Gold, tungsten, tantalum, and tin are essential to a wide array of today's products. Industries ranging from electronics to health care to defense rely on these minerals. A sizable portion of these minerals are sourced from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where funds raised from mining these minerals have fueled a decades-long civil war. Thus these minerals from the DRC are referred to as "conflict minerals." Global supply chains have been designed to use DRC sources based on economics and logistics; although, there are alternative sources. Some U.S. policymakers sought limit the conflict in the DRC by reducing the flow of conflict minerals. Initial Congressional action was unsuccessful; however the policy was incorporated into section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) in 2010. The legislation required the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to establish a reporting requirement for publicly traded corporations using conflict minerals in their supply chains. These corporations could also certify their supply chains as DRC conflict-free through an independent private sector audit. The primary focus of the case is on how supply chains can be modified by public policies to achieve desired social outcomes. The case can also be used to teach the policymaking process.
Gold, tungsten, tantalum, and tin are essential to a wide array of today's products. Industries ranging from electronics to health care to defense rely on these minerals. A sizable portion of these minerals are sourced from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where funds raised from mining these minerals have fueled a decades-long civil war. Thus these minerals from the DRC are referred to as "conflict minerals." Global supply chains have been designed to use DRC sources based on economics and logistics; although, there are alternative sources. Some U.S. policymakers sought limit the conflict in the DRC by reducing the flow of conflict minerals. Initial Congressional action was unsuccessful; however the policy was incorporated into section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) in 2010. The legislation required the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to establish a reporting requirement for publicly traded corporations using conflict minerals in their supply chains. These corporations could also certify their supply chains as DRC conflict-free through an independent private sector audit. The primary focus of the case is on how supply chains can be modified by public policies to achieve desired social outcomes. The case can also be used to teach the policymaking process.
Category 5 Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017 ravaging the Island. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority reported that all customers were without power unless they had their own generators. However, the mountain town of Adjuntas, the community center did have electricity powered by rooftop solar panels. Years earlier the community realized the risks of the national electricity grid and created a local electricity generation capacity. Maria proved the wisdom of their actions as residents were able to charge medical equipment, keep medications refrigerated and charge their cellphones. This case explores the strengths and limitations of two electricity supply chain approaches, a national electricity grid versus local power generation. A focus on the importance of infrastructure resilience frames the discussion. The case also explore the community capacity building needed for local power generation resilience.
The blood supply chain is under pressure from COVID-19. How should the 3rd largest blood bank in the US, OneBlood, respond? Is adopting an agile supply chain philosophy an effective approach? The case provides an overview of the agile approach to management and its impacts on supply chains. It details the need for IT, operational and managerial competence to enable a successful agile approach. The specifics of the blood industry and OneBlood provide the context for examining when and how agile can be effective. The case challenges the students use the specifics of the blood industry in general and OneBlood in particular to write a memo from the CFO to the rest of the executive team advocating for the adoption of the agile approach to managing the company's blood supply chain.
The blood supply chain is under pressure from COVID-19. How should the 3rd largest blood bank in the US, OneBlood, respond? Is adopting an agile supply chain philosophy an effective approach? The case provides an overview of the agile approach to management and its impacts on supply chains. It details the need for IT, operational and managerial competence to enable a successful agile approach. The specifics of the blood industry and OneBlood provide the context for examining when and how agile can be effective. The case challenges the students use the specifics of the blood industry in general and OneBlood in particular to write a memo from the CFO to the rest of the executive team advocating for the adoption of the agile approach to managing the company's blood supply chain.
Successful implementation is essential for achieving policymakers' goals and must be considered during both design and delivery. The mission of this monograph is to provide you with a framework and set of tools to achieve success. The starting point is a four-step framework for developing effective implementation plans: Architect, Pilot, Scale, Improve. A set of tools that support each of the framework stages are then profiled. Tools for change management and project management are also provided. HKS Case 2216.0
TSA promulgated a regulatory process to ensure safety and security at the nation's airports. That process also creates opportunities for entrepreneurs. This case describes the TSA process and engages the students to identify and vet opportunities to create private value. The SCAMPER methodology is explained and used to identify market opportunities. They are vetted using the 6 Hats framework. The case can also be used to help regulators understand the unintended consequences that may emerge from regulations.
Supply chain management impacts the delivery of both products and services for public and private sectors. Road salt for winterization illustrates the challenges associated with supply chain management from snowfall variability to product availability, sourcing, ordering, lead time, storage, and application aspects. Decisions involving service levels associated with road salt that public entities make directly impact the safety and lives of their citizens as well as public sector budgets and the local economy. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a justified strategy for road salt that create public value.
The assignment of students to schools is often a controversial process that requires a delicate balance between operational needs (school capacity and costs) and student and community needs (quality of school and community cohesion). In 2016, Boston Public Schools (BPS) implemented a new student assignment process that attempts to balance both operational needs and students' access to quality schools. This case examines BPS' new student assignment process and considers whether it satisfies both sets of needs. The case also provides a simplified spreadsheet assignment model and dataset to allow students to see the tradeoffs and how they can be balanced.
It is impossible to predict the future, but this is a task policymakers are effectively expected to do when deciding how to deploy scarce resources to the benefit of future constituents. This case therefore looks at one tool in particular-scenario planning-that actors in both the public and private sector employ to, while not predicting the future, prepare for it as much as possible. The case uses Ilan Steiner, head of the Currency Department at the Israeli central bank as the protagonist; one of the biggest questions he has had to address in the last few years has been what the future of cash will look like. Some people argue that the proliferation of new technologies-such as Venmo-will make paper currency obsolete. Others point out that paper currency demand is actually increasing in many countries, despite the availability of digital payment systems. The case is divided into three sections. The first introduces Ilan Steiner and provides some background on currency use around the world. The second section introduces scenario planning and then discusses how railway executives employed scenario planning to investigate possible futures for coal demand and their impact on the railway industry. The last section is a memo 'from' Ilan that requests students to prepare their own scenario plan for the future of cash in Israel. Case number 2100.0
Transport for London is in charge of an extensive network of Underground (metro) stations, some of which are more congested than others. This case looks at capacity planning, with the heavy-traffic Victoria Station as its primary focus. The case provides an overview of the main activities an Underground rider must carry out to either enter the station and eventually board the train, or else alight from the train and exit the station. The case provides that quantitative data - such as passenger volume, process capacity and throughput - necessary to assess the bottleneck and opportunities to enhance circulation. The case provides some preliminary analysis as to the causes of the station's congestion, with students expected to conduct their own, more in-depth assessment using the data provided. Case number 2109.0
Lines at airports, at the ticket counter, security screening or at the gate, make air travel a stressful experience. Queues are especially problematic during peak travel periods when space and processing capacity are constrained. These are the concerns on the mind of an Assistant Federal Security Director as she plans for the expansion of flights at one of Boston Logan Airport's terminals. Space limitations restrict the number of screening lanes. Moreover, adding staff on the existing lanes staff is costly and faces rapidly diminishing returns. Nevertheless the Director must meet screening throughput and wait time targets as well as keep the line from stretching from security out the door. The director applies queuing theory to determine the art of the possible and what is feasible at Logan. The reader is introduced to basic queuing modeling and challenged to determine the optimal number of lanes and staffing of those lanes at the Logan terminal. Case number 2049.0
Bernard Madoff perpetrated a $60 billion fraud that lasted for more than a decade. The fallout ruined the lives of many of his investors and significantly damaged the reputation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). How did the federal agency entrusted to protect investors fail to discover the Ponzi scheme? The question is more salient because a financial expert alerted the SEC to the likely fraud and was ignored, not just once, but many times over a multiyear period. The case provides the context to explore questions such as: What was the SEC's investigation process? Why did it fail to uncover the fraud? What was the role of organizational structure and culture in the debacle? How could the SEC reengineer its processes to prevent such schemes? Case number 1950
Efficiently and effectively providing flu shots on a college campus is the challenge that faces the school's director of health services. After a failed flu shot program the year prior and the resulting epidemic, the director must ensure students, faculty and staff receive the shot this year. Benchmarking reveals that a single day flu shot marathon has been successful on other campuses but lines must be managed to limit waiting time. The reader is introduced to basic queuing theory to determine how many shot stations are needed balancing line length and cost. They also explore the impact of peaks on line management.