Global Supply Chain Management

Objectives

The development of supply chain management is closed linked with globalization. As a result of globalization suppliers have pursued global markets, and most companies became sourcing from global suppliers what resulted in the development of global supply chains. These were transformed in the mechanism at the heart of globalization by which raw materials, parts and components are exchanged across multiple national boundaries before being incorporated into finished goods. However, in recent years this process has been in retreat.
The aim of this course is the development of tools to manage the global supply chain to analyze and evaluate it and to look at future developments.

General characterization

Code

2335

Credits

3.5

Responsible teacher

Manuel P Baganha

Hours

Weekly - Available soon

Total - Available soon

Teaching language

English

Prerequisites

N/A

Bibliography

• (CT) Gerard Cachon & Christian Terwiesch, Matching Supply and Demand: An Introduction to Operations Management, Third Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2013
• (SM) Sunil Chopra & Peter Meindl, Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning and Operation, Fifth Edition, Pearson, 2013
• (DSL) David Simchi-Levi, et al., Design and Managing the Supply Chain, Third Edition, McGraw-hill
• Martin Christopher, Logisitics and Supply Chain Mangement. Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall, 2011

Resources
• Slides from classes
• Articles to be defined per class
• Texts by the Professor

Teaching method

Expositive in terms of concepts. Discussion with students in case studies and problems. Presentations of analyses and solutions by students.

Evaluation method

  • Grading
    • Individual assignment: 15%
    • Group project: 30%
    • Final Exam: 50%
    • Class participation: 5%
    It is forbidden to use one of the companies object of case analysis.

    Evaluation of students will be based on class participation, group project, individual assignments and final exam.

    Group project: analysis if the supply chain of a “global company” and comparing it with other in the same industry or examples of excellence . Example of companies are Apple, Zara, H&M. The suggestion is a company of the following industries: electronics, apparel or automobiles. It is forbidden to use one of the companies object of case analysis.

    Individual assignment: following the discussion of 3 of the cases a one page write up on an issue defined at the end of class. If you submit more than 3 write-ups only the best 3 will be considered.

Subject matter

The effective management of supply chains requires sprecialized analytical tools and a global focus. This course covers a mix of topics with an emphasis both on strategic frameworks and operational quantitative methods. In class simple models and basic concepts will be introduced in order to analyze tradeoffs. In particular this course will focus on:
• Supply chain issues for short life cycle and seasonal products;
• Supply chain as a source of competitive advantage;
• Transportation and inventory location – Economies of Scale;
• Postponement and Quick Response;
• Distribution and risk pooling;
• Coordination in the supply chain;
• Supply chain risk management;
• Sustainability and Supply Chains.
Students will apply the ideas and analytical tools to a diversity of cases.

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: