Module Directory

This module will explore how firms can simultaneously strategise their product/brand lines and operational processes so that they more effectively align their supply with the demand for their products and services in global environment.

The module also focuses on the development and application of strategic management in the areas of supply chain management with emphasis on industry competition, resource accumulation, organisational learning, and competitive dynamics.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Have obtained a critical understanding principles and practices of evaluating global operations and supply chain performance.


2. Critically evaluate possible evaluation challenges faced by private equity investors, analysts, entrepreneurs, consultants, and top management.


3. Have obtained a critical understanding of the impact of operations and supply chains on everyday life, and develop a critical understanding of applying operations and supply chain management practices in the light of wider issues in global business.


4. Communicate concepts and research to different communities and stakeholder groups.


5. Have developed a critical understanding of operations and supply chain practices for evaluating and improving business performance.

This module covers the major issues in Global Supply Chain and Operations Management, including the definition of operations and supply chains; the role of inventory, capacity and information; operational indicators; disruption and distress indicators; valuation skills; lean management; risk analysis; sourcing contracts; supply chain partners; quantitative modelling.

Matching supply (produce development and operations management) with demand (marketing and brand management) is an important strategic challenge in global supply networks: excess supply can lead to costly inventory write offs, while inadequate supply irritates customers and results in lost revenue.

To gain competitive edge in the current market place, supply chain management has emerged as a major area for companies. Managing supply networks is a complex and challenging task, given the current business trends of expanding product variety, increasing outsourcing, globalisation of business, and continuous advances in information technology. Matching supply with demand is an important strategic challenge in today's global business environment: excess supply and capacity can lead to costly inventory write offs, while inadequate supply and capacity irritate customers and results in lost revenue.

To gain a competitive edge in the current market place, operations and supply chain management has emerged as a major means for private equity investors, venture capitalists, analysts, entrepreneurs, management consultants, and top management to examine business performance.

Achieving superior performance through operational efficiency is a complex and challenging task, given the current business trends of expanding product variety, increasing outsourcing, and continuous advances in business analytics.

Global Supply Chain and Operations Management module concerned with the efficient integration of suppliers, manufacturing, warehouses and stores. In fact, the aim of this module is that "the supply chain encompasses all of those activities associated with moving goods from the raw-materials stage through to the end user."

Today's Supply Chain learning challenges are:

• A global supply chain with long lead times.


• Rising and shifting customer expectations.


• The increase in labour costs in developing countries.


• The increase in logistics costs.

This module will be delivered via:

• Lectures, and
• Seminars, which include discussion of case studies, journal articles, principle-driven analysis, data-driven analysis.

The lectures will be developed around the key principles and practices of evaluating and improving operations and supply chain performance for global business as mentioned in the indicative course content and will use a range of examples and cases from business practice and society to demonstrate the application of concepts, frameworks, and tools.

The seminars will concentrate particularly on the elaboration of specific frameworks and tools with reference to their possible application through the selection of business problems which were either already experienced by students, that arose or are likely to arise in organisational, management, and business situations.