Developing Students’ Understanding of Co‐opetition and Multilevel Inventory Management Strategies in Supply Chains: An In‐Class Spreadsheet Simulation Exercise

Instructors look for ways to explain to students how supply chains can be constructed so that competing suppliers can work together to improve inventory management performance (i.e., a phenomenon known as co‐opetition). An Excel spreadsheet‐driven simulation is presented that models a complete multilevel supply chain system—customer, retailer, wholesaler, distributor, and manufacturer—for up to six competing products. Students are provided the opportunity to compare the inventory cost and other key performance metrics of the alternative multilevel supply chain structures. This article explains the simulation model, describes the instructional approach, and presents assessment results from students in an introductory operations management course. Students find that the simulation is easy to use and helps them understand the performance impact of strategic supplier collaborations on supply chain operating performance.     

An Assessment of Statistical Process Control-Based Approaches for Charting Student Evaluation Scores

We compare three control charts for monitoring data from student evaluations of teaching (SET) with the goal of improving student satisfaction with teaching performance. The two charts that we propose are a modified p chart and a z‐score chart. We show that these charts overcome some of the shortcomings of the more traditional charts for analyzing SET data. A comparison of three charts (an individuals chart, the modified p chart, and the z‐score chart) reveals that the modified p chart is the best approach for analyzing SET data because it utilizes distributions that are appropriate for categorical data, and its interpretation is more straightforward. We conclude that administrators and faculty alike can benefit by using the modified p chart to monitor and improve teaching performance as measured by student evaluations.     

Understanding Bottlenecks: An Operations Management Experiential Learning Exercise

Understanding bottlenecks is an in‐class experiential learning exercise designed to improve students’ understanding of production system capacity issues. After an introductory teaching session on capacity and constraint management, students are formed into groups of six to assume the roles of one raw material handler, four production workers, and one finished goods receiver and are asked to produce 20 units of product beta. Prior to the start of the exercise, the students are asked to predict the completion time of the 1st, 10th, and 20th units of product beta. When all 20 betas are completed, students compare their predicted completion times to the actual completion times. The results of the game show that while students can easily identify the system's bottleneck, they often have difficulties distinguishing the practical implications of the process time of the system versus the process cycle time; thus, their predicted completion times of the 10th and 20th units are typically overinflated compared to actual completion times. A debrief session is then used to solidify students’ understanding of the relationship between bottlenecks and capacity. The exercise is well‐received and highly rated by students; furthermore, it is not resource‐intensive, requiring 40‐45 minutes of classroom time, 20‐25 strips of paper per group, and a visible stopwatch.     

在《过程控制工程》课程中的考试方案设计

本文介绍了用建构主义学习方法指导高职课程《过程控制工程》考试的方案,对该方案的理论依据、实施步骤、具体内容、注意事项和意义进行了详细阐述。     

Beat the Instructor: An Introductory Forecasting Game

This teaching brief describes a 30‐minute game where student groups compete in‐class in an introductory time‐series forecasting exercise. The students are challenged to “beat the instructor” who competes using forecasting techniques that will be subsequently taught. All forecasts are graphed prior to revealing the randomly generated actual demand. Experiential learning and forecasting exercises are reviewed before detailing how the game is administered and debriefed. Student survey results (n = 247) provide evidence of teaching effectiveness, including that 78% of students said that playing the game increased their interest in learning the forecasting techniques that were used by the instructor.     

浅谈软件过程性能及稳定性的分析方法

目前常用的软件过程模型有CMM、PSP、TSP和敏捷开发过程等,对这些过程模型的使用,需采用统计过程控制方法的控制图等工具对过程数据采样点进行分析,以便了解过程性能和过程能力,采取措施消除过程异常,保证过程的稳定性,从而提高软件开发质量.本文简要介绍了CMM、PSP等过程模型以及基于离散数据的控制图分析过程稳定性的方法.     

Teaching Supply Chain Management Complexities: A SCOR Model Based Classroom Simulation

The SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference) Model Supply Chain Classroom Simulation is an in‐class experiential learning activity that helps students develop a holistic understanding of the processes and challenges of supply chain management. The simulation has broader learning objectives than other supply chain related activities such as the Beer Game. Competing supply chains work to produce and sell two products, each experiencing differential demand. Seasonal demand, time delays, quality defects, and disruptions offer complexities that are part of actual supply chain management. The behavioral dynamics of collaboration between various functional nodes is illustrated through students’ interactions as they try to achieve their role's objectives. Through their decisions and actions, students develop a practical understanding of the processes and complexities of supply chain management. The classroom simulation actively engages students, and has been used successfully in multiple courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels at multiple universities and by a major corporation during a manager training session. Assessments indicate that the simulation is an effective experiential learning activity. While it offers learning outcome flexibility, common debrief themes are SCOR model processes, supply chain relationships, information flow, seasonal demand, quality defects, reverse logistics, and supply chain disruptions.     

Course Design Process to Create a Coordinated,Experiential, Integrated Core Operations Management Course for Business Majors

We describe our process for transforming a traditional, core operations management/supply chain management (OM/SCM) course into an experiential, integrated, and coordinated course. We developed a vison to create a course that all business majors would find engaging and relevant and that faculty would teach consistently and at the same level of rigor. A primary result was three new learning outcomes that focused on concept integration across operations, the supply chain, and the business. We specifically focused on decision trade‐offs and the effects of OM/SCM decisions on other parts of operations, the supply chain, and the business. The redesigned course has been implemented for three semesters. Our experiences offer new insights for redesigning and coordinating an OM/SCM core course and a process that can be implemented in other redesign efforts.     

Teaching Lean Principles in Nonmanufacturing Settings Using a Computer Equipment Order Quotation Administrative Process

As organizations continue to expand their implementation of Lean practices, business schools and corporate training organizations have developed numerous games and simulations aimed at teaching Lean concepts in manufacturing settings. However, simulations have lagged behind the most recent adaptations of Lean outside of the factory in services, and more specifically, in office settings. In this article, we present a Lean simulation game, referred to as “Computer Solutions, Inc.” that provides participants with hands‐on experience in applying Lean principles in a nonmanufacturing setting. The simulation takes place in the order‐quote department at “Computer Solutions, Inc.,” a company that specializes in designing customized computer solutions for small businesses. The order‐quote process is purely office‐based and involves such activities as collecting information, processing information, filling out documents, and forwarding those documents to different parts of the organization. This simulation is implemented as a “pencil‐and‐paper” exercise that can be performed by students in the classroom. Our simulation brings some unique benefits that are often missing from current Lean manufacturing‐based simulations. It involves multiple rounds of Lean improvements that can span several weeks, providing students a chance to identify wastes and to make a thoughtful application of Lean tools and techniques. Students also get to experience the challenges of group dynamics that are often present in team‐based improvement efforts.     

基于UML的毕业设计管理系统分析与设计

在分析系统需求的基础上,给出了毕业设计管理系统的UML模型,包括Use Case图、交互图、对象类图、协同图和配置图。     

Supply Chain Sourcing Game: A Negotiation Exercise

This article introduces an exercise that simulates the negotiation process in a dynamic supply chain. The retailer and wholesaler roles are assigned to student groups who negotiate supply contracts in a number of rounds during a class period. Each group makes pricing, inventory, and ordering decision concurrently, and competes with others to achieve the highest profit. The exercise is easy to implement using pen and paper, and lends itself to a wide variety of negotiation environments.     

Teaching Quality Control with Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are used to illustrate the importance and effectiveness of control charts in Statistical Process Control. By counting the number of chocolate chips, creating the spreadsheet, calculating the control limits and graphing the control charts, the student becomes actively engaged in the learning process. In addition, examining and interpreting the control charts within the context of the cooking making process encourage the student to think critically in order to solve problems.     

Plan Before You Play: An Activity for Teaching The Managerial Process

This article describes a 60‐minute classroom activity using LEGO^® bricks that demonstrates and reinforces the importance of the managerial process. The activity, Plan Before You Play (PBP), is targeted to introductory business classes, and differs from others in that it requires little investment or up‐front planning, is easily scalable, and, with a few minor adjustments, can be altered sufficiently to discourage information drift across multiple class offerings and academic terms. It can also be modified to subject specific discussions. Students can participate in PBP regardless of their level of knowledge or interest in the subject. Participating in PBP provides students with a concrete example of how good communication and a decision framework can result in more efficient use of resources. The activity also encourages creativity and can be used to generate healthy competition between student groups.     

酒店综合管理系统功能分析和用户职能解析

结合酒店自身特点和商业规则,建立了一个结构合理的综合管理信息系统,集酒店的入住、餐饮、票务于一体,给出了系统的功能分析,并对各个级别的用户职能作了较详细的解析。     

Newsvendor Game: A Behavioral Exercise in Decision Making under Risk

The newsvendor problem is a classic problem of decision making under risk that is taught in traditional Operations and Supply Chain Management classes as a single‐period inventory problem. We discuss the following three pedagogical points of interest to any instructor tasked with teaching this topic: a) why the newsvendor model is relevant in this day and age; b) how to make better sense of the newsvendor problem for students; and c) how to easily implement and administer an active learning exercise in either a traditional classroom, or an online setting. This active learning exercise is a quick, effective, and meaningful way of demonstrating a variety of concepts related to the newsvendor problem that include: a) the rational economic method of calculating optimal order quantity, b) the inherent risk in forecasting and ordering decisions as they relate to surpluses and shortages; and c) the cognitive limitations in decision making that often result in irrational but predictable decision‐making behavior as demonstrated by empirical research on newsvendor behavior. This exercise can help instructors and students transition into broader discussions on human behavior, cognitive limitations, and perceptions of risk. Overall, it should provide the student with an improved understanding of the operational and behavioral issues associated with decision making under risk.     

社区综合管理信息系统的研究

社区综合管理信息系统能够实现数据共享,提高社区管理的效率以及质量。本文首先分析了系统开发中涉及到的技术,其次分析了系统的功能需求,并进一步研究了系统关键功能的设计。     

试验设计与统计分析课程理实一体化教学的实践与思考

试验设计与统计分析课程具有很强的理论性和实践性.运用理实一体化教学法,可以使专业理论知识与实践技能的学习有效地融为一体.文章对试验设计与统计分析课程进行理实一体化教学法的实践进行了介绍.     

从质量管理角度看质量管理与控制课程建设

随着国家经济社会的发展及产业结构的转型和升级,建设高水平理工科大学,培养高素质应用型专业人才,成为大势所趋。在此大环境下,各学科的课程建设与改革就显得尤为重要了。文章拟以质量管理与控制选修课为例,并尝试运用质量管理工具,以点带面,对高水平理工科大学的课程建设进行浅显分析。     

TradeSmith: An Exercise to Demonstrate the Illusion of Control in Decision Making

Resource allocation decisions are a fundamental class of problems common throughout a business and therefore are found throughout business school curricula. Entrepreneurs must allocate capital, financiers must allocation cash, and production managers must create the best mix of multiple‐use resources. Within this context, a business school's curriculum, instructional materials, and learning processes must consider the implications of individual decision making. Our traditional instructional content and delivery methods may effectively teach how to set up a decision “problem” and how to obtain an optimal answer. Yet, we may not be teaching a key underlying factor: that entrepreneurs, managers, and future leaders appear to have implicit cognitive biases, which discount information and skew individual decision making. The results of this study demonstrate that a phenomenon known as the “illusion of control” presents a fundamental challenge to the efficacy of formalized educational programs on decision making. TradeSmith was designed as a problem‐based learning exercise to elicit for the illusion of control in a basic, resource allocation, decision environment. The subjects in this study demonstrate a decision‐making pattern consistent with the “illusion of control” phenomenon. Finally, by revealing individuals' implicit design‐making paradigms, TradeSmith helps them experience key issues for managerial decision making.