Topics include: productivity; competitiveness and strategy; quality management; product and service design; process selection; design of work systems; learning curves; inventory management; materials requirements planning (MRP), Just In Time (JIT); maintenance and reliability. Issues in supply chain management will also be introduced such as: distribution strategies, location analysis, customer service, outsourcing decisions, buyer-supplier relationships, and information exchange, with an emphasis on emerging technology and its impact on Supply Chain Management (SCM).