Postgraduate Course: Supply Chain Management (MBA) (CMSE11530)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | A 1% saving on supply chain activity is equivalent to a 10% increase in sales (in revenue terms, Cousins, 2008). This often-quoted statistic certainly motivates organisations (public and private) to focus on efficiently and effectively managing their supply activity.
Strategic Supply Chain Management is concerned with the movement of products, services, finances and information from raw materials to the end-user. More and more, it is also concerned with the recovery of finished goods for recycling or reuse. This elective examines the management of external suppliers in order to reduce costs, drive innovation and protect shareholder wealth.
We take the point of view of the supply chain manager who will be expected to improve product quality, increase responsiveness, reduce risk, and drive innovation while still cutting year-on-year input costs. The topic will therefore be of interest to MBA candidates concerned with issues of building business relationships, saving costs, risk and sustainability, and developing analytical, presentation and people skills.
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| Course description |
1) Equip students with the concepts and frameworks they need to understand, analyse and respond to supply chain management problems.
2) Encourage students to critically explore and analyse alternative ways of understanding and responding to Strategic Supply Management opportunities and challenges.
3) Enable students to address Strategic Supply Management issues and problems in their own organization by harnessing appropriate concepts and frameworks to analyse real business and management problems.
The course aims to provide students with a broad understanding of managing suppliers and the sourcing process. It will show students some of the core skills and techniques required in managing strategic supply chains using an interactive and case-based approach.
2. Workshop component
The Supply Chain Management elective course is supported by a 4-day in-person workshop, which is designed to consolidate learning from the early parts of this course, to assess student performance through a formal group presentation and to help participants prepare for their later individual assignment. At the workshop, participants will take part in discussions, undertake group activities and get involved in group work based on case studies. They will give a formally assessed group presentation.
Day 1:
am:
Slot I: Introduction to the workshop Theories of the Firm
Slot II: Session: Development of SCM; group discussion re videos
pm:
Slot I: Session Supply Chain Configurations
Slot II: Experiential session Supply strategy related to supply chain configurations
Day 2:
am:
Slots I: Session: Supplier selection
Slot II: Group work on Analytic Hierarchy Process
pm:
Slot I: Session: Inter & intra firm relationship management
Slot II: Group work - negotiation activity & de-brief
Day 3:
am:
Slots I and II: Strategy, Performance Measurement & Cost-Benefit Analysis
pm:
Slots I & II: Supplier Involvement in New Product Development
Day 4:
am:
Slots I and II: Sustainable supply chain management (Supplier Corporate Social Responsibility)
pm:
Slots I & II: Group presentations on supply chain technology and collaboration concepts
Student Learning Experience
The course includes a series of pre-recorded lectures, guest speakers, seminar learning and case discussions. The course provides participants with opportunities in class, and online between classes, to share their expertise and explore the practical implementation of a range of contemporary techniques for supply chain management.
The course will be made up of pre-record on line information and in class workshops spread across four days. Lectures will be complemented by on-going group activity designed to embed the learning in an on-going real time manner.
Students will be required to read the pre-workshop materials (cases and readings) before attending the workshop and to start thinking about their group presentation task. The workshop requirements will be set out in the general study materials and reiterated at the Online lecture that occurs prior to the workshop. Materials for the workshop will also be set out in advance of the workshop.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is only available to MBA and EMBA students. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Block 5 (Sem 2) and beyond |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 1.5,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22.5,
Summative Assessment Hours 26,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
48 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% Coursework: 70% Individual assignment and 30% Group assignment |
| Feedback |
Feedback consists of on-going support provided by the course lecturer to the groups throughout the duration of their in class and individual projects.
Feedback on summative assessed work will be provided within 15 working days. Students will be provided with electronic written feedback for all coursework.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand, analyse and respond to supply chain management problems.
- Critically explore and analyse alternative ways of understanding and responding to Strategic Supply Management opportunities and challenges.
- Address Strategic Supply Management issues and problems in their own organization by harnessing appropriate concepts and frameworks to analyse real business and management problems.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
C1 Meaningful Interpersonal Interaction
C2 Effective Emotional Intelligence
C3 Authentic Leadership
C4 Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Business Behaviour
C5 Appropriate Communication
C6 Understand and Make Effective Use of Data
C7 Creative and Entrepreneurial Practice
C8 Personal and Professional Competence
C9 Academic Excellence
C10 Intellectual Curiosity
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof David Bamford
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Alana Borthwick
Tel:
Email: |
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