customer management

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT RELATIONSHIPS BUS 590S – FALL 2006 Instructor: Robert B. Handfield, PhD. Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management 2346 Nelson Hall Department of Business Management Tuesday 6:00 – 9:00 PM Room 2403 Tuesday 4:00 – 6: PM. Otherwise by appointment. 515 4674 515 6943 Robert_Handfield@ncsu.edu http://scrc.ncsu.edu Office: Class Hours: Office Hours: Phone: Fax: E-mail: SCRC website: Note: Syllabus subject to change. Please check course website for updates. REQUIRED TEXTS AND READINGS PACKET: Required Text: Monczka, Robert; Trent, Robert; and Handfield, Robert. 3rd Edition. 2004 Purchasing and Supply Chain Management. Cincinnati: South-Western. ISBN 0-538-81495-0. Required cases and simulation packet: Available online (site to be announced). . CLASS DESCRIPTION: This class in the sequence develops major themes and strategies of Supply Chain Management relationships. The focus is on supply market intelligence, relationship assessment and management, negotiation, contracting, and managing conflict in business relationships in a globally integrated supply chain. In this context, relationships may exist between internal functional groups, as well as with suppliers and/or customers. The focus of the course is on collaboration and strategy execution. Emphasis is on for assessing, establishing metrics/expectations, contracting, and managing external business relationships in sourcing, logistics and operations. However, many of the concepts will be explored primarily from the perspective of the purchasing/sourcing perspective, and less emphasis will be placed on the marketing/sales perspective. COURSE ELEMENTS: The first part of the class deals with the common elements of relationship management, including creating the vision for the organization, customer service and inventory strategies, and deploying the vision. Next, the course will focus on evaluating suppliers and/or customers, developing 1 deep market intelligence, identifying appropriate performance metrics for governing the relationship, as well as structuring the relationship based on macroeconomic and industry specific market conditions. The focus on execution is emphasized through a detailed discussion of negotiation, collaborative cost-based reduction, customer/supplier development, contract management, and conflict resolution. In the latter portion of the class, students will be involved in a comprehensive supply chain computer simulation exercise. Students are assigned to small groups (distributors and manufacturers of a pharmaceutical supply chain), and are required over the course of the semester to develop a relationship and execute a contract with another team. The simulation effectively reflects the profit or loss outcomes of these relationships, and also identifies the participants’ tolerance for risk and the consequences of doing so. Each team will develop a written contract with selected partner(s) that documents the agreement resulting from the negotiation process. The student teams then experience a multi-year simulated environment, which requires them to think about how to deal with conflict in the supply chain over a period of time, how to manage inventory, meet customer/supplier requirements, and do so profitably. A final presentation reflecting the final outcome of the experience will be made in class. As part of the class requirements, students will also participate in a project investigating best practices in small/minority supplier development initiatives. Additional details are provided. COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. Provide an understanding of key issues and developments in managing supplier, customer management and supply chain partner relationships. 2. Provide a conceptual framework to better understand the process of developing, negotiating, contracting, managing conflict, and measuring performance in supply chain business relationships to enable greater competitiveness. 3. Provide a hands-on experience with a Supply Chain Resource Consortium partner company in executing a supply chain-related project consistent with the company’s competitive strategy. 4. Enhance supply chain strategic cost management knowledge and skills that impact competitive position and financial growth. 5. Provide students with knowledge and skills necessary to develop strategies to conduct effective negotiations and manage supplier/customer business relationships. 2 TO SATISFY COURSE REQUIREMENTS, EACH STUDENT WILL: 1. Attend class and actively participate in class discussions. Students are expected to have completed required readings before class. 2. Complete a written supply chain strategy project as a team project with an assigned team, and participate in the presentation of the project to company executives. 3. Participate in in-class negotiation simulation and complete written deliverables. 4. Complete Take Home Exam. Note: All of the above activities MUST be completed to receive a grade in this class. STUDENTS MAY NOT TAKE THIS CLASS FOR AUDIT CREDIT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. GRADING: Supply chain strategy project 200 points Take Home Exam 100 points Negotiation exercise 200 points Class Participation 40 points TOTAL 540 points GRADING SCALE: >90 guarantees an A >80 guarantees a B >70 guarantees a C >60 guarantees a D < 60 – Fail CLASS POLICIES: Exams: Zero points will be awarded for missed examinations. There will be no make-up examinations except in rare circumstances which must be well-supported and documented. Students must notify me of conflicts prior to the exam. If you have a question regarding the grading of your exam and would like to have your exam re-graded, you must request a re-grade in writing within one week of the return of exams to the class. Include a statement addressing why you believe a re-grade is necessary. I will respond within one week. Any exams returned for regrading will be reviewed in their entirety. Attendance: Class attendance is required. Absences will be noted. Students missing more than 3 class sessions will receive a half-grade penalty on their final course grade. Chronic lateness will also result in point deductions when final grades are calculated. Attendance during the in-class negotiation role play sessions and negotiation role play review sessions is imperative since the experience gained in these classes cannot be made up. Students missing these classes will lose 10 Participation/Attendance points for each day missed. Late Policy: There is no valid excuse for turning in assignments late. All assignments are due at the beginning of the assigned class period. In-class participation in negotiation exercises cannot be made-up. Any other late assignments will be substantially penalized. Pop Quizzes / Miscellaneous Assignments: Pop quizzes and miscellaneous assignments may be made from time to time. If the student misses these, no make-ups will be allowed. Participation/Attendance Points will be awarded based on the quality/quantity of your participation. To maximize your grade in the Participation category, you should read and think about the assigned readings before coming to class. Plagiarism / Cheating: A research paper includes the assimilation of other people's ideas and words about a particular topic. Failure to give credit to authors for their ideas or words is plagiarism. Plagiarism or cheating in any other form will result in at least a failing grade for the assignment. 3 TEAM EVALUATIONS Throughout the semester you will be involved in a set of team projects in developing supply market intelligence links for partner companies, and you will be asked to evaluate the contribution of your team members to the project. Your projects will contribute to the body of knowledge being developed by the Supply Chain Resource Consortium. If you are interested in a career in SCM, you can also include your resume in the student resume database found on the website (http://scrc.ncsu.edu). In all group assignments, students are expected to work closely with their group members and provide significant input to the project. To ensure that students are doing their fair share, each group member will evaluate their fellow group members' efforts in completing the project. Criteria such as completing work on time, showing up for scheduled group meetings, returning phone calls, etc. should be used in assessing participation and effort. Peer evaluations carry substantial weight in determining each student's final group grade. Students who receive low scores on their evaluations will be penalized accordingly. Thus, it is important that students be fair in assigning participation grades to their group members. IF A GROUP MEMBER DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE AT ALL TO A GROUP PROJECT, THEIR NAME SHOULD NOT APPEAR ON THE PROJECT. Each team member’s grade will be partially weighted by the average participation score that the individual receives from team members. Group members will be able to influence 25 percent of your project grade. For example, if the team for the 200 point project consists of three members -- Darren, Jennifer and Steve -- the grade for Darren would be calculated as follows: Group project grade = 90 / 100 points Peer evaluations of Darren are 20 and 18 (respectively) out of 25 Average contribution score for Darren = 38/2 = 19 out of 25 Thus, Darren’s grade for the project = (90 x .75) + (90 x .25 x 19/25) = 67.5 + 17.1 = 84.6 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copy of the GROUP MEMBER EVALUATION FORM Evaluator Name: __________________________________________________________ This form is used by the instructor to make an overall evaluation of the contribution of each member of your group. Please respond as accurately as possible regarding the effective contribution of each group member. Responses are used by the instructor only and will remain confidential. Instructions: Rate the performance of each of your team members on a 5 point scale. If everyone participated equally and up to expectations, then rate each individual at the 5 point level for each category. If a group member did not participate at all in the preparation of the project that individual should be assigned 0 points for each category and their name should not appear on the project. Names of Group Members Including You Work Quality (5 max) Attended Group Meetings (5 max) Carried Fair Share (5 max) Met Group Requirements (5 max) Overall Performance (5 max) TOTAL (25 max) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------One of the keys to surviving in the work world is working successfully with others. Therefore it is your responsibility to make every attempt to work with your team. However, there are occasionally team members who will not pull their own weight. If your team has such a member, you can fire the offending person (they will fail the project), if you follow the procedure below. 4 1. Have a team meeting to discuss the problem. Inform the Project Coordinator and myself of the meeting and its results. I would suggest that at this stage you set formal expectations for all members of the team, including the individual who is not pulling their weight. Be specific in setting expectations. I will not attend this meeting. 2. If the problem persists (i.e. the individual does not meet assigned objectives), set up a time to meet with the Project Coordinator. He will meet with the team members individually and collectively, as required. The end result of these meetings will be a formal contract for all group members. The contract will specify what each person will do, as well as when and how, for the remainder of the semester. If a member of the team breaks the contract, the team must send me a memo that they intend to fire the person. I will attempt to meet again with the offending team member. Unless they can prove extenuating circumstances they will be fired. Note: in special circumstances, a group can expedite the process to fire a group member. BUS 590S – GUEST SPEAKERS Throughout the semester, several guest speakers will be scheduled, which may change the scheduled material presented. Speakers may come to speak on subjects related to course material and projects, and may include executives from companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft Foods, Dow / Dupont, and others. 5 BUS 590S - COURSE SCHEDULE AND READING LIST DATE August 29 TOPIC OVERVIEW - TERMS and DEFINITIONS – MANAGING THE PROCURE TO PAY PROCESS    Read Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: Chapter 1, “Introduction to Purchasing”, Chapter 2, “The Purchasing Process”, Chapter 3, “Purchasing Policy and Procedure”. Complete and turn in Team Project Skills Profile Register (if interested) with SC Resource Consortium database http://scrc.ncsu.edu TRANSFORMING SUPPLY CHAINS INTO VALUE CHAINS SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY: ALIGNING SUPPLY AND DEMAND INTRODUCTION TO NEGOTIATION PROJECT (LAB)  Read Preliminary Information Documents September 5 SUPPLY CHAIN PROJECT RESEARCH SUPPLY CHAIN PROCESSES AND BUSINESS MATURITY – Procure to Pay and Strategic Sourcing  INTRODUCTION TO MARKET INTELLIGENCE PROJECT  Read Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: Chapter 6, “Purchasing and Commodity Strategy Development”.  Read Preliminary Information Documents  Team Project Assignments made  Negotiation Team Assignments Made  Read Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: Chapter 4, “Purchasing and Supplier Integration”, Chapter 5, “Purchasing and Supply Chain Organization”  HERB LOCKE – Containerization Strategies DEVELOPING A WORLD CLASS SUPPLY BASE: SUPPLIER EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT  Read Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: ”. Chapter 7, “Supplier Evaluation and Selection” Chapter 8 “Supplier Quality” Chapter 9, “Supplier Management and Development”. NEGOTIATION ENVIRONMENTS (PHASE 1) (October 17)  Computer Lab  Read Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: Chapter 10, “Global Sourcing”  Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: Chapter 13, “Negotiation.” , Chapter 14 “Managing Contracts”, Chapter 15 “Purchasing Law” MANAGING SUPPLY CHAIN RISK AND DISRUPTIONS  PROJECT UPDATE – 5 minute presentation  Read Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text Chapter 18 Supply Chain Information Systems and Electronic Commerce  Read “Supply Chain Glitches” by Singhal and Hendricks and NIST Study Exec Summary (on course website)  Lester Arnold, Lowes Corporation September 12 September 18 September 26 October 3 SUPPLIER INTEGRATION THROUGH SUPPLIER COUNCILS 6 Read Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: Chapter 8, “Supplier Quality Management” MIDTERM - HAND IN TAKE HOME EXAM: PACIFIC SYSTEMS. MANAGING INTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS – THE HUMAN SIDE OF SCM  Class Exercise: Role Play – “The IT Investment Decision” October 10 GLOBAL TRENDS IN LOGISTICS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE  Read Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: Chapter 16, “Managing Supply Chain Inventory” , Chapter 17 “Purchasing Services OUTSOURCING TO CHINA: MANAGING THE CHINESE SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGIC COST MANAGEMENT (September 18)  Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: Chapter 11, “Strategic Cost Management”  In-class activity: PPI Index Case (Northwest)  STRATEGIC COST MANAGEMENT:  Purchasing and Supply Chain Management text: Chapter 12, “Purchasing Tools” SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY: ESTABLISHING THE RELATIONSHIP  Computer Lab – identify relationships October 24 SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY: ESTABLISHING THE RELATIONSHIP    October 31 Guest Speaker: Paul D’Angelo, former Chief Procurement Officer, Gillette “Procurement Strategy at Gillette” HANDIN NEGOTIATION PHASE 1 DELIVERABLE Initial negotiation and market intelligence research October 17 SIMULATION NEGOTIATION     Guest Speaker: Sciquest – Eprocurement Computer Lab – identify relationships In-class Activity: Negotiation Simulation and Team Meetings COMPLETE NEGOTIATIONPHASE 2 DELIVERABLE November 6 close of business – ALL CONTRACTS SIGNED November 7 SIMULATION ROUND 1 Guest Lecture: Lowell Hoffman, former Chief Procurement Officer, Colgate-Palmolive, Kraft Foods: Procurement Strategy in a Global Environment.  In-class Activity: Negotiation Simulation and Team Meetings  HAND IN NEGOTIATION PHASE 3 DELIVERABLE  HAND IN NEGOTIATION PHASE 4a DELIVERABLE RE-NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS AS REQUIRED November 14 SIMULATION ROUND 2  November 21 November 28 COMPLETE NEGOTIATION PHASE 4b DELIVERABLE FINAL REPORT AND PROJECT PRESENTATIONS (20 minutes each) FINAL REPORT AND PROJECT PRESENTATIONS (20 minutes each) PROJECT WRAP-UP NEGOTIATION PHASE 5 DELIVERABLE – PRESENTATIONS 7 December 5 FINAL REPORT AND PROJECT PRESENTATIONS (20 minutes each) SCRC Meeting – Thursday December 7 and 8 (optional to attend) FINAL EXAM: Tuesday December 12. 8 BUS 590S - INFORMATION ON CLASS PROJECTS / EXERCISES I. CASE ASSIGNMENT – (100 POINTS) Instructions: Complete all of the 12 questions in the case study, which may require additional secondary research and analysis on current trends in technology and pricing in the DVD supply market. The final exam should be completed in the following format: • Executive Summary • Written responses to questions • Appendices and supporting material A passing assignment will be: • Comprehensive in content and research • Clearly and concisely written • Professional-look to layout and overall presentation • Type-written in 12-point font. • Numbered pages Completed assignments should be emailed to Rob Handfield at robert_handfield@ncsu.edu NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 4 BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS. Supporting Materials: It is highly recommended that you make use of the following supporting materials in your analysis: 1. Monczka, Robert; Trent, Robert; and Handfield, Robert. 2004 Purchasing and Supply Chain Management. Cincinnati: South-Western. ISBN 0-538-81495-0. Chapters 1, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15. This is available through Amazon.com. 2. East Asia and the United States: Current Status and Five-Year Outlook, CIA WorldFactBook (provided). 3. Supply Chain Resource Consortium website: http://scrc.ncsu.edu. - Go to the site, and login using your unity ID. In the “Topic Index” section of the site, you will find lots of material related to sourcing management. Good luck! If you have any questions, you can contact me at robert_handfield@ncsu.edu. II. NEGOTIATION ASSIGNMENT AND PRESENTATION (200 POINTS) Students will be assigned to small groups (manufacturers and distributors) in a fictional pharmaceutical supply chain. The exercise will proceed over the entire semester, and will require that each group develop a written negotiation strategy and conduct a negotiation session with another group from the class. Each pair of groups will jointly develop a written contract that documents the outcome of the negotiation process. Many of these classes will take place in the computer lab to facilitate access to the computer simulation. 9 The exercise will require a negotiation strategy preparation paper that will describe and outline the group's preparation for the negotiation exercise and is to be handed in on the date assigned for the negotiation. Students are expected to fully utilize all relevant concepts presented during lecture and in assigned readings in their preparation for, and execution of, the negotiation exercises. The negotiation exercises and strategy preparation papers will be based on materials and input provided by the instructor and the simulation team. •All group members are to participate in the research and planning as well as the actual negotiation. Remember: each group member will evaluate their fellow group members' efforts in completing the project. The Negotiation Project will proceed in several stages, with a Deliverable at each phase: DELIVERABLE 1 – Overview of Negotiation Environment Negotiation team should identify the primary cost drivers and profit drivers characterizing their negotiation environment. Using “what if” analysis, the team should identify the optimal combination of parameters within their negotiation environment that results in the lowest cost and highest profit margins, as well as the other relevant variables: Deliverable: One to two page document with attachments identifying key cost and profit drivers (20 points) DELIVERABLE 2 – Customer / Supplier Market Intelligence Based on parameter analysis developed in Phase 1, each team will conduct an assessment of their operating environment, in terms of understanding the current market for supply or customers. This may entail data collection using market research techniques, requests for information, requests for quotes, or other means of market assessment. Using a customer/supplier evaluation tool, the team will identify the primary characteristics of each party in their customer/supplier base, and prepare a written assessment. Deliverable: Weighted Point Scorecard for each supplier / customer in their supply / demand market. (20 points) DELIVERABLE 3: Relationships Strategy Development Based on information developed in phases 1 and 2, the negotiation strategy paper is the group's overall plan for the negotiation and the supply chain business relationship. The information included in the strategy paper will depend on your group's role in the specific negotiation, either as representatives of the buying firm or supplier. In either case, the negotiation strategy papers should address the following topics: • Your company's needs and objectives. • Information regarding the specific item that your group is buying (selling). • Supply/Customer market information • Single/multiple customer/supplier agreements • Length of desired agreement and contingency plans • Information regarding the buying firm's (supplier's) operation as it pertains to the purchased item or service. • Your group's assessment of the other party's needs and objectives. 10 • Determination of your group's position (strengths and weaknesses) relative to that of the other party. • Your specific goals and objectives for the negotiation, including the opening offer, target price and bottom line. • Justification of your target price, “bottom line” price, and initial offer in the negotiation. • Description of the specific strategies and tactics you plan to use in the negotiation and why these strategies and tactics were chosen. Deliverable: Relationship Strategy Positioning Paper (40 points) Phase 4: Execution: Negotiation, Contracting and Relationship Management In this phase, the team will execute the negotiation strategy and develop a contract with the supplier(s) / customer(s) outlined in the strategic plan. Groups must be properly prepared to conduct the negotiation. Thus, your group's negotiation strategy should be completely developed prior to the actual negotiation session. The outcome of this stage is a documented online six-month contract that must be signed concurrently by both teams to be valid. This contract will be re-negotiated after six months for the remaining six month period. Each group of buyers and sellers will develop a contract which summarizes the agreement reached between the parties. Also in this phase, the team will experience a year’s worth of “simulated” events, during which the strength of the business relationship between customer(s) / supplier(s) will be tested! Various events will occur which will positively/negotatively impact the desired goal of maximizing profit margins and total profit. After one year, the results of the simulation will be shared with everyone. 4A Deliverable: On-line written six-month contract due at the end of class. (10) 4B Deliverable: On-line written six-month contract due at the end of class. (10) Phase 5: Post-mortem Assessment and Lessons Learned Deliverable: Following the negotiations, each set of teams will make a group presentation discussing the success of their business relationship(s) (or lack thereof). Each group should plan on discussing their negotiation preparation, negotiation strategy, how the strategy worked during bargaining, and how satisfied they were with the final outcome. Be sure to address the key lessons learned from the exercise, and how it would impact the way you might work with customers or suppliers in the future. The presentation should be about five to ten minutes in length, and will count towards the final grade. Performance at this stage will be assessed form two perspectives: 1) Profitability relative to other competitors in your industry (40) 2) Presentation effectiveness (20) • FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR NEGOTIATION DELIVERABLES: • A maximum of 4 pages long. Some of the deliverables can be completed online in the simulation. However, hard copies should be also submitted in each case. • Clearly and concisely written • Professional-look to layout and overall presentation • Type-written in 12-point font. • 1-1/2” wide margins on left and right sides. 11 • Numbered pages • Use headings and subheadings; single-space within paragraphs and double-space between paragraphs. Additional information that could be included in a negotiation strategy paper is presented below: • Buyer's needs and objectives may include: - Price / cost reduction - Improved technology - Improved quality performance - Increased levels of customer / service support - Improved delivery performance - Higher degree of supplier responsiveness, etc. • Supplier's needs and objectives may include: - Increased volume - Stable order schedules from buying firm - Maintain acceptable level of profits - Achieve preferred supplier status with buyer - Longer-term agreements - Minimum monthly / annual purchase commitments - Quotes on additional business for same / other buying firm using locations - Earlier information from buyers regarding orders, new products, and/or product specs / engr. changes • Buyer's information for the specific purchased item may include: - Importance of the item to the using firm - Packaging requirements - How and where item is used in the firm - Transportation requirements - Prices paid for the item - Substitution opportunities - Item specifications - Standardization opportunities - Quality requirements - Volume requirements - Delivery requirements / scheduling - Expected design changes information - Likelihood of integration - Etc. • Supply market information may include: - Manufacturing process - Component raw material situation: amounts, location, and supply and demand conditions - Primary product uses; Secondary product uses - Economics of substitution - Cost structure / trends for: past, present, and future - Pricing trends: past, present, and future - Identification of key suppliers in the industry - Type and level of competition found within the industry: price, quality, delivery, supply availability, and number of suppliers - Technology trends - Identification of the major buyers within the industry - Competing demand, current and projected: by industry, by end-product users, and by individual firms - Capacity utilization situation within the industry: total capacity, and capacity utilization rate - Supply origins: local, national, and worldwide - Overall supply and demand conditions - Etc. • Supplier data might include: - Supplier size: Annual sales volume; # of employees; #, locations, and size of plants / distribution centers - Major customers of the supplier - Market share information - Organizational ownership - Supplier capabilities, regarding: management team, logistical, financial resources, R&D, work force composition, responsiveness, engineering, flexibility, manufacturing, and systems - Capacity utilization situation within the firm: total capacity, capacity utilization rate, and expected additions / deletions of capacity - Order backlog situation; Pricing history; Cost structure / trends - Length of buying firm's relationship with supplier - Etc. 12 • Example of assessment of the other party's needs and objectives: > The supplier recently completed a major expansion of its facilities where the purchased item is manufactured and thus may be willing to price the item favorably to increase volumes. • Examples of determination of your group's position relative to that of the other party: > Buyer's negotiation strength (seller's weaknesses): - buyer accounts for high percentage of supplier's annual sales revenues - supplier / supply industry in low capacity utilization situation - high level of competition in the supplier's industry - generally poor economic conditions, etc. > Buyer's negotiation weaknesses (seller's strengths): - buyer accounts for low percentage of supplier's annual sales revenues - suppliers / supply industry operating at or near capacity - little competition in the supplier's industry - favorable economic conditions, etc. • Example of your specific goals / objectives for the negotiation: > Due to competitive market pressures, the cost of a key product must be reduced by fifteen percent over the next three years. As part of this cost reduction effort, the cost of the purchased item being negotiated, which is a major component of the end product, must be reduced by ten percent over the same three year period. Your firm is willing to consolidate its purchase requirements with two suppliers (currently using four) and commit to the two selected suppliers under three-year contracts if the suppliers can provide the required cost reductions. • Example of specific strategies/tactics to use in the negotiation and why these strategies and tactics were chosen: > Your group selects a "take-it-or-leave-it" approach to the negotiation because: (1) it believes that it is in a position of high power relative to the supplier, and (2) there are many other equally qualified suppliers available. III. SUPPLY MARKET INTELLIGENCE PROJECT (200 POINTS) Students will conduct a comprehensive project focusing on developing key supply market intelligence sources of information, and understanding the need for information through interviews with subject matter experts at SCRC partner companies. Team members will be assigned to projects based on their skill set profile determined in class. Students are expected to fully utilize all relevant concepts presented during lecture and in assigned readings in their preparation of the supply chain strategy papers. Project Coordinator: In order to effectively complete the project by the end of the semester, review of all milestones with a project coordinator is key to the success of the project, and will significantly enhance your learning experience in this course. Each milestone will be completed and discussed by your team with Professor Kevin McCormack and/or Dr. Handfield during a scheduled meeting time. A detailed set of guidelines for the project will be provided to all teams. The best projects will be selected for presentation at the biannual meeting of the Supply Chain Resource Consortium on December 1-2, 2005 at NC State University. 13