WEB-BASED SUPPLY CHAIN SIMULATION: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

This is an era marked by rapid technology development in all different educational arenas. Alongside this growing demand of technology, learning process is getting new forms and hence traditional teaching approaches tend to struggle and lack the requisite qualities to meet new generation expectations. In third level education, this problem is increasing in magnitude and new dimensions, especially when it comes to teaching difficult subjects such as supply chain management. Understanding the complexity of supply chain networks and how to manage them create a considerable level of difficulty for students and professionals. Collaboration between supply chain members is now recognised as an important strategic factor in creating a solution to the complexity of the supply chain system. New technologies are beginning to bring a huge transformation into teaching delivery methods. This paper presents an integrated web-based simulation framework that supports learning supply chain concepts and challenges. Simulation-based learning environment allow participants to examine various management strategies without real disruptions to the current system. Using supply chain simulation creates a vibrant experience and a better understanding to the impact of uncertainty and risks within supply chains. Integrating web technologies to simulation has added an edge to the learning environment with the friendly graphical user interface.