Supply Chain Frontiers issue #47
The MIT Global SCALE Network chose The Fresh Connection (value chain learning experience) to serve as the platform for the 2013 SCALE Challenge.
This four-month supply chain simulation exercise includes all 98 students from the four masters-level programs within the SCALE Network. Launched in late September 2012, the SCALE Challenge will run until January, including six rounds of The Fresh Connection being played remotely by students in their respective locations, followed by six additional rounds being played when all students convene at MIT’s campus in Cambridge, MA, US, in January 2013.
“We chose The Fresh Connection to serve as the platform for the 2013 SCALE Challenge for several reasons,” said Dr. Roberto Perez-Franco, facilitator of the exercise. “First, it allows us to provide students with a supply chain simulation that balances complex decision making and an easy-to-use modern interface. Second, it can be played remotely, which is crucial when you have almost 100 students playing simultaneously in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. And finally, we found The Fresh Connection is both challenging and fun to play. It reinforces some of the key concepts we teach our students, and gives them an opportunity to develop a sense of fellowship across the four MIT Global SCALE masters-level programs.”
The Fresh Connection engages participants in making strategic and tactical decisions in the value chain to save the fictional company – The Fresh Connection – from financial ruin. Working in teams of four, participants represent the functional roles of Operations, Purchasing, Sales, and Supply Chain. They are challenged to consider corporate strategy and business objectives, means to effectively put strategy into action, contemporary business issues and trade-offs, and the need for structured decision-making processes such as Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP). Most importantly, the participants learn that good Supply Chain performance and consistent execution of corporate strategy have a direct positive impact on company profitability.
For more information on the SCALE Challenge, contact Dr. Roberto Perez-Franco.