Introduction to Supply Chain Management

What the page covers

The resources follow the usual route through an introductory supply chain course. Early material sets the scene: the flashcards called Logistics Management ask what logistics is and what the logistics function does in business, while the SCM Chapter 1 quiz looks at how fast organisations changed in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Later items move into inventory, sourcing, relationships, risk and sustainability.

Where to start

Begin with the foundations, then widen out.

1. Open the Logistics Management flashcards for core definitions.
2. Work through the LOGISTICS TRIANGLE OF DECISION MAKING deck, which covers the total cost concept and planning areas.
3. Move on to the chapter decks, such as the one on global sourcing and procurement, which covers strategic sourcing, vendor managed inventory and the bullwhip effect.

Using quizzes and mind maps together

Mind maps are the largest group here, so use them to see how ideas connect. The map on managing inventory in the supply chain covers cycle stocks and collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment. The CHOCOLATE BAR: PRODUCTION PROCESS map follows a product from natural resources to finished goods, which makes the idea of a chain concrete.

Once you have read a map, test yourself. The POM Test#3 quiz asks about sustainability, sharing demand information to cope with the bullwhip effect, and electronic data exchange. The APICS CSCP Exam quiz asks about the flow of demand information and collaborative supply chain management. Note which questions you miss, then go back to the matching map or deck.

Where it sits

This unit belongs to the strand Foundations of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, within the subject Logistics and supply chain. It is a sensible first stop before more specialised topics.

Choose one chapter, try its quiz, and then build a mind map or flashcard set of your own from what you got wrong.