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Semester Project- Fundamentals of Operations Management

Your assignment is to select one of the following topics and do an in-depth analysis. The information that you gather should be presented in a final report.

The following guidelines should be followed when completing this report:

Ø Printed in Times New Roman, size 11

Ø Minimum twenty (15) pages in length

Ø Include all references in standard format

Ø Bibliography

Ø Footnotes

Ø Write in a clear concise format

Ø PowerPoint slides must have a title and be labeled (Figure 1, etc.)

Ø The report should be bound, and include a title sheet and numbered pages

If you have a topic that is not listed here that you think is relevant, please see me for approval.

The paper should fully discuss the topic, and then present a series of company examples. For instance, I might write about ERP and then give an example of how General Motors is using ERP to help with supply chain management.

Strategy:

There are a number of places to begin this paper. I would suggest using both the Internet and the resources available at the library. The Internet might give you some quick examples, whereas a search engine such as Ebsco or Academic Universe at the library (also accessible on-line) will enable you to find articles that have been written in academic and trade magazines.

I would continue the search by looking up articles that have been referenced in the publications. I would then compile the information that I have found, and lay out a story for my paper that incorporates the information that you have found. Each paper should have an introduction to the topic, an in-depth discussion section, a section that highlights how companies are utilizing the topic, followed by a conclusion, which may be an assessment of where the topic is headed.

Conclusion:

Please remember that this paper is worth 20% of your grade in this class. A thoroughly research, well-written paper will take time to complete. Do not wait until the last minute to prepare this project. If you have any questions during the course of this project, please email me.

I will be grading the papers on content and the overall quality of presentation.

The following is a list of topics that your paper can be about:

Balanced scorecard and the supply chain

Benchmarking

Business process simulation and supply chains

Carrier selection

Electronic data interchange (EDI)

Continuous replenishment programs (CRP)

Contract manufacturing

Customer order fulfillment

Cycle time

Decision support systems (DSS)

Design for manufacturability

Distribution in the 21^st century

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

Environmental issues in the supply chain

Global strategic sourcing

Internet issues in the supply chain

Inventory management in the 21^st century

Life cycle analysis

Relationship management

Quick response

Total quality management and the supply chain

Total cost model and the supply chain

Transportation modeling