Supply Chain Fundamentals (edX)

The material is taught from a managerial perspective, with an emphasis on where and how specific tools can be used to improve the overall performance and reduce the total cost of a supply chain. We place a strong emphasis on the development and use of fundamental mathematical models to illustrate the underlying concepts involved in both intra- and inter-company logistics operations.

The main topic areas we will focus on this course are:

- Demand Forecasting, Planning, and Management

- Inventory Planning, Management, and Control

- Transportation Planning, Management, and Execution

While our main objective is to develop and use models to help us analyze these situations, we will make heavy use of examples from industry to provide illustrations of the concepts in practice. This is neither a purely theoretical nor a case study course, but rather an applied analytical course that addresses real problems found in practice.

This course is part of the MITx MicroMasters Credential in Supply Chain Management.

What you'll learn:

- Incorporate and manage uncertainty and risk within supply chain management

- Segment different customers, products, and channels and design an optimal portfolio of logistics approaches and strategies for these various segments

- Identify, design, and implement the appropriate forecasting methodology for each segment

- Identify, design, and implement the appropriate inventory replenishment policy for each segment

- Select the optimal transportation routing and modal choice for each segment