Supply Chain Management

Introduction

Supply chains are emerging as important entities and effective supply chain management is increasingly being seen as a key element of strategy. A main reason for this development is the increasing belief that the nature of competition is shifting towards ‘supply chain vs. supply chain’ struggles instead of ‘firm against firm’ competition. Increasingly, supply chains are not merely regarded as a means to get products where they need to be, but also as a means to enhance key outcomes that drive firm performance.

This course consists of two main parts. The first part deals with the Strategy of supply chains, hereunder a number of aspects of inter-organizational strategies, including; value creation in and between firms, coordination and positioning in supply chain networks, purchasing and relationship development with suppliers, and global supply chain responsibilities. The second part deals with the Operations of supply chain, focusing on models the evaluation of process capacity, batching and flow interruptions, discounts and pricing, supply chain integration and efficiency and variability and its impact on process performance.

Course content

PART 1: Strategic Supply Chain Management

Theme 1: Supply Chain Management
· The supply chain management concept
· Approaches, issues, and the logic behind supply chain management
· Design and management of supply chain processes from a shipper perspective

Theme 2: Supply Chain Networks and the strategic management of Logistics Service Providers
· Value configuration analysis
· Coordination and integration in supply chain networks
· Design and management of supply chain processes from a logistics service provider perspective

Theme 3: Supply chain sustainability and responsibility

Standards and implementation of supply chain strategies among MNCs
Strategic trade-offs among the economic, environmental and social elements of supply chain networks

Theme 4: Trust and power in inter-organizational relationships
· Perspectives on trust and power
Building and using trust

PART 2: Operative Supply Chain Management

Theme 4:
· Understanding the supply process: Evaluation process capacity

Theme 5
· Batching and flow interruptions: Optimising the flow through a supply chain

Theme 6:
· Discounts and pricing – supply chain integration and efficiency
Variability and its Impact on Process Performance