Customer Reviews

Designing and Managing the Supply Chain w/ Student CD-Rom

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a first-time university instructor in this subject (Business Logistics/Supply Chain Management), I found the book and accompanying software, overhead transparencies and other materials to be very "user-friendly". There are very few wasted words or unnecessary details and facts in the book. Instead, the insights gained from research have been presented with clarity and simplicity, easily understandable even to the non-specialist, and enhanced by interesting and relevant examples and case studies. It is an excellent book for both academics and practitioners.

I am and have been consulting in supply chain and logistics management for four years; worked in hands-on rolls for 15 years in Europe, the US and Australia and I also lecture at the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia.

In the past 12 months I have acquired about 14 books on the subject. This book is probably the best. It takes a no nonsense approach to the significant issues facing logistics professionals, as the preface says, the book is written to serve M.B.A, B.S. and M.S. students and as a reference for consultants, professionals and teachers. It manages all this admirably and contains excellent cases and a couple of supply "games" that are an excellent resource.

Given the target market, the quantitative material is more than adequate - practioners want solutions that work, for the most part, there not terribly interested in "the mechanics" of the math, just the answer. With the powerful hardware and software available today, readers don't have to understand the "mechanics", just the inputs and what to do the outcomes. This book will give them just that.

I commend this book to any practioner, consultant, teacher or student.

When I first look at the description of this book, I thought this book would come with more math models than any other SCM books. Once I have it, the models that they show in the book is not surprisingly new to me. The authors might want to use the traditional method to solve the complex SCM problem. So if you're looking for quantitative SCM book, please skip this book. In contrast, I found many cases in this book is quite useful. Moreover, this book is very well organized, i.e., start with case and develop basic idea to lead readers more understanding. One of the best books in SCM

As far as Dr. Simchi-Levi's book, I try to stay on top of the latest updates in regards to supply chain management and attend supply chain management seminars and classes on a regular basis. I've found that the text is state of the art and is at the cutting edge in presenting the key "Best Practices" associated with logistics today. The use of theory and cases is a great combination in getting the key concepts across. I have used it several times already in implementing real world logistical solutions in support of the U.S. Military worldwide. Bottom line . . . Any logistician who considers themselves a true professional and desires to be at the forefront of logistics today must add this book to their personal collection.

I used the book in my MBA courses. The best textbook on SCM so far. It provides an excelllent overview on SCM issues. Chapters 3-6 are the best. The book contains many classical cases and most chapters start with "real world' problems which help readers understand what the objectives of the respective chapters are. It is well organized. The pooling game is excellent!

In the new edition, the authors may consider to revise/correct Chapter 3, and spend more space on postponement strategies. Outsourcing of manufacturing should be enhanced as well (use the HBR article's framework). The impact of e-commerce on SCM is to be inlcuded as well.

It would be ideal if the Beer Game can be played by several people on the net. Currently, it is person-to-computer and a blackbox.

This is a great book...for all the reasons mentioned in all reviews you find here. I especially love the accompanying CD containing the Beer Game and the Risk Pooling Game - both excellent at illustrating most of the problems explained in the book

I have this book as my text in the Business program at the University of Phoenix. I am not a supply chain manager and do not aspire to be, but it is a required course. Some of the math is a bit daunting (the phrase "using simple calculus" is an oxymoron to many) but even without knowing calculus the case studies and discussions convey the fundamentals effectively.

Visually, the book is also good, with a layout and graphic design that makes reading easier and not at all a strain on the eyes. That might not seem important when you are shopping for a text, but when you are reading the third chapter of the day sometime between supper and midnight, it will!

Although this book has some good case histories I found the mathematics and quantitative analysis very weak. Equations are just pulled from the blue and put down with no explanation of how they are derived or their limitations. The authors spend a great deal of time describing in full detail the case histories. It took me a long time to get through the many pages of the Barilla pasta company story -- even though I am a pasta lover. From a non-quantitative view the book is good. I did not try the CD with the beer game supplied. I wish that maybe the authors will consider a second edition where they are more careful with the mathematics and explain the quantitative aspects of supply chains more carefully. As a PhD scientist I am curious on how the authors derived some of their analytical expresssions.

The 1st edition of this book, authored by three leading scholars and consultants in the important, fast developing field of supply chain management, won several awards and high critical acclaim from professional associations, scholars, and managers.

The 2nd edition has addressed the few gaps in the the original edition, noticed mainly by by those who, like me, used the book to teach university level courses. Thus, in the new edition, anything complex (especially, quantitative ideas) is explained even more clearly and thoroughly than in the 1st edition. The managerial implications of research findings are spelled out even better, with more examples. Short, insightful discussion questions have been added following each chapter, and there are several new, interesting case studies in several chapters. Valuable new material has also been added, e.g., research findings and examples on how to design win-win supply chain contracts, and up-to-date material on the impact of e-commerce and information technology on supply chain management.

This book will be of value to all managers, but probably most to managers at middle and senior levels, as it provides a clear, coherent view of the entire subject while emphasizing strategic and tactical level decisions and planning. The authors have made a truly important contribution to the understanding and practice of supply chain management.

"The book provides a comprehensive overview of supply chain management, from network design and inventory considerations, to suppy chain integration and strategic alliances. Numerous case studies provide additional insight. This is an excellent resource for all logistics professionals."