Focus
Developing and implementing sourcing strategies
Course Objectives
The course objectives are:
- To implement and apply professional category strategies
- To become familiar with the arsenal of potential sourcing strategies
- To experience best practices in
sourcing strategies and learn their
hurdles and success factors
- To learn how to provide a thorough
supply analysis to derive superior
sourcing strategies
- To make students familiar with best
practice concepts and methods in
supplier relationship management and
supply chain governance as
pursued by leading edge firms
- To enable students to best use the
innovation potential of the supply
base
- To become familiar with best practice
concepts in managing supply
chain risks
In general, you should be able after the course to understand different types of sourcing strategies and understand the impact of these strategies on performance and competitive advantage. Special attention will be given to spend analysis, alignment with corporate strategies, outsourcing and global sourcing.
Background
This course focuses on how firms can obtain competitive advantage through a careful management of the input side via sourcing strategies. The issue of competitive advantage is key for purchasing and supply chain management, but also draws significantly form industrial marketing, strategic management and international business. In the course, we will discuss the history of sourcing strategies to understand why companies currently behave as they do. The course elaborates on the importance of sourcing strategy as a tool to achieve better performance. Current developments in the world (globalization trend, new developing economies, reduction of trade barriers, etc.) imply that companies are/should be more aware of opportunities, threats and changes (new possible suppliers and/or business partners, foreign competition, substitute goods, changes in company structures, etc.) and the impact of these elements on sourcing. Prospects for the next decade suggest a spectacular increase in gains through changes in sourcing strategies. An efficient implementation of those strategies requires first of all an alignment with the organizational structure. In this respect, coordination, risk mitigation and strategic partnerships are indispensable to achieve full alignment and integration with the general strategy and organization structure of a company as well as with the strategy and structure of other members in the supply chain.
Teaching Methods
The course consists of lectures that are related to the van Weele book as well as additional articles. Furthermore, the course involves a number of case discussions and assignments are used. Mini cases, discussion papers and active class participations will challenge you.
Assessment
The performance assessment will be based on individual and group performance:
- Group Performance (60%) (case presentation)
- Individual Performance (40%) (final exam)
- Enseignant: Blome Constantin