Value Cre­ation in Glob­al Sup­ply Chains

Course content

It has been noted that “one of the most significant paradigm shifts of modern business management is that individual businesses no longer compete as solely autonomous entities, but rather as supply chains” (Lambert & Cooper, 2000). Companies from the electronics and automotive industries, among others, have increasingly focused on their core competencies and outsourced non-core activities to contract manufacturers or other types of suppliers. They have become experts in orchestrating their end-to-end value networks. It has been argued that “with the increasing level of volatility, the days of static supply chain strategies are over” (Simchi-Levi & Fine, 2010) and that we need to manage “supply chains in the era of turbulence” (Christopher & Holweg, 2011). This is particularly so in a global context. Indeed, incidents like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, the 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the climate crisis have demonstrated that traditional supply chain management needs to be expanded by integrating new perspectives. Therefore, this course covers phenomena related to global supply chain management by taking different theoretical perspectives. Based on interactive discussions and case studies, the participants will learn how to apply such knowledge in a managerial context. The course content includes the following topics: Supply chain orientation, supply chain strategies, postponement, risk management, resilience and transformation, social responsibility and sustainability, supply network analysis, and supply chain process analysis.