The everchanging nature of markets nowadays and the globalisation of business have sharpened the focus on the need for better logistics capabilities and supply chain management (SCM). Decision makers today strive to address the fundamental issues of managing flows of products, services and information, globally and to do so competitively. Supply chains need to be developed which can deliver the required levels of service at minimum cost.
The aim of the module is to give students an overview of the importance of SCM and how a firm's' competitive position can be improved by various supply chain practices. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of logistics and supply chain management; components of the supply chain and their interconnectivity, the role of technology in effective SCM, and the wider social and economic implications of managing supply chains.
Indicative syllabus covered in the module and / or in its discrete elements
1 Overview of SCM (Basic concepts of logistics and supply chain management: definitions, mission, goals and benefits; Evolution and development of supply chain management philosophy)
2 Inventory Management across SC (Inventory and the Supply Chain; Inventory Models; Warehousing Operations and Activities)
3 Material Flow Logistics (Purchasing & Procurement; Logistics networks and the role of distribution centres; Upstream and
downstream material flows; Order processing: Tracing the route of an order through the firm)
4 Digital SC (information flows; information sharing (realtime)
and the role of technology in effective supply chain management; blockchain technology; robotics, 3D printing; ebusiness;…)
5 SC Performance (performance areas and tradeoffs; performance models, …)
6 SC Integration (Collaborative planning; SC relationships; outsourcing and services) 7 SC and Society: Trends & Challenges
(Disruptions and SC resilience; Sustainability (environment, social, economic); ethics)
Learning and teaching will take place via lectures, tutorials, class assignments/prereading, class discussion, case studies (best practices) and group projects. Formal lectures are supplemented by structured classroom discussions while case studies provide a vehicle to integrate practical aspects of learning across all aspects of the module. Students will have ample time to consider the ideas and apply the discussed knowledge and skills in their projects.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 50 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 50 |