In 2024, three decades after its start as “earth’s largest bookstore,” Amazon.com Inc. (Amazon) was the world’s largest online retailer and operated businesses that were strong competitors in on-demand cloud computing services, advertising, retail grocery, and entertainment markets. Since 2010, the company had taken steps to gain greater control of its supply chain and had expanded into logistics services through the company’s Supply Chain by Amazon business unit. Amazon was employing more than 1.5 million people with a market capitalization of more than three times the value of its closest competitor. Amazon boasted a vast selection and volume of products sold through a wide range of formats. However, the company had to decide if recent changes to its ever-expanding supply chain were adequate to support the company’s strategic goals and objectives. Were more changes needed to maintain Amazon’s competitive edge? What supply chain capabilities would be necessary for Amazon’s continuously evolving business model?

In 2023, Tesla, Inc. (Tesla), was the most valuable automotive company in the world. Over 20 years, it had developed revolutionary products and a large, complex, global supply chain network. After announcing plans to spend nearly $150 billion to achieve the strategic goal of selling 20 million vehicles per year, it needed to dramatically expand its capacity. Chief executive officer Elon Musk was facing a key challenge: deciding what changes needed to be made to Tesla’s global supply chain to support its strategic objectives. What supply chain capabilities would Tesla need to support these plans?

In 2023, Tesla, Inc. (Tesla), was the most valuable automotive company in the world. Over 20 years, it had developed revolutionary products and a large, complex, global supply chain network. After announcing plans to spend nearly $150 billion to achieve the strategic goal of selling 20 million vehicles per year, it needed to dramatically expand its capacity. Chief executive officer Elon Musk was facing a key challenge: deciding what changes needed to be made to Tesla's global supply chain to support its strategic objectives. What supply chain capabilities would Tesla need to support these plans?

Transportation plays a key role in Canada's economy. The principal objective of this note is to provide a Canadian perspective on transportation. The first part deals with Canada's transportation network, providing an overview of the transportation services sector and the economic importance of transportation. The second section examines the role of government in Canada's transportation sector, including government policy. The third section describes the characteristics of each of the six main modes of transportation: air, rail, truck, marine, pipeline, and intermodal. The final section addresses the key challenges facing the Canadian transportation sector, including environmental and safety issues.

Manuel Hernandez, mill manager at Duoro Mine (Duoro), located near Arequipa, Peru, was considering options for increasing output to take advantage of a recent spike in commodity prices. It was Wednesday, January 25, 2023, and prices for copper and gold, the main products of Duoro, were trading at historical highs compared to their five-year average. The mine manager had asked Hernandez to make recommendations about increasing production, and Hernandez had identified three options. Students are expected to evaluate each option and decide which, if any, would address Diaz's objectives of increasing output and minimizing financial risks.

Manuel Hernandez, mill manager at Duoro Mine (Duoro), located near Arequipa, Peru, was considering options for increasing output to take advantage of a recent spike in commodity prices. It was Wednesday, January 25, 2023, and prices for copper and gold, the main products of Duoro, were trading at historical highs compared to their five-year average. The mine manager had asked Hernandez to make recommendations about increasing production, and Hernandez had identified three options. Students are expected to evaluate each option and decide which, if any, would address Diaz’s objectives of increasing output and minimizing financial risks.

In May 2022, a consultant with global management consulting firm Kearney was working on a project for a private equity client, OPW Partners Inc. (OPW). The client was looking to acquire a high-end wine producer in Oregon and had engaged Kearney to complete an operational due diligence of its wine-making operations. The consultant and his team would be flying to Oregon to complete a series of site visits and ask questions directly to the wine-making team. These meetings would allow the consultant to confirm his assumptions and would provide him with an opportunity to investigate possible operational constraints and identify potential solutions. Kearney's due diligence report was expected to evaluate potential longer-term operational issues, specifically whether Silverton would have sufficient capacity to support OPW’s expansion plans, which were expected to start in the 2023 harvest season.

In May 2022, a consultant with global management consulting firm Kearney was working on a project for a private equity client, Opal Partners Inc. (Opal). The client was looking to acquire a high-end wine producer in Oregon and had engaged Kearney to complete an operational due diligence of its wine-making operations. The consultant and his team would be flying to Oregon to complete a series of site visits and ask questions directly to the wine-making team. These meetings would allow the consultant to confirm his assumptions and would provide him with an opportunity to investigate possible operational constraints and identify potential solutions. Kearney's due diligence report was expected to evaluate potential longer-term operational issues, specifically whether Silverton would have sufficient capacity to support Opal's expansion plans, which were expected to start in the 2023 harvest season.

Guillaume Laverdure, chief operating officer at Medicom Group (Medicom), was evaluating a potential investment in a new facility that would manufacture melt-blown polypropylene (melt-blown PP), a key raw material for surgical and respirator masks. It was February 2021, and the previous 12 months had been eventful for the company, one of the largest suppliers of medical masks in the world, as the COVID-19 pandemic had led to a staggering increase in demand for its products. Raw material supply shortages had been a major problem during 2020, and Laverdure was exploring opportunities that would make the company’s supply chain more resilient. Laverdure was scheduled to meet with Medicom’s chief executive officer the following week to review alternatives and to make a decision regarding melt-blown PP supply.

Guillaume Laverdure, chief operating officer at Medicom Group (Medicom), was evaluating a potential investment in a new facility that would manufacture melt-blown polypropylene (melt-blown PP), a key raw material for surgical and respirator masks. It was February 2021, and the previous 12 months had been eventful for the company, one of the largest suppliers of medical masks in the world, as the COVID-19 pandemic had led to a staggering increase in demand for its products. Raw material supply shortages had been a major problem during 2020, and Laverdure was exploring opportunities that would make the company's supply chain more resilient. Laverdure was scheduled to meet with Medicom's chief executive officer the following week to review alternatives and to make a decision regarding melt-blown PP supply.

In February 2020, the executive vice-president of Manufacturing and Supply Chain at CoolIT Systems (CoolIT), met with the company's chief executive officer (CEO) in their Calgary office. The company had recently developed a new range of products that provided liquid cooling solutions to large-scale data centre installations for high-performance computing. In addition to expanding capacity to meet demand, the CEO was also concerned about the requirements and expectations of the company's new customers and the implications for its operations and supply chain. He asked the executive vice-president to prepare recommendations for CoolIT's operations and supply chain strategy for its line of products for the data centre market. What would the relationship with a contract manufacturer entail, and what key capabilities did CoolIT need to look for in a potential supplier?

In February 2020, the executive vice-president of Manufacturing and Supply Chain at CoolIT Systems (CoolIT), met with the company's chief executive officer (CEO) in their Calgary office. The company had recently developed a new range of products that provided liquid cooling solutions to large-scale data centre installations for high-performance computing. In addition to expanding capacity to meet demand, the CEO was also concerned about the requirements and expectations of the company's new customers and the implications for its operations and supply chain. He asked the executive vice-president to prepare recommendations for CoolIT's operations and supply chain strategy for its line of products for the data centre market. What would the relationship with a contract manufacturer entail, and what key capabilities did CoolIT need to look for in a potential supplier?

This case focuses on the supply chain strategy of Apple Inc. (Apple). Set in early 2020, it provides a detailed description of the company's supply chain network and capabilities. Data in the case allows students to develop an understanding of Apple's source of competitiveness and to gain insights into the management of a large, complex global supply chain network that focused on the intersection of services, hardware and software. Students will obtain an understanding of the supply chain challenges faced by Apple, in the context of supporting its corporate strategy and growth objectives.

This case focuses on the supply chain strategy of Apple Inc. (Apple). Set in early 2020, it provides a detailed description of the company’s supply chain network and capabilities. Data in the case allows students to develop an understanding of Apple’s source of competitiveness and to gain insights into the management of a large, complex global supply chain network that focused on the intersection of services, hardware and software. Students will obtain an understanding of the supply chain challenges faced by Apple, in the context of supporting its corporate strategy and growth objectives.

The president and chief executive officer of Romet Limited, was preparing for a project team meeting that would start at 1:00 p.m. that afternoon. It was Friday April 27, 2018, and he had just finalized the architectural design and layout for the company’s new plant. The lease for the current plant would expire at the end of that year, and he was reviewing the activities required to complete the facility relocation project. The plant relocation was named “Project Destiny.” Recognizing that extending the completion beyond the end of the lease was impossible, he was concerned about being able to complete the project on schedule without increasing costs.

On Monday, July 23, 2018, the operations manager at Sorel Life Insurance Company in Montreal, Quebec was preparing for a meeting scheduled for Friday. The meeting was called by her boss, the vice-president of operations, to discuss Sorel's second quarter financial results. Performance of Sorel's underwriting department was continuing to decline; market share had dropped, policy completion time had increased, and fewer applications were being processed. In addition, Sorel was receiving complaints from insurance agents about poor turnaround times. During Friday's meeting, the operations manager was expected to provide specific recommendations to address the problems in the underwriting department.

This case focuses on the supply chain strategy of Walmart. Set in 2019, it provides a detailed description of the company’s supply chain network and capabilities. Data in the case allows students to compare Walmart’s source of competitiveness with those of other retailers—both online including Amazon.com and traditional brick–and-mortar retailers, such as Target—to develop insights into the management of a large, complex, global supply chain network. As competition between Walmart and its online and offline competitors heated up, a key challenge for the company’s president and chief executive officer was deciding what changes made to Walmart’s expanding supply chain would best support its strategic objectives. What supply chain capabilities would Walmart need as its business model continued to evolve?

This case focuses on the supply chain strategy of Walmart. Set in 2019, it provides a detailed description of the company's supply chain network and capabilities. Data in the case allows students to compare Walmart's source of competitiveness with those of other retailers-both online including Amazon.com and traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, such as Target-to develop insights into the management of a large, complex, global supply chain network. As competition between Walmart and its online and offline competitors heated up, a key challenge for the company's president and chief executive officer was deciding what changes made to Walmart's expanding supply chain would best support its strategic objectives. What supply chain capabilities would Walmart need as its business model continued to evolve?

This case describes the journey of a Chinese snack food company, LYFEN, as it developed supply-chain processes and capabilities to compete successfully in a highly competitive market. It provides detailed information about LYFEN's quality-control processes and supply-chain management practices. A particularly interesting aspect of the case is the challenges faced by the company to deliver on customer expectations for food safety and the associated implications for brand image. The question of concern for the company president was how she could keep up with a quickly expanding market while ensuring quality through supply-chain management.

This case describes the journey of a Chinese snack food company, LYFEN, as it developed supply-chain processes and capabilities to compete successfully in a highly competitive market. It provides detailed information about LYFEN’s quality-control processes and supply-chain management practices. A particularly interesting aspect of the case is the challenges faced by the company to deliver on customer expectations for food safety and the associated implications for brand image. The question of concern for the company president was how she could keep up with a quickly expanding market while ensuring quality through supply-chain management.