[MUSIC] Welcome to Supply Chain Principles. My name is Tim Brown, and I'll be your instructor, and I'm so glad that you're joining us. Have you ever wondered how potato chips or orange juice make their way from being raw ingredients to finished package products in your home? Have you ever wondered how complex modern marvels such as smartphones, with all their complexities make their way from being chemicals, mined from the fields into the indispensable products they are today? Everything around us got where it is today through supply chains. The creation and movement of goods from raw materials to finished products delivered to end consumers, is what the supply chain is all about. In a way, supply chain management is the oldest profession and since the dawn of human existence, humans have had the need to address their hunger. And this has caused them to collaborate, and collaborate on planning to balance supply with demand. Sourcing food, whether it is fish, vegetables, or berries. Manufacturing food through farming, fishing, or other food preparation activities. Transporting food from source to humans and storing food untill it's needed. Planning, sourcing, manufacturing, transporting and warehousing are core elements of supply chain. This course in Supply Chain Principles will provide a solid understanding of what a supply chain is all about. The course provides an introduction to supply chain, leverages graphics to promote the Integrated Supply Chain model, emphasizes understanding the Extended Supply Chain. Presents a holistic approach, incorporating the people, process and technology elements of supply chain. The course calls out industry specific supply chain nuances. Leverages discussions, videos, quizzes, and questions for consideration. Provides awareness of career path opportunities in supply chain. And given that at Georgia Tech we are focused on developing what's next in the world, we include discussion of emerging and futuristic trends and techniques in supply chain. There's very little math involved in this course, so you don't have to worry at all about your math skills. The course is designed for a wide range of learners, including individuals who are currently working in a supply chain domain that are interested in improving their knowledge of supply chain. Individuals curious about pursuing a career in supply chain. Students working or studying in an adjacent business field, such as marketing, accounting, or finance. Seasoned professionals who may be moving to a new area of supply chain. And hobbyists, seeking to learn more about the world around them. The format of this course is as follows. It is a five week course with very similar format followed each week. Each week, there will be one learning unit that is covered with the exception of week two in which two units will be covered. Each learning unit consists of eight video lectures of approximately five minutes each of length. Within the videos, we'll have in-video questions for consideration. Each learning unit will have a discussion forum topic, a one hour reading assignment, and one additional learning assignment. Each learning unit will also have an end of unit assessment quiz. And as we noted, week two will have two units, which each of these units being approximately half the learning time as a standard learning unit. So over the course of these activities, students should plan for about five hours of engagement per week. It's important to note also that students must achieve a score of 80% or more on every quiz to receive a credential. Now that we have covered the format of the course, let's take a look at the topics to be covered. Each week, one learning unit will be presented with the exception of week 2 as we mentioned. So in week 1, we'll cover supply chain concepts. Week 2, supply and demand planning as well as sourcing. Week 3, manufacturing and service operations. Week 4, distribution operations, and week 5, transportation operations. Through covering the various course learning units, learners will come to understand the integrated supply chain model. We sometimes refer to this graphic as the supply chain molecule. And as we progress, we'll learn about each of the elements presented here. By the time you complete this course, you will have a solid understanding of supply chain concepts and how they are applied in different industries. Perhaps, you will have interest in pursuing additional courses in cross supply chain understanding. Or perhaps, you'll have an interest in a specific supply chain domain, such as manufacturing, sourcing, transportation, or procurement. Our hope is that after participating in this introduction to supply chain, learners will join us in additional courses in supply chain, either cross supply chain courses, or domain specific supply chain courses. Which are offered in online formats, as wells as in classroom formats at the various locations of the George Tech's Supply Chain and Logistics Istitute. I look forward to engaging with you in the discussion forums and thank you for attending, we'll see you on the next lesson. [MUSIC]
