Supply chain innovation, strategy and management
On this page
|
|
|
|
|
| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
Register for the course
This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
Supply chains, coordinated on a global scale for producing and marketing goods and services, present a fascinating and important area for study. They are re-shaping contemporary business, technological and socio-economic development. They impact on everyone’s lives, in both industrialised and developing countries. Supply chains are central to environmental change and to sustainable business practice. Learning how to manage them and their impacts presents fundamental organisational challenges. You will explore these complex issues through an interdisciplinary approach, using varied conceptual and analytical frameworks. The course is highly interactive, using an innovative, multimedia learning environment. An investigative project replaces a written exam.
Course content
The course takes a holistic approach to total product supply systems through comprehensive analysis relevant to participants at all levels of buyer/supplier relationships. ‘Product’ encompasses both artefacts and services. We will:
- explain the factors that have influenced management approaches to coordination within ‘supply chains’ and other kinds of supply system
- explain how and why supply chain organisation has changed and continues to change
- establish how supply chain management is extending across the total product life cycle – from product creation through distribution, marketing, and aftermarket support to end-of-life processing
- examine the implications of this perspective for the product and process design and for wider technological and management practice
- locate concepts of ‘supply chain management’ within broader forms of production organisation, and contrast the approaches of American management to supply chains with their counterparts in the EU and in Japan
- illuminate issues crucial to technological and management practice that arise from changes in supply systems: concerning, for example, logistic practice, financial practice, intellectual property rights and electronic commerce
- assess how, in supply chain contexts, organisational cultures and related phenomena can constrain attempts to innovate and to implement strategy across organisational boundaries, and evaluate methods for overcoming these constraints
- explain the implications that increasing supply chain coordination may have for innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises, and consider the appropriate strategies for such enterprises in these circumstances
- explain the implications of organisational and other supply chain changes for managers and other stakeholders
- explore contrasting models across the arm’s length-collaborative continuum relating these approaches to, and within, different companies and countries
- examine the role of strategies and practices developed by large lead companies and how their approaches to supply chain governance impact on other organisations, suppliers, customers and competitors – and on the wider society
- explain how resource constraints and environmental regulation are reshaping all aspects of supply chain functioning, leading to increasing emphasis on external regulation by governmental and non-governmental organisations
- explore potential tensions between supply systems integration and wider economic and societal conditions
- contrast alternative approaches to the integrated organisation of production and other activities within the supply-distribution nexus
- identify the technological and other factors that contribute to the extending reach and scale of product supply, distribution and marketing
- relate changes in specific methods used in supply chain management to coordination across management functional boundaries within organisations and across organisational boundaries
- consider the potential relevance of approaches to the measurement of organizational and individual performance to improving supply chain functioning
- explain the factors shaping contrasting approaches to supply chain innovation, strategy and management.
Entry
This course has been devised to suit practitioners and managers from a wide range of backgrounds. It is at postgraduate level and makes appropriate intellectual demands. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Qualifications
T882 is an optional course in our
- Postgraduate Certificate in Systems Thinking in Practice (C72)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Management (C49)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Computing for Commerce and Industry (C02)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Management of Software Projects (E19)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Systems Thinking in Practice (E28)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Technology Management (E08)
- MBA (F02)
- MBA (Technology Management) (F03)
- MSc in Computing for Commerce and Industry (F05)
- MSc in Management of Software Projects (F43)
- MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice (F47)
- MSc in Technology Management (F36)
Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. These qualifications allow most postgraduate courses to count towards them. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader Large print versions of the course materials can be provided on request. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability. You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer, the internet and materials presented electronically.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course reader, other printed texts, DVDs, course website, computer-based supply chain simulation.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running windows Boot Camp or similar.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will be responsible for monitoring your progress on the course, marking and commenting on your written work and whom you can contact for advice and guidance. Your tutor will also mediate an online forum for your tutor group and oversee collaborative team-working tasks in which each student’s participation is assessed. There is also a separate online forum for all students on the course. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You must use the online eTMA system to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs).
Instead of an examination, an end-of-course assessment will report on your project work.
Professional recognition
The Open University is registered with The Institute of Quality Assurance (IQA), Institute of Materials (IOM) and The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), for professional recognition.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in May 2010. We expect it to be available once a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
A postgraduate course in Engineering and Technology.
Study explained
- Course
- - a module of study that can count towards a qualification.
- Credit points
- - show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Student Reviews
Diversity of course material makes this too confusing for those who've never studied with the OU before. Requires group working. ...
Read more
We would agree that this course is probably more suitable for those who have taken some Open University courses before ...
Read more
This was an interesting course to say the least. To study this course one needs to be PC literate as ...
Read more
Got a question?
Contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service
Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90
Browse the prospectus
Request a print prospectus
Share
This PageThe University wishes to emphasise that, while every effort is made to regularly update this site, the material on it is subject to alteration or amendment in the light of changes in regulations or in policy or of financial or other necessity.