B2C Mass Customization in the Classroom

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe an internet-based mass customization assignment in Operations Management/Supply Chain Management classes where students utilize the web site of a company that offers a customized product. Students evaluate the user interface, judge the value proposition of the product they demonstrate, and discuss issues of product design, process design and scheduling, inventory management, supply chain management, marketing, and competitors. The students learn about mass customization from both the producer's perspective and the consumer's perspective. Through their own research and the class presentations students are able to develop a better understanding of the implementation requirements and challenges of mass customization. The assignment is highly interactive and has been successfully used in Operations Management and Supply Chain Management courses at under-graduate and graduate levels and at multiple universities. In addition, practitioners interested in implementing a mass customization process can use the assignment as a brainstorming or benchmarking exercise.

Integrating Experiential Learning and Accreditation Requirements – A Case Study Based Course

“…Experiential learning has been widely used in a variety of engineering education contexts and within many universities all over the world; examples of these are reported in the following research works (Bassetto et al, 2011;Visich et al, 2012;Medini, 2018). Despite the large use of experiential learning and the increasing awareness of its benefits to the students, guidelines for designing effective…”

“…In a simple way, MC aims to fulfil customer individual demands with near mass production efficiency (Salvador et al, 2009;Medini, 2015). A full understanding of MC and customer orientation in operations management requires an adaptation of the practices and content of engineering education curricula, towards more active learning approaches (Kolb and Kolb, 2005;Bassetto et al, 2011;Visich et al, 2012;Peillon et al, 2016;Medini, 2018). This paper reports on a case study based lecture about MC, which has been given to students pursuing a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering.…”

“Supply Chain—Marketing Shark Tank” Experiential Lab Game in Interdisciplinary Business Education: Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses

“…Experiential learning is defined as “a process of constructing knowledge that involves a creative tension …… that is responsive to contextual demands” (Kolb & Kolb, , p. 194). Previous researchers have developed experiential games to teach subjects including production and operations management, project management, and SCM (Fish, ; Hoogeweegen et al., ; Heriot et al., ; Kolenko, ; Klotz, ; Piercy, ; Umble, Umble, & Artz, ; Visich, Gu, & Khumawala, ). The SC‐Mark experiential lab game adds to the body of literature on interdisciplinary learning, experiential gaming, and simulation.…”

“…In conclusion, experiential gaming and simulation has proven to be effective in helping students grasp key insights in realistic business situations (Visich et al., ). The SC‐Mark experiential lab game offers a real‐life business environment simulation that explores complexities in the advertising and marketing supply chains.…”

Case study–based learning in customer-centric operations management: Unleashing the potential of experiential learning and accreditation

“…In a simple way, MC aims to fulfill customer individual demands with near mass production efficiency (Medini, 2015;Medini, Da Cunha, & Bernard, 2012;Salvador, Holan, & Piller, 2009). A full understanding of MC and customer orientation in operations management requires an adaptation of the practices and content of engineering education curricula, toward more active learning approaches (Bassetto, Fiegenwald, Cholez, & Mangione, 2011;Kolb & Kolb, 2005;Medini, 2018;Peillon, Medini, & Dubruc, 2016;Visich, Gu, & Khumawala, 2012). These approaches are expected to increase the motivation, self-efficacy, and subsequent retention rate of the learners and train them for complex business environments (Finney & Pyke, 2008;Hakeem, 2001;McCarthy & McCarthy, 2006).…”