Supply Chain Capstone

GSC6997

Supply Chain Capstone

Final ExamFall, 2020

Following are questions for the final.  Total of 350 Points.  Articles are attached.  This is an individual exam so do it totally on yourown.  You may look at Internet sources that are legitimate sites but not exam answer type sites, and you must write your own answers with no text but your own.   Length of answers up to you but the more detailed and responsive an answer the better.  Go all out to show me everything you know.  In addition to coming up with characteristics or various points it is very important that you be able to weave a comprehensive and logical well thought out and articulated answer to these questions.   So just lists will not do given this last point.  You could start with a list in some answers but then need to elaborate in text.

The exam answers should be submitted in CANVASS Assignments by midnight, or before Sunday night, December 20.  Also make sure to put your name on each of the items due by then.  Being the exam, per review (your name on it in right space), and game memo (See Syllabus).

The exam questions are as follows:

1. What is supply chain management?  Describe the breadth and depth of the field?  What are the objectives in terms of good management of supply chains?  What are the functional pieces of supply chain management in the broadest sense?  What are the flows involved?  What are the relationships involved?  Think about being asked this question on an interview.  But I want a detailed response. 80 Points
2. Based on various prior courses, and our discussion of this topic in this class, provide a detailed write-up on what each of these following terms refers to and what the term means?80 Points

1. a) Shipper
2. b) Consignee
3. c) Carrier
4. d) Freight broker

e.)          Surface Freight Forwarder

1. f) Wholesaler
2. g) Public warehouse operator

h.)          Intermodal Marketing Company

i.)            3PL and How Different than Broker

j.)            Truckload broker

1. k) FOB Origin vs. FOB Destination
2. l) Freight Prepaid vs. Freight Collect

m.)         LTL vs. TL Truckers.  What is each and differences between them.

n.)          Describe LTL Freight Classes and the Class Rate System for Pricing (Requires detailed explanation of at least 200 words)

o.)          Weighing Out a Truck vs. Cubing Out a Truck

p.)          IMC

1. Welcome to the day to day operations of the General Motors Cadillac Escalade Supply Chain team.   The Escalade is produced in the U.S. but gets many components from Mexico and other countries around the world.  However, most components come from the U.S.  Product is flowing smoothly from these suppliers and the supply chain team is happy to have a routine in place.

However, amongst the North American suppliers are 15 Tier One electrical and electronics suppliers in hurricane prone areas of Mexico such as Tijuana, Juarez, Guadalajara, and Saltillo.These cities are subject to a Category 3 or higher hurricane every 5 years on average.   These regions of Mexico, and others, are also subject to earthquakes, with coastal cities at risk of tsunami’s however there is no way to predict frequency or to provide any forecast of when these events might occur.  There also is always a risk of a pandemic like health crisis. Mexico is also subject to some issues with drug violence, and like many countries, could be subject to some political unrest and economic issues.

Unfortunately, just as key members of the supply chain team were about to leave on vacation, the U.S.’s NOAA National Hurricane Center, and its counterpart in Mexico, issued a hurricane warning and track forecast for a Category 4 hurricane that could hit key supply chain partners in Mexico 48 hours from now.   This forecast could lead to shutdowns of manufacturing in Mexico, and Tier 1 supplier plants could be subject to the effects of these hurricanes.  As a result, the head of the supply chain team has texted members of her team and asked them to report to the supply chain crisis center Saturday morning at 700AM.   110 Points.

1. On convening the meeting, the supply chain team manager asked her team for recommendations on what should be done in the way of contingency plans and action steps to protect the Escalade production schedules in the U.S. In reviewing the immediate Mexican hurricane threat it was determined that the safety stock on hand in Hamtramck from the Mexican suppliers was equal to four days production.  It was also noted that the components moved to Hamtramck by a combination of intermodal rail/truck or straight truck and that lead times from the suppliers to Hamtramck were 96 hours.  Your first deliverable is to prepare recommendations on immediate actions you would take in response to this possible hurricane.  Remember it is critical that the Escalade plant not go down as the cost to GM is approximately $500,000 per day if the plant shuts down.
2. Following your presentation of this initial plan, your team has remained on site monitoring the hurricane. Unfortunately, the Hurricane Center track forecast was correct and the hurricane has hit the target area where several of your Tier One suppliers are located.   Three of these Tier One suppliers have managed to report in that they will not be able to produce any product.  Your second deliverable, now that the hurricane has hit, and you have reporting from these three suppliers, is to make recommendations on what actions to take to minimize disruptions and keep the Escalade plant in production?   These recommendations should cover very short term actions and potential longer term actions in the event these suppliers cannot get their plants back into production for up to a year.
3. A few weeks later, the Corona Pandemic spread throughout North America. Fortunately, after a year or so and development of a vaccine, the pandemic waned and production returned to normal throughout North America.  At this point, GM’s Senior Vice President for Supply Chain Management has asked the team to consider longer term strategies to deal with supply chain disruptions whether they be hurricanes or other natural disasters, or pandemic like crises.  Your third deliverable then is to recommend long term strategies and practices that should be adopted by GM and its suppliers to deal with potential supply chain disruptions of all kinds.

1. We talked about form and also geographic postponement in class.  What are these two concepts about and why are they important to the practice of SCM?  Explain in detail.  80 Points

Or

1. We talked about various trade routes to move goods by ground/water from Shanghai to Detroit?  Describe in detail three such routes with detail on the oceans, regions and canals that a ship would pass through.  Similarly for Shanghai to Berlin what would two such routes be with one by water and one by land?80 Points