2025年12月27日晚，在北京理工大学2025级MBA国际班50余名同学的掌声与致谢声中，学科核心课《运作管理》圆满落幕。

任课教师黄志民教授履历亮眼：美国德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校运营管理博士，美国阿德菲大学商学院教授，Journal of Modeling in Management主编，在管理学、经济学、运筹学等领域发表百余篇国际顶刊论文，常年为美国企业提供供应链管理专业咨询。

这位“学术大牛”的课堂从无枯燥的理论罗列与晦涩公式堆砌，而是将运筹学模型、供应链管理原理融入一个个鲜活的企业咨询案例，把数十年学术积淀与实战经验转化为生动有趣的教学内容，让同学们在游戏中悟真谛、在案例中抓精髓。讲到“牛鞭效应”时，他笑着提议“我们来玩个游戏”——这场令人记忆犹新的Beer Game（啤酒游戏）就此展开。

From ‘Beer in Class’ to Supply Chain Insights: My Eye-Opening Beer Game Experience（从“课堂啤酒局”到供应链洞见：令我眼界大开的啤酒游戏体验）

Usama, an international student from Pakistan, shared: ‘I never imagined there was a game called the Beer Game. When our professor first mentioned it, I honestly thought we were going to drink beer in class! But he quickly clarified it was a joke. As it turns out, the Beer Game is a simulation specifically designed to teach core concepts in supply chain and operations management. The class was divided into six teams of eight members each, with two students responsible for each phase of the supply chain. Our team ended up winning first place for achieving the lowest cost, which was incredibly rewarding! This game made us truly grasp the critical importance of goods flow, effective communication, and strategic inventory management. One of the most valuable takeaways was understanding the "Bullwhip Effect"—how small fluctuations in end-customer demand can trigger massive variances in orders across the supply chain. It was a powerful demonstration of why accurate information sharing and coordinated decision-making across all stages are non-negotiable. We also learned to balance supply and demand: careful planning and open communication were essential to avoid overproduction or underproduction, both of which lead to unnecessary costs. This fun and interactive approach allowed us to apply theoretical supply chain concepts in a practical setting. Overall, the Beer Game was a real eye-opener that gave me a far deeper understanding of the complexities of supply chain management.’

来自巴基斯坦的国际学生乌萨马分享道：“我从未想过会有一个叫‘啤酒游戏’的活动。当教授第一次提起它时，说实话，我以为我们要在课堂上喝啤酒呢！但他很快澄清这只是个玩笑。事实证明，啤酒游戏是一款专门设计的模拟工具，用于教授供应链与运营管理的核心概念。全班被分成6个小组，每组8人，供应链的每个环节由两名学生负责。我们小组最终以最低成本斩获第一名，这让我们收获满满！这个游戏让我们真正领悟到货物流转、有效沟通和战略性库存管理的关键重要性。其中最宝贵的收获，是理解了‘牛鞭效应’——终端客户需求的微小波动，如何引发整个供应链中订单的巨大差异。这生动地证明了，各环节间准确的信息共享与协同决策是不可或缺的。我们还学会了平衡供需：周密的规划与开放的沟通至关重要，以此避免生产过剩或不足——这两种情况都会导致不必要的成本。这种有趣且互动性强的方式，让我们得以在实际场景中运用供应链理论知识。总的来说，啤酒游戏真的让我大开眼界，使我对供应链管理的复杂性有了远比以往深刻的理解。”

从啤酒游戏懂牛鞭效应：分销商视角的供应链“波动”真相

拥有8年外企工作经验的王宏侠同学兴致盎然地分享：“最后一堂啤酒游戏课太有启发了，黄教授把牛鞭效应这一抽象概念阐释得透彻易懂。我在组里扮演分销商，亲眼见证了消费者需求的小幅上涨，经过零售商、批发商、分销商到工厂的层层传递，订单波动被不断放大。深究原因，一方面是需求信息传递滞后，另一方面是各环节为规避缺货风险盲目加单，最终导致整条供应链库存积压，既造成资金浪费，又引发供需失衡。这场游戏让我明白，牛鞭效应的产生不仅源于决策草率，更与企业间沟通壁垒、数据割裂、激励机制不合理密切相关。想要提升运营效率，必须依靠全链条协同、信息透明化与数据驱动决策，绝不能凭经验‘拍脑袋’。这种实践体验比课本知识更具冲击力和说服力！”

The Beer Game effectively enhances practical understanding of supply chain management（啤酒游戏：高效深化供应链管理实践认知的利器）

Panha, an international student from Cambodia, exclaimed excitedly: “The Beer Game was an extremely engaging and insightful learning experience that helped me understand the real-world challenges of supply chain management through hands-on practice. Through this simulation, I observed firsthand how small variations in customer demand can lead to significant fluctuations in inventory levels, order quantities, and delivery delays across the entire supply chain. The game clearly demonstrated the Bullwhip Effect and highlighted how a lack of communication and delayed information sharing create inefficiencies like excess stock or shortages. Playing assigned roles—retailer, wholesaler, distributor, and manufacturer—made me appreciate the interdependence of each stage: decisions made at one level have a ripple effect on all others. This activity pushed me to develop teamwork, critical thinking, and strategic planning skills, as I had to balance customer satisfaction with inventory costs. It also underscored the importance of coordination, transparency, and trust among supply chain partners. Compared to traditional classroom lectures, the Beer Game made complex concepts much easier to understand and remember. Its competitive and interactive nature kept me actively involved and motivated to refine my decision-making. Overall, the Beer Game was an effective educational tool that strengthened my understanding of supply chain dynamics and provided valuable insights I can apply in real business scenarios.”

来自柬埔寨的国际学生潘哈兴奋地表示：“啤酒游戏是一次极具吸引力且富有洞见的学习体验，它让我通过亲身体验，理解了供应链管理在现实世界中面临的挑战。在这场模拟活动中，我亲眼观察到，客户需求的微小变化，如何引发整个供应链中库存水平、订单数量的大幅波动，以及交付延迟问题。游戏清晰地展现了牛鞭效应，并凸显了沟通不畅与信息共享延迟如何导致库存积压或短缺等效率低下的问题。在分别扮演零售商、批发商、分销商和制造商这些指定角色的过程中，我深刻认识到供应链各环节的相互依存关系：某一个环节做出的决策，会对其他所有环节产生连锁反应。这项活动促使我培养团队协作、批判性思维和战略规划能力，因为我必须在客户满意度与库存成本之间找到平衡。它还强调了供应链合作伙伴之间协作、透明和信任的重要性。与传统课堂讲授相比，啤酒游戏让复杂的概念变得更容易理解和记忆。其竞争性与互动性的特点，让我全程积极参与其中，并激励我不断优化自己的决策。总的来说，啤酒游戏是一款高效的教育工具，它不仅加深了我对供应链动态的理解，还为我提供了可应用于真实商业场景的宝贵洞见。”

零售商亲历：在“过山车”式体验中悟透管理智慧

陈慧同学笑着说：“最让我们‘上头’的莫过于那场Beer Game模拟课。课前总觉得‘牛鞭效应’只是课本上枯燥的定义，直到亲自扮演零售商，才真切感受到其中的复杂性：一边要应对模糊不清的客户需求，一边看着库存与订单像过山车般起伏——前两周还在为缺货焦虑，后两周就被堆积如山的啤酒库存‘砸懵’，最后核算损失时，全组人对着数据结果哭笑不得。记得黄老师走过来，没有直接给出答案，而是笑着反问：‘是不是觉得自己每一步决策都没问题，最终结果却与预期大相径庭？’这时我才真切体会到，课本知识背后藏着太多供应链管理的学问。黄教授只是在一旁温和引导我们复盘：‘你看，每个环节的决策单独看都合乎逻辑，但串联起来就酿成了整个链条的困境——这就是供应链管理的魅力所在。’”

The Beer Game reveals supply chain challenges and optimization needs（啤酒游戏：揭示供应链挑战与优化需求）

Nicolai, an exchange student from Russia, said with enthusiasm: ‘ I’ll remember this game for a long time. It clearly illustrated how supply chains operate, how customer demand fluctuates, and how these dynamics are visualized in data graphs. One striking trend I noticed was that a massive volume of goods remained in transit throughout the simulation—tying up capital and creating potential bottlenecks. It was also fascinating to see that all participating teams faced similar challenges: delayed shipments and surging demand that strained our inventory management. These shared struggles highlighted universal supply chain pain points rather than individual mistakes. In the future, I want to explore evidence-based strategies to optimize these processes, focusing on how improved communication and more accurate demand forecasting can mitigate delays and balance inventory levels for smoother operations.’

来自俄罗斯的交换生尼古拉满怀热情地说：“我会长久记住这个游戏。它清晰地阐释了供应链的运作方式、客户需求的波动规律，以及这些动态如何在数据图表中直观呈现。我注意到一个显著趋势：在整个模拟过程中，有大量货物始终处于在途状态——这不仅占用了资金，还埋下了潜在的瓶颈隐患。同样令人深思的是，所有参赛团队都面临着相似的挑战：发货延迟与需求激增给我们的库存管理带来了巨大压力。这些共同的困境凸显的是供应链领域普遍存在的痛点，而非个别团队的失误。未来，我希望探索基于实证的流程优化策略，重点研究如何通过改善沟通、提高需求预测的准确性，来减少延迟、平衡库存水平，从而实现更顺畅的运营。”

沙盘模拟：亲历牛鞭效应之悟

国际班“老大哥”陈相臣同学感慨道：“参与Beer Game沙盘模拟让我收获满满。52名同学分组扮演供应链各环节角色，从最初的供需平稳到需求波动后的连锁反应，亲身领教了牛鞭效应的强大威力。零售端的微小需求上涨，经各环节层层放大，引发了全网的缺货恐慌与库存积压。各组绘制的数据波形图惊人相似，实际订单曲线的剧烈震荡与预想中的平稳形成鲜明反差。这让我深刻认识到，在缺乏信息共享的供应链中，波动是固有属性。此次模拟不仅让我直观理解了供应链运作的复杂性，更让我坚定了信息共享、理性决策的重要性，为今后应对实际工作中的供应链问题积累了宝贵经验。”

师者如炬，知行合一。黄志民教授以其深厚的学术功底与丰富的企业咨询经验，将抽象的供应链理论转化为一场场生动深刻的课堂实践。在啤酒游戏的模拟推演中，同学们亲历“牛鞭效应”，洞察信息协同的价值；在角色扮演与团队协作中，体会系统思维与决策平衡的艺术。这不仅是一堂《运作管理》的结课，更是一次对供应链本质的贴近与理解，一种对管理智慧的沉浸与唤醒。

课下的黄志民教授更是一位平易近人的师长。无论学生面临学术上的困惑，还是职业发展的迷茫，向他请教时，总能得到耐心倾听与通俗解答。他会分享自己的亲身经历与行业洞察，没有居高临下的说教，只有真诚的分享与温暖的指引。

我们相信，这种融合理论、案例与实战的教学方式，正塑造着未来管理者应有的格局与能力——在真实世界的复杂系统中，保持清醒的洞察，做出科学的决策，推动高效的协同。北理MBA课堂，始终致力于赋能每一位学子，在知识的传承中激发智慧，在实践的锤炼中引领未来。