CASE STUDY FOCUS: Master Distributors and their Inventory Buffers Stabilize Product Flow Simulations show the best way to support a continuous and predictable flow of merchandise on the ancient Silk Road was to have large stocks of inventory at key locations. They would act as buffers to absorb
Taming the Bullwhip on the Silk Road
CASE STUDY FOCUS: Timeless Supply Chain Challenges (managing the Bullwhip Effect). How was it possible in the year 210 AD to maintain a continuous flow of merchandise on the Silk Road and to match supply with demand as conditions changed from one year to the next? How could people without
Four Reasons to Use Simulations for Supply Chain Learning
There's an old saying that goes like this, "Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I'll remember; involve me and I'll learn." Logistics has always been the foundation upon which successful companies support themselves. Now in our interconnected and globalized world, skills in logistics and supply
What You Learn from Case Studies and Simulations
DANCING WITH THE STARS - the Spicy Cube "Electric Slide" Version by Frank Scheer, Ph.D., University of Maryland Global Campus Coordinating a supply chain to achieve efficiency balanced with cost is very much like learning a line dance. Missteps stand out prominently, as does not keeping up with
Alexander the Great – Campaign in Afghanistan
CASE STUDY CONCEPT: Military Logistics 101 -- "An Army Marches on Its Stomach." In this case study we look at how Alexander supplied his campaign in Afghanistan. The case study is based on research done by professor Donald Engles and presented in his book Alexander the Great and the Logistics of
Supply Chains of Rome – Mental Models
CASE STUDY CONCEPT: Supply Chain Managers Need Good Mental Models for Effective Decision Making. This supply chain model and the simulations are, in effect, your mental model of the business. Your mental model enables you to run scenarios in your head (we have computers now to help with this),
A Multiplayer Online Game of Supply Chain Management
Let’s investigate a high-level conceptual design for applying game mechanics to coordinate the actions of a network of separate companies that all do business together. These companies are manufacturers, logistics providers, distributors, and retailers, and they are all members of a common supply
SCM Globe Simulation Concepts
As the saying goes, “It’s not what you know, but what you can remember when you need it.” Since there is an infinite amount of detail in any situation, the trick is to find useful models that capture the salient facts and provide a framework to organize the rest of the relevant details. SCM Globe