’s policy on academic dishonesty. Anyone suspected
of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Students Office.
http://www.dso.iastate.edu/ja/academic/misconduct.html
Disability Accommodation
Iowa State University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Sect 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act. If you have a disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this
course, please contact (instructor name) to set up a meeting within the first two weeks of the
semester or as soon as you become aware of your need. Before meeting with (instructor name),
you will need to obtain a SAAR form with recommendations for accommodations from the
Disability Resources Office, located in Room 1076 on the main floor of the Student Services
Building. Their telephone number is 515-294-7220 or email disabilityresources@iastate.edu .
Retroactive requests for accommodations will not be honored.
Dead Week
This class follows the Iowa State University Dead Week policy as noted in section 10.6.4 of the
Faculty Handbook http://www.provost.iastate.edu/resources/faculty-handbook .
Harassment and Discrimination
Iowa State University strives to maintain our campus as a place of work and study for faculty,
staff, and students that is free of all forms of prohibited discrimination and harassment based
upon race, ethnicity, sex (including sexual assault), pregnancy, color, religion, national origin,
physical or mental disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic
information, or status as a U.S. veteran. Any student who has concerns about such behavior
should contact his/her instructor, Student Assistance at 515-294-1020 or email dsosas@iastate.edu, or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance at 515-294-7612.
Religious Accommodation
If an academic or work requirement conflicts with your religious practices and/or observances,
you may request reasonable accommodations. Your request must be in writing, and your
instructor or supervisor will review the request. You or your instructor may also seek assistance
from the Dean of Students Office or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance.
Contact Information
If you are experiencing, or have experienced, a problem with any of the above issues, email
academicissues@iastate.edu.
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SCM560 Tentative Class Schedule*
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Reading
(Chapters)
Topics
Introduction
Introduction and welcome
Simulation game
Elements of Logistics
Third-Party Logistics
History and concept of SCM
Third-party Logistics
Case (Wheels)
Transportation Management
Fundamentals of transportation
Transportation precurement
Transportation mgmt game
Transportation Cont.
Impact of stale rates
Classical transportation model
Fuel Cost
Guest Speaker
Logistics implications of fuel cost
Fuel Optimizer exercise
Network Design
Case (Dollar Tree)
Facility location fundamentals
Mid-term Exam
Network Design (cont.)
Guest Speaker
Location Problem
New approach to location problem
Inventory Management
Inventory funcamantals
Case (Seven-Eleven Japan)
Case Project (initial discussion)
Inventory Management (cont.)
Guest Speaker
Inventory Simulation
Case Project (final discussion)
Green Logistics
Case (Green Transport)
Vehicle routing
Revenue Management in SCM
Concept of revenue management
Overbooking in SCM
Student presentations on Simulation Game
Future of Logistics
Student presentations/discussion on future directions
Final Exam'
Numerical
Exercise

Mannual
Ch. 1
Sim dry run due
Case (Wheels)
RE: 3PL types
Ch. 2, DVD
Ch. 15
Case
Ch. 5, 6
Reading 1
TBA
Tests, projects,
assignments
Read sim game
users' mannual
Reading 1
Sim paper #1 due
Excel 1
RE: Transp. Strategy
Reading 2
Ch. 7, 9
Logware 1

Reading 3

ProMiles 1
RE: Fuel strategy
Case (Dollar Tree)
Case
Ch. 4


Ch. 7
Reading 4
Ch. 3
Case
Case
Risk Solver 1
Logware 2, 3

Reading 4
Mid-Exam due
RE: Network strategy
Case (7-11 Japan)
Read Case Project
Case Project due

Hand out

Risk Solver 2
Case (Green Transport)
RE: Green strategy
Case
Ch. 9
Ch. 8




RE: inventory strategy
Risk Solver 3
Reading 5
Sim paper #2 due
RE: Revenue Mgt
Final-Exam due soon
RE: Future directions
Note: this talbe shows only the "tentative" schedule. The schedule will change depending on such factors as guest spekaer vistis.
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