During the course we will discuss the basic issues of Supply Chain Management like inventory management, risk pooling, network planning, and supply contracts as well we some of the more concurrent issues. In the face of a globalizing economy we will discuss procurement and outsourcing strategies, global logistics and risk management. As supply chains generally cross firm boundaries we will look at supply chain integration, and alliances from a supply chain perspective. Also, as more and more information can be gathered about customers you will learn how to judge the value of this information and whether or not one should adopt a customer specific pricing model. The above issues will be covered at a general strategic level but whenever possible you will also learn how to quantitatively make trade-offs between alternatives.