The purpose of this project is to critically analyze one major aspect of the supply chain of a specific company, preferably your own company.  You may choose to examine:

• Upstream/inbound supply chain and sourcing management;
• Downstream/outbound supply and delivery management; or,
• Planning across the entire supply chain for the company.

You may take the following steps as guide:

1. Identify an important chain in the firm.  Write a brief background on the firm, the industry, the products (or services) offered, and how the firm competes within its industry.

2. Depending on your familiarity with the firm, you may need to interview several managers from one or more of the following functional areas: marketing, materials management, purchasing, engineering, operations, or general management. You may also collect relevant information or data, if needed.

3. Your report should focus on identifying:

• What are the major processes and location(s) of inventory in the supply chain that you are studying (i.e., mapping out in some detail the company's supply chain)?
• How the company's supply chain operates, their use of leading practices, performance measures, etc.
• What problems do they have, if any with their supply chain management?
• What are your recommendations (short term and long term) for improving the company's supply chain management?

All projects are team based.  Each team of up to 3 members is required to submit a report and make a presentation.  The written report should be between 15 and 20 pages in length (not including exhibits and appendices).