Continuing Professional Development
How can supply chain ideas help you?
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
This course examines the key ideas of supply chain management and how adopting and applying the concepts, frameworks and techniques developed for managing supply chains can contribute to improving organisational performance. It will provide you with tools and techniques to help you apply supply chain management ideas in your own organisational or professional context. The course will benefit those working in an explicit purchasing role within organisations. It will also appeal to others in an appropriate professional context whose role connects to supply chains, such as those involved in supply, logistics, commissioning, contracts, Human Resources or general management.
Course content
This online continuing professional development course examines the key ideas of supply chain management and how they can be applied in a range of organisational and professional contexts where there is a connection with the buyers or suppliers of goods and services. It will enable you to play a more effective role in contributing to managing supply chains within your own organisational or professional context. The course is designed so that you can work at your own pace with a variety of activities that examine what a supply chain is, the business contribution of supply partnerships, identifying the important players and potential partners, what you could do differently, and what you should focus on.
You will learn how to:
- understand who your clients are
- understand what value they want from your role
- realise who else is connected to your role delivering value (internal, external, boundaries, connections)
- make better decisions about what you need to do to deliver value to clients
- plan practical initiatives to improve how you work with selected members of your supply chain in order to define better value.
The strong link between course learning and your work practice creates relevant, enduring and transferable outcomes. The course will take 30 hours to study. The online content includes activities that provide you with an opportunity to test your knowledge or apply your learning and ideas in practice. Register online today and start tomorrow – no need to wait!
The course features the distinctive strengths of The Open University (OU) from its years of expertise in work-based learning:
- The convenience of accessing its clearly presented and sequenced materials, activities and support whenever suits you and wherever you have access to the protected course website – if you prefer, you can print key materials to work on them offline.
- The support of an expert learning adviser who can clarify course materials, answer questions and help you relate the course to your specific needs.
- A work-based activity helping you to connect the course to your individual and organisational context and needs. At the end of the course you send this to the learning adviser, who provides personal feedback.
- Certification of completion from the OU for those who complete the course. You can use this to demonstrate your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity to your employer and/or professional body. (NB The course does not carry academic credit points.)
Entry
Although there are no formal academic requirements to study any of our CPD courses, you are expected to have some familiarity with the subject.
For each course you can register and begin at any time during the life of the course. You can study at your own pace and submit your work-based activity at any date before the final submission date for the course. Information about the submission date is available when you register for the course.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The course is delivered online. Learners who use screen readers or who cannot use a mouse will not be able to access some course material or some course activities without assistance. If you are a new learner with the OU, make sure that you have our booklet Meeting Your Needs. You can obtain a copy by contacting our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Course materials
What's included
Once you register, you will receive access to the online course where you will find the content, online activities, information about the work-based activity and links to your learning adviser. There are no printed materials with this course, although there are some articles that you can download to print and read offline if you prefer.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new 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.
Learner support
Expert, confidential learner support is available when you need it from a learning adviser, who will respond to you direct within 24 hours. Other support is available via the course forum, library, StudentHome website and computing helpdesk.
Work-based activity
The work-based activity for this course builds on your work throughout the course. You will discover that by the end of the course, a large percentage of it will already be completed. The final part of the work-based activity asks you to identify aspects of supply chain management you will try to develop and improve as a result of taking this course, producing a personal action plan.
Professional recognition
Successful completion of the course enables us to recognise your achievement of the course learning by issuing an OU certificate that you can use to document your commitment to continuing professional development in your personal portfolio, or to provide evidence to employers or professional body.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
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.
Study explained
- Special fee arrangements
- - the OU has relationships with many professional bodies, and as part of those relationships members may be entitled to special fee arrangements.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Got a question?
Contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service
Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90
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