The goods and services that customers depend on each day don’t just appear out of the blue. They reach end users through increasingly intricate channels, involving people and processes all over the world and are supported by continually advancing technology. Understanding the key relationships in these channels can help you cut costs, boost performance and create more value for customers, whether you are a sole trader, in a small to medium-sized organisation or work for a large firm. Supply chains raise challenging questions for all organisations, with quality, profitability and responsibility, including political and ethical issues, which are high on today’s management agenda.
About the course
This free online course will equip you with a critical appreciation of the way supply chains work, and how you can make them work better for you and your customers. Whether you are an entrepreneur, work in the public sector or in a small to medium enterprise (SME), you’ll find out how the supply chain is changing as the digital era evolves.
The Digital Economy: Effective Supply Chain Management is one of four courses from The Open University about the digital economy, designed to help experienced managers get to grips with today’s technology-enabled business environment.
The course has been developed by The Open University Business School – a pioneering institution that is triple accredited by AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB.
Holders of FutureLearn Certificates of Achievement for all four Digital Economy courses can earn 15 UK credits towards The Open University Business School’s flexible MBA by passing a linked Open University assessment module (requiring a separate OU registration and fee).
During the course, you will cover the following topics:
- What supply chain management is and why it is important
- The distinct processes that make up a digital supply chain
- How risk is assessed in the digital supply chain
- How organisations are using the supply chain to gain a competitive advantage
- Competitive advantage in the digital supply chain
- How supply chain management fits with the company’s strategy
- The future of supply chain management
What you will learn
- Identify and understand the impact of the digital economy on the structure and function of a supply chain, recognising opportunities to reduce cost and create value in your own professional context.
- Demonstrate and recognise the impact of the digital economy when taking an informed approach to decisions such as outsourcing and quality management.
- Improve your analytical and prioritising skills.
- Develop your ethical awareness as a manager.
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Requirements
This course is intended for anyone who wants to learn about the effect the digital era is having on supply chains, customers and other stakeholders. No previous experience of studying supply chain management is required, but some basic knowledge of how businesses work would be beneficial.
Find further information about OU registration, the assessment module and MBA in the entry requirements. The Open University does not operate in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. This means that Learners based in those countries will not be able to convert their participation in this Program to Open University course credits.
About the instructor
Hilary Collins is a strategic design academic with research interests in the economic and cultural role of the creative industries. She teaches OU courses in Strategy and Design Thinking.
Starting date: 7 August, 2017
Duration: 4 weeks, 3 hours per week
Language: English
Instructor: Hilary Collins
Institution: The Open University
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