Supply Chain and Operations Management Course Descriptor

Course Overview

A supply chain is the network of all the individuals, organisations, resources, activities and technology involved in the creation and sale of a product.

This course focuses on the management of those business activities and networks,  intrinsic to the smooth flow of goods or services, information, and financial transactions across firms from raw materials to the end customer. Increasingly this now includes the involvement of the consumer in the design and disposal (reuse or recycle) of those products at the end of their original use.

Students will learn about the different strategies and techniques businesses’ employ depending on the business context, needs and objectives and the technologies that support these business operations. The logistical, commercial and ethical challenges  of supply chain management are discussed in the context of increasing consumer and stakeholder demands globally.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

The scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course are:

Lectures/seminars/workshops

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

Version 1:all sessions in the same sized group

OR

Version 2: most of the sessions in larger groups; some of the sessions in smaller groups

OR

Directed study

4-12 scheduled hours, the exact number varying according to the balance of 1:1s, 2:1s, or small groups. The plan will be confirmed by the start of the course, taking into account student numbers and      the proposed      topics,      readings, and specific tasks.

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups. 

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Summative Assessments

Further information about the assessments can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is for a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

Chopra, S. (2019) Supply Chain Management: Strategy Planning and Operation. Pearson 

Academic readings and Case studies  will be used from  academic journals such as:

• Manufacturing and Service Operations Management
• Management Science
• Operations Research
• Harvard Business Review

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative topics provided below is used as a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• Supply chain and operation strategies
• Process structure, control, and evolution
• The Circular Economy
• Management Technologies and Systems -e,g BlockChain