BUSML 4388
Warehouse Operations
FISHER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING AND LOGISTICS
COURSE SYLLABUS
Term: Spring T2 2015
Course Title: BUSML 4388 (3971) Warehouse Operations
Course Location: Schoenbaum Hall Rm #200
Course Time: Mon/Wed/Fri 1:50PM to 2:45PM
Prerequisite: BUSMHR 2292 and BUSML 3380
Description: Study of general warehouse operations, focusing on facility layout, financial analysis, labor relations, warehouse management systems, productivity improvement and measurement; impact of corporate and industry strategies on warehouse operations.
Instructor: Dr. David Widdifield
Fisher Hall, Room #510
(614) 292-2757 (office)
E-mail:
Website: https://carmen.osu.edu
Office Hours: Thursday 3pm to 5pm.
Required Text: Highly Competitive Warehouse Management, An Action Plan for Best-in-Class Performance - North American Edition, 2012, Jeroen P. Van Den Berg, Distribution Group, ISBN 97800915910656, Retail $59.95 (OSU Bookstore; www.ohiostate.bkstore.com), $42-$65 (Amazon; www.amazon.com)
The Definitive Guide to Warehousing: Managing the Storage and Handling of Materials and Products in the Supply Chain, 2014, Scott B. Keller and Brian C. Keller, Pearson, ISBN 9780133448900, eBook available at; http://coursepacks.xanedu.com/?PackId=489511
World Class Warehousing and Material Handling, 2001, Edward H. Frazelle, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 9780071376003, Retail $49.95 (OSU Bookstore; www.ohiostate.bkstore.com), $23-$27 (Amazon; www.amazon.com)
Optional Text: Warehousing Profitably: How to Tell What's Wrong With Your Warehouse...And Fix It! 3rd Edition, 2011, Ken Ackerman, Distribution Group, ISBN 9780982994009, Retail $79.75 (Distribution Group; http://www.distributiongroup.com), $70.00 (Amazon; www.amazon.com)
Course Materials: Course lecture materials will include; guest speaker presentations, industry journal PowerPoint slides, and text questions. Class materials will be made available on Carmen for downloading prior to class.
Course Due Date Policy: For assignments (peer evaluation, team presentations) to be counted for full credit they will need to be submitted on their scheduled due date unless noted otherwise. Any assignment submitted 12 hrs. after the due date deadline will be assessed a 50% point deduction from the assignment’s total possible points. Any assignment exceeding 12 hours after the due date deadline will not be counted for credit towards the class total. I will provide exemptions to this policy in the event of extraordinary circumstances; however this does not include minor illnesses, schedule conflicts between school and work, tardiness, or unscheduled vacations. If you feel there is a need to request exemption from this policy, please notify me via email 24 hrs. prior to the assignment’s due date.
Course Objective: To provide a general understanding of key distribution center and warehousing concepts and how businesses use these logistics assets to support customer service profitability goals. Particularly, this course will provide an understanding of the function of distribution and warehousing within logistics as well as the primary processes and system infrastructure required to process goods efficiently. Students will learn how and what role a warehouse manager plays within logistics operations from a conceptual and practical perspective using course material and the lived experience of industry practitioners.
Students will also develop a basic understanding of key warehousing concepts and techniques important to analysis of business logistics problems. The course will also examine how various logistics activities and warehousing work interdependently with each other to support business goals. Finally, the course strives to develop management and control techniques/skills critical in the area of warehouse operations.
Course Format: This course will be conducted using a combination of class discussion, lecture, guest speaker, industry analysis, and text questions. The lecture will cover the assigned text chapter, including comparison to current trends in the industry. You are expected to attend all classes and to be prepared to discuss and/or apply assigned readings. Students may be called upon to discuss assigned topics and concepts. In addition, students are expected to actively participate in all team projects and papers.
Class Point Total: Grades will be based upon performance on the following:
Assignment /Points
/Percentage
Comprehensive Final Exam / 150 / 34%Guest Speaker Attendance / 45 / 11%
Participation / 80 / 18%
Peer Review / 20 / 5%
Team Project / 50 / 12%
Text Quiz #1 / 25 / 5%
Text Quiz #2 / 25 / 5%
Text Quiz #3 / 25 / 5%
Text Quiz #4 / 25 / 5%
TOTAL
/ 445 / 100%Assignment Details: Chapter Quizzes. Prior to the text chapter lecture and/or discussion, I will give a short quiz consisting of 10 multiple choice questions from our assigned chapter readings (see page 8). On the day of the chapter quiz students will receive the quiz form and have 15 minutes to complete and return the quiz. Students failing to take a chapter quiz on the scheduled date will not be able to complete a make-up quiz unless approved by the instructor at least 24 hours prior to the quiz date & time or in the event of an extraordinary situation. An extraordinary event is the occurrence of a situation that is beyond the control of the college, instructor or student. Student minor illnesses, schedule conflicts, tardiness, unscheduled vacations, or similar situations does not constitute extraordinary situations to be considered for making up the quiz. If you feel the circumstances indicate a need to schedule a quiz early or its scheduled date, please notify me 24 hours prior to the quiz date via email. Quizzes will count for 100 (25 pts. per quiz) points toward your final grade.
Class Participation. Due to the nature of the class meeting schedule, attendance is critical to the student’s success in the class and knowledge transfer. Therefore the participation grade will be based on your attendance at each class meeting. Attendance will be taken each class discussion as well as during project presentations on an attendance log. During guest speaker events or quizzes attendance will be taken from the sign-in sheet and submitted quizzes. Class participation will account for 80 points (4 pts. per class meeting) towards your final grade.
Final Exam. A comprehensive final exam will be given at the end of the course. This exam will consist of questions drawn from the text readings, lectures, and other class assignments. You are responsible for the material even if it is not emphasized during the lectures. A pre-exam review sheet will be posted 1 week prior to the exam. This review will focus on material to be included in the test. The exam will focus on the text chapters contained in the class schedule. There will be no make up exams except in extraordinary situations. An extraordinary event is the occurrence of a situation that is beyond the control of the college, instructor or student. Student minor illnesses, schedule conflicts, tardiness, unscheduled vacations, or similar situations do not constitute extraordinary situations to be considered for making up the quiz. Any request to take the exam early or made up require instructor approval by 4/6. Note: exam booklets are not for student distribution and will need to be returned to me at the conclusion of the exam. Following the exam, I will schedule a class test review and will return graded student tests. Upon completion of this review, all student tests will need to be returned to me, any test not returned will be subject to a grade of “0”. Each exam will account for 150 points towards the final grade.
Distribution Center (DC)/Warehousing Topic Team Presentation. Students will be broken into self-selected teams of 4 members by 3/11 to research and present to the class an instructor approved DC/warehousing issue, topic, or trend within industry. The objective of this project is to gain an understanding of how companies review their DC/warehousing strategies to grow market position while using logistics to support overall company, customer, industry, and profit objectives. Topics may include;
a. DC/warehousing network sizing (number of facilities and size)
b. DC/warehousing systems investments (LMS, MHE, RF, WMS)
c. Labor strategies
d. Multichannel/omnichannel strategies
e. Outsourcing
f. Process improvement methodologies
Teams are free to select any DC/warehousing topic & industry however no team can select the same issue/topic to ensure variety. Student teams will conduct a 15-20 minute in-class presentation outlining the analysis of their research on the chosen topic. Presentations will review what, when, where, and how the topic is affecting the logistics and specifically distribution center and warehouse operations in the industry. This presentation will include; 1-topic background and/or origin, 2-business/industry affected, 3-impacts on market share, 4-key processes or technologies needed, 5-how businesses are addressing the issue, & 6-potential opportunities or threats to business logistics strategies within the industry.
The team’s Microsoft PowerPoint presentation will need to be uploaded to the Carmen dropbox the 24 hrs. prior to scheduled presentation date. The expected deliverable due to the instructor is the team’s presentation deck formatted using Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 or higher containing 10-15 slides. All sources used will need to be document using American Psychological Association (APA) format (http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx) on the individual slides as well as included as the last slide listing references at the end of the presentation. The team’s presentation will account for 50 points towards the final grade.
Guest Speaker Attendance. During the course, we will have the opportunity to host senior level managers from one of the leading companies in the Columbus area. They will provide critical insights to the importance of DC/warehousing in their logistics operations from a corporate perspective as well as current or emerging industry trends in business and/or employment. The objective of these events is to provide the student with a practitioner’s perspective on the part DC/warehousing plays in his/her business. Attendance is mandatory for all students as these events provide timely and unique information about the logistics industry. Due to this, there is no make-up assignment for students missing the guest speaker. This event will account for 45 (15 pts. per event) points towards the final grade.
Peer Evaluation. All students will submit an individual peer evaluation form rating the performance of her/his team members on the day of their course project presentation. This form will need to be completed and uploaded to the Carmen dropbox before 11:59pm on the day of the team’s presentation. This will account for 20 points towards the final grade. Forms for the peer evaluation and presentation grading template are attached at the end of this document.
Extra Credit: You can earn 5 extra credit points during the course by attending an event of your choosing from one of the below options. Note: attendance at student organizations will be confirmed by the sponsoring organization during last week of regular classes (4/27). If attending a professional logistics organization event be sure to provide me with attendance registration (hard copy or soft copy) of the event you attend in order to receive credit. All extra credit is due on 4/17;
· Professional Logistics Meeting Option: (5 pts) you may earn credit by attending a regular meeting of the following professional or student logistics organizations.
A “regular” meeting is defined as one which a guest speaker (ordinarily from the practitioner community) presents a timely topic. Eligible events include;
o Buckeye Operations Management Society (BOMS). For information on meeting dates, times and locations you can reference the BOMS website at: https://groups.cob.ohio-state.edu/boms. Be sure to sign-in at these meetings to receive credit for your attendance.
o Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Columbus Roundtable. For more information on meeting dates, times, and locations be sure to visit the CSCMP website at: http://www.columbusroundtable.org. Be sure to sign-in at these meetings to receive credit for your attendance.
o Purchasing and Supply Management Association (PSMA). For information on meeting dates, times and locations you can reference the PMSA website at http://www.osupsma.com. Be sure to sign-in at these meetings to receive credit for your attendance.
o The Logistics Association (TLA). The TLA meets weekly on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays during the quarter (and meetings are free!). For information on meeting dates, times and locations you can reference the TLA website at: http://www.osutla.com. Be sure to sign-in at these meetings to receive credit for your attendance.
Grading Scale: The grading scale is guaranteed. You will receive no less than the grade listed within the appropriate interval.
Point Total Range / Letter Grade414-445 / A
401-413 / A-
387-400 / B+
369-386 / B
356-368 / B-
338-355 / C+
325-337 / C
312-324 / C-
298-311 / D+
267-297 / D
0-296 / E
Source: http://odee.osu.edu/resourcecenter/carmen/gradebook-using-grade-schemes
Academic Integrity: All tests, written exercises, and papers are to be your own work. academic integrity is essential to maintaining an environment that fosters excellence in teaching, research, and other educational and scholarly activities. Thus, the Ohio State University and the Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) expect that all students have read and understand the University’s Code of Student Conduct, and that all students will complete all academic and scholarly assignments with fairness and honesty.
Students must recognize that failure to follow the rules and guidelines established in the University’s Code of Student Conduct and this syllabus may constitute “Academic Misconduct.” The Ohio State University’s Code of Student Conduct (Section 3335-23-04) defines academic misconduct as: “Any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the University, or subvert the educational process.” Examples of academic misconduct include (but are not limited to) plagiarism, collusion (unauthorized collaboration), copying the work of another student, and possession of unauthorized materials during an examination. Ignorance of the University’s Code of Student Conduct is never considered an “excuse” for academic misconduct, so I recommend that you review the Code of Student Conduct and, specifically, the sections dealing with academic misconduct.
If I suspect that a student has committed academic misconduct in this course, I am obligated by University Rules to report my suspicions to the Committee on Academic Misconduct. If COAM determines that you have violated the University’s Code of Student Conduct (i.e., committed academic misconduct), the sanctions for the misconduct could include a failing grade in this course and suspension or dismissal from the University.
If you have any questions about the above policy or what constitutes academic misconduct in this course, please contact me. Additional sources of information on academic misconduct (integrity) can be found by visiting;